Spellzone covers both American English and British English spellings. Learn more in Unit 36. Here is a list of all the articles in our American English vs. British English series: American English vs British English: 6 Key Spelling Differences Flavor or Flavour? Realize or realise? A quick guide to the differences between American English and British English spelling. 60 American English Words and their British English Counterparts A list of common words in American English and British English. 60 More American English Words and their British English Counterparts More common words in American English and British English. American...
Our Word for Wednesday theme for August is condiments. A condiment is added to food to enhance its flavour. The word has been used in English since the mid-fifteenth century and comes from the Latin ‘condire’ meaning ‘to pickle’. Over August we’ve looked at the words mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, and sriracha. Our final condiment for the month is chutney. Chutney is a spicy condiment of Indian origin that has been eaten since 500 BCE. It is made from fruits or vegetables cooked in vinegar, spices, and sugar. Unlike pickles – known in India as ‘achar’ – chutneys are often freshly prepared. C...
Our Word for Wednesday theme for August is condiments. A condiment is added to food to enhance its flavour. The word has been used in English since the mid-fifteenth century and comes from the Latin ‘condire’ meaning ‘to pickle’. Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at the condiments mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. This week’s word is sriracha. Sriracha is a spicy red sauce made from red chilli peppers and garlic that is popular in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. In Thailand, sriracha is often used for dipping and is especially eaten with omelette and seafood. In Vietnam, it is commonly eaten with pho, fried noodles, ...
Our Word for Wednesday theme for August is condiments. A condiment is added to food to enhance its flavour. The word has been used in English since the mid-fifteenth century and comes from the Latin ‘condire’ meaning ‘to pickle’. So far we’ve looked at the words mustard and ketchup. Today’s word is mayonnaise. Mayonnaise – also often called by its nickname mayo – is a thick creamy sauce made with egg yolks, oil, and either vinegar or lemon juice. This French word (which dates to 1806) has been used in English since 1815. It is probably a corruption of ‘mahonnaise’ and likely got its name fro...
Our Word for Wednesday theme for August is condiments. A condiment is added to food to enhance its flavour. The word has been used in English since the mid-fifteenth century and comes from the Latin ‘condire’ meaning ‘to pickle’. Last week, we looked at the word mustard and today’s condiment is ketchup. Ketchup is a red sauce made from tomatoes and vinegar. It is often used as a relish in burgers or eaten with chips (or French fries if you speak American English!). This condiment was first known in English as 'catchup' and later as 'catsup' (the latter of which is still sometimes used in American Engish)....
Our Word for Wednesday theme for August is condiments. A condiment is added to food to enhance its flavour. The word has been used in English since the mid-fifteenth century and comes from the Latin ‘condire’ meaning ‘to pickle’. As Saturday August 5th marks National Mustard Day – a celebration of all things mustard that started in Wisconsin in 1991 – we couldn’t resist choosing the spicy condiment for our first word of the week. Mustard is a pungent yellow or brown paste made from ground mustard seeds. It has a strong hot taste and is often eaten with meat. Though mustard was likely eaten by ancient civilisations, the word firs...
What does each word mean? A fair is a travelling or periodic exhibition of stalls, rides, or games. As an adjective, fair is used to describe something that is free of favouritism, cheating, or bias. The word can also be used to describe good weather, something that has a reasonable chance of happening, and skin and hair that is light-coloured. Here is fair used in some example sentences: There’s a Ferris wheel at the funfair. The farmer sold her cheeses at the fair. Make sure you play in a fair way. It was a fair winter’s day. They thought they had a fair chance of winning The waiter had fair hair. ...
Although the Spellzone course was written in the UK, it covers both British English and American English spellings. The different spellings of a words are highlighted throughout the course, and you can choose whether you would prefer to take a British English or an American English version of a test. Click here to read an overview of the main differences between American English and British English spellings, and here for more detailed information. It’s not just spellings you need to watch out for though! Some words have different meanings depending on whether they are used in an American English or a British English context. Here are 20 American English...
December’s Word for Wednesday theme is festive food and drink. So far we’ve looked at mulled wine, mince pies, eggnog, and Brussels sprouts. Our final festive drink of the month is sherry. Sherry is a dry to sweet amber wine from the Jerez region of southern Spain. It is usually drunk as an aperitif. The word dates to around 1600 when it was used as a mistaken singular form of the word 'sherris' (which dates to the 1530s). 'Sherris' comes from the Spanish ‘vino de Xeres’ meaning ‘wine from Xeres’. Today, this Andalusian town where sherry is made is known as Jerez. You can lea...
December’s Word for Wednesday theme is festive food and drink. So far we’ve looked at mulled wine, mince pies, and eggnog. Today’s festive food is the Brussels sprout. This Christmas dinner vegetable is often debated – some people love Brussels sprouts, others can’t stand them. A Brussels sprout is a small green cabbage-like bud that grows on a stalk. The word dates to 1740, though the first written description of this type of vegetable dates to the 1580s. Brussels sprouts have long been associated with Flanders, specifically Brussels, in Belgium. The name Brussels is of Germanic origin and comes from ‘brocca&r...
