Spelling (general)
Updates to Article Attributes
Correct spelling and punctuation areis crucial to ensuring that the site is easy to read and trusted. There are a number of troublesome examples that are either frequently written incorrectly, misunderstood or where multiple forms are accepted. In the latter case, we just need to choose one form for the sake of uniformity. The term orthography, is the formal term for the system of spelling for any language, although it also encompasses punctuation.
Specific words
Before we begin, it is worth noting that Radiopaedia no longer favours British over American spelling. Read more: British vs American English.
A list of words that have several different forms, with the favoured form placed first:
- follow-up (not follow up or followup)
-
x-ray (not xray or x ray or X ray or Xray)
- only 'X-ray' when following standard capitalisation rules e.g. at the start of a sentence, when in a reference or forming part of a proper noun
Some specific word choices that merit a discussion of their own:
- a vs an
-
words we never use
- artefact vs artifact
- echoes vs echos
- -cele vs -coele
- fetus vs foetus
- grey vs gray
- sulfur vs sulphur
- heterogeneous vs heterogenous
- mucus vs mucous
Prefixes
All words with prefixes (e.g. hyper, hypo, intra, extra) should be one word, with a hyphen if a duplicate vowel is present:
- hypointense
- extra-axial
- interpeduncular
The main exception to this rule is the prefix 'non'.
- non-specific rather than nonspecific
Generally we do not mandate a hyphen for a double consonant, e.g. we prefer transsphenoidal to trans-sphenoidal.
This does not mean that common English words with duplicate vowels are to be hyphenated of course.
Punctuation
The British use of commas and full-stops (periods) outside quotation marks (if not part of the original quotation) is preferred to the American use of punctuation within quotation marks:
British: The vessel has been termed the "innominate".American: The vessel has been termed the "innominate."
-<p>Correct <strong>spelling and punctuation</strong> are crucial to ensuring that the site is easy to read and trusted. There are a number of troublesome examples that are either frequently written incorrectly, misunderstood or where multiple forms are accepted. In the latter case, we just need to choose one form for the sake of uniformity. The term orthography, is the formal term for the system of spelling for any language, although it also encompasses punctuation.</p><h4>Specific words</h4><p>Before we begin, it is worth noting that Radiopaedia no longer favours British over American spelling. Read more: <a href="/articles/british-vs-american-english-1">British vs American English</a>.</p><p>A list of words that have several different forms, with the favoured form placed first:</p><ul>- +<p>Correct <strong>spelling </strong>is crucial to ensuring that the site is easy to read and trusted. There are a number of troublesome examples that are either frequently written incorrectly, misunderstood or where multiple forms are accepted. In the latter case, we just need to choose one form for the sake of uniformity. The term orthography, is the formal term for the system of spelling for any language, although it also encompasses punctuation.</p><h4>Specific words</h4><p>Before we begin, it is worth noting that Radiopaedia no longer favours British over American spelling. Read more: <a href="/articles/british-vs-american-english-1">British vs American English</a>.</p><p>A list of words that have several different forms, with the favoured form placed first:</p><ul>
-<li><a title="Artefact vs artifact" href="/articles/words-we-never-use">artefact vs artifact</a></li>-<li><a title="Echoes vs echos" href="/articles/words-we-never-use">echoes vs echos</a></li>- +<li><a href="/articles/words-we-never-use">artefact vs artifact</a></li>
- +<li><a href="/articles/words-we-never-use">echoes vs echos</a></li>
-</ul><p>The main exception to this rule is the prefix 'non'. </p><ul><li>non-specific rather than nonspecific</li></ul><p>Generally we do not mandate a hyphen for a double consonant, e.g. we prefer transsphenoidal to trans-sphenoidal.</p><p>This does not mean that common English words with duplicate vowels are to be hyphenated of course.</p><h4>Punctuation</h4><p>The British use of commas and full-stops (periods) outside quotation marks (if not part of the original quotation) is preferred to the American use of punctuation within quotation marks:</p><ul>-<li>British: The vessel has been termed the "innominate".</li>-<li>American: The vessel has been termed the "innominate."</li>-</ul>- +</ul><p>The main exception to this rule is the prefix 'non'. </p><ul><li>non-specific rather than nonspecific</li></ul><p>Generally we do not mandate a hyphen for a double consonant, e.g. we prefer transsphenoidal to trans-sphenoidal.</p><p>This does not mean that common English words with duplicate vowels are to be hyphenated of course.</p>
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