🌍 American vs British · spelling

theater vs theatre

A building or art form devoted to staging plays and live performances.

American
theater

“They have season tickets to the local theater.”

British
theatre

“They have season tickets to the local theatre.”

Good to know

American spelling is "theater" and British is "theatre," part of the -er/-re pattern. Some American venues use "theatre" stylistically, and Britons use "theatre" for both the building and an operating theatre in a hospital.

Related comparisons

center/centreliter/litrecolor/colourfavorite/favourite

🌍 Is your English British or American?

Take the British vs American English Test — 20 word pairs, instant result.

Take the test

Built by the team behind Deep In.