Having been a lexicographer during my long career, I suggest that we do not initiate a discussion of the difference between American and British spellings. In brief, it is due mostly to Noah Webster, the 19th-century American lexicographer, who was also a spelling reformer and introduced "rationalized" spellings in his dictionaries. For instance, he re-Latinized British "colour" and "honor" to "color" and "honor." American spelling conventions are now used by many international scholarly presses, including Oxford and Cambridge university presses, for both of whom I have edited. And for a further linguistic footnote, I would like to welcome our latest PBS new member, who lives in Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, which I am not making up. (Hint: "w" can be a vowel in Welsh.) Jane McGary 1, you wrote: >david, > >i looked it up in OUR dictionary and it gave GRAY as the spelling of that >word. sometimes children repudiate the idiosyncrasies of the parent and >are better for it.