Distinguishing Gray from Grey

The distinction between gray and grey is that gray is the American spelling, while grey is the English spelling of the word referring to a specific color. Before delving into the differences between gray and grey, it is important to first understand what grey actually means. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, grey is “a color intermediate between black and white, as of ashes or lead.” Grey is used as an adjective, noun, and verb.

Key Takeaways

• Gray is the American spelling, and grey is the English spelling.
• Grey has been used for a longer period of time, while gray is a more modern spelling.
• Gray can also be used as a noun to indicate the SI unit for energy absorbed from ionizing radiation, while grey has no such usage.

What Does Grey Mean?

Grey was the British spelling of the word in the 20th century and was also adopted by Canadians. The English pronunciation became more popular. Until the spelling gray was introduced, grey was the preferred spelling.

What Does Gray Mean?

As previously mentioned, the word gray means “a color that is between white and black.” In fact, it lies somewhere between the extremes of white and black. Gray or grey can be used to refer to any object or animal of the color gray. The term gray is more modern compared to grey. It is interesting to note that grey/gray is also used as an adjective, such as in “gray day,” “gray mood,” and “gray hair.”

Additionally, the word gray as a noun is used to indicate “the SI unit for the energy absorbed from ionizing radiation, equal to one joule per kilogram.” The abbreviation of the unit is “Gy,” named after British radio-biologist Louis Harold Gray (1905-1965). This specific meaning is, of course, used only in particular contexts. The main difference between gray and grey is their spelling.

What is the Difference Between Gray and Grey?

Summary – Gray vs Grey

Both words grey and gray refer to the intermediate color between black and white. The only difference between gray and grey is that gray is the American way of spelling, while grey is the English way of spelling.

Image Courtesy:
1. “Grays” By Knulclunk, vectorized by Fvasconcellos (talk · contribs) – Vector version of w:Image:Greys.png (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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