The number of British that now call Chicago their home is over 7,500. Fortunately, we Americans and our British cousins both speak the same language. No news there. So, we should clearly understand each other. Regrettably, that’s not always true. For instance, cockney accents and phrases can be as difficult to understand as Russian to most Yankees. Even some of the imported British TV shows require that you pay close attention to fully understand what they’re talking about.
The same is true in the spelling of many of those words. British and American English have different rules when it comes to spelling. They might sound alike but sometimes use dissimilar or extra letters. Many of these differences date back to a time when spelling standards had not yet been developed. For instance, some spellings seen as “American” currently were once commonly used in Britain and some spellings seen as “British” were once generally used in the United States.
For example, Americans omit the U that appears in some British words as a second vowel directly before a consonant. Consequently, you end up with these different spellings:
British US
colour color
flavour flavor
humour humor
labour labor
neighbour neighbor
mould mold
For the purposes of this article, let’s concentrate on that last word. American English does not have a word spelled m-o-u-l-d, and British English has no word spelled m-o-l-d. In other words, the phrase referring to:
- various funguses (noun)
- a frame for shaping (noun)
- to form (an object) out of pliable material (verb)
are spelled the same in all uses, but the spelling depends on the type of English used. And although the spellings differ, the meanings are the same.
The roots of British orthography can be found within the word mould originated from late Middle English: in all probability from a past participle of moul ‘grow mouldy’, and/or of Scandinavian origin; compare with Old Norse mygla ‘grow mouldy’. Another sense of the word indicates its origin from Old English molde, which encompasses a Germanic base which means ‘pulverize or grind’; associated with meal.
To help you remember whether to write mold or mould, just remember that mould contains a U, as in United Kingdom. That way it might be easier to keep the words straight in your mental vocabulary.
But however you spell it, if you have a serious mold problem in your Chicagoland home or business, call the professionals at ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons to dispatch a mold remediation crew to clean it up for your health and peace of mind.
About Us: ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, is a 2020 recipient of the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics, and recipient of the 2020 Skokie Business of the Year Award, Honorable Mention Category. ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons (MBE/WBE) is a family operated, IICRC & OSHA Certified company serving Chicago, Oak Park, River Forest, and the North Shore. We provide commercial disaster restoration services including Water & Flood Damage Restoration, Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration, Mold Remediation and a wide range of interior specialty cleaning including COVID-19 Cleaning Services, Hoarder & Clutter Cleaning, Post-Construction Cleaning, Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning to residential and commercial customers. For more information, call 773-376-1110 or visit www.servicemasterbysimons.com or info@servicemaster-rbs.com