# Are we spelling it "barbeque" now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931 "2014-02-22T03:00:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/41 "2014-02-22T23:48:48Z")
I don’t have cite. All I know is I really enjoy a good barbeque in a colourful theatre. ---
**Author:** ![FightMyIgnorance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71e660/32.png) [@FightMyIgnorance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FightMyIgnorance)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/42 "2014-02-23T00:13:19Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > You can spell barbeque with a “c”?! Indeed, I have literally never seen it spelled barbecue. Is this some kind of regionalism? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/43 "2014-02-23T01:33:36Z")
> [@FightMyIgnorance](#): > > Indeed, I have literally never seen it spelled barbecue. Is this some kind of regionalism? What region are you in? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/44 "2014-02-23T02:46:53Z")
> [@FightMyIgnorance](#): > > Indeed, I have literally never seen it spelled barbecue. Is this some kind of regionalism? If you’re not located in the US, then you might consider it an American regionalism. If you are located in the US, then check out the barbecue sauces next time when you’re out shopping and see how they spell it, if they spell out “barbecue.” It’ll most likely be spelled “barbecue.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/45 "2014-02-23T03:31:00Z")
If you don’t like the subject of this thread, you could always use ketchup (or is it catsup?) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/46 "2014-02-23T09:25:33Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > If you don’t like the subject of this thread, you could always use ketchup (or is it catsup?) Just so it’s Heinz. As we say in Pittsburgh, Hunts is for . . . ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/47 "2014-02-23T09:30:17Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > A misspelling has become an acceptable (to some) alternate spelling. How is that not language evolution? Because when we talk about this kind of “evolution,” in general, spelling is not considered language. Spelling is simply how we record language on paper (or screens). The word itself hasn’t changed–just the spelling. In a loosely analogous way we don’t say that changes in hairstyle through the ages reflect evolution of human physiology. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/48 "2014-02-23T15:19:36Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > English has always had many alternate spellings that are generally accepted, so it’s not a question of “language evolving,” and I don’t know why anyone who’s literate would suddenly be upset by this particular one. A search of the Corpus of Contemporary American English will show publications such as _USA Today, Popular Science, People, Money, Field and Streem, The Saturday Evening Post_ and _Inc_–going back at least 20 years–using this spelling, and a stroll down your local grocery store condiment aisle will show that [it’s used on labels](http://s1.postimg.org/xwgf92a1r/BBQ_sauces.jpg), too, as well as the proper names of businesses. All of this would make the spelling perfectly acceptable for a crossword puzzle. > > It makes sense, really, because of the common abbreviation _BBQ_. This is almost certainly the source of the popularizing of the _que_ spelling in the US. Searching Newspaperarchive for the term **BBQ** in the US 1900-1950, you get only 10 hits. All in 1940-1950. So, if BBQ influenced the rise of _barbeque_, we’d expect the ratio of hits for _que_ vs. _cue_ to increase after 1950 or so. And it does. [ul]1850-1900 cue=20,000 que=68 294:1 1901-1920 cue=36,800 que=323 113:1 1921-1940 cue=158K que=3768 155:1 1940-1950 cue=180K que=7K 25:1 1951-1960 cue=431K que=30K 14:1[/ul] > [@coremelt](#): > > In Australia we have always spelled if barbeque . Searching Newsbank for Australian newspapers use the last 20+ years, _cue_=198K hits vs. 4K hits for _que_ > [@coremelt](#): > > Except barbeque is not a trade name it’s the accepted correct spelling in a large percentage of the English speaking world . Google fight shows 11.2 million results for barbecue and 3.3 million results for barbeque. USians do not own the English language and we will continue to happily have better barbeques than you on our sunny shores 🙂 > [@Canadjun](#): > > I’ve always thought it was spelled barbeque. Then again, I am Canadian which may make a difference. Newspaper archive hits for Canadian newspapers 1900-2014 shows 81K hits for _cue_ vs 17K hits for _que_. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Do you have a cite for this? > > I suspect that the “barbeque” spelling derived from the “BBQ” (or “bar-b-q”) abbreviation of the word “barbecue.” All the sources I’ve found (admittedly limited to a quick google) say that “barbecue” is the original spelling. It’s also the spelling that makes more sense phonetically: as noted by others in this thread, if you sound it out phonetically, “barbeque” looks like it ought to be pronounced “bar-be-kweh” if it’s English, or “bar-beck” if it’s French. “Queue” is the only other word I can think of in which the letter combination “que” is pronounced “kyoo”; and it’s a word that’s more common in British than in American English. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Some data you might find interesting: > [Google Ngram viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=barbeque%2Cbarbecue&year_start=1800&year_end=2014&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbarbeque%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cbarbecue%3B%2Cc0) > [Google Trends](http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=barbeque%2C%20barbecue&cmpt=q) > > The Ngram view seems to indicate that barbeque has been stealing “market share” from barbecue since around 2000. Prior to that, barbeque had a presence but barbecue was still growing more quickly. > > However, that data only goes to 2008. The Trends view has a more robust showing for barbeque, but barbecue has taken off since about 2009. I guess we hit pean barbeque in that year. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/49 "2014-02-23T16:10:29Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I consider “barbeque” as being in the same category as “Krispie Kreem” and “apple’s @ 0.35 c”. I’ll allow it if it’s in a trade name, but as a word in and of itself, I’m changing it to “barbecue.” > [@coremelt](#): > > Except barbeque is not a trade name it’s the accepted correct spelling in a large percentage of the English speaking world . “Barbecue” is used _in_ some trade names. That’s when I will allow it. I am an editor; I get to make decisions like that. Show me a style guide from _The Economist_, _The Guardian_, _The Times_, or a similar authoritative source that _explicity_ designates “barbeque” as the preferred spelling over “barbecue” and then you have the start of an argument that it represents a standard outside the United States. > [@](#): > > Google fight shows 11.2 million results for barbecue and 3.3 million results for barbeque. USians do not own the English language and we will continue to happily have better barbeques than you on our sunny shores 🙂 Okay, I’ll accept your nationality-based challenge and counter with the claim that barbecue is characteristically American and it is a _method of preparing food_ and, secondarily, food that has been prepared using that method. I reject challenges from countries where they think that “barbecue” is name for a cooking _appliance_ (an outdoor grill) or a social event (a cookout). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/50 "2014-02-23T16:23:03Z")
