Reason Why 'Airplane' Is Also Spelled 'Aeroplane'

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9 September 2024

Has it ever crossed your mind that why an 'airplane' is also spelled as 'aeroplane'? 


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Technically, both “airplane” and “aeroplane” are correct, since they're the same word spelled differently


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"Airplane" is the preferred term in the US, while "aeroplane" is the preferred term in the UK


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Thinking why? Well, it has to do with many words in the English language coming from other languages, like Latin, Greek, and French


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"British English has a general tendency to favo(u)r spellings and words that are reminiscent of French," author Lynne Murphy told Reader's Digest


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The 19th-century French word ‘aéroplane' is made up of ‘aéro,' meaning ‘air,' and the Greek word ‘planos,' meaning ‘wandering.'


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"Whereas American English, when it has deviated from what British English does, often changes in the direction of seeming less French," Ms Murphy explained


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According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of the word “airplane” was in 1906


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The differences between the words “airplane” and “aeroplane” go beyond the invention of the airplane


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