“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.
ReviewedEvidence2 sourcesSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
“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
Confusion Familyregional-spelling
Noun Variant ScopeThe spelling varies by region; the guide does not invent a meaning difference between the forms.
Rule Familyregional-orthography
Termsneighbor, neighbour
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.
“Aging” and “ageing” are established regional spellings. Cambridge labels aging as US and ageing as UK, so the choice should follow the intended variety or house style.
“Analyze” is the standard US spelling and “analyse” is the standard UK spelling of the same verb. The distinction is regional spelling; use the form that matches the target variety or editorial style.
“Behavior” is the US spelling and “behaviour” is the UK spelling. Use the form consistent with the regional variety or editorial style of the document.
Both “canceled” and “cancelled” are standard past-tense spellings of “cancel”; US English usually uses one l, while UK English normally uses two. Cambridge records the -ll- forms and notes that US English usually uses -l-, so the difference should be presented as a regional preference rather than a correctness split.
