Why is center spelled centre

Very well done. Perry — I fail to see how a health centre is abstract. Is it not a concrete place one would visit for health issues? A health center is not the literal mid-point of anything, like the center of a circle. I was never taught this rule but it is how the word is commonly used in the midwest. I assume we do this because we only see British spelling in proper names, and therefore learned to associate it with a different sense of the word.

There is no centre forward in rugby! I think you mean: British sports such as the centre rugby and centre forward football. You mean countries that have continued to use English as it was introduced and as it should be used. Although often said as a joke when people play with their iPhones and have to select American or British English, there is more than an element of truth in the line: American English?

There is no such thing. There is English, and there are mistakes. This is somewhat untrue. One must understand the history of English in order to comment on its modern state. In some instances, many of the same words could have entirely different spellings depending on the dialect that a document was written in and the scribe or monk who wrote it.

That is to say, these two instances are not the only occurrence of English spelling varying in nature. If was only after the Printing Press was invented that spelling started to shift into a more unified form, and even into the Enlightenment Era, spelling sometimes varied in nature. It can also refer to a building or facility used for a certain activity , like the athletic center on a college campus, or the Lloyd Center shopping mall. As a verb , center means to position something in the middle of a predetermined area , to find a middle , or to revolve around a main topic.

While center is standard in American English, centre is the accepted term in British English. Reference the graphs below for the relative usage of these terms in both of these language communities. As you can see, Americans prefer center by a wide margin. The centre is also a word which is spelled differently in Britain or in countries that adopts British English but the meaning of this word is similar to the word Center that is used in America. But all in all, understanding the difference between both center and centre are very important for the multinational organizations so that they can build an image of British company or American company by using a particular spelling and avoiding the spelling errors in their emails or any other communication with their clients.

Skip to content The Center and Centre are two terms that are being used exchangeable by people throughout the internet. What is Center? What is Centre? Main Differences Between Center and Centre Although both are the part and parcel of the same category having a similar meaning, there exists a lot of difference between center and centre when it comes to a country in which these words are used and accepted, Center is the word which is used in the American language whereas the centre is used in the British language.

Center is a word commonly used to refer to a particular position in American sports like baseball whereas Centre is used to refer to a particular position in British famous sports like Rugby. In England, the word center is used to define something placed in the middle whereas in the same country the word centre is used to define the large structures or organizations. If a person wants to adopt American English, then the word which he should use is center.

But on the other hand, if a person prefers to speak or write British English, then the word which is correct for him and should be used is Centre. Center is a word which is the English spelling of something present in the middle in American English whereas the centre is the word used in British English for the same meaning. Center is a word which is used in the American language to explain that something is present in between other things. Email Print. We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.

If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. Forgot your password? Retrieve it. Two clicks install ». Try it now ». After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages. More eBooks ». Centre This Grammar. Centre — enjoy your reading! Rate this article: 3. Have a discussion about this article with the community: Newest Oldest Popular.

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