Toward or Towards?

Wait, What?

 

I'm Canadian so my English foundation is British (UK). When I write blog posts, post on X, and create Facebook posts, I usually default to Canadian spellings.

When I write for Constant-Content (a Canadian company), the rule is to just keep the spelling consistent. 

I have a lot of American friends and have written some things for US audiences, so my spelling has had to change depending on the project. 

American Disagreement 

I also took copyediting courses through an American website. It was annoying when they sent back my marketing page citing errors without considering I was Canadian and had set up my marketing page for a Canadian market--best representing who I am. 

Nevertheless, somewhere along the way, I was made aware that there should be no "s" in the word 'toward' (towards). I adopted this rule as my own but as of late have noticed many writers do put an 's' on toward. 

Demanding to know if rules had changed, I input the question to ChatGPT AI. Here is the response:

Both "toward" and "towards" are correct and widely accepted in contemporary English.

In American English, "toward" is more commonly used, while in British English, both "toward" and "towards" are used, with "towards" being slightly more common.

So, it's accurate to use either "toward" or "towards" based on your regional or stylistic preferences. For example:

• American English: "He walked toward the store."
• British English: "He walked towards the shop."

Both forms are considered standard and acceptable.

Food for thought.