# why does U.S spelling omit the 'u'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007 "2013-09-30T15:08:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/61 "2013-10-01T12:14:48Z")
but of course. does it bother you that much? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/62 "2013-10-01T12:16:12Z")
> [@sentrix](#): > > but of course. does it bother you that much? Why are yo so fascinated with spelling in the Nited States? ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/63 "2013-10-01T12:18:51Z")
'cause the rest of the world knows ya lot don’t have a clue about engrit. that and my kid is getting things marked incorrect when he uses U.S spelling at an international school. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/64 "2013-10-01T12:19:48Z")
I don’t really have much to add except this: When referring to the naval base in Hawaii and famed location of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941, the correct spelling is “Pearl Harbor.” British and Canadian writers like to change it to “Harbour.” That spelling is wrong. “Pearl Harbor” is a proper name, and should be spelled only in the American fashion. Changing the spelling is like changing the spelling of the last name of someone named “Browne.” Thanks. RickJay, Canadian ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/65 "2013-10-01T12:23:13Z")
…and btw, i am in no way taking pieces out of american spelling here. i had a parent teacher meeting hence the inspiration for this thread. there is a lot of leeway on what is ‘right’ and ‘what’ is wrong’. for me there is no right or wrong. goes to the school curriculum. curriculum is latin. so is curriculum vitae. yet many people have no idea what it stands for because they did not study latin. ask what’s a CV how many know what the acronym stands for? then again professional profile is better. ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/66 "2013-10-01T12:25:18Z")
double post sorry. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2013, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/67 "2013-10-01T12:30:29Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I don’t really have much to add except this: > > When referring to the naval base in Hawaii and famed location of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941, the correct spelling is “Pearl Harbor.” British and Canadian writers like to change it to “Harbour.” That spelling is wrong. “Pearl Harbor” is a proper name, and should be spelled only in the American fashion. Changing the spelling is like changing the spelling of the last name of someone named “Browne.” > > Thanks. > > RickJay, Canadian Is it though? What’s the name of the capital of Austria? Or Denmark? ---
**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:** [October 1, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/68 "2013-10-01T12:40:15Z")
> [@sentrix](#): > > … then again professional profile is better. But I thought you said there was no right or wrong… ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/69 "2013-10-01T13:30:41Z")
ther isn’t. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/70 "2013-10-01T14:17:05Z")
> [@sentrix](#): > > the great bard would be turning in his grave. The great bard [made up more words](http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/wordsinvented.html) than just about anyone (and certainly made up more than anyone if you include using existing words in new senses). > [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Forget the ‘U’, what’s with you guys and your ‘Zed’?!? Zed? Who’s that? A friend of ‘Naught’ no doubt… 😃 I think you mean _nought_. _Naught_ appears just as frequently in US usage as it does in British usage, which is to say not much. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/71 "2013-10-01T14:39:46Z")
> [@sentrix](#): > > ‘you say potato, i say tomato’ If you’re going to use this phrase, at least get it right: \*“You like po-TAY-to and I like po-TAH-to, You like to-MAY-to and I like to-MAH-to.” \* The difference is not between a potato and a tomato; it’s about different pronunciations. And it’s more about class than geography. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/72 "2013-10-01T14:42:04Z")
> [@sentrix](#): > > curriculum is latin. so is curriculum vitae. yet many people have no idea what it stands for because they did not study latin. > > ask what’s a CV how many know what the acronym stands for? then again professional profile is better. I’m surprised–I didn’t study Latin, and I know what it means, but that’s a word that doesn’t get thrown around in the US that much. I _think_ it’s mostly used in the academic world, but for regular job stuff, we use “resume” (or “résumé.”) I would venture to guess that most Americans would not be familiar with a “C.V.” ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/73 "2013-10-01T14:43:42Z")
**sentrix** , I’m feeling that you’re just taking the piss out of the SDMB and it’s intended all in fun. Am I right here? If so: I think any good-natured intent isn’t coming across successfully because _we don’t know you_. A stranger/newcomer who’s breaking your balls (my preferred term ;)) is seen as totally different from when a friend breaks 'em - the first comes across as an asshole and the second is genuine affection. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/74 "2013-10-01T14:47:55Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > **sentrix** , I’m feeling that you’re just taking the piss out of the SDMB and it’s intended all in fun. Am I right here? > > If so: I think any good-natured intent isn’t coming across successfully because _we don’t know you_. A stranger/newcomer who’s breaking your balls (my preferred term ;)) is seen as totally different from when a friend breaks 'em - the first comes across as an asshole and the second is genuine affection. That, and if you weren’t genuinely looking for information, you shouldn’t have started the thread in General Questions. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/75 "2013-10-01T14:48:55Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Forget the ‘U’, what’s with you guys and your ‘Zed’?!? Zed? Who’s that? A friend of ‘Naught’ no doubt… 😃 It’s the first letter of the name of that stripy horse thing - a Zedbra. Most people have only seen these in a zedoo, however. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/76 "2013-10-01T14:50:38Z")
> [@sentrix](#): > > i’ll capitalize if you start using a ‘u’. as a favour of course. Apples and oranges. With and without the U are valid styles. No caps is not a valid style. If anything, it’s childish. > [@RickJay](#): > > I don’t really have much to add except this: > > When referring to the naval base in Hawaii and famed location of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941, the correct spelling is “Pearl Harbor.” British and Canadian writers like to change it to “Harbour.” That spelling is wrong. “Pearl Harbor” is a proper name, and should be spelled only in the American fashion. Changing the spelling is like changing the spelling of the last name of someone named “Browne.” > > Thanks. > > RickJay, Canadian I have known Brits in Thailand who insist only British style be used in any of their proper names such as the Labour Party. Fair enough, but then when they have to spell an American name, they _still_ insist only British style is proper. Pearl Harbor was a case in point one time, which the Brits vehemently argued should always be Pearl Harbour. Not all Brits, nor even a representative sampling, just a very small but loud minority. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/77 "2013-10-01T14:52:20Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I have known Brits in Thailand who insist only British style be used in any of their proper names such as the Labour Party. Fair enough, but then when they have to spell an American name, they _still_ insist only British style is proper. Pearl Harbor was a case in point one time, which the Brits vehemently argued should always be Pearl Harbour. Not all Brits, nor even a representative sampling, just a very small but loud minority. Are they definitely wrong though? If so, why? ---
**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:** [October 1, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/78 "2013-10-01T14:58:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Are they definitely wrong though? If so, why? Are they definitely wrong? They insist British style be used by everyone in the world for proper names in the UK itself, for the very reason that these things are _in_ the UK. But then they turn around and insist only British style be used for any proper names located _inside_ the US, because the Americans don’t know proper spelling. So yes, I say they are wrong. Again, these are only a small minority. I’m not dumping on Brits in general, most of whom I’ve found to be good people. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/79 "2013-10-01T15:03:34Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Are they definitely wrong though? If so, why? As RickJay pointed out, because it’s a proper name. If the officials who named it had spelled it Purl Hahrber, that would be the correct spelling. The correct spelling (and pronuniciation, for that matter) of a proper name is determined by whoever named the person, place or thing, not by the whims of the general public. ---
**Author:** ![Cheryl44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@Cheryl44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheryl44)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007/80 "2013-10-01T15:09:23Z")
> [@sentrix](#): > > along with the irish, scots another unintelligible nation. > > when will you people stop bastardizing ( notice i used a ‘z’) the bloody english lingo? When will you learn to use the shift key? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-u-s-spelling-omit-the-u/670007.md?page=5)