-or/-our Archives | GRAMMARIST

Candor or candour

Candor is a noun meaning complete honesty or fairness. Sometimes it is used in the construction complete candor, but this is redundant. It is not pejorative or carry the connotation that candor is harsh, simply that what is said or done can be believed. The negative formation is usually having a lack of candor. Candor is the preferred spelling inside the United States. Candour is the preferred spelling outside the US. Candor is pronounced with an er sound at the end, while candour is pronounced dropping the r sound all together, in line with other er …

Parlor or parlour

by Grammarist

This is another United States and British division. A parlor (or parlour) is a room in the house specifically used to entertain guests. The custom of having a parlor has become less common. More likely you will hear the word in reference to a shop or business that is specific to one type of service (e.g., a massage parlor or a tattoo parlor) or a restaurant that sells one type of food (e.g., ice cream parlor). It can also be used as an adjective. A parlor …

Demeanor or demeanour

by Grammarist

Someone’s demeanor is his or her outward behavior, or the way he or she appears to others. It is spelled demeanour outside the United States. The spelling change extends to misdemeanor and misdemeanour. Side note: The United States borrowed the word misdemeanor from the United Kingdom. Misdemeanor adds the prefix mis- which denotes that the subsequent action has been done wrongly or badly (e.g., misheard, misread, misunderstood). In the United Kingdom demeanour was also a verb, so a misdemeanour was a wrong behavior towards others. Other English-speaking countries have changed the legal term of misdemeanour to …

Rancor vs. rancour

by Grammarist

Rancor is defined as bitterness or resentment. It is spelled rancor in the US, and rancour outside the US. The adjective form is rancorous, while the adverb is rancorously. These forms are spelled the same everywhere. Examples It of course also left “a legacy of political rancor and racial hatred so intense” that it guaranteed the world war that would follow 20 years later, which by Keegan’s calculation was five times as destructive of human life. [Wall Street Journal] Actually, we owe our gratitude (or rancor, depending …

+ More

Candor or candour

Parlor or parlour

Demeanor or demeanour

Rancor vs. rancour

Enamor vs. enamour

Tumor vs. tumour

Behavior vs. behaviour

Armor vs. armour

Humor or Humour – What’s the Difference?

Favour or Favor – Which Spelling to Use?