🌍 American vs British · spelling

airplane vs aeroplane

A powered, fixed-wing aircraft that flies through the air.

American
airplane

“The airplane taxied to the runway and waited for clearance to take off.”

British
aeroplane

“The aeroplane taxied to the runway and waited for clearance to take off.”

Good to know

Americans say and spell it "airplane," while Britons use "aeroplane," which preserves the older Greek-derived "aero-" prefix. Both dialects also use the shorter, informal "plane."

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