American Spelling

Why are some American words spelt differently?

Before Listening

In the 1800s the conventions of American spelling began to differ from those of British English. You are going to hear about the key figure in this change – the lexicographer and teacher Noah Webster.

  1. Which word do you not expect to hear?
  • typesetter 
  • academy
  • teacher
  • northern 
  • laugh

    Listen once to find out :

    1. What Webster did?
    2. Why he did it?
    Noah Webster

    Photo by Heather Temske CC BY 2.0,

    Listening comprehension: True or False?

    1. Noah Webster created the first dictionary.
    2. Webster wanted more phonetic spelling.
    3. Some of Webster’s spelling changes did not survive.
    4. Webster made typesetting more difficult.

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