Editing Encyclopedia:Manual of Style (section)

==National varieties of English==
{{Shortcut|MOS:ENGVAR}}
{{see also|Wikipedia:Article titles#National varieties of English|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Spelling}}

National varieties of English (for example, [[American English]] or [[British English]]) differ in vocabulary (''elevator'' vs. ''lift''{{hairspace}}), spelling (''center'' vs. ''centre''), and occasionally grammar {{crossref|pw=y|(see {{section link||Plurals}}, below)}}. Articles such as [[English plurals]] and [[Comparison of American and British English]] provide information about such differences. The English Wikipedia prefers no national variety over others.

An article's date formatting ({{xt|{{#time: F j, Y}}}} vs. {{xt|{{#time: j F Y}}}}) is also related to national varieties of English{{snd}}see [[MOS:DATEFORMAT]] and especially [[MOS:DATETIES]] and [[MOS:DATEVAR]].

===Consistency within articles<span class="anchor" id="Internal consistency"></span>===
{{Shortcut|MOS:ARTCON|MOS:CONSISTENT}}

The conventions of a particular variety of English should be followed consistently within a given article. Exceptions include:
*'''Quotations''' and '''titles of works''' (such as books, films, and music) should be given as they appear in sources. However, there are certain situations where this principle is not followed in order to maintain a level of typographic conformity across the encyclopedia: see {{section link||Typographic conformity}}.
*'''Proper names''' use the subject's own spelling, e.g., {{xt|joint project of the United States Department of Defense and the Australian Defence Force}}; {{xt|International Labour Organization}}<!--This example is here because it uses -our and -ization at the same time; it is Oxford spelling.-->.
*For articles about chemistry-related topics, the international standard spellings {{xt|aluminium}}, {{xt|sulfur}}, {{xt|caesium}} (and derivative terms) should be used regardless of the variety of English otherwise employed in the article. See {{section link|Wikipedia:Naming conventions (chemistry)|Element names}}.

===Opportunities for commonality===
{{shortcut|MOS:COMMONALITY}}

For an international encyclopedia, using vocabulary common to all varieties of English is preferable.
*Use universally accepted terms rather than those less widely distributed, especially in titles. For example, [[Glasses|{{xt|glasses}}]] is preferred to the national varieties {{!xt|spectacles}} ([[British English]]) and {{!xt|eyeglasses}} ([[American English]]); [[Ten million|{{xt|ten million}}]] is preferable to [[crore|{{!xt|one crore}}]] ([[Indian English]]).
*If a variant spelling appears in a title, make a [[Wikipedia:Redirect|redirect]] page to accommodate the others, as with [[artefact]] and [[artifact]], so that all variants can be used in searches and linking.
*Terms that differ between varieties of English, or that have divergent meanings, may be [[Gloss (annotation)#In linguistics|glossed]] to prevent confusion, for example, {{xt|the trunk (American English) or boot (British English) of a car&nbsp;...}}.
*Use a commonly understood word or phrase in preference to one that has a different meaning because of national differences (rather than {{!xt|alternate}}, use {{xt|alternative}} or {{xt|alternating}}, as appropriate), except in technical contexts where such substitution would be inappropriate ({{xt|alternate leaves}}; {{xt|alternate law}}).
*When more than one variant spelling exists within a national variety of English, the most commonly used current variant should usually be preferred, except where the less common spelling has a specific usage in a specialized context, e.g., ''connexion'' in [[Connexionalism|Methodist connexionalism]].

{{crossref|pw=y|For assistance with specific terms, see {{section link|Comparison of American and British English|Vocabulary}}, and [[American and British English spelling differences]]; most dictionaries also indicate regional terms.}}

===Strong national ties to a topic===
{{Shortcut|MOS:TIES}}
{{See also|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Strong national ties to a topic|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Unit choice and order}}

An article on a topic that has strong ties to a particular English-speaking nation should use the (formal, not colloquial) English of that nation. For example:
<!--
Please DO NOT add more examples here. This is not a list of English dialects.
ENGVAR is concerned with English varieties that exist in a codified, formal written register with their own style guides.
-->
{{Columns-list|colwidth=22em|
*[[Afrikaners]] ([[South African English]])
*[[American Civil War]] ([[American English]])
*[[Australian Defence Force]] ([[Australian English]])
*[[Christchurch]] ([[New Zealand English]])
*[[Dublin]] ([[Hiberno-English]])
*[[Fish River Canyon]] ([[Namlish|Namibian English]])
*[[Great Fire of London]] ([[British English]])
*[[Lagos]] ([[Nigerian English]])
*[[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] ([[Pakistani English]])
*[[Mumbai]] ([[Indian English]])
*[[Vancouver]] ([[Canadian English]])
*[[Wanchai Tower]] ([[Hong Kong English]])
}}

For topics with strong ties to [[Commonwealth of Nations]] countries and other [[British Empire|former British territories]], use [[Commonwealth English]] orthography, largely indistinguishable from British English in encyclopedic writing (excepting Canada, which uses [[Canadian English#Spelling|a different orthography]]).

===Retaining the existing variety===
{{Shortcut|MOS:RETAIN}}
{{See also|#Retaining existing styles|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Retaining the existing format|Wikipedia:Article titles#National varieties of English}}
{{redirect|WP:RETAIN|the general editing policy|WP:PRESERVE}}

When an English variety's [[#Consistency within articles|consistent usage]] has been established in an article, maintain it in the absence of consensus to the contrary. There is only very exceptionally (such as when a topic has [[#Strong national ties to a topic|strong national ties]], or the change reduces ambiguity) a valid reason for changing from one acceptable option to another.

{{anchor|FPSR|FMC}}When no English variety has been established and discussion does not resolve the issue, use the variety found in the first post-[[Wikipedia:Stub|stub]] revision that introduced an identifiable variety. The established variety in a given article can be documented by placing the appropriate [[:Category:Varieties of English templates|variety of English template]] on its talk page.

An article should not be edited or renamed simply to switch from one variety of English to another. {{tlxs|uw-engvar}} may be placed on an editor's talk page to explain this.