# Math or Maths?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-or-maths/225901>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 24, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-or-maths/225901 "2004-01-24T22:50:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CheekyMonkey613](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@CheekyMonkey613](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheekyMonkey613)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-or-maths/225901/1 "2004-01-24T22:50:39Z")

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I went to French Immersion school, here in Quebec. My parents spoke English and French to me, from day one. This could be the problem right here, but the question is:

Which is right? Math or Maths?

Example:  
I have math homework tonight.  
I have maths homework tonight.

I’m good in math.  
I’m good in maths.

I always called it “math”. So did my school. But I’ve come across more than a few people who call it “maths”.

Which is right?

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**Author:** ![sundog66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@sundog66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sundog66)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2004, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-or-maths/225901/2 "2004-01-24T23:01:36Z")

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Math in the US. Maths in the UK.

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**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:** [January 25, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-or-maths/225901/3 "2004-01-25T00:23:30Z")

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> [@sundog66](#):
>
> Math in the US. Maths in the UK.

That’s it. Apparently the Brits have a bunch of extra "s"es lying around from saying “sport” when Americans would say “sports.”

But I still can’t get used to it. Just reading “maths” makes my mouth hurt thinking about how to say it. How do you pronounce it without sounding like Daffy Duck? And do you abbreviate “economics” as “econs”?

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**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:** [January 25, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-or-maths/225901/4 "2004-01-25T00:38:21Z")

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I’m not aware of any very common abbreviations for _economics_.

Really though, like all of these things, there’s no hard and fast reason _why_ it’s like that, just the way things have turned out.

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**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:** [January 25, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-or-maths/225901/5 "2004-01-25T00:40:17Z")

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([Morpheus]Try not to think of it in terms of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’[/Morpheus])