Jewellry Boxes vs. Jewelry Boxes: One Phrase, Two Spellings

You might have seen the phrase Jewellery Boxes used on websites from time to time. For many, this is seen as a blatant spelling error. However, for those in or from the United Kingdon (UK), Jewellery is the proper spelling.

Latin Origins

Somewhere down the line the spelling changed from Jewellery in the UK to Jewelry in the US. The word actually originates from the Latin word iocus. Oddly enough iocus is defined as "joke" in Latin. How Jewellery evolved from iocus is unclear but because of its origins and lack of "L"s in the word, there was no established usage of the letter in the word.

Possible Reasons

One suggested reason for the spelling change originates from the creator of Webster's Dictionary - Mr. Noah Webster. During the 19th century, Noah Webster led a movement in America demanding the simplification of word spellings. It's a good assumption that the words Jewellery, Jewellery boxes, jeweller, etc. fell victim to the movement and one of the "L"'s was dropped from the words.

The Reality of Jewellery Boxes vs. Jewelry Boxes

When it comes down to it, no one knows the precise reason how and why Jewellery, Jewellery Box, and Jeweller evolved into Jewelry, Jewelry Box, and Jeweler in the United State. It's one of those words that "just changed" over time. Jewellery is still considered the proper spelling in the UK and Jewelry is the official spelling in the US. As with many words, this one just changed. Whether it was Mr. Webster's doing or some official movement to separate American culture from British culture, the end result is two different words that mean the same thing.

If you're shopping for Jewelry Boxes and come across a site that spells it Jewellery Boxes, don't worry. The website is either based in the UK or run by a British individual.

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