Skeptical or Sceptical | Spelling, Definition & Examples
In American English, the correct spelling of the adjective is skeptical. In British English, there is no dominant spelling, although sceptical is probably more widely used in academic writing.
Although I was deeply skeptical/sceptical about it, the collagen drink had a near-miraculous impact on my arthritis.
It doesn’t pay to be too skeptical/sceptical, because it can suck all the joy out of your life.
Skeptical or sceptical
Skeptical/sceptical is an adjective that means you have a healthy distrust of information that is presented to you. Its antonym could be considered to be “gullible.” In American English, it is spelled skeptical. In British English, both spellings are equally common, but sceptical is more favored in academic texts.
It’s a small but very significant difference between being skeptical/sceptical and becoming cynical.
James had heard the excuses and promises before, and he was skeptical/sceptical that this time would be any different.
Main differences between American and British English
American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Some differences are:
| Difference | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -or vs -our | In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or. | Behavior or behaviour Color or colour Favor or favour Flavor or flavour Favorite or favourite Honor or honour Humor or humour Labor or labour Neighbor or neighbour |
| In British English, these same words end in -our. | ||
| -er vs -re | In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er. | Center or centre Fiber or fibre Theater or theatre |
| In British English, these same words end in -re. | ||
| -ize vs -ise | In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize. | Analyze or analyse Organization or organisation Realize or realise Recognize or recognise |
| In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise. | ||
| -ed vs -t | In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed. | Burned or burnt Dreamed or dreamt Kneeled or knelt Learned or learnt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt Spilled or spilt |
| In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t. | ||
| Single vs double consonant | In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant. | Buses or busses Canceled or cancelled Counselor or counsellor Focused or focussed Labeled or labelled Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling |
| In British English, these same words are often spelled with a double consonant. | ||
| Dropping vs retaining the “e” | In American English, “e” is often dropped when forming a noun from a verb | Acknowledgment or acknowledgement Aging or ageing Judgment or judgement |
| In British English, the “e” is often retained. | ||
| Different verb and noun spellings | In American English, most words have identical verb and noun spellings. | License or licence Practice or practise |
| In British English, some words have different spellings for the verb and noun forms. | ||
| Other spelling differences | There are many other spelling differences between the two English variants. | Airplane or aeroplane Aluminum or aluminium Check or cheque Cozy or cosy Defense or defence Dependent or dependant Enrollment or enrolment Fulfil or fulfill Gray or grey Jewelry or jewellery Karat or carat Mold or mould Offense or offence Pajamas or pyjamas Program or programme Skeptical or sceptical Tire or tyre |
Other interesting articles
If you want to know more about job applications, research, or idioms, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
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Research
Frequently asked questions about skeptical or sceptical
- How do I use skeptical in a sentence?
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You can use skeptical in a sentence to mean someone has a healthy distrust of what they hear or read. Some examples include:
- In the age of AI-generated text and images, we need to train our children to be more skeptical about what they read.
- Being skeptical about things that seem too good to be true is perfectly fine.
- Don’t let skeptical friends discourage you as you push toward your dream.
In British English, you can choose between skeptical and sceptical, as both spellings are permitted.
The QuillBot Paraphrasing Tool helps you to find new ways of expressing your ideas without repeating yourself.
- Is it skeptic or sceptic?
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In American English, skeptic is the correct spelling. In British English, you can spell it either skeptic or sceptic, although the latter is more favored in academic writing.
You can use the selectable language variants in the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you have the correct spelling of skeptic or sceptic.
