# Spelling question involving the letter "d" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432 "2025-12-05T17:44:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/41 "2025-12-10T18:50:34Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Proper spelling should be “frij.” Proper spelling should be “phrij” ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/42 "2025-12-11T14:07:08Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Maybe in parts of the south; but it’s overwhelmingly spelled with a “C” in most of the US. And often when you see it spelled with a “Q” it’s for marketing reasons. I have lived in the Midwestern US the entire 58 years of my life. This is, honest to God, the first time I have seen the spelling “barbecue.” It looks ridiculous. The word is spelled barbeque. I will die on this hill. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/43 "2025-12-11T14:49:05Z")
Here in Chicago and its environs, it’s varied, but when it’s comletely written out, “barbecue” does appear to be significantly more popular than “barbeque” (which I honestly want to say as “barbeck.” Perhaps my high school French is influencing me.) Mostly, you just see “BBQ” or “Bar-B-Q” or even “Bar-B-Que” in restaurant names, at least, and even in their literature. Or here’s a fun one where they use both spellings! [![](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/d7c0eeb9-f89e-4caa-b8c4-cd31ec72c5eb/logo.png/:/rs=h:177,cg:true,m/qt=q:100/ll) ](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/d7c0eeb9-f89e-4caa-b8c4-cd31ec72c5eb/logo.png/:/rs=h:177,cg:true,m/qt=q:100/ll) But our locally originated barbecue sauce spells it with a “c”: [![](https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/GUEST_6531e2bf-e47f-425e-8eac-67dc2a5ac33b?wid=750&qlt=80) ](https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/GUEST_6531e2bf-e47f-425e-8eac-67dc2a5ac33b?wid=750&qlt=80) In my experience “cue” is the preferred ending, but it’s not at all universal across America, and you have all those abbreviated forms for it, as well. But “barbeque” is common enough, as well. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/44 "2025-12-11T15:27:35Z")
I choose not to acknowledge those. 🙂 ---
**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:** [December 11, 2025, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/45 "2025-12-11T21:41:01Z")
There are very few English words that end in -ige, and none that end in -rige. “vestige” is the only one with the same i sound as fridge. “Frige” just would not be scanned as “frij” by most people, because of the r. So we use a letter included in several words with same sound ending in -ridge. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2025, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/46 "2025-12-11T21:43:50Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > There are no FQ answers for any query on English spelling rules. It just is. There are a very large number of answers to English spelling inquiries. When there isn’t, it’s not because there was no reason for it but because the reason has been lost to time. Listen to 100 or so episodes of this podcast to find things like why an e at the end of the word “like” signals a long i in the word. [https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/](https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/47 "2025-12-11T23:20:32Z")
How about we decide that **barbeque** is the cooking style that Americans seem to like a lot, and **barbecue** is the outdoor grill that the rest of the English speaking world calls it. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/48 "2025-12-11T23:33:17Z")
Except that most of the English-speaking world calls it “barbecue”. The “Q” spelling is isolated to Australia/New Zealand. (I know you’re in Australia, but I assure you there are other places that speak English.) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/49 "2025-12-12T00:49:00Z")
I don’t mind which is which, my suggestion is to differentiate through application. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/50 "2025-12-12T00:51:43Z")
Fair enough. Though I’ll say, here in the US we are very inconsistent with it. Real barbecue is something that you cook for a very long time at a low temperature, to the point where meat is falling apart, and usually a ton of smoke flavor is imparted to it. But we also use the same term to describe anything you cook on an outdoor grill. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/51 "2025-12-12T03:36:02Z")
Trivia note about ‘barbecue:’ In the late 1800s, the dictionary defined the word as a)" a hog, ox, or other large animal roasted whole" and b) a large social entertainment, usually in open air, at which animals are roasted whole, and other provisions of all kinds are consumed." The latter definition was the most common usage in press accounts in the 1800s, a barbecue being a large public event. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2025, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/52 "2025-12-12T11:22:10Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I have lived in the Midwestern US the entire 58 years of my life. This is, honest to God, the first time I have seen the spelling “barbecue.” Mandela Effect? ---
**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:** [December 12, 2025, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/53 "2025-12-12T11:36:00Z")
And why people called Mike are not formally named Micycle ---
**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:** [December 12, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/54 "2025-12-12T11:37:36Z")
They’re more like what you’d call guidelines than actual rules. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/55 "2025-12-12T13:06:50Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I guess she didn’t realize “frig” is a less vulgar way to say In icelandic it means ‘fresh’ and is the name of a popular washing up liquid. I brought a bottle back with me and it lived in my kitchen for years just to scandalise people. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/56 "2025-12-12T18:13:17Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > And why people called Mike are not formally named Micycle I’m going to start trying to make this happen. Wish me luck, fellas. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/57 "2025-12-12T18:18:23Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Just decimates the word vegetables. **Decimating** the word ‘vegetables’ would leave just one of the 10 letters out… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/58 "2025-12-12T18:18:59Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I’m well aware we Americans dumbed English down. You misspelled “improved”. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/59 "2025-12-12T18:20:31Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Bad teachers, bad students. > > Just sayin’ Beck! That’s just two - what’s the third bad? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/60 "2025-12-12T21:20:30Z")
> [@vbob](#): > > **Decimating** the word ‘vegetables’ would leave just one of the 10 letters out… And that’s how you get “Vegetales”. [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpQ13w9sjdUUUjfEdz9KaxFBJwFfYiPSzLMQ&s) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpQ13w9sjdUUUjfEdz9KaxFBJwFfYiPSzLMQ&s) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432.md?page=4)