Is the Correct Spelling Labeled or Labelled?

Labeled or labelled: Which spelling is correct?

Both labeled and labelled are correct spellings, but their usage depends on the region. American English uses the single "L" spelling labeled, while British English uses the double "L" spelling labelled.

Definition of label

The Oxford English Dictionary defines label as "to fix a label on something or write information on something." It can also mean "to describe somebody/something in a particular way, especially unfairly."

• The American English spelling is labeled (single L).

• The British English spelling is labelled (double L).

Verb forms of 'label'

Similar spelling patterns

Many words follow the same US/UK spelling pattern as "labeled" vs "labelled":

Sentence examples: labeled vs labelled

Sentences with labeled (and labelled) in the media

Scribbled in a strange, unfamiliar language and a strange, unfamiliar script, the text's linguistic system is sometimes labeled as Voynichese.

West African food has been labeled the next trend by media for years, and fast-casual innovations like ChopnBlok in Houston or Spice Kitchen in Brentwood, Md., have only accelerated that notion.

Wines will be labeled with only the name of the cru, not the surrounding village.

I manoeuvred my way among the tables to the back corner of the place, where I found a door labelled `Men".

—Tapply, William G. A Rodent of Doubt (2002)

They brought flowers and a bottle of Bollinger in ice, the bucket being a bag labelled ` Laundry '.

—Anita Anderson, Somedody (2002)

Hollywood is like a really sad, grown up version of high school where people get labelled as 'cool,' 'not cool,' 'jock,' 'bombshell,' 'quirky'… it's like a caste system. You're either in, or you're out.

—Zoe Kravitz

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Synonyms & nearby words

Origin of the word label

c. 1300, "narrow band or strip of cloth" (oldest use is as a technical term in heraldry), from Old French label, lambel, labeau "ribbon, fringe worn on clothes".

—Etymonline, label.

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