Travelling or Traveling | Correct Spelling & Examples

Travelling or Traveling | Correct Spelling & Examples

UK vs US updated on  January 9, 2024 3 min read
Travelling and traveling are both correct spellings of the present participle and gerund of the verb “travel,” which means “go from one place to another.”

The spelling depends on whether you use British English or American English.

  • In British English, “travelling” with a double “l” is the most common.
  • In American English, “traveling” with one “l” is standard.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.

Examples: Travelling or traveling in a sentence
My grandparents are currently travelling/traveling through Europe.
Travelling/traveling solo allows for personal growth and self-discovery.
Paige documented her adventures in a travel blog wile she was travelling/traveling.

The difference in spelling is also true for similar verbs, such as labelling or labeling and modelling or modeling.

Travelling and traveling (adjectives)

Travelling or traveling can also function as an adjective to refer to something or someone that moves from one place to another.

Examples: Travelling or traveling in a sentence (adjective)
The travelling/traveling circus brought joy to the small town.
Adrian and his boyfriend visited a travelling/traveling exhibit featuring rare artifacts.
The travelling/traveling photographer captured breathtaking landscapes.

Travelled or traveled

The spelling distinction also applies to the past tense form of the verb “travel.”

  • In British English, “travelled” with a double “l” is the most common.
  • In American English, “traveled" with one “l” is standard.
Examples: Travelled or traveled in a sentence
Veronica travelled/traveled to Paris to experience its rich culture and history.
The explorers travelled/traveled through jugnles in search of new insect species.
After graduating from college, Sven travelled/traveled to Sweden to visit relatives.

Traveler or traveller

The same spelling difference applies to the related noun traveler or traveller, which refers to someone who is traveling or to someone who’s part of an itinerant community (e.g., Irish Travellers).

  • In British English, “traveller” with a double “l” is the most common.
  • In American English, “traveler" with one “l” is standard.
The plural noun is travelers or travellers.

Examples: Travelled or traveled in a sentence
The apirport lounge was filled with excited travellers/travelers.
The traveller/traveler filled her backpack with all the essentials for her journey.
As a seasoned traveller/traveler, Bianca has visited forty countries.

Main differences between American and British English

American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Five important differences are:

Difference

Rule

Examples

-or vs -our

In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or.

In British English, these same words end in -our.

Behavior or behaviour
Labor or labour
Favor or favour
Favorite or favourite
Color or colour
Honor or honour

-er vs -re

In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er.

In British English, these same words end in -re.

Theater or theatre
Center or centre
Meter or metre
Liter or litre
Saber or sabre
Fiber or fibre

-ize vs -ise

In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize.

In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise.

Realize or realise
Recognize or recognise
Analyze or analyse
Organisation or organization
Minimize or minimise
Finalize or finalise

-ed vs -t

In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed.

In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t.

Learned or learnt
Burned or burnt
Kneeled or knelt
Dreamed or dreamt
Smelled or smelt
Spelled or spelt

Single vs double consonant

In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant.

In British English, these same words are spelled with a double consonant.

Modeling or modelling
Traveling or travelling
Canceled or cancelled
Labeled or labelled
Buses or busses
Focused or focussed

Do you want to know more about common mistakes, commonly confused words, rhetorical devices, or other language topics? Check out some of our other language articles full of examples and quizzes.


Common mistakes

Commonly confused words

Rhetoric

Hers or her’s

Aid vs aide

Malapropism

Truely or truly

Advice vs advise

Pun

Beck and call or beckon call

Council vs counsel

Extended metaphor

Jist or gist

Former vs latter

Simile

Despite of

Breathe vs breath

Dramatic irony


Frequently asked questions about travelling or traveling

Is it traveling or travelling in basketball?

Travelling and traveling are two spellings of the same verb.

In this context, it refers to a violation that takes place when a basketball player takes too many steps without dribbling the ball.

The spelling depends on the type of English you use:

  • Travelling is standard in British English.
  • Traveling is correct in American English.

It's important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.

Is it I will be traveling or travelling?

Travelling and traveling are two spellings of the same verb. The spelling depends on the type of English you use:

  • I will be travelling is more common in British English.
  • I will be traveling is more common in American English.

It's important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.

Is it traveling or travelling in AP style?

Travelling and traveling are two spellings of the same verb. The spelling depends on the type of English you use:

  • I will be travelling is more common in British English.
  • I will be traveling is more common in American English.

It's important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.

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Julia Merkus

Julia has master's degrees in Linguistics and Language and speech pathology. Her expertise lies in grammar, language and speech disorders, foreign language learning, and child language acquisition.

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