# Gray or Grey? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 31, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233 "2007-05-31T19:47:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/41 "2007-06-01T12:41:54Z")
Nice to see that some of you Merkins have finally come around to our way of thinking. Now then, spell colour 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/42 "2007-06-01T12:57:36Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] I generally use “grey”, but because I love anagrams, I think Gary Gray is one of the coolest names in existence. [/QUOTE] Not true. You love that name because it is the name of your pet sheep. 😃 Didn’t realize it was a Brit/American thing. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/43 "2007-06-01T13:45:43Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] Off-black. [/QUOTE] _snerk_ well done. I am with \*\*dangermom \*\*on this one, too - well said. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/44 "2007-06-01T13:50:30Z")
[Hijack] [QUOTE=Mangetout] IThe only time I’ll use ‘Gray’ is as a proper noun (or, I suppose in conversations like this one), but of course ‘Grey’ can also be a proper noun. [/QUOTE] Good on you. People not respecting the US/Commonwealth divide when it comes to proper nouns is a pet peeve of mine. I find it arrogant or something. For example, whether you spell it “harbour” or “harbor”, it should be “Sydney Harbour” and “Pearl Harbor” _always_, regardless of the nationality of the writer. “Railway” and Railroad" is another - call it what you like, but if you are talking about a company, then they make the rules. [/Hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Terrorcotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@Terrorcotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrorcotta)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/45 "2007-06-01T13:51:14Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] I generally use “grey”, but because I love anagrams, I think Gary Gray is one of the coolest names in existence. [/QUOTE] Not only is his name cool, but his stationary was the coolest I have ever seen. Why? Cuz he was a copywriter/editor and they simply used proofreading marks to show how the second name should be corrected to be the same as the first. Genius! ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/46 "2007-06-01T14:03:55Z")
I use “gray” for speaking and “grey” for writing. Sometimes if I’m in a wacky mood, I’ll switch things up and no one can tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/47 "2007-06-01T14:05:59Z")
American here, and I use “gray”. However, I also use “judgment”, for what it’s worth. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/48 "2007-06-01T14:08:29Z")
[QUOTE=SanVito] So, question. You’re at High School in the US and you hand in a written essay that uses the spelling ‘grey’ to describe the colour. Would you get corrected by teacher? Because if I’d ever spelt ‘gray’ in my english High School, it would’ve been red marker pens at dawn. [/QUOTE] When I was in the third grade, I missed a point on a spelling test for “honour.” It must have been under the influence of Enid Blyton. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/49 "2007-06-01T14:43:11Z")
**Gray** for naturally occurring instances of the color. Like eyes, clouds, hair, rocks, eminences, or the good pages of The Times before it went to color. **Grey** for clothes, paint, or things painted or colored intentionally. Like suits, socks, cars, or battleships. This is nobody’s rule but mine. What do you think of it for North American usage? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/50 "2007-06-01T14:49:27Z")
[QUOTE=SanVito] So, question. You’re at High School in the US and you hand in a written essay that uses the spelling ‘grey’ to describe the colour. Would you get corrected by teacher? Because if I’d ever spelt ‘gray’ in my english High School, it would’ve been red marker pens at dawn. [/QUOTE] I went through an Anglicized spelling phase sometime in the 9th grade or so, and none of my teachers minded. Granted, my 9th grade teacher pimped me to the entire English department as the greatest writer of my generation (well, at my school anyway), so I probably had her to thank for getting most of my stylistic eccentricities explained as the creative variety rather than the pathological variety. Thanks, Zelder! ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/51 "2007-06-01T15:11:10Z")
Color: Gray Aliens: Grey ---
**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:** [June 1, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/52 "2007-06-01T15:49:23Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] **Gray** for naturally occurring instances of the color. Like eyes, clouds, hair, rocks, eminences, or the good pages of The Times before it went to color. **Grey** for clothes, paint, or things painted or colored intentionally. Like suits, socks, cars, or battleships. This is nobody’s rule but mine. What do you think of it for North American usage? [/QUOTE] I think of it as unnecessarily complicated. And why is the colour of a newspaper naturally occurring rather than intentional? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/53 "2007-06-01T17:30:14Z")
I have no idea which I use, and now that I’m thinking about it I couldn’t unselfconsciously type greay to see how it came out. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/54 "2007-06-01T17:40:27Z")
Grey. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/55 "2007-06-01T18:14:03Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] I think of it as unnecessarily complicated. [/quote] 'K. It’s pretty natural to me, so I’ll use it and you do as you please. > [@](#): > > And why is the colour of a newspaper naturally occurring rather than intentional? Back in the day The Times used to de-emphasize visual esthetics in favor of lots and lots of uninterrupted print, leading to it being nicknamed the Good Gray Lady. I don’t think they had that particular look in mind, though (or any other). ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233/56 "2007-06-01T18:34:48Z")
Grey. The Crayola Crayons people always identified the grey crayon as “Grey”, and they oughta know about colors. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-or-grey/406233.md?page=2)