Tardis:Spelling

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We use British spelling here — with a few exceptions. Please make sure your computer is set to spellcheck in BrEng before editing.

File:Words That YOU Need to Learn How to Spell

Some basic spelling errors are common to both British and American speakers. Watch this video to learn how to avoid common mistakes.

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T:SPELL

British spellings should always be employed in the main namespace — also called "namespace 0", or just "main". To give an exceptionally brief overview, this means using -our in a lot of words, such as colour and favour. It also means the general, but not universal, preference for the suffix -ise over -ize. Of course, it goes a bit deeper than that. By most accounts, there are about 1800 differences between US and UK English, with other parts of the English-speaking world chipping in a few hundred other variations.

Rulings about specific words

From time to time, forum debates have raged as to the proper spelling of words. The following is a list of those rulings:

• Organization or Organisation?
• Artifacts or Artefacts of Rassilon?
• Alternate vs. alternative timelines

The following spellings are therefore deemed correct, by community consensus:

• artefact
• organisation

Redirects

If the title of an article includes a word that is spelled differently in American English than British English, the British form must be used in the title. However, a redirect should be created for the American spelling so as to allow readers to find the article by typing in the American spelling in the search bar. For example, you can find Target novelisation, by entering Target Novelization in the search bar.

Where applicable

This policy is applicable only in namespace 0 — that is, on a page whose name does not have a prefix like Tardis:, Category:, Forum:, Howling:, or Help:. It also applies where elements from other namespaces may appear in namespace 0. Thus, category names must use British spellings, because category names are visible in namespace 0. Also, the text of templates visible in the main namespace are subject to this policy.

It does not apply to your own user pages, the forums, talk pages, help pages, MediaWiki pages, template documentation, or even project pages like this one. As a rule of thumb, if the text can't be seen on a "normal" page, this policy doesn't apply to it. However, it does apply to the names of templates, because the bot will try to correct those names.

As an example, it applies to World Zones Organisation, the title of {{Infobox Organisation}}, any text that displays on a normal article page as a result of using the template, and the title of Category:Alien defence organisations.

But it does not apply to the text at category:Alien defence organisations, nor to the text at template:Infobox Organisation, nor in a forum thread called Forum:Organization or Organisation?, nor in template documentation.

Exceptions

• American topics should get American spellings. Don't try to Anglicise "Pearl Harbor" or the film, The Color of Money. If you were to come across "Pearl Harbour" in a story, you should consider it a typo.
• Our rulings about specific words aren't gospel. A good example of this is Similarities in Proto-Cultural Artifacts of the Second Dynasty of the Zyrs. Despite the fact that we have, as a community, chosen to spell the word artefact, the spelling artifact must stand in the case of this particular fictional book title.
• In the case of products aimed at a non-British market, their spellings and word choices should predominate. IDW Publishing titles should always reflect American spellings, as should anything to do with Doctor Who Insider magazine, or BBC America.

Related reading

You'll want to read T:QM and T:HONOR for advice about other trans-Atlantic issues.