Neighbor vs. Neighbour
“Neighbor” is the US spelling and “neighbour” is the UK spelling. Both name the same relationship or nearby person/place; choose the form that matches the variety or style of the document. The spelling varies by region; the guide does not invent a meaning difference between the forms.
“Neighbor” is the US spelling and “neighbour” is the UK spelling. Both name the same relationship or nearby person/place; choose the form that matches the variety or style of the document.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| US spelling | neighbor | Use the US form. |
| UK spelling | neighbour | Use the UK form. |
| same underlying nearby-person/place relationship | same meaning for this comparison | Choose by regional or house style, not by inventing a semantic distinction. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Is the document following US spelling conventions?
If yes: Use “neighbor.”
If no: For UK spelling, use “neighbour”; otherwise follow the governing house style consistently.
Caveat: The reviewed distinction is regional orthography; this guide does not assign different meanings to the two spellings.
Examples
Our neighbor moved in last week.
The spelling follows US English.
Our neighbour moved in last week.
The spelling follows UK English.
The neighbouring property shares the same access road.
The broader spelling family should follow the same regional style.
Further guidance
Core difference
“Neighbor” is the US spelling and “neighbour” is the UK spelling. Both name the same relationship or nearby person/place; choose the form that matches the variety or style of the document.
Fast Test
Choose by meaning, grammatical function, and documented regional convention rather than treating every visible variant as an error.
Variant Boundary
The spelling varies by region; the guide does not invent a meaning difference between the forms.
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.
- NEIGHBOR — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · US spelling “neighbor” and cross-reference to UK “neighbour”
- NEIGHBOUR — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · UK spelling “neighbour” and cross-reference to US “neighbor”