Humor or Humour | Meaning, Spelling & Examples

Humor and humour are different spellings of the noun meaning ‘mood’ and ‘the quality of being amusing’ and the verb meaning ‘indulge’.

The spelling tends to vary depending on whether you’re using UK or US English:

• In US English, ‘humor’ (no ‘u’) is standard.
• In UK English, ‘humour’ (with a ‘u’) is the correct spelling.

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Other forms of the word

The same spelling distinction carries over to related words, such as ‘humored/humoured’ and ‘humoring/humouring’.

• In US English, ‘humored’ and ‘humoring’ (no ‘u’) are standard.
• In UK English, ‘humoured’ and ‘humouring’ (with a ‘u’) are correct.

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Exception: Humorous

While ‘humour’ is the standard spelling in UK English, the related adjective humorous (meaning ‘comic’ or ‘amusing’) is used in both US and UK English. ‘Humourous’ is never correct.

Other interesting language articles

If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, common mistakes, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.