Word Confusion: Glamor versus Glamour

Posted September 7, 2023 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

This word confusion glamor vs glamour has a twist to it. Usually the American version of a word including ou drops the u, so one would expect that Americans would use glamor while the British dive into glamour.

Not this time. Glamour is the preferred spelling by both Americans and the British. Glamor is a nonstandard spelling.

I found it interesting that glamour evolved from grammar as a way to distinguish magic from learning.

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Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Glamor	Glamour
Part of Grammar:
Adjective; Noun; Verb, transitive Plural for the noun: glamors, glamours Gerund: glamouring Third person present verb: glamours Past tense or past participle: glamoured Present participle: glamouring
A nonstandard US spelling, use glamour.	Adjective: Suggestive or full of glamour Glamorous Noun: [Uncountable noun] An attractive or exciting quality that makes certain people or things seem appealing Beauty or charm that is sexually attractive [British; as modifier] Denoting or relating to sexually suggestive or mildly pornographic photography or publications [Archaic] Enchantment Magic [Countable noun] An item, motif, person, image that by association improves appearance Witchcraft Magic charm A spell affecting the eye, making objects appear different from what they really are A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are Any artificial interest in, or association with, an object, or person, through which it or they appear delusively magnified or glorified Verb, transitive: Cast a spell over someone or something Put a hex on someone or something
Examples:
	Adjective: It was posed as a glamour job in television. She insists on buying those glamour stocks. Noun: She fell for the glamour of Monte Carlo. She longed for the glamour days of Old Hollywood. Pile your hair up for evening glamour. George had none of his brother’s glamour. People say she was a glamour model back in the day. Vampires are said to glamour their victims. No, lord, that maiden was made by glamour out of flowers. Verb, transitive: He glamoured me! She’s glamouring that cute guy. “And so he knows you can’t be glamoured. Worse and worse” (Black, p 30).
Derivatives:
Adjective: glam, glamorous, glamourless Adverb: glamorously Noun: glam Verb: glam, glamorise, glamorize, glamorizing, glamorisation, glamorization, glamorousness,
History of the Word:
??	In the Middle Ages, the Latin grammatica meant scholarship, learning, including the occult practices popularly associated with learning. By 1710–20, the original Scots meaning of grammatica had evolved to grammar and became glamer, glammar to separate education and magic.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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