this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2026
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No Stupid Questions

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why is this not one way or the other?

addendum: wow, thanks everyone. I truly never knew it was a British vs. American spelling thing.

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[–] Hiro8811@lemmy.world 1 points 6 minutes ago

It's pronounced gay ya twats

[–] spacegoat@lemmy.world 1 points 36 minutes ago

I know that this is “no stupid questions” but it boggles the mind that people post in forums when the answer is either yes/no, or a single sentence explanation available in a web search.

[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago
[–] gegil@sopuli.xyz 147 points 17 hours ago (12 children)

Gray is a color, while grey is a colour.

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[–] fullsquare@awful.systems 95 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

grey - 🇬🇧 english (traditional)

gray - 🇺🇸 english (simplified)

[–] nonentity@sh.itjust.works 13 points 13 hours ago

gray - 🇺🇸 english (simplified)

grey - 🇬🇧 english (traditional)

gr*y - 🇦🇺 english (explicit)

[–] lonefighter@sh.itjust.works 28 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

This is correct, but for some reason in my head I think of gray as warm toned (like with yellow or brown undertones) and grey as cool toned (like with blue or purple undertones).

I have no idea why my brain has decided this is the way.

[–] zakobjoa@lemmy.world 7 points 16 hours ago

What?! It's exactly the opposite, obviously!

[–] trackball_fetish@lemmy.wtf 15 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

I'm splitting hairs but I always read

grey - 🇨🇦 english (eh)

[–] jenesaisquoi@feddit.org 22 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

It is spelled grey in correct English. In the USA, they like spelling it gray.

[–] Forester@pawb.social 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Buddy we got the spelling from you before you decided to deep throat the French and copy their phonics and corrupt your own spellings.

[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 5 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

All language is made up. There is no ‘correct’.

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 hours ago

Bullshit. Yes there is.

[–] jenesaisquoi@feddit.org 5 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Standardisation of language is not pointless. Shared standards serve concrete functions:

  • When 8 billion people write "colour" the same way, you don't pause to decode variants
  • Technical manuals, legal documents, medical instructions need precision: ambiguity costs lives
  • Cross-generational understanding: Shakespeare's English is already hard without adding modern variation to the mix
  • Standardized spelling keeps homophones distinct (their/there/they're)

Standardisation of language isn't about one version being inherently right. It's about shared agreement that enables function at scale.

[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 1 points 3 hours ago

And it's agreed that both Grey and Gray are acceptable variants, and they will be right up until they aren't for one arbitrary reason or another.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 2 points 8 hours ago

No we don't. Grey is the only way.

[–] TheFermentalist@reddthat.com 61 points 19 hours ago (5 children)

E is the European version, A is the American version. This sounds trite, but is true, and makes it simple to know which one to use

[–] Codpiece@feddit.uk 57 points 19 hours ago (4 children)

E is English. A is American.

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[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 27 points 19 hours ago (7 children)

. . . Unless you’re in the majority of the English speaking world, which includes India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Of course, grey is the appropriate spelling for all of those but Canada, which uses both.

[–] squirrel@cake.kobel.fyi 27 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

Canada, which uses both

græy /s

[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 7 points 16 hours ago

That looks awesome though

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[–] Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

Canadas english is weird

Especially when it comes to measurements (weight, volume, mass, temperature)

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 26 points 19 hours ago (5 children)

What’s wrong with Canada’s weights and measures?

Everything is in SI units.

Unless you’re cooking, where heat is in Fahrenheit, solid measures are in cups teaspoons and tablespoons (but liquids are in litres and weights are in grams).

Or in construction, where you work in feet and yards. Or measuring a person’s height.

But while someone might be 6’ tall, their stride length will be in metres, as will their arm span.

So yeah; simple. It’s not like Canada has tons of people weighing in tonnes.

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 11 points 18 hours ago

A "Pint" of beer served commercially in Canada must be 20 imperial (UK) ounces (aka ~568 mL), with a 2.5% margin of error permitted within the law, unlike a US pint (16 US fl oz ~473mL).

Just for fun, "Une pinte" of alcohol in French served commercially is "a quart" of alcohol in English which is double that value.

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[–] lastlybutfirstly@lemmy.world 7 points 14 hours ago

Gray in the US. Grey elsewhere.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 21 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

I think it's a USA vs European English thing.

I prefer the 'grey' spelling though, even though 'gray' is most common in the states.

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[–] degenerate_neutron_matter@fedia.io 13 points 18 hours ago (1 children)
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[–] lillardfair@lemmy.world 13 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

I know it's an American vs other English speaking countries thing, but as an American I can honestly never remember which one we are. I always used to look it up, but now I just shoot from the hip and assume I'm right, which feels the most American way to approach it.

[–] shyguyblue@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

When I was in high school, a girl passed me a note:

Are you g~~r~~ay?

Never forgot the spelling ;)

[–] tyler@programming.dev 8 points 17 hours ago

I think that’s what most Americans do. I don’t think I’ve thought about how to spell it in decades. I just spell it both ways depending on the day.

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