# Principal vs. principle - UK/US usage question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2015, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369 "2015-03-19T09:08:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/1 "2015-03-19T09:08:33Z")
I’m an American newly hired on at a British company. I’ve been asked to write my documentation in British English. I’ve long been a regular reader of British books and magazines. Easy enough, or so I thought. Yesterday, a (very smart) British colleague challenged me on my use of ‘principal’ vs ‘principal’. Usage 1: “There are three principle reasons for this approach.” Usage 2: “There are three principal reasons for this approach.” In his opinion, these are just different regional spellings, with Usage 1 being the correct UK spelling. In my opinion, usage 1 is incorrect in both regions. Usage 2 is better, though not really correct, not because of the spelling, but because it suggests there can be three most important things", which would seem illogical in any language. British grammarians, what say you? (I may as well invite the Americans; you’re going to show up anyway 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/2 "2015-03-19T09:20:55Z")
He is completely wrong. They are two different words and principle would not be the correct choice in any context. There is nothing wrong with having multiple principal reasons for doing something. Surely it is the norm. It’s not like primary reason or the much misused priority which originally meant first concern. There was no ranking of priority. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/3 "2015-03-19T09:37:42Z")
I don’t believe that there is any difference between US and UK usage. There are any number of references illustrating the proper usage. This is one with a legal bias: [The World Law Dictionary – TransLegal](https://www.translegal.com/common-mistakes/principal-vs-principle) ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/4 "2015-03-19T09:44:27Z")
Englishman here, #2 is unambigously correct. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/5 "2015-03-19T09:53:28Z")
English teacher here, in both senses of the word “English.” The usage of those two words does not differ regionally and example two is the correct one. You can have multiple principal reasons, though. [The OED even includes a plural in its definition:](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/principal) > [@](#): > > First in order of importance; main: > > ‘the country’s principal cities.’ ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/6 "2015-03-19T10:24:57Z")
I’m happy to acquiesce to OED, but note that I was wrong most of my life, and finally learned this only a couple of years ago. Way back in the 1950’s a schoolteacher drilled ino us that “principal” applied only to the _principal_ of a school and “principle” was correct in other contexts. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/7 "2015-03-19T10:37:25Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I’m happy to acquiesce to OED, but note that I was wrong most of my life, and finally learned this only a couple of years ago. > Way back in the 1950’s a schoolteacher drilled ino us that “principal” applied only to the _principal_ of a school and “principle” was correct in other contexts. :smack: That’s funny when you realize that principle basically only has one meaning while principal has about 10. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/8 "2015-03-19T11:57:30Z")
Long-term user of British English chiming in: the second usage is correct, the first is wrong. Your colleague, however smart, is misguided. Perhaps he was thinking of this usage: “In principle, there are three principal reasons…”? ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/9 "2015-03-19T12:26:31Z")
How could I forgot to quote Yes, Minister? > [@Sir Humphrey Appleby](#): > > It’s clear that the Committee has agreed that your new policy is really an excellent plan. But in view of some of the doubts being expressed, may I propose that I recall that after careful consideration, the considered view of the Committee was that, while they considered that the proposal met with broad approval in principle, that some of the principles were sufficiently fundamental in principle, and some of the considerations so complex and finely balanced in practice that in principle it was proposed that the sensible and prudent practice would be to submit the proposal for more detailed consideration, laying stress on the essential continuity of the new proposal with existing principles, the principle of the principal arguments which the proposal proposes and propounds for their approval. In principle. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/10 "2015-03-19T15:43:27Z")
“You mean “no”.” Another British English speaker voting for #2. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/11 "2015-03-19T16:17:27Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > In his opinion, these are just different regional spellings, with Usage 1 being the correct UK spelling. It is yet too cloudy . . . wait, the mists are clearing . . . I can see . . . yes, I see a promotion in your future. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/12 "2015-03-19T16:33:29Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Way back in the 1950’s a schoolteacher drilled ino us that “principal” applied only to the _principal_ of a school and “principle” was correct in other contexts. :smack: Encoded in the saying “The principal is your pal”. In general, “principal” is an adjective, while “principle” is a noun. Unfortunately the most common exposure to “principal” that schoolchildren encounter, the person at the top of the school hierarchy, is an exceptional use of “principal” as if it was a noun (being a shortened form of “Principal Teacher”). ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/13 "2015-03-19T17:03:56Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Encoded in the saying “The principal is your pal”. > > In general, “principal” is an adjective, while “principle” is a noun. Unfortunately the most common exposure to “principal” that schoolchildren encounter, the person at the top of the school hierarchy, is an exceptional use of “principal” as if it was a noun (being a shortened form of “Principal Teacher”). Here we may have a US/UK difference. In the UK the head of a school is almost always referred to as the ‘Head’. Of course they used to be headmaster or mistress but that is somewhat old fashioned now. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/14 "2015-03-19T18:31:17Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Here we may have a US/UK difference. In the UK the head of a school is almost always referred to as the ‘Head’. Of course they used to be headmaster or mistress but that is somewhat old fashioned now. In Canada, it was “principal”, but “headmaster” was known as a term seen in literature as the head of a school to indicate that said school was especially fru-fru and pretentious. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/15 "2015-03-19T19:17:29Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > In general, “principal” is an adjective, while “principle” is a noun. Per the OED, _principal_ can be a noun or an adjective - and an adverb when formed as _principally_ -whereas _principle_ can be a noun or a verb. The definitions in the OED are too lengthy to reproduce here. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/16 "2015-03-19T19:23:10Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > … > Way back in the 1950’s a schoolteacher drilled ino us that “principal” applied only to the _principal_ of a school and “principle” was correct in other contexts. :smack: Same here. We were taught that the princi **PAL** was your friend and everything else was principle. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/17 "2015-03-19T20:29:27Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Englishman here, #2 is unambigously correct. Concur. One might say “There are three principles behind this approach” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/18 "2015-03-19T20:40:28Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Same here. We were taught that the princi **PAL** was your friend and everything else was principle. Same here. The Principal runs the school and he’s your pal. I use principle in all other contexts. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/19 "2015-03-19T20:44:13Z")
So you’d say, “the candidate’s principle focus is corruption in the state education board”? Because that’s wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369/20 "2015-03-19T20:51:10Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > So you’d say, “the candidate’s principle focus is corruption in the state education board”? Because that’s wrong. Can’t a candidate focus on his principles rather than on more frivolous issues? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-vs-principle-uk-us-usage-question/715369.md?page=2)