“Draft” has independent senses such as an unfinished version of writing. For several other senses—including a current of cold air—Cambridge documents UK “draught” and US “draft.”
ReviewedEvidence2 sourcesSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
Use “draft” for an unfinished version of writing. For senses that Cambridge marks regionally, use UK “draught” and US “draft.”
Key details
Confusion Familyregional-spelling-and-sense
Rule Familyregional-orthography
Termsdraft, draught
Variant Scope“Draft” has independent senses such as an unfinished version of writing. For several other senses—including a current of cold air—Cambridge documents UK “draught” and US “draft.”
Further guidance
Core difference
The pair is not a blanket regional swap because “draft” also has meanings that are not replaced by “draught.”
Fast Test
Identify the intended sense first, then apply the documented regional or domain spelling for that sense.
Variant Boundary
Check the exact sense—writing, cold air, beer, boat depth, animals, or another domain—before applying a regional spelling.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
“Counsellor” is mainly British spelling and “counselor” is the usual US spelling for the shared advice-giving sense; some US senses are specifically recorded under counselor.
For the raised edge of a road, Cambridge documents US “curb” and UK “kerb.” The verb and noun “curb” meaning control or limit are separate senses and are not changed to “kerb.”
Cambridge uses “disk” for information-storage devices and also records regional variation for general circular-object, media, and body senses, where “disc” is common and often mainly UK while US “disk” also occurs.
