Pyjamas vs Pajamas | Explanation & Examples
How you should spell pyjamas/pajamas depends on where your audience is located. In American English, the usual spelling is pajamas, as it is in Canada, the Philippines, and (by a narrow margin) India. Most of the English-speaking world outside of that uses the British English spelling pyjamas.
On Saturdays, Zenia always considered it a triumph if she made it to bedtime without changing out of her pyjamas/pajamas.
Pyjamas/pajamas can be sleek and stylish or warm and cozy—the possibilities are endless!
Pyjamas or pajamas
In American English, both the noun pajamas and the related adjective pajama are spelled with an initial “pa.” The British English spelling is also consistent, with pyjamas for the noun and pyjama for the adjective.
Amy had always dreamt of being a model, but those dreams hadn’t really included wearing frumpy pyjamas/pajamas!
Nothing made Luke more anxious or awkward than a pyjama/pajama party.
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 |
Frequently asked questions about pyjamas or pajamas
- What’s the difference between trousers and pants?
-
In British English, trousers (or “a pair of trousers”) is the noun used for the item of clothing commonly called pants in American English. In British English, pants refers to underwear (and is short for “underpants”).
So, when referring to pyjamas or pajamas, British English speakers would say “pyjama trousers,” while American English speakers would say “pajama pants.”
The QuillBot Grammar Checker has selectable grammar regions, so you can always be sure you are using trousers or pants correctly in your writing.
