Color vs Colour: The Standard Spellings
The meaning is the same; this is a regional spelling split. Major dictionaries label colour as a chiefly British spelling of color. ✅Source
Color and colour point to the same everyday idea: the way something looks in terms of hue, shade, or visual appearance. The only thing that changes is the spelling convention tied to different varieties of English.
- Topic: Spelling Variants
- US: -or Form
- UK: -our Form
- Same Meaning: Yes
Table Of Contents
Regional Standard Spellings
Both spellings are legitimate English. The split is mainly about American English preferring -or and British English preferring -our, with colour/color being the headline example.
US English standard
- ✅ color noun and verb
- ❌ colour as the default spelling
- Pattern match: -our → -or (e.g., humour → humor, favour → favor)
UK English standard
- ✅ colour noun and verb
- ❌ color as the default spelling
- Pattern match: -or → -our when comparing typical house styles
A common way to see the pattern spelled out is in academic writing guidance: British examples often list colour and flavour, while American examples list color and flavor. ✅Source
Why Two Spellings Exist
The -our form is older in many words, and the -or form spread as part of spelling simplification in the United States. One widely cited example is Noah Webster’s push to drop “silent” letters like the u in humour and colour. ✅Source
Worth knowing: this isn’t a meaning change. It’s orthography—the written form—shifting by region. The spoken word stayed close enough that both spellings kept the same core sense.
Related Forms and Common Derivatives
The spelling difference usually carries through to derived forms. If a text uses color, you’ll often see colorful and coloring. If it uses colour, you’ll often see colourful and colouring.
| Form Type | US Spelling | UK Spelling | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective | colorful | colourful | -ful attaches to the regional base spelling |
| Verb (present participle) | coloring | colouring | Same pattern with -ing |
| Past participle | colored | coloured | UK often keeps -our plus -ed |
| Negated adjective | colorless | colourless | -less follows the base spelling |
| Compound modifier | multicolor | multicolour | Compounds often reflect the same house style |
Where Mixed Spellings Show Up
Even inside otherwise UK-spelled writing, you may bump into color in places where the spelling is fixed by a standard, a filename, or a technical keyword. That’s why mixed spellings can appear without anyone “switching dialect” on purpose.
Technical Standards fixed terms
In web standards, the CSS property name is literally color. It’s defined in the CSS Color specification as the foreground color property, so the spelling is part of the standard’s formal vocabulary.
✅Source
Mixed spellings also show up in proper nouns and official titles that keep their original form. A UK text might mention a product or setting written as Color because that’s its fixed name, while still using colour in normal prose.
- Interface labels that come from a vendor’s chosen spelling (Color Settings)
- Code keywords and standard property names (color in CSS)
- Quoted text where the original spelling stays intact (verbatim spelling)
Dictionary Labels and Style Choices
In real-world publishing, the choice is usually handled as a house style decision: a document sticks to one variety of English, and the spelling follows that variety’s conventions. Many submission guidelines explicitly allow either American spellings or British spellings, as long as the spelling system stays consistent throughout. ✅Source
Practical detail: consistency doesn’t mean every single word must “match the region.” Proper nouns and fixed terms can keep their original spelling, while the surrounding text follows the main spelling convention.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions expand/collapse
Is “color” Always Wrong In UK English?
Not “wrong,” but usually nonstandard in UK house styles. In typical UK usage, colour is the default spelling, while color may appear in proper names or fixed technical terms.
Is “colour” A Mistake In US English?
In most US writing conventions, color is the standard spelling. colour can still show up for brand names, quotes, or intentionally UK-styled text.
Do “color” And “colour” Have Any Meaning Difference?
No. The meaning is shared; this is a spelling variant. Both forms cover the same basic idea of visual appearance, and both function the same way in grammar.
Why Do I See “color” In Software Even In UK Contexts?
Some spellings are fixed by technical standards or product design choices. For example, CSS uses the property name color as a formal keyword, so it appears that way wherever the standard is used.
Do The Derived Words Change Too?
Usually yes. If the base form is color, you’ll often see colorful, coloring, and colorless. If the base form is colour, you’ll often see colourful, colouring, and colourless.