Theatre or theater: which is correct?
Correct
theatre (UK) / theater (US; theatre is also used in US names)
Avoid
theater (in UK English)
Summary
Correct: theatre (UK) / theater (US; theatre is also used in US names) — Avoid: theater (in UK English). Theatre / theater = a building where plays are performed or films shown; the writing and production of plays.
Both spellings are correct in their own variety; pick one and use it consistently.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Source
- Oxford / Merriam-Webster
Why
Oxford: theatre is the only British spelling; Merriam-Webster gives theater as the American standard but records theatre as a variant that many American venues and companies use in their names. Follow the house style, and keep a proper name's own spelling.
Examples
- We saw the play at the National Theatre (UK) / a local theater (US).
- She studied theatre at university.
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- Checked against
- Merriam-Webster / Oxford
- Spelling authority
- Merriam-Webster · Oxford English Dictionary / Oxford spelling · SCOWL
- Commonly confused and non-standard forms
- 64
- Dictionary
- Hunspell en_US / en_GB / en_AU / en_CA · Dictionary license: MIT AND BSD (SCOWL combined licence)