Favor or Favour – How to Use Each Correctly
What’s the Difference Between Favor and Favour?
Contents
Favor and favour are alternate spellings of the same word. Each version is correct, but each is preferred in different areas.
Favor can act as either a noun or a verb. As a noun, it means something helpful done out of kindness. As a verb, it has several meanings, the most common of which is to prefer. This is the spelling used in American English.
- Would you do me a big favor? I’m moving soon and it would really help me if I could borrow your truck to transport all my stuff.
Favour has the exact same meaning and usage as favor, except the spelling with u is preferred in British English.
- Many people in London favour Coca Cola over Pepsi.
Despite the fact that both spellings are correct, it is important to use the spelling more common in your variety of English.
Using Favor in a Sentence
When to use favor: Favor has multiple meanings. As a noun, it usually means a kind act. However, it can also mean goodwill or a gift to show love, loyalty, or respect. As a verb, it usually means to prefer. However, it can also mean to show preferential treatment, to use a body part gently because of injury, or to share a resemblance with one family member over another. Most importantly, this spelling, without the u, is the best spelling to use in America.
For example,
- The girl did her father a favor by mowing the lawn for him.
- The lady bestowed a favor upon the knight, so that he would win in her honor.
- The gods looked upon the hero with favor.
- The lame boy favored his left foot.
- Billy favored his father’s of the family. In fact, he looked exactly like his grandfather used to look at his age.
There are several idioms that use favor:
- find favor with: to be liked by someone
- The political candidate found favor with rural voters.
- in one’s favor: to one’s advantage
- The captain was in luck because the winds were in his favor; they would fill his sails all the way to his destination.
- out of favor: not liked by someone anymore
- The political advisor was once the closest person to the king. However, if the rumors are true he is currently out of favor with the king and may soon be banished.
- in favor of: in support of
- Most citizens are in favor of an amendment to the constitution.
- return the favor: to pay someone back for a kindness
- The lion agreed to not eat the mouse. Therefore, the mouse later returned the favor by chewing through the ropes that trapped the lion.
- to curry favor: to try to gain the approval or goodwill of someone
- The actor badly wanted the role in the movie, so he tried to curry favor with the director.
The American spelling of this word is the same as the original Latin spelling.
Using Favour in a Sentence
When to use favour: This spelling has the exact same definition and usage of favor. However, this is the form preferred in British English.
For example,
- The young Irish lad was favouring his right hand, since he had accidentally slammed it in the car door earlier in the morning.
- Most Scottish people were not in favour of leaving the European Union.
Favour ends in our like many other British words which have American equivalents without the u. Other examples include colour/color, rumour/rumor, and labour/labor.
Remembering Favor vs. Favour
One easy way to remember which spelling is preferred in American versus British English is to think of the history of American English.
When America was seeking independence from Britain, and in the years following that independence, America wanted to distinguish itself from Britain. One way to show the difference between the two cultures was to change the spelling of some words. Americans decided to try to remove some letters that seemed phonetically unnecessary.
On the other hand, British spelling typically preserves silent letters that are a remnant of words from French or other languages.
Therefore, generally speaking, the shorter spelling will usually be American, and the longer one British.
Outside Examples
- A decisive majority of Australians have voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, paving the way for the country to become the world’s 26th nation to recognize gay and lesbian unions. –New York Daily News
- A titled Englishman may not be the ideal ancestor for de Blasio, a liberal Democrat whose priorities include addressing economic disadvantages in a city he says is often rigged in favor of the rich and powerful. –The Washington Post
- Jones’s final album, released roughly a year after her death, is a throwback in all the right ways: a vintage soul record that thumbs its nose at the 21st century in favour of era-specific methods and concerns. –The Guardian
- The other side of my work has included recording “Peter and the Wolf,” performing it twice with wonderful orchestras, also recording the Gettysburg Address to music, and performing André Previn when he conducted the London Philharmonic in Tom Stoppard’s “Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.” –Houston Chronicle
Quiz: Favor vs. Favour
Instructions: Fill in the blanks with the correct word, either favor or favour.
- I will always be grateful to my big sister for the huge ____________ she did me. (American spelling)
- She gave the lord her handkerchief as a _____________. (British spelling)
- That fashion trend has fallen out of ____________ with younger people. (American people)
See answers below.
Article Summary
Should I use favor or favour? These words are both correct and have the same meaning and usage. However, you should choose the spelling based on whether you use American or British English.
- Favor is the preferred spelling for American English. It usually means something nice that one does to help.
- Favour is the British spelling.
If you are writing for an American audience, drop the u. If you are writing for a British audience, keep the u.
Answers
- favor
- favour
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