Field Notes

Spelling

Spelling

The -og Family: Catalog, Dialog (US)

Catalog, dialog, analog — the American trims those endings, and here's exactly where it stops

Samantha Callahan 10 min read
Spelling

Catalogue or Catalog? UK vs US

Your catalogue crosses the Atlantic and becomes a catalog — the whole -ogue/-og family, laid out plainly

Roger Fielding 4 min read
Spelling

Learnt or Learned? Got or Gotten? Irregular Past Forms

Dreamt or dreamed, got or gotten — the irregular past forms that split British and American English

Roger Fielding 11 min read
Spelling

Spelling Strategies That Work in Both UK & US

A word stalls mid-sentence and spellcheck just underlines it — strategies that work on both sides

Roger Fielding 12 min read
Spelling

How Words Are Built: Prefixes, Suffixes & Roots

Long words like uncomfortable stop feeling scary once you spot the prefix, root and suffix inside

Roger Fielding 12 min read
Spelling

Fewer or Less?

Ten items or less nags at every grammar pedant — when fewer wins and when less actually does

Roger Fielding 11 min read
Spelling

Their, There or They're?

Their, there and they're sound identical out loud and identical is exactly the problem on paper

Roger Fielding 12 min read
Spelling

Complement/Compliment, Principal/Principle, Stationary/Stationery

Compliment your principal on the stationary he ordered — three classic swaps, sorted before they embarrass you

Roger Fielding 12 min read
Spelling

Advice/Advise & Practice/Practise (Regional Split)

That email to your tutor stalls on advice or advise, practice or practise — here's the fix

Roger Fielding 12 min read
Spelling

Home & Household Vocabulary (Flat or Apartment?)

An American film says "leave your coat in the closet" — flat or apartment, wardrobe or closet, sorted

Roger Fielding 4 min read
Spelling

Transport Vocabulary (Lift or Elevator?)

The sign says elevator, you wanted a lift — the transport words that swap sides of the Atlantic

Roger Fielding 4 min read
Spelling

Food & Shopping Vocabulary (Crisps or Chips?)

Ask for crisps in an American shop and watch the blank stare — the chips/fries tangle, untangled

Roger Fielding 3 min read