"Recognised"?

[crono_logical]

Whenever I used to write aluminium, it'd turn into an a followed by a very long zigzag because of all the alternating up/down strokes for the rest of the word

[eestlinc]

sulphur is spelled with two u's regardless, but aluminium is just plain wrong. I can never move to England.

[Mikztsu]

Damn third world countries!

[crono_logical]

I believe in international papers though, the compromise is aluminium and sulfur, though I'll have to check on that one Aluminium sounds nicer as 5 syllables anyway, 4 sounds awkward

[Loony BoB]

I don't know why they changed it, actually. It's not like they say sodum or podum etc.

[Citizen Bleys]

I spell colour and harbour and honour correctly most of the time. I pronounce "Lieutenant" LEF-tenant, not LOO-tenant. I even use the Metric system. In this case, however, I have to agree with the Yanks. "Recognised" looks really frelling dumb.

[Peegee]

So is "Citizen Bleys" just a Canadian way to spell Citizen BleyZ?

[Kirobaito]

I don't know why they changed it, actually. It's not like they say sodum or podum etc.

I have never used the word sodium or podium, so I wouldn't know. I say 'salt' and 'stand'.

[Doomgaze]

...LEF-tenant? Are you on crack?

Lieu. It's a french word. Lieu Tenant. Place Holder. There's no goddamn F there.

[Spuuky]

Pronounced with an F, it is specifically a particular rank in the British or Canadian navy. Used in ANY other context, it is not "British" to pronounce it with an F, it is strictly wrong.

[Heath]

sulphur is spelled with two u's regardless, but aluminium is just plain wrong. I can never move to England.

I'm an idiot sometimes *edits*

[Big D]

Lef-tenant is a British rank, lieu-tenant is an American rank. Each is correct when used in their own context, but not otherwise. It'd be wrong to call a US General a "Field Marshall", so it'd be wrong to call a British Lieutenant a "loo-tenant".

As for "recognise" and "recognize", both are correct, they're interchangeable - there isn't even a "national difference" between the two; one isn't exclusively American or British.

"Aluminium" is far more consistent than "aluminum", since few or no other elements have "-um" endings, although many end with "-ium".

"Sulfur" is more practical and straightforward than "sulphur", but only because chemistry is becoming an 'international language' and 'ph=f' would be rather confusing for those who aren't native speakers of English.