Donut vs Doughnut | Difference, Spelling & Examples
The always-popular deep-fried dough treat can be spelled donut or doughnut in both American English and British English. However, donut is seen as more informal in British English, and some US authorities stipulate the longer doughnut spelling.
As a boy, I was captivated the first time I saw the donut/doughnut machine at the fair.
Nick thought that the Spanish breakfast of donuts/doughnuts dipped in hot chocolate was the height of morning cuisine!
Donut or doughnut
A donut/doughnut is a deep-fried piece of dough, often sweetened with sugar or other coatings. The older spelling doughnut contains the nouns dough and nut. In this case, nut probably refers to an uncommon usage meaning “a small piece or lump,” although the etymology is a little uncertain.
Donuts/doughnuts are found the world over in various kinds. In the US, they are typically shaped like a lifebuoy (i.e., a circle with a hole in the center), leading to the universal understanding of something that is “donut-shaped.” In this case, it would be most unusual to find the doughnut spelling.
As well as lifebuoy-shaped, a donut/doughnut in the UK is often shaped like a bread roll, filled with jam (“jelly” in American English), and dusted with sugar.
In most cases, donut/doughnut can be spelled either way, but it is safest to use doughnut in formal or academic writing in British English and American English.
When describing the practice of driving a car in such a way as to leave tire marks on the road surface, this is almost always spelled donut (e.g., “The crowd of onlookers cheered as Dean did donuts in the parking lot”).
Kyle relished the perfect blend of softness, crispness, sugar, and fat that his favorite donut/doughnut gave him as he bit into it.
The store parking lot bore testimony to the night’s activities, with a generous display of donut tire marks.
- Though (rhymes with “owe”)
- Rough (rhymes with “huff”)
- Cough (rhymes with “off”)
- Bough (rhymes with “cow”)
- Borough (in British English, pronounced [buh-ruh])
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 |
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