# Why does the U.S. spell "cheque" as "check"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 23, 2011, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757 "2011-08-23T08:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/41 "2011-08-24T15:27:52Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > …it would help avoid misattributions like the one in Dr. Drake’s post. Sorry about that. I should have caught that. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/42 "2011-08-24T16:06:34Z")
Sorry, but I think Americans adopting British spellings trying to appear more “high class” is the very definition of vapid pretentiousness. I have no objection to the British using their own spellings, of course. Editors of Wikipedia from whatever country learn to leave each other’s official spelling differences quite alone and unmolested. And then there’s Canada…😛 I honestly wonder how Canadian kids growing up, with all the literature & stuff imported from the UK and US, ever get it sorted it which of the two spelling systems they’ll apply to any given word. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/43 "2011-08-24T16:19:45Z")
> [@rebeccasrevenge](#): > > ``` > I don't understand why we don't spell "Marquee" Marky.Or champagne,shampain.Everything would be so much easier if we spelled words fonehticklee. > > ``` Twofold problem there: one, English does not have separate symbols for each of its vowel sounds. Two, pronunciations change with dialect: people from different areas of the US would spell the same word differently. If dealing with two separate spellings (both valid, but with validity changing by location) is complicated, imagine dealing with several dozen. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/44 "2011-08-24T17:47:57Z")
Quoth **Ascenray** : > [@](#): > > There is no single letter representation in English orthography for that sound, but generally speaking, my variety of English doesn’t treat the letter R as representing a vowel. > > Also, if you would use the native quote function instead of that “quoth” thing, it would help avoid misattributions like the one in Dr. Drake’s post. You may not _describe_ it as a vowel, but it does serve that purpose. Just like the “m” in “rhythm” or “chasm”, for another example. And how does the standard quote construction prevent misattribution? I’ve seen plenty of mangled quotes using it, too. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/45 "2011-08-24T17:53:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You may not _describe_ it as a vowel, but it does serve that purpose. Just like the “m” in “rhythm” or “chasm”, for another example. The way _you_ say it might be so. That doesn’t mean every English speaking person does. In my speech, there’s definitely a vowel before the _m_. In any case, my point was that in English orthography, the _letter_ R is not treated as representing a vowel, so the spelling “theatr” is not more logical than “theater.” > [@](#): > > And how does the standard quote construction prevent misattribution? I’ve seen plenty of mangled quotes using it, too. Doing it the way you’re doing it increases the risk of mangled attribution, and, so far as I have seen, it causes mangling of attributions that would not have otherwise been mangled. Why increase that risk for no reason? Every time I’ve replied to your posts, I’ve had to go back a second time to remove the misattribution. Why make work for your fellow posters? _Edited because the “quoth” thing screwed up the attribution again._ ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/46 "2011-08-24T21:06:27Z")
You say “'erb,” and we say “herb.” _Because there’s a fucking H in it!_ ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/47 "2011-08-24T21:31:11Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > You say “'erb,” and we say “herb.” _Because there’s a fucking H in it!_ Well there’s a fucking K in knife and a fucking G in gnaw and and a fucking G in through and a fucking H in honor…etc. You get my point, right? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/48 "2011-08-24T21:45:42Z")
There is also a fucking H in “whoosh”, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/49 "2011-08-24T21:48:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Doing it the way you’re doing it increases the risk of mangled attribution, and, so far as I have seen, it causes mangling of attributions that would not have otherwise been mangled. Why increase that risk for no reason? Every time I’ve replied to your posts, I’ve had to go back a second time to remove the misattribution. Why make work for your fellow posters? How does my style do this? You still haven’t explained what the problem is. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/50 "2011-08-24T21:54:32Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > There is also a fucking H in “whoosh”, I believe. Two fucking aitches, actually. I didn’t detect any sarcasm in jz’s post. If I missed it my apologies for a broken snark-meter. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/51 "2011-08-24T22:18:20Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Two fucking aitches, actually. > I didn’t detect any sarcasm in jz’s post. If I missed it my apologies for a broken snark-meter. Not sarcasm. He was quoting the comedian Eddie Izzard. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/52 "2011-08-25T00:59:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > How does my style do this? You still haven’t explained what the problem is. See [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14179720&postcount=5). ---
**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:** [August 25, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/53 "2011-08-25T04:40:41Z")
There’s a fucking k in “knight.” But then, I always do the Monty Python pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757/54 "2011-08-25T10:27:15Z")
All I know is that Chancellor of the Exchequer is a totally awesome job title, even though I’m sure I’d despise the duties. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-u-s-spell-cheque-as-check/593757.md?page=2)