# Hi I want to confirm if young British people still say or write "aeroplane". **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 25, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470 "2013-07-25T11:31:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/1 "2013-07-25T11:31:02Z")
Hi I want to confirm if young British people still say or write “aeroplane”. From what I can tell “airplane” is more popular in both spoken and written forms. What does the Oxford English Dictionary say? I’m rather skeptical of online language websites as the may be derivative and not reflect what most people really say these days. The Guardian newspaper has articles using both written forms. My question is which is: Which form is more popular? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/2 "2013-07-25T11:35:50Z")
Moved ATMB --\> IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyMac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@JohnnyMac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyMac)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/3 "2013-07-25T11:47:28Z")
I both say and write aeroplane. Airplane just seems wrong to me. So that’s a sample of one. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2013, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/4 "2013-07-25T11:50:32Z")
My British other half says “aeroplane”, if 36 is young enough to be included in your survey. I’m just an Aussie, but I say “aeroplane” too. “Airplane” sounds strange to us. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/5 "2013-07-25T11:53:36Z")
Yes, we still say “aeroplane”, and “airplane” would sound like a definite Americansim. Though someone who spoke with an estuary accent (where letters are frequently dropped) might say “airplane” without sounding affected. Spelling is slightly different as we’re quite used to American spellings for some words. I think of someone wrote “airplane” instead of “aeroplane” I wouldn’t notice and I’m sure I may well’ve made the same spelling mistake myself. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/6 "2013-07-25T12:03:14Z")
“Aeroplane” is definitely still the standard spelling in the UK. Young people probably spell it “rpln” or type “✈” with their fancy “eye-phones”, though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/7 "2013-07-25T12:08:13Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > ✈ If I knew how to do that, I certainly would. And yes, as far as I know everyone here still says “aeroplane”. Whilst speech here may be slightly influenced by Americanisms, it’s not that much, and spelling doesn’t seem to be affected at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/8 "2013-07-25T12:11:13Z")
Another vote for aeroplane - ‘airplane’ would be perceived as conspicuously Americanised in most conversations, I expect. In practice though, everybody just says (and writes) ‘plane’. This very occasionally results in hilarious ambiguity. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/9 "2013-07-25T12:11:53Z")
Thank you all very much. davidmich ---
**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:** [July 25, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/10 "2013-07-25T12:24:26Z")
✈. Heh ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/11 "2013-07-25T12:38:31Z")
I have a feeling **aerodrome** may have largely died out, though. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/12 "2013-07-25T13:02:24Z")
Oh, “an aeroplane.” Oh, I say, we are grand, aren’t we? “Oh, oh, no more buttered scones for me, mater. I’m off to play the grand piano. Pardon me while I fly my ‘aeroplane.’” ---
**Author:** ![StJoan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@StJoan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StJoan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/13 "2013-07-25T13:25:18Z")
I use British english, and I say “an aeroplane”. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/14 "2013-07-25T14:30:08Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > ✈. Heh Huh. I was looking up what that was used for. Apparently, to mean an airplane. Unicode apparently has a [dingbats](http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/dingbats.html) section. I did not know that. I thought everyone was against images showing up in fonts. EDIT The [miscellaneous symbols](http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/miscellaneous_symbols.html) section seems to contain some, too. And you might even count some of the [geometric shapes](http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/geometric_shapes.html). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/15 "2013-07-25T14:34:02Z")
I’ve been in the US for 17 years and “airplane” still sounds wrong. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/16 "2013-07-25T15:12:12Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Huh. I was looking up what that was used for. Apparently, to mean an airplane. Unicode apparently has a [dingbats](http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/dingbats.html) section. I did not know that. I thought everyone was against images showing up in fonts. > > EDIT The [miscellaneous symbols](http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/miscellaneous_symbols.html) section seems to contain some, too. And you might even count some of the [geometric shapes](http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/geometric_shapes.html). Unicode even has a big 💩 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/17 "2013-07-25T15:30:14Z")
I posted that plane symbol from a PC and it’s just a boring plane silhouette flying sideways. Now I’m on Tapatalk and the plane is a metallic-looking aircraft flying upwards at a jaunty angle. **friedo** posted what looks like a turd with eyes. I’ll have to go back to the PC to check that one out. (Union flag) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/18 "2013-07-25T15:50:07Z")
Well, I guess that shows the “emoji” symbols on iOS aren’t equivalent to Unicode, then. The plane one maps to a Unicode plane, but my Union flag didn’t show up at all, and **friedo** ’s Walnut Whip just shows as a square. ☹ Oh well, have a tight trifoliate snowflake: ❅ ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/19 "2013-07-25T15:54:31Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I have a feeling **aerodrome** may have largely died out, though. Pardon me, sir! If you had access to my facebook feed, you’d have a fine record of the time I have spent in various aerodromes–primarily LaGuardia International Aerodrome, JFK International Aerodrome, Cincinnati International Aerodrome, and very rarely (as of yet), Port Columbus International Aerodrome. _adjusts his monocle and storms off_ ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470/20 "2013-07-25T16:10:26Z")
I love “aeroplane.” It feels all World War I-ish. Snoopy and the Red Baron. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-i-want-to-confirm-if-young-british-people-still-say-or-write-aeroplane/664470.md?page=2)