[PW] Re: British spelling checker

[Simon Cauchi]

On 14/07/2006, at 6:43 PM, Michele Jack wrote:

> I haven't looked to see if it will deal with "gaol", which is the UK 
> version
> of "jail".

Not exactly. Both "jail" and "gaol" are current in British English. 
Indeed, "jail" is the commoner spelling. Or more common spelling. Take 
your pick. (Between "jail" and "gaol", and for that matter between 
"commoner" and "more common".)

 From the New Oxford Dictionary of English: "The word came into English 
in two forms, _jaiole_ from Old French and _gayole_ from Anglo-Normal 
French _gaole_ (surviving in the spelling _gaol_), originally 
pronounced with a hard _g_, as in _goal_."