The noun that describes all manner of bracelets, broaches, and rings is spelled either jewelry or jewellery depending on the regional variation of English that you are using.
In American English, the correct spelling is jewelry, and in British English, it’s jewellery. People sometimes spell it “jewelery,” but this spelling isn’t commonly used in American or British English.
Jewelry or jewellery in a sentence examplesSometimes, when chosen carefully, the simplest piece of jewelry/jewellerycan have the most dramatic impact.
My friend Alya has turned making jewelry/jewelleryfrom a hobby into a thriving business.
The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England, is the largest concentration of jewelry/jewellerybusinesses in Europe.
Anchoring bias is a type of cognitive bias that affects the way we perceive information and consequently the decisions we make. It describes our tendency to rely too much on the first piece of information we receive on a topic, irrespective of how reliable that information might be. As a consequence, anchoring bias can lead to poor decision-making.
Anchoring bias exampleYou visit a used car showroom with a view to purchasing a new vehicle. The dealer shows you around a number of cars that you realize are far beyond your price range, and you start to think that you can’t afford to change.
Next, the dealer shows you some other, much cheaper cars that are within your budget. Compared with the earlier, expensive models, these seem like good value. This impression is misleading, as in reality, they are all overpriced. But because the first cars have fixed a price in your mind, they seem like a good buy.
The spelling of dialog/dialogue is more to do with context than differences in American English and British English, although some differences are linked to geographical location.
The predominant use for dialog is in the context of computer user interfaces and almost always in the compound noun “dialog box.”
Dialogue is typically used when referring to a conversation between characters in a scripted work.
Dialog or dialogue in a sentence examplesHonza was attracted to the film because of the quality of the dialogue, which was vibrant and spellbinding.
One of the features of Harold Pinter’s plays is how sparse some of the dialogue can be, with few words and many pauses.
In HTML code, a simple <dialog> tag will create a dialog box on your page.
Mould and mold are different spellings of the same word. In American English, mold is correct, and in British English, it is spelledmould.
Mould/mold has two distinct meanings. One is related to forming something into a certain shape, and one is related to a type of fungal growth that develops in damp areas. Each meaning has both a noun and verb form.
Mould or mold in a sentence examplesRotomolded kayaks are made by rotating a mould/mold containing a plastic powder and heating it until the plastic coats the entire inside surface area.
Teaching young children is a tremendous responsibility, as you are able to mould/mold their lives from an early age.
The mould/mold in the apartment wasn’t just unsightly; it was a health hazard too.
In American English, the word for a winged airborne vehicle is spelled airplane, while in British English, it is aeroplane. Despite the popularity of the 1980 comedy film Airplane!, the American spelling of this noun has not caught on.
Airplane vs aeroplane in a sentence examplesMy great-grandfather was alive when the Wright brothers conducted the first powered aeroplane/airplane flight and lived to see Neil Armstrong walk on the moon!
Convenient and relatively cheap aeroplane/airplane flights revolutionized the travel industry in the early 21st century.
Despite paying many multiples of the economy fare, first class aeroplane/airplane passengers still land at the same time as everyone else!
It is generally the case that in American English, aluminum is the preferred spelling, and in British English (and most variants outside the North American continent), aluminium is favored.
This variation in spelling is perhaps one of the more striking differences between American English and British English. After all, this isn’t just a case of a verb ending but the actual name of one of the most widely used metals in the modern world.
The explanation of how we ended up with both aluminum and aluminium is quite complex. But the answer to how it is spelled is easy: in almost every situation, you are free to spell it either way, though aluminum is more common in American English and aluminium in British English.
Aluminum or aluminium in a sentence examplesAlthough aluminum/aluminiumis the most abundant metal on Earth, it is almost never found as a native metal.
Aluminum/aluminium is an ideal metal for recycling, as the process consumes only five percent of the energy required to refine it from bauxite.
As Priya had just found out, although aluminum/aluminium made for a lightweight bike frame, it could also just snap when overstressed.
Self-serving bias describes the human tendency to take credit for our successes and to blame others or circumstances for our failures. In other words, our success is down to our personal traits and character, and our failure is due to external factors beyond our control.
It is difficult to learn from our mistakes if we suffer from self-serving bias because it stops our reflecting on what we have done and analyzing why it went well (or went wrong). It is common to encounter self-serving bias when people are explaining underperformance in sports, driving, or work.
Self-serving bias exampleWhen Steve leaves home in plenty of time to get to work, he congratulates himself on being organized and punctual. On the occasions he doesn’t leave enough time, he blames traffic, roadwork, and other drivers for his late arrival rather than his leaving late.
In American English, consonants at the end of words do not double up when a suffix is added. This is true of counselor (counsellor in British English). This is the usual pattern of difference between the two language variants. For example, in American English, “travel” becomes “traveled” or “traveler,” whereas in British English, the consonant doubles up (e.g., “cancelled,” “labelled,” and “traveller”).
Counselor or counsellor in a sentence examplesNothing really made sense to Frank until he started to see a counselor/counsellor about the traumas of his childhood.
The company was lauded for its policy of providing time with a counselor/counsellor to any employee who needed it.
Janine found her job as a counselor/counsellor was rewarding and demanding in equal measure.
Both focussed and focused are acceptable in British English as well as American English, and interestingly, the more common form in both varieties of the language is with the single “s.”
Focussed or focused in a sentence examplesSports photography presents a challenge to the photographer as they have to keep the shot focused/focussed on a fast-moving subject.
Staying focused/focussed in class can be very difficult in the modern world of online distractions.
Thankfully, the earthquake’s epicenter was focused/focussed in a mountainous, sparsely inhabited region.
Published on
September 9, 2024
by
Trevor Marshall, MSc
Revised on
September 30, 2024
The availability heuristic describes our tendency to evaluate the likelihood of something happening according to how easily we can recall a similar occurrence. It can be seen as a mental shortcut we use to help us process information and respond to the many stimuli around us. An easily remembered event can cause us to mistakenly judge a similar event as more likely to happen.
Availability heuristic exampleMany people will reach for their phones when the flight they are on lands and text their loved ones that they have landed safely. In almost every country in the world, though, they are about to start the most dangerous part of the journey if they plan to travel by car.
Statistically, road transport is much more dangerous than air travel. But an airplane crash is given widespread news coverage, and the availability heuristic means that we feel it is the dangerous part of the journey. If there has been a recent disaster, this effect is even more pronounced.
The availability heuristic doesn’t just affect our perception of our safety when traveling but can have serious consequences for research and risk assessment. Understanding research bias can help us avoid it having a negative effect on research and trials.
