Did You Mean Theater or Theatre?

A lot of times, people from U.S. and U.K. get confused with theaters and theatres.

Which one is correct spelling?

Theater means the following according to thefreedictionary.com:

1. a building designed for the performance of plays, operas, etc.

2. a large room or hall with tiered seats for an audience: a lecture theatre

3. a room in a hospital equipped for surgical operations

4. the theatre drama and acting in general

5. a region in which a war or conflict takes place: a potential theatre of war close to Russian borders

6. US, Austral, & NZ same as cinema (sense 1) [Greek theatron]

1. A building, room, or outdoor structure for the presentation of plays, films, or other dramatic performances.
2. A room with tiers of seats used for lectures or demonstrations: an operating theater at a medical school.
3.
a. Dramatic literature or its performance; drama: the theater of Shakespeare and Marlowe.
b. The milieu of actors and playwrights.
4.
a. The quality or effectiveness of a theatrical production: good theater; awful theater.
b. Dramatic material or the use of such material: “His summation was a great piece of courtroom theater” Ron Rosenbaum.
5. The audience assembled for a dramatic performance.
6. A place that is the setting for dramatic events.
7. A large geographic area in which military operations are coordinated: the European theater during World War II.

The verdict?

Well, theater and theatre are pretty much the same thing.  Most Americans would spell it “theater” while the English would spell it “theatre”.

What is the best way to spell it?

Personally, I think the correct spelling should be internationalized as “theater” as it’s the closest spelling to the actual pronounciation.

I mean, it IS confusing to people learning English, trying to pronounce “theatre” rather than “theater”.

Just don’t spell it “theator” or “thaeter”.

Add comment July 5th, 2008