Toward vs. Towards – How to Use Each Correctly

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What’s the Difference Between Toward and Towards?

Toward and towards are both primarily prepositions that mean in the direction of. However, which spelling a person uses depends on if they use American English or British English.

Toward is the preferred American spelling.

• She is driving toward California from New York.

Towards is the preferred British spelling.

• He looked towards the direction of London.

Let’s practice a few ways you can use these words correctly in both varieties of English.

Using Toward in a Sentence

When to use toward: Toward usually acts as a preposition, but on rare occasions it can appear as an adjective. As a preposition it means in the direction of, for a certain purpose, near, facing, or in regards to.

For example,

• He pulled his pig toward the shed. (first definition)
• She’s putting the money from her job toward her college tuition. (second definition)
• My house is at the bottom of the hill, toward the riverbend. (third definition)
• The lion turned toward the zoo keeper. (fourth definition)
• The student’s behavior toward the teachers is very aggressive. (fifth definition)

Initially, towards was more common in American English. However, around the year 1900 toward surpassed towards in American usage. This fits in with the trend for American English to eliminate letters in order to make a word shorter or to reduce the amount of unnecessary letters.

Using Towards in a Sentence

When to use towards: Towards has all the same definitions as toward. However, this is the preferred spelling in British English.

For example:

• The robber moved towards her victim.
• The man tanning on the beach turned towards the sunlight.

Although towards has been more common than toward in British English for a long time, etymologists have found that both spellings of this word are very old. However, toward did appear before towards.

Remembering Toward vs. Towards

Although both of these words are correct, it is still a good idea to use the preferred spelling for your country or your audience.

To remember which word is more common for American versus British English, it can help to remember that American English often has simplified versions of the British spelling, meaning the word has fewer letters. This is the case for toward and towards, since the Americans prefer the word with one less letter.

Outside Examples

• With the storm barreling toward the United States, officials in Florida ordered an unprecedented evacuation, racing to overcome clogged highways, gasoline shortages and move elderly residents to safety. –New York Post
• Irma — at one time the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the open Atlantic — left more than 20 people dead across the Caribbean as it steamed toward the U.S. –Denver Post
• It started the very first night, after all the opening ceremonies kept pushing the start of Maria Sharapova vs. Simona Halep towards 8 o’clock. –New York Daily News
• As the bottom half of the draw churned towards the final it was clear there was an opportunity for some player to step up and Anderson took the bait. –USA Today

Quiz: Toward vs. Towards

Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either toward or towards, in the correct form.

• Even though it is an eclipse, do not look directly _____________ the sun, even if you are in Tennessee, or somewhere else in the path of totality.
• Your attitude ____________ your mum is appalling! No British lad should treat his parents so disrespectfully!
• No, I won’t buy you a gift on July 4th for Independence Day! If you want to buy that telescope, put some of your money from your chores ____________ that purchase.
• May I ask you to hand me my mobile phone? It is over there _____________ the telly, underneath the Union Jack.
• That lorry is moving _______________ the pedestrians in front of Big Ben quite quickly. They had better get out of the way!

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use toward or towards? These words are both correct and have the same meaning. However, you should still choose the spelling that is more common in the country you are writing in, or the audience you are writing for.

• Toward usually acts as a preposition which can mean in the direction of, to accomplish a certain goal, close to, facing, or with respect to. This is the preferred American English spelling, and has been since the 1900’s.
• Towards has the exact same meaning but is the preferred British English spelling, and has been for several hundred years.

Use this article to remember which word is better for each variety of English.

Answers from Quiz

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