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Arwen's daughter
Half-elven
Oct 4 2012, 3:13pm
Post #1 of 26
(1530 views)
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How do you spell gray/grey?
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While double-checking my list of hood colors for gramma's geeky observation thread, I found that I often switch between spelling in the same line. What's your usual spelling of the word?
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 4 2012, 3:15pm
Post #2 of 26
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Isn't gray used by pesky Americans ;-p
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It's grey in the UK.
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Arwen's daughter
Half-elven
Oct 4 2012, 3:36pm
Post #3 of 26
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I believe that's how it's supposed to work
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My spelling was pretty much broken by British SF/F writers in my youth. Took a long time to break myself of colour 
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Oct 4 2012, 3:48pm
Post #4 of 26
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I grew up reading C.S. Lewis and Tolkien and just generally have gotten some of the spelling confused. I personally think that "grey" looks better.
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 4 2012, 4:19pm
Post #5 of 26
(923 views)
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I tell a lie ... I've used gray quite a lot in the past
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I've dabbled in soil science, and gray is always used in that science.
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Oct 4 2012, 5:54pm
Post #6 of 26
(911 views)
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I tend to use "gray" when I'm writing things that I know other people will read, and "grey" when I'm writing for myself :-)
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Magpie
Immortal
Oct 4 2012, 8:35pm
Post #8 of 26
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but will, in my professional world of graphic design, use gray. Sometimes that's the proper spelling of something (like Pantone colors). Other times, I feel like I'm being deliberately geeky to use grey (in the gd world -- because I used it purely as a fan of Tolkien) and I don't like feeling like I'm making some sort of geek point.
I can remember a long conversation back in the day at the Barnes and Noble University LOTR class about this.
At the time, I copied off some information from the OED that appears to the same as in this post:
http://www.unilang.org/...k=t&sd=a#p715105
(This post was edited by Magpie on Oct 4 2012, 8:36pm)
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Oct 4 2012, 9:31pm
Post #9 of 26
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Just because I never think about it. I just write whatever I write. Truthfully, though, I don't really write "gray" or "grey" very often. No need to. 
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silneldor
Half-elven
Oct 5 2012, 1:48am
Post #10 of 26
(833 views)
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Hmm, i just realized something.
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I use grey to signify colors in nature and gray those things man-made.
Come to thing of it, all those fancy cars that are deemed 'silver'...to me they all are, just gray.
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 5 2012, 6:50am
Post #11 of 26
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The surname "Gray" is also quite populer.
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I don't see many with the surname "Grey".
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macfalk
Valinor
Oct 5 2012, 10:03am
Post #12 of 26
(849 views)
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English isn't my first language, but they taught me since young age here that it's "grey" //
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Oct 5 2012, 12:03pm
Post #13 of 26
(861 views)
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I'm American and acknowledge both spellings
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From Tolkien we have Gandalf the Grey.
Fritz Leiber gave us the adventurers Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.
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imin
Valinor
Oct 5 2012, 12:56pm
Post #14 of 26
(937 views)
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Grey in the UK
Gray in the US.
I automatically always use grey as it is what i was taught as a child and i think it looks better. Nothing wrong with gray other than it just doesn't feel right. 
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acheron
Gondor
Oct 6 2012, 3:56am
Post #16 of 26
(820 views)
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I think we discussed this recently
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I am American and spell it "grey", and I'm pretty sure it's because of Gandalf.
Well, him and Susan Cooper's "The Grey King".
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Escapist
Gondor
Oct 6 2012, 4:01am
Post #17 of 26
(850 views)
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Grey brings to my mind a lighter color like fog.
Gray brings to my mind an earthier color that might be the color of stones in the ground or on the beach.
At least for right now - but I also recognize both.
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wendy woo
Rivendell
Oct 6 2012, 4:43am
Post #18 of 26
(851 views)
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I think I may bounce between the two. How about "theater"/"theatre" also?
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I've used both spellings of that word as well.
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Patty
Immortal
Oct 6 2012, 1:34pm
Post #20 of 26
(819 views)
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But for some reason I think I prefer it with an "a".
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Radagast-Aiwendil
Gondor
Oct 7 2012, 9:24pm
Post #22 of 26
(740 views)
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Tolkien says "Gandalf the Grey" so that's the answer I'm going with
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Although they use gray in the US and some other countries (forgive me for not seeing why some spellings need to be changed for use in the US), grey is the original (and therefore to my mind superior) spelling.
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Ring-Bearer
Rivendell
Oct 8 2012, 3:02am
Post #23 of 26
(920 views)
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Though American, I prefer 'Grey'. It just feels better to write, and after all, that's how Tolkien wrote it.
(This post was edited by Ring-Bearer on Oct 8 2012, 3:03am)
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Finding Frodo
Tol Eressea
Oct 9 2012, 3:23am
Post #24 of 26
(801 views)
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I was just thinking about this
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My daughter had "gray" on her spelling list to study, and it gave me pause when quizzing her. I mentioned to her that it can also be spelled "grey", but just to spell it the way her teacher told her! I certainly have spelled it both ways, though.
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Annael
Immortal
Oct 9 2012, 3:54pm
Post #25 of 26
(764 views)
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All that reading of British authors has twisted my mind to "grey." Especially Georgette Heyer. All her characters have grey eyes. Which I've only seen on one person in my life, but perhaps she means the steel-blue eyes that my niece and nephew have?
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Oct 9 2012, 5:01pm
Post #26 of 26
(888 views)
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I'd love to see someone with grey eyes.
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I think they sound very beautiful.
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