I’ve always felt that the word “grey” looks better than the word “gray.” And as I think more on the matter, I realize that to me “gray” and “grey” are not even the same color. “Gray” is a drab color. It feels barren and lifeless. “Grey,” on the other hand, has silver in it. It can be a cheerful color that reminds us of the best parts of winter and the mysteriousness of twilight.
So why do I almost always use “gray” rather than “grey” in my writing? Because I’m an American, and I don’t like to be accused of misspelling words. I also spell “judgment” with no E between the G and M, even though it looks wrong. But I want that E. I also want to double up the consonants in certain words (like “traveller” instead of “traveler”). I prefer “catalogue” to “catalog.” And though I feel no great compulsion to add a U to “humor” or to swap the last two letters of “center,” it wouldn’t bother me to do so.
I think it must be that I’m a little British at heart.
But only just a little, because “manoeuvre” and “licence” are sheer nonsense. 😉
How do you feel about aluminium?
I think it sounds silly, but in a good way. I don’t know that I could switch to it, though. Luckily, it’s not a word that comes up that often, except in the kitchen, where you could just as easily call it “foil” or even “tin foil.” Isn’t it weird that people still call it “tin foil” even though it’s made out of aluminum?