One point of data: I did find an Australian style guide online from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and [they cast a vote in favor of “barbecue”](http://style.radionational.net.au/glossary/b): > [@](#): > > **barbecue** not BBQ or barbeque ETA: [Guardian and Observer](http://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-b) also vote “barbecue.” ETA2: [As does the Telegraph.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/about-us/style-book/1435308/Telegraph-style-book-Bb.html) “barbecue: not barbeque.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/51 "2014-02-23T16:29:10Z")
duplicate (At any rate, it appears that it is not solely an American regionalism.) ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/52 "2014-02-23T16:37:05Z")
Okay, I’ll accept your nationality-based challenge and counter with the claim that barbecue is characteristically American Bollocks . Barbeque is an Australian national pastime . ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/53 "2014-02-23T17:05:47Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Bollocks . Barbeque is an Australian national pastime . Note the next sentence, please. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/54 "2014-02-23T17:08:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > One point of data: I did find an Australian style guide online from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and [they cast a vote in favor of “barbecue”](http://style.radionational.net.au/glossary/b): > > ETA: [Guardian and Observer](http://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-b) also vote “barbecue.” > > ETA2: [As does the Telegraph.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/about-us/style-book/1435308/Telegraph-style-book-Bb.html) “barbecue: not barbeque.” Well, there you go. Even in Australia, it looks like “barbecue” is the standard spelling. To the extent that “barbeque” might be common on labels of commercial products or in casual uses, it’s really no different from “creem” or “E-Z.” ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/55 "2014-02-23T17:36:23Z")
Barbeque is debatable but I’m still trying to figure out > [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > lesser than" spelled with three s’s ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/56 "2014-02-23T17:41:41Z")
Incidentally, I also searched on “Barbeque” on [the Coles supermarket website](http://shop.coles.com.au/online/SearchDisplay?storeId=10601&catalogId=10576&langId=-1&beginIndex=0&browseView=false&searchSource=Q&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&pageView=image&searchTerm=Barbeque), and all the product labels for barbecue products has it spelled either as “barbecue” or “BBQ.” Only a couple descriptions have it as “barbeque.” (Oh, Coles is an Australian supermarket chain.) ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/57 "2014-02-24T06:33:50Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Do you have a cite for this? > > I suspect that the “barbeque” spelling derived from the “BBQ” (or “bar-b-q”) abbreviation This is my theory as well. As a (possibly long-term) test, let us see if the abbreviation “sub-q” ever leads to the new (Australian) word subqutaneous. Aw, shit. [Too late](https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=ie7&q=sub+q&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7TSNF_en#nfpr=1&q=subqutaneous&start=0). ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/58 "2014-02-24T06:43:40Z")
I once read a Sci Fi story – scratch that – I read a literary work which was included in a Sci Fi anthology, called something like “Towards a More Creative Spelling”, that appeared to be a collection of sentences culled from other literary works in which the word biscuit was spelled bisquit. I did not understand it. Still don’t. Did anyone else read that “story”? ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/59 "2014-02-24T07:48:53Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “Barbecue” is used _in_ some trade names. That’s when I will allow it. I am an editor; I get to make decisions like that. > > Show me a style guide from _The Economist_, _The Guardian_, _The Times_, or a similar authoritative source that _explicity_ designates “barbeque” as the preferred spelling over “barbecue” and then you have the start of an argument that it represents a standard outside the United States. > > Okay, I’ll accept your nationality-based challenge and counter with the claim that barbecue is characteristically American and it is a _method of preparing food_ and, secondarily, food that has been prepared using that method. I reject challenges from countries where they think that “barbecue” is name for a cooking _appliance_ (an outdoor grill) or a social event (a cookout). 😉 Blardey Uncultured Cretin!! Don’t you know anything? 😉 An appliance uses elektrikity…a grill is what your oven does to cheese toasties. A barbeque is what happens in a half 44 gallon drum with charcoal. And the best thing is some cold stubbies and paua patties on the barbie for christmas lunch. :eek:😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931/60 "2014-02-24T09:40:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Incidentally, I also searched on “Barbeque” on [the Coles supermarket website](http://shop.coles.com.au/online/SearchDisplay?storeId=10601&catalogId=10576&langId=-1&beginIndex=0&browseView=false&searchSource=Q&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&pageView=image&searchTerm=Barbeque), and all the product labels for barbecue products has it spelled either as “barbecue” or “BBQ.” Only a couple descriptions have it as “barbeque.” (Oh, Coles is an Australian supermarket chain.) Coles also has 6 products listed as “sherbert” in the description, but where you can read the word on the packaging it’s clearly “sherbet”. Let’s not pretend they are an authority on spelling. They are a supermarket chain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-spelling-it-barbeque-now/681931.md?page=4)