December’s Word for Wednesday theme is festive food and drink. So far we’ve looked at mulled wine and mince pies. The festive drink we have chosen to look at today is eggnog. Traditionally served in North America during the Christmas season, eggnog is a punch made of an alcoholic liquor mixed with egg and sweetened milk or cream. Sometimes it is flavoured with spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg. Other historic names of this drink include ‘egg milk punch’ and ‘milk punch’. Eggnog has been used in American English since around 1775. The word ‘egg’ dates to the mid-fourteenth century and comes from Old Norse. The word ...
December’s Word for Wednesday theme is festive food and drink. Last week we looked at mulled wine and today’s chosen treat is mince pies. Whether you love them or hate them, there’s no doubt that the mince pie is a Christmas staple here in the UK. A mince pie is a round sweet pie that is filled with mincemeat (a mixture of dried fruits, fat, and spices). Originally mince pies would have contained meat, but today they are usually made without. Although early versions of this pie often went by other names – 'mutton pie', 'Christmas pie', 'shrid pie' – the name mince pie dates to around 1600. The word mincemea...
Happy December! This month’s Word for Wednesday theme is festive food and drink. Our first choice of the month is a seasonal favourite—mulled wine. Mulled wine is wine that is heated with sugar, spices, and often citrus fruit. Other popular mulled drinks include mulled cider, mulled apple juice, and hot toddy. The word ‘mull’ has been used to describe the process of heating a drink with sweeteners and spices since the 1600s. While the origin of this word is unknown, there may be a link with the Dutch word ‘mol’ which was used to describe a sweet beer. ‘Mull’ has also been used in English to mean ‘...
Our Word for Wednesday theme for November is vegetables. A vegetable is a plant or part of a plant that is used for food. The word dates to the mid-fifteenth century when it meant 'non-animal life’ and was used to describe any type of plant. It has been used in reference to plants specifically grown for food since 1767. So far we’ve looked at the vegetables cabbage, potato, and courgette. Today’s word is tomato. The first thing to note about the tomato is that it’s not technically a vegetable—it’s a fruit. As we explained at the start of this post a vegetable is a plant or part of a plant used for food. A fruit is...
Our Word for Wednesday theme for November is vegetables. A vegetable is a plant or part of a plant that is used for food. The word dates to the mid-fifteenth century when it meant 'non-animal life’ and was used to describe any type of plant. It has been used in reference to plants specifically grown for food since 1767. So far we’ve looked at the words cabbage and potato. This week we’ve chosen two words that are used to refer to the same vegetable—courgette and zucchini. Both words describe a dark green cucumber-shaped squash that is typically eaten when small. The same vegetable left to mature is often called a marrow. Cour...
Our Word for Wednesday theme for November is vegetables. A vegetable is a plant or part of a plant that is used for food. The word dates to the mid-fifteenth century when it meant 'non-animal life’ and was used to describe any type of plant. It has been used in reference to plants specifically grown for food since 1767. Last week we looked at the word cabbage and this week’s word is potato. A potato is a root vegetable native to South America with starchy edible tubers and poisonous vines. It is widely cultivated as a garden vegetable. The word entered English in the 1560s and was used to describe the vegetable we call sweet potato today...
Our Word for Wednesday theme for November is vegetables! A vegetable is a plant or part of a plant that is used for food. The word dates to the mid-fifteenth century when it meant 'non-animal life’ and was used to describe any type of plant. It has been used in reference to plants specifically grown for food since 1767. Our first word of the month is cabbage. A cabbage is a vegetable with large thick green or purple leaves that grow around a spherical heart. The word dates to the mid-fifteenth century and comes from the Old French ‘cabace’ which means ‘head’ and is a diminutive of the Latin word ‘caput’. Cabbages are likely n...
Yesterday marked International Day of Friendship and to celebrate we’ve picked companion for this week’s Word for Wednesday. Friendship days are marked all over the world. Loved ones are honoured with gifts, cards, and friendship bracelets. In 2011, the UN General Assembly declared July 30 as International Day of Friendship with ‘the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.’ So why have we chosen the word companion and not friend as this week’s word? Honestly – because we think it has a more interesting origin. The word dates back to aroun...
In English, we love comparing one thing to another. We love analogies. As a result, over the years, the English language has become chock-full of idioms. An idiom is a combination of words which has a figurative meaning separate from the actual definitions of the words used. There are an estimated 25,000 idioms in the English language, and this year we’ve been looking at their meanings on the blog. Today’s idioms are all about food. If a friend has ever confused you by suddenly talking about cups of tea when you’ve asked them if they fancy watching a Twilight film, this post’s for you! a bad apple/egg – a bad influence/someone who brings trouble a couch ...
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