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Is it en suite or ensuite? - Australian spelling
I checked these two words quite some time ago but I have to admit, I’d forgotten which one is the preferred spelling.
My free online tool Word Check
(which provides the preferred Australian English spelling), does give “ensuite” as the preferred spelling,
but when I type ensuite in a Microsoft application it comes up as a spelling error.
I decided to recheck the word.
The Australian Oxford lists en suite and has ensuite
as a secondary spelling.
The Macquarie dictionary provides both words, but the spelling we're interested in is ensuite.
That is the spelling for the small utility room which adjoins a bedroom.
The word en suite in the Macquarie dictionary is listed as a French word and thus is not the spelling we'd use in Australia.
It is not unusual for the Oxford and the Macquarie to differ in the preferred spelling.
When this happens I then see what the general usage is in Australia using the search engines and
only including pages from Australia.
Often one spelling will have much greater use than another.
In general the search engines return ensuite at roughly a ratio of four to one.
For this reason I accept the Macquarie’s entry over the Oxford this time.
Kelvin Eldridge
Creator of the preferred Australian English spelling dictionary.
www.Australian-Dictionary.com.au
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