retzie

The doubling is to do with pronunciation. In "modelling", the extra l makes sure it isn't pronounced like the "odeling" in "yodeling". And the extra s in "focussed" makes sure it isn't said like the "cused" in "recused".

Wikipedia outlines the case both ways: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americ...led_consonants

I only learnt that one quite recently. I have to deal with pedants from both sides for work, so learn all kinds of exciting and useful things... I think in American English you just use inverted commas when you are quoting something inside existing (double) quotation marks. Otherwise, you pretty much use double all the time (except when they enclose a title). Exciting stuff! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americ...es#Punctuation

The coworker who used to sit next to me was not a native English speaker and had a Chicago Manual of Style on her desk. She would happily look up such things any time I cursed at the pedants' pedantic emailing.

Cursed very professionally, obviously

sid nv

I think there was an effort at some point in the US to remove superfluous 'u's. Much as I hate to admit it, I think the US got it right.
The US also sorted out 'aluminum'. But there does seem an issue with the 'nucular' option.

scrubbedexpat091

Noah Webster played a pretty significant role in US spellings.

https://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophen...tish-spellings

"Seeking to wrest control of the language from the British ruling classes, Noah wrote three books that aimed to make a tidy pile of that mess we were talking about. One on grammar, one on reading, and one on spelling. His first—originally titled The First Part of the Grammatical Institute of the English Language, then The American Spelling Book, then The Elementary Spelling Book—became the standard text book from which American teachers taught spelling for 100 years, and it was from reprints and reissues of that original text that Noah began to subtly refine words, spelling them according to how they sound."

scot47

Time for Spelling Reform, and the Introduction of "Newspeak"

Newspeak - Wikipedia

old.sparkles

Except labor (as in ALP) is US spelling, but labour day is UK spelling ???

Mallory

Odd words are yogurt and yoghurt, ax and axe, Phillip and Allison vs Philip and Alison, whiskey and whisky, judgment and judgement, hard to keep it all straight. Like porridge and oatmeal. LOL.

retzie

This one goes according to country of origin of the spirit, so both can be right in the same sentence. The rule of thumb is that if the country has an "e" in it, use whiskey (e.g., US, Ireland) and whisky if not (e.g., Scotland, Canada, Japan).

sid nv

faucet / tap. Old Speckled Hen on faucet just doesn't work.
Obviously froggie spelling is out of the question, so 'tap' it is.

vespucci

And for what comes out of a tap the spelling is the same but, actually, should be different- waDer.

Lion in Winter

Whisky = refers to Scotch only
Whiskey = refers to Irish whiskey, Bourbon, or Rye

I think that's the same on both sides of the Atlantic, but don't quote me.

robin1234

OK I won’t. I think you’re right about some of the variant spellings of uisce beatha. But why is one Irish and one Scottish? I’m guessing that some marketing person made that arbitrary distinction some time in the last hundred years. People used to spell things however they liked, now it’s boringly prescriptive. Just for laughs I sometimes use “connexion” instead of “connection,” and “shew” instead of “show.” And when the 1% in the eighteenth century stole the common land, were they “enclosing” or “inclosing.”

lizzyq

Don't ask for a joint at the meat counter.
Don't ask for a pot plant in the garden center.
Don't ask for a rubber during your math class.

MMcD

[QUOTE=retzie;12938961]I only learnt that one quite recently. /QUOTE]

We've just learned you recently learnt it.
Now we're all quite learned (not "learnt")
vive la diférence....

MMcD

(especially #3)

scrubbedexpat091

So BC Liquor store uses Whiskey for American, Whisky for Scotch, Whiskey for Bourbon, Whisky for Canadian, Whiskey for Irish, and Whisky for all other countries.