While writing about a factory that produces pipes, I needed to refer to how the metal was melted and put into molds/moulds. Which one is it, and is there a correct spelling or are both acceptable?
asked May 28, 2011 at 10:43
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There is also a town called Mold (like the American spelling) in Wales, UK. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold,_Flintshire itraveluk.co.uk/content/752.html– TristanCommented Jul 4, 2012 at 10:11
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6 Answers
"mold" is the US spelling, "mould" is the British English spelling. No other difference.
Same applies for other meanings of mould/mold, i.e the fungus that grows on rotting substances, for example.
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I'm from upstate New York and was schooled that 'mold' is the stuff that causes spoilage. 'Mould' is to form or shape. Moulding is the process of forming something or the formed piece itself, as in architectural moulding. A few years ago, our area finally got a Lowes store. I actually laughed out loud when I saw they had a sign claiming they had a 'molding' department! Yikes! Also a bit perplexed by all of the Spanish signage, especially since even our highway signs are written in English and French as we're only a few yards from Quebec.
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1In the UK, mould is the spelling for both meanings dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mould_1?q=mould and dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mould_2 Commented May 12, 2014 at 18:45
Mould is to mold as colour is to color.
The Online Etymology Dictionary has "mould: see mold(2)", where 2 is the sense for fungus, however, mould is the accepted spelling in British English for all senses. Likewise mold in American English.
The three senses have interesting derivations, and I was not aware of the third one before now: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=mold
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@GEdgar ah! John Brown's body lies a-crumbling in the grave. I previously thought "a-mold'ring" meant there was fungus growing on it. Commented Aug 17, 2011 at 15:10
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Sense 3 is presumably the one used in leaf mould which is more common than *mould*(3) on its own. It's also called "leaf mulch" even though it can be used as potting compost as well as mulch, presumably to avoid the connotations of *mould*(2). Apparently leaf mould is actually made by fungi (unlike normal compost which is mainly bacteria), giving a nice is coincidental link between 2 of the meanings– Chris HCommented Nov 28, 2013 at 14:49
Personally I have always used, perhaps was taught, that mold is the organic nasty stuff that makes you throw out food or apply bleach to kill it in the shower. (1) Moulding is what trims the walls of your house or is (2) a process using a 'mould' to form Jello, plastic, bricks or anything into a permanent or semi-permanent shape. Moulding can also be used to describe the act of creating character. Much like gild vs guild, I imagine; which someday may be used interchangeably also, since guild is rarely used anymore. Conversely the English 'smoulder' and American 'smolder' are like 'colour' and 'color', just an easy way to identify the educational system of the writer.
Being an 'old' English Major I dislike the modern impreciseness of the language that (especially American) English has acquired over the years, in particular the acceptance of i.e. 'forwards' instead of 'forward' or 'afterwards' instead of 'afterward'. Either are deemed acceptable in modern usage but I find the usage of the plural 's' on either word superfluous.
There seems some need to distinguish a fungus from a thing you pour jello into. I like "mold" for the former and "mould" for the latter and some use the words that way. Dictionaries just codify what's being done. So, why not choose the usage that makes sense and know the dictionary will eventually catch up?
James (Jim) Minard PhD
