Gray anatomy or grey anatomy?

When you are looking at nervous tissue, do you discuss GRAY matter or do you discuss GREY matter? or does it really matter?

Yes, it does matter. It depends on whether you are communicating in a United States (U.S.) dialect of English or a United Kingdom (U.K.) dialect of English.

Ordinarily, in U.S. English, the color is spelled GRAY.  In U.K. English, the color is usually spelled GREY.

Actually, in U.K. English, one would state, "the colour is grey" because of the color/colour difference in spelling.

But does spelling matter?  I say YES.

My reasons are spelled out in detail in the article Does Spelling Matter? at The A&P Student. In that article, I discuss the fact that in the health professions, spelling errors are a grave matter of safety. Even small differences in spelling can have unintended, tragic consequences. And that means that during the training of health professionals, we should do all we can to learn how to communicate perfectly—and thereby learn to communicate safely.

I'll get back to the importance of spelling in a subsequent article.  For now, let's focus on the idea that U.S. and U.K. English have some differences in spelling, a few of which I summarize below.

Quick points about U.S. versus U.K. spelling differences

Professional communication requires correct spelling

• Correct spelling avoids confusion and mistakes in communication
• In the health professions, correct spelling is therefore a safety factor

Correct spelling in English varies from region to region

• It is best to use the spelling correct to your particular regional context

Because communication is global, we frequently encounter regional variations

• To avoid confusion, it best to be familiar with spellings used in other regions

U.K. English is not universal outside the U.S.

• Canada, Australia, and some other regions use a mix of U.S. and U.K. spellings
• Even in the U.K., some have adopted selected U.S. spellings

There are exceptions to every rule

• Specific institutions and publications sometimes adopt spelling styles not typical of their regions
• Some disciplines and specialties have adopted their own spelling styles, regardless of region
• Some people have accidentally picked up spellings from outside their region and therefore use a mix of regional spelling styles
• Some U.S. spellings are commonly (and correctly) used in the U.K. and some U.K. spellings are commonly (and correctly) used in the U.S.

Be resilient

• Language is dynamic, producing regional dialects and spelling styles—so be on the lookout for changes as your regional language evolves

Some examples of U.S. versus U.K. spelling differences

The e/ae/oe vowels

Some words in U.S. English that use the e vowel instead use the ae or oe  diphthong in U.K. English.

U.S.	U.K.
fetus	foetus
esophagus	oesophagus
feces	faeces
hemoglobin	haemoglobin
estrogen	oestrogen
cecum	caecum
anesthesia	anaesthesia

The -er/-or endings

Some words in U.S. English that end in -er instead end in -re in U.K. English.

U.S.	U.K.
meter	metre
centimeter	centimetre
liter	litre
milliliter	millilitre
center	centre
fiber	fibre

The -or/-our endings

Some words in U.S. English that end in -or instead end in -our in U.K. English.

U.S.	U.K.
flavor	flavour
color	colour
labor	labour
behavior	behaviour
humor	humour

The -ize/-ise endings

Some words in U.S. English that end in -ize instead end in -ise in U.K. English.

U.S.	U.K.
organize	organise
visualize	visualise
organize	organise
characterize	characterise
metastasize	metastasise

The -yze/-yse endings

Some words in U.S. English that end in -yze instead end in -yse in U.K. English.

U.S.	U.K.
lyze	lyse
hydrolyze	hydrolyse
catalyze	catalyse
paralyze	paralyse

The -og/-ogue endings

Some words in U.S. English that end in -og instead end in -ogue in U.K. English.

U.S.	U.K.
catalog	catalogue
homolog	homologue
analog	analogue

Miscellaneous spelling differences

Some words in U.S. English have any of a variety of spelling differences in U.K. English.

U.S.	U.K.
gray	grey
disk	disc
glycerin	glycerine
mold	mould
neuron	neurone
sulfur, sulfate	sulphur, sulphate
anesthesia	anaesthesia

There are many other spelling differences among various dialects of English, but these examples give you sense of the concept.

Gray's Anatomy

Primed by the title of this article, you may be wondering which of these is proper:

Gray's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy

It depends.

If you are referring to the classic anatomical treatise originally penned by Henry Gray and illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter, then you should use Gray's Anatomy.

If instead you are referring to a television series featuring the character Meredith Grey, then you should use Grey's Anatomy.  The creators of this show about medical professionals intentionally played on the popularity of the anatomy reference—but in doing so, probably confused a lot of people!