# Aluminum/Aluminium, what's the difference?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-aluminium-whats-the-difference/116715>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 30, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-aluminium-whats-the-difference/116715 "2002-06-30T17:48:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-aluminium-whats-the-difference/116715/1 "2002-06-30T17:48:01Z")

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I apologize if this has actually been addressed before. I searched for it and though found some threads that mention the difference in spellings, couldn’t find any that said why.

I’m just curious as to why it has two different spellings. Sure there are many words that differ between British and American spellings, but one would think that elements would have some sort of standard spelling.

So does anyone know which came first (I’m guessing the word with the extra ‘i’), and why this seems to be the only element that had a change in spelling?

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**Author:** ![xcheopis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bc8723/32.png) [@xcheopis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xcheopis)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-aluminium-whats-the-difference/116715/2 "2002-06-30T17:54:40Z")

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Check out [the first page](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=94914) of this debate.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-aluminium-whats-the-difference/116715/3 "2002-06-30T17:55:02Z")

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From [http://www.webelements.com](http://www.webelements.com) -

> [@](#):
>
> … In 1807, Davy proposed the name alumium for the metal, undiscovered at that time, and later agreed to change it to aluminum. Shortly thereafter, the name aluminium was adopted by IUPAC to conform with the “ium” ending of most elements. Aluminium is the IUPAC spelling and therefore the international standard. Aluminium was also the accepted spelling in the U.S.A. until 1925, at which time the American Chemical Society decided to revert back to aluminum, and to this day Americans still refer to aluminium as “aluminum”.

And we recently discussed cesium, UK spelling caesium, so it’s not the only one.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-aluminium-whats-the-difference/116715/4 "2002-06-30T18:07:04Z")

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See this thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58993](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58993)

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**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-aluminium-whats-the-difference/116715/5 "2002-06-30T18:27:09Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by xcheopis \*  
> \*\*Check out [the first page](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=94914) of this debate. \*\*

Ahhh…Looks like I picked the wrong link to follow of the same three OP’s. (What was it GD, GQ, and comments having the same one.)

Thanks for the info.