British English

Always use British English and spellings.

Examples

• organisation, not organization
• centre, not center
• holiday, not vacation
• shop, not store
• programme, not program

In official names, use the spelling the organisation uses.

Examples

World Trade Center, Karolinska Institutet

Avoid using Scottish terms such as 'outwith', as an international audience may not understand. Use an alternative like 'outside' or 'beyond'.

Latin terms should be used sparingly. 

Some Latin words, and their plurals, are so common that many people don’t know they are plurals: words like ‘data’ and ‘criteria’.

However, you should avoid many Latin terms where possible, in particular plural forms that look pedantic and put the reader off.

Examples

• forums, not fora
• syllabuses, not syllabi

Alumni

• Consider using ‘former students’ or ‘graduates’ instead. If you do use the Latin term, use it as follows:
• Alumni - graduates plural
• Alumnx - non-gendered term for a single graduate
• Alumna - female graduate
• Alumnus - male graduate

Graduates and graduands

• A graduand is someone to be awarded a degree. A graduate has been awarded and holds a degree.

You can find further guidance on spelling in the Spelling style section of this guide.

Spelling style