Grey Or Gray: Which One Is Correct? - INK Blog

Home » How Does Canada Spell Gray » Grey Or Gray: Which One Is Correct? - INK Blog

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Main Grey or Gray Takeaways:

  • Gray is the more common spelling in American English, while grey is more common in British English-speaking countries like the U.K. and Canada.
  • Grey (or gray) is an achromatic color that exists between white and black.
  • Proper names and words such as greyhound don’t follow country-specific spelling rules.
  • Most places accept either grey or gray as an appropriate spelling.

Is it grey or gray? Are they the same or not? If you want answers to these questions, then you’re on the right page. In this post, we will discuss the history behind the words grey and gray, and which one should you use in your writing.

An American man holding a mug with the American flag and a British man holding a tea cup with a U.K. flag. The American is saying gray, spelled with letter a, and the British man is saying grey, spelled with letter e.
Both “gray” and “grey” pertain to the same color. “Gray” is mostly used by American English users, while British English users prefer to spell it as “grey.”

Why Does Grey Have Two Spellings?

To understand why gray and grey have different spellings, we need to consider the origin of both words.

These words originate from the Old English word grǽg, which may not have referred to the color. In fact, the first recorded use of the word as the name of a color in the English language was in 700 AD.

Over the centuries that followed, several spelling variations of grǽg began to pop up. Some of these include greie, greye, graye, grei, grey, and grai, to name a few.

For example, a 12th or 13th century poem, “The Owl and the Nightingale,” uses the spelling “greie.” Similarly, a 14th-century poet, William Langland, used “graye” in his poem, “Piers Plowman.

In the 18th century, several parts of the world had settled on grey as the accepted spelling. However, legendary lexicographer Samuel Johnson wasn’t so sure. He argued that “gray” was a better version of the word and proposed its adoption.

Although several English dictionaries followed Johnson’s cue and recommended “gray” as the correct version, it was too late. Grey had become the universally accepted spelling — except in the United States.

Which is Correct: Grey or Gray?

Grayand grey are both correct. The only difference between these two spellings is regional. For instance, gray (with an A) is more common in American English. Conversely, grey (with an E) is more common in British English. Regardless of which spelling you choose, gray and grey refer to a neutralcolor that falls between white and black. Both spellings can be nouns, adjectives, or verbs. What’s more, pronounce both exactly the same way.

Noun:Henrietta pickedgrayfor the exterior color of the house since it reminded her of New England.Adjective:Niles looked at thegreysky and knew it would rain soon.Verb:Sometimes, he felt as if his hair grayed overnight.London is world-famous for grey skies and rainy weather.He picked a gray suit this time because it goes well with both black and brown shoes.

Do Canadians use Grey or Gray?

Canadians use grey, the British spelling of the word. While Canada is located in North America, it is still part of the British Commonwealth. For this reason, Canadians tend to speak and write British English.

Is Grey a Word?

Grey (with an E) is in fact a word. It is the accepted spelling of the color in British English. Conversely, gray (with an A) is the more common spelling in American English. Greyvs. gray is just one of the many examples of words that have different spellings in American and British English. Both spellings are a noun that refer to a color. The color is black diluted by white and has several shades from light to dark along the spectrum between white and black.

Dictionaries and their creators played a large role in these spelling differences. For example, Noah Webster believed language was one way Americans could assert their independence from Great Britain.

He also believed that the spelling of words should mimic their pronunciation. Because of that, words like favor, sulfur, and aluminum took on their streamlined American spellings.

Grey or Gray: How to Spell it Right Every Time

Easily remember which spelling belongs to which region with this simple mnemonic device.

How to Remember Gray vs. Grey:

  • Imagine the A in gray stands for America, since gray is the standard American English spelling.
  • Imagine the E in grey stands for England since grey is the standard British English spelling.

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