Many of the differences between American and British English date back to a time when spelling was not widely standardized. For instance, some spellings seen as "American" today were once commonly used in Britain; and vice versa. A "British standard" began to emerge following the 1755 publication of influential dictionaries such as Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language, and an "American standard" started following the work of Noah Webster, and in particular his An American Dictionary of the English Language.

Many of the differences between American and British English date back to a time when spelling was not widely standardized. For instance, some spellings seen as "American" today were once commonly used in Britain; and vice versa. A "British standard" began to emerge following the 1755 publication of influential dictionaries such as Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language, and an "American standard" started following the work of Noah Webster, and in particular his An American Dictionary of the English Language.