“Meter” or “metre”?
Meter and metre are both correct spellings of the noun that refers to a measurement of length, (also equal to one-hundred centimetres).
The athlete ran 100 meters in record time.
The farmer measured the field in several metres.
The building occupied a thousand meter of land.
We need five metre of fabric for the curtains.
- UK English and most English speaking countries spells “metre” (with the “re” at the end).
- US English and the Philippines spell “meter” (with “er” at the end).
Other “-er”/”-re” words
Other words that share the “-er” / “-re” suffixes, and follow the same spelling conventions according to US/UK spelling as meter/metre:
| UK English | US English |
| centre | center |
| theatre | theater |
| fibre | fiber |
| metre | meter |
Sentences with meter/metre as a noun
|
Every few metres/meters the cat stopped and turned to look at me. Over 3 700 square metres/meters of office space is available. The huge sculpture is made of 500 cubic metres/meters of ice. A man came to read the gas metre/meter. |
“metre” vs. “meter,” associate “re” in “metre” with the UK (remembering the extra letter), and “er” in “meter” with the US (shorter spelling).
Origin of the word meter/metre
Etymonline on metre:
Also metre, “poetic measure, metrical scheme, arrangement of language in a series of rhythmic movements,” Old English meter.
Learn more about US English vs. UK English
| Commonly misused words | UK English vs. US English |
|---|---|
| former vs. latter | burned or burnt? |
| bear with vs. bare with | color or colour? |
| breathe or breath | favorite vs. favourite |
| compliment vs. complement | smelled or smelt? |
| effect vs. affect | gray or grey? |
| elude or allude | favor vs. favour |
| it’s or its | analyze or analyse? |
Worksheet
Which spelling of the unit of length is typically used in US English?
Which spelling of the unit of length is typically used in UK English?
According to the post, which country outside the US also typically uses the “meter” spelling?
The post highlights that a common mistake is using the singular form (meter/metre) when:
The study tip suggests associating the ‘-re’ ending in ‘metre’ with:
The athlete ran 100 in record time (US spelling).
We need five of fabric for the curtains (UK spelling).
The building occupied a thousand of land (US spelling, plural needed).
The field was measured in several (UK spelling, plural needed).
A man came to read the gas (US spelling, singular noun for device).
FAQs
What’s the difference in spelling?
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Which spelling is correct, meter or metre?
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Is “meter” always a singular noun?
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Are other words like meter/metre?
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How to remember meter vs metre spelling?
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Yash, D. "Is it Spelled Metre or Meter?." Grammarflex, Jul 20, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/is-it-spelled-metre-or-meter/.
- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of metre.” Online Etymology Dictionary, Accessed 6 Feb, 2024.
