Silly question--does anyone know why "grey" has two spellings?

[Alana in Canada]

And which one do you use?

I'm curious too about where you live.
Is it British/Canadian to spell it "gray" and American "grey"--or is it just archaic or what?

Thanks!

[Laura Corin]

And which one do you use?

I'm curious too about where you live.
Is it British/Canadian to spell it "gray" and American "grey"--or is it just archaic or what?

Thanks!

Brits spell it 'grey' and Americans 'gray'. I believe (do correct me if I'm wrong) that most of the spelling differences came about when the first dictionaries were written in each country. Up until then, spelling conventions were not strict, but the dictionaries codified spelling and chose different conventions.

Laura

[5wolfcubs]

I think it is the opposite of what you said: gray being American and grey being British. But I'm not sure about the why!

Oh, and I use gray.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

That's correct. 'ey' is British, and 'ay' is American.

[Excelsior! Academy]

I always use grey, because that's how I learned it. I remember reading it off of a crayon when I was a child. I just can't seem to switch over.

[angela in ohio]

Yep, gray is the American version. I heard that Webster had a habit of changing things around just to be different from the British. :)

[mommybee]

I've always used grey. I actually love grey! Just thought I'd throw that in. I've even considered naming a son Grey.

[Alana in Canada]

I had no idea which was which. (I had a fifty percent chance of getting it right!)

Thanks.
I guess I'll try and be more consistent and spell it "grey" then. But "gray" is prettier.

[Karen sn]

We have a Greybear here.
He is my dd's very first stuffed animal ever and we love him.
I came up with his name long before she could talk.
I think grey with an "e" is so regal.

[mommybee]

I guess I'll try and be more consistent and spell it "grey" then. But "gray" is prettier.

See for some reason I find "grey" more pleasing to look at.

Go figure?....:)

[Alana in Canada]

This is too funny.
Regal?
More pleasing?

I don't know. "grey" conjures up images of dull, flat landscapes--think urban snow, grey concrete bridges, and overcast skies.

"Gray"--well, the patina of pewter, a choppy lake, the dark, dramatic sky just before the snowstorm, silver streaks in my hair.

[Hathersage]

On a related note, I've heard that Canadian spelling is a blend of American and British spelling.
So, they don't always follow British spelling. But in the case of grey they do.

[mom2abcd]

This is too funny.
Regal?
More pleasing?

I don't know. "grey" conjures up images of dull, flat landscapes--think urban snow, grey concrete bridges, and overcast skies.

"Gray"--well, the patina of pewter, a choppy lake, the dark, dramatic sky just before the snowstorm, silver streaks in my hair.

LOL! I'm the same! It's like seeing a cup half empty or half full. But your descriptions match what I envision when I see the different spellings of the word.

[Alana in Canada]

:D

[rockermom]

I've always used grey (also theatre as well...). They're the spellings I learned as a child and some teachers gave me flack about it when I was young.

[Alana in Canada]

Are you in the States then?

And how do you spell theatre?
Surely it isn't spelled "Theater?"
That's a new one for me.

[AndyJoy]

nt

[AndyJoy]

I sometimes see theatre used when referring to attending a play, and theater when attending a movie. As I was typing this, my spell checker is automatically underling theatre in red and telling me to spell it theater!

Other British/American differences I can think of relate to -or and -our such as:colour/color and favourite/favorite. I found a website that lists other common differences http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones/differences.htm (http://www2.gsu.edu/%7Ewwwesl/egw/jones/differences.htm)

[Alana in Canada]

Interesting!

Thanks for that. It explains why I'm confused about how to spell medieval/mediaeval! There ARE two spellings!

And I didn't know that "learnt" is acceptable.
Though I think leareded for learned has to be a mistake!

[kalanamak]

greeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy