Is the word math or maths

By any name, writers as a group have encountered no enemy quite so intractable as the enemy of mathematics. Writers don’t understand numbers. We don’t trust them. Nonetheless, mathematics is part of life, and we must learn to accept the things we can’t change.

As if the numbers themselves weren’t confusing enough, there are two ways to shorten mathematics—as math and as maths. Luckily, we writers like words, and we can handle simple dilemmas such as this one.

Both of these terms are correct. If you don’t know when to choose math or maths, you aren’t alone. Continue reading to discover the proper usage cases for each of these words.

What is the Difference Between Math and Maths?

In this article, I will compare math vs. maths. I will use each of these spellings in at least one example sentence, so you can see them in context.

Plus, I will show you a useful mnemonic that will help you next time you need to choose either maths or math.

When to Use Math

What does math mean? Math is a shortened form of the word mathematics, which is the study of number, quantity, and space. Math is a crucial element of such pursuits as physics, engineering, accounting, statistical analysis, and basic personal finance. It is also a field of study in itself.

Here are a few examples of math used in sentences.

• I have math homework to do, but I would rather do something else.
• Early intervention for math should target either procedural fluency or conceptual understanding.
• “We throw away a banana for every buck we take, so no one finds out,” Maebe said, to which T-Bone replied, “I think you should do that math again.”
• But reading and math scores were essentially flat on the most recent Nation’s Report Card, a measure of student achievement. –The Wall Street Journal

Math is the predominant form of this word in American English.

As you can see in the above chart, math is the clear winner in American English.

When to Use Maths

What does maths mean? Maths is another form of the same word. Where math is prevalent in American English, maths is much more common in British English.

It is common to see maths is British publications.

Osborne said schools in the north should aim to raise attainment at 16 in English and maths to be at least the national average, and that he wanted the north to be regarded as a leading European region in digital skills at 16. –The Guardian

Interestingly, the British have preferred math for most of the 19th and 20th centuries, culminating in a prominent spike in usage around 1970, before maths overtook it.

Trick to Remember the Difference

Math and maths are the standard forms of this word in American and British English, respectively.

Luckily, there is a very easy way to remember maths vs. math. Maths ends in the letter S, just like the river Thames in England. If you can link this bit of British geography to the British word maths, you should have no trouble remembering the usage cases for these variants.

Summary

Is it math or maths? Both maths and math are shortened forms of the word mathematics, which is the study of number, quantity, and space.

• Math is the American variant.
• Maths is the British variant.

Since maths and Thames both end with an -s, you should have little trouble remembering when to use maths.

Math is difficult, but even if you don’t understand mathematics, you can be sure you’re using the correct word when you write about it.

Is “math” or “maths” the correct word to use as the shortened or colloquial form of the word mathematics? The answer is that it depends on where you are.

To North American speakers of English, the word to use is “math”, as in “I majored in math”, and “maths” would sound wrong. Speakers of British English, however, would always say “maths”, as in “I took a degree in maths”. They would never say “math”.

There are logical arguments for both spellings. The word “mathematics” can be considered as a singular and as a plural noun. Both the Oxford and the Merriam-Webster dictionaries say the word is plural – hence the s on the end – but also that it is usually used as if it was a singular noun. So, most people would say “mathematics is my best subject” and not “mathematics are my best subject”. The shortened form “maths”, then, makes sense because the word is still a plural noun and so should still have the “s” on the end. On the other hand, it could be argued, “math” makes sense because it seems wrong to remove the letters “ematic” from the middle of the word and leave the final “s”.

There are a number of other plural nouns that are used as if they were singular – for example economics, ethics, politics, gymnastics, measles and dominoes. These words, however, are not habitually shortened, making math/maths rather an unusual word.

It’s sometimes surprising how much argument and disagreement small differences such as that single letter can make. Readers in the UK, for example, sometimes get very upset if someone writes “math” rather than “maths”. No doubt the reverse is true in the US. In practice, it’s simply worth being aware of the geographical differences so that you can use the correct form of the word in your writing.

Other US/UK Differences

Of course, there are a lot of spelling differences between American English and British English – Colin took a look at the reasons behind this in An Englishman in New York – The Problem Of UK-US English in Freelance Writing.

But are there any other words like math/maths, where one version of English has an “s” at the end of the word, and the other doesn’t?

There is: a very popular building-bricks toy that, if you have children, you’re probably all too used to stepping on. It’s manufactured by a company called LEGO. How do you refer to a handful of those bricks?

In the US, you’d say “Please pick up your Legos.”

In the UK, you’d say, “Please pick up your Lego.” Note the lack of an “s”.

This is the reverse of the math/maths situation, where US English has the “s” tagged onto the end of the word and UK English lacks it.

So who’s right?

Neither!

The correct plural, according to LEGO, is “LEGO bricks” or “LEGO sets”. (Note the capitalization, too.) So instead of saying “Pick up your Legos” you should say, “Pick up your LEGO bricks.”

Here are a couple of examples of “Lego” and “Legos” in use in different publications:

A robot that can build small models from Lego may be a breakthrough for automated manufacturing – if it can stop dropping bricks.

(BBC News – British publication)

The building blocks known as Legos have long been beloved toys. But did you know the name actually has a strategic meaning behind it?

(Huffington Post – American publication)

Further Reading About American English and British English

If you’re interested in finding out more about the differences between American English and British English, check out these resources on Daily Writing Tips:

7 British English Writing Resources, Mark Nichols – this post rounds up a bunch of style guides and copy editing handbooks that writers working for British publications should find helpful

One “L” or Two?, Maeve Maddox – there are a lot of words that can take an “ll” or an “l” depending on whether you’re writing for a UK or a US audience. Maeve lists some common ones and explains the general rule to follow.

Worshiping and Kidnapping, Maeve Maddox – should you add an extra “p” when adding an “ing” to words like “worship” and “kidnap”? It depends! Maeve outlines the issue here.

Program vs. Programme, Ali Hale – both British and American English use “program” when talking about computers, but British English uses “programme” for many other areas (e.g. a “programme of study”). This post explains the difference, and how to use “program” as a verb.

Punctuation Errors: American and British Quotation Marks, Daniel Scocco – while both American and British English use punctuation marks in a broadly similar way, there’s a key difference when it comes to punctuation and quotation marks. Daniel explains it here.

Published February 2, 2021

If you’ve grown up using the word math, you might be wondering about the word maths, which you’ve probably encountered from time to time. Did you chalk it up to a typographical error or guess that the person using it was just putting on airs? The same goes, of course, if you grew up saying maths. Did math sound awfully odd?

At this point, you may be wondering: is there room for both of these words in our vocabularies? Should you be using maths instead of math in some cases?

The explanation may surprise you—and no, it doesn’t involve any actual math!

What does math mean?

Both math and maths are short for the word mathematics. The word math can refer to either the discipline or subject of mathematics. It can also refer to mathematical procedures. In a sentence like She enjoys studying math and science, the word math refers to the subject or discipline of mathematics. In the sentence She insisted on seeing his math so she could understand his proposal, math refers to actual calculations.

What does maths mean?

Maths has the very same definition as math. If you substitute maths into any of the above examples, the sentences mean the exact same thing. For example: He loves school, but he especially enjoys maths.

How to use math and maths

The only difference between math and maths is where they’re used. Math is the preferred term in the United States and Canada. Maths is the preferred term in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and other English-speaking places.

There’s no real logical explanation as to why math became preferred in some places while maths was elsewhere. The usual argument goes that mathematics is plural because it ends in an -s, so maths should be its abbreviation. The problem is that, while it ends in an –s, mathematics is a mass noun and usually takes a singular verb (e.g., Mathematics is my best subject).

Both of these words date back to the turn of the 20th century. There are examples of math in writings from the 1840s, and of maths from the 1910s.

Other differences between British and American English

In some cases, British and American English use different words for the same concept. For example, American English speakers use the words truck, shopping cart, and sweater; British English speakers say lorry, trolley, and jumper to mean the same things.

In other cases, the differences between British and American English words are much more subtle. For instance, American English uses the term racecar, while British English uses the word racing car.

British and American English employ many different spelling approaches. Take our spelling challenge to see how well you know the difference.

In still other cases, British and American English words differ by just one letter, as in the case of math and maths. British English includes U in the spelling of French-derived words, such as colour or favourite, which American English omits.

This also happens with the words sport and sports. In American English, you’d say, “I enjoy playing sports, and I also like watching sports.” In British English, this sentence would be “I enjoy playing sport, and I also like watching sport.” This time, it’s American English that likes the –s!

The only difference between math and maths is where they’re used. Math is the preferred term in the United States and Canada. Maths is the preferred term in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and other English-speaking places.

Is it correct to say maths?

To North American speakers of English, the word to use is “math”, as in “I majored in math”, and “maths” would sound wrong. Speakers of British English, however, would always say “maths”, as in “I took a degree in maths”.The word “mathematics” can be considered as a singular and as a plural noun.

Why is it called maths instead of math?

And that’s the term that’s still used there today. If you ask someone why they say “maths” instead of “math,” they’ll probably give what seems like a logical answer. It’s because the word “mathematics” is plural.It functions as a “noun marker,” turning the adjective “mathematic” into the noun “mathematics.”

Is maths plural or singular?

The subject (singular) ‘mathematics’ incorporates many different types of calculations and equations etc. (plural), and therefore the correct abbreviation is ‘maths’. However the word ‘math’ would be okay if used as an abbreviation for ‘mathematical’ (singular).

Why do British say maths instead of math?

Because in America “math” is the shortened form of “mathematics”. But in Britain “maths” is the shortened form of “mathematics”. When Brits see the word “math”, they think it is a singular noun. They think it is incorrect as a singular noun, therefore they add on the “s” to make it plural.

Why is math plural?

“Math” being the abbreviation for “Mathematics”; the aforementioned singular noun. A Mathematics degree. The abbreviation for which, is “Math”. To say it’s plural simply because it has an “s” at the end of it is simply applying one arbitrary English rule and ignoring another.

Does math need apostrophe?

Probably not, they chose not to say maths /maθs/ because it sounded plural and therefore opted for the clipped form, math /maθ/ in speech. The British, being renowned traditionalists, decided to keep the “silent” apostrophe in speech and thus favoured the longer form maths.

Who invented math?

Archimedes is known as the Father of Mathematics. Mathematics is one of the ancient sciences developed in time immemorial.
Table of Contents.

Should math be capitalized?

Also, names of school subjects (math, algebra, geology, psychology) are not capitalized, with the exception of the names of languages (French, English).You should capitalize titles of people when used as part of their proper name.

Do Americans call maths math?

Americans and Canadians tend to say math while Brits and Australians opt for maths.Still, both versions are correct, if complicated by the fact that while mathematics sounds plural, it may actually be singular.

How do you use math in a sentence?

Mathematics sentence example

1. You will be glad to hear that I enjoy Mathematics now.
2. With this was included mathematics , astronomy and astrology, and even the magic arts.
3. Of more general interest, however, are his labours in pure mathematics , which appear for the most part in Crelle’s Journal from 1828 to 1858.

What came first math or maths?

“Maths” is a bit newer, first appearing in print in 1911. There is no difference, however, between “math” and “maths” apart from that “s” on the end of “maths.” Occasionally you’ll hear arguments that “maths” is more proper because it’s short for “mathematics” and thus should be plural.

Why do the British say mum?

Originally Answered: Why do most British people say ‘mum’ and most American people say ‘mom’? Because vowel sounds change with accent. That’s it.

Why do British people say bloody?

Bloody. Don’t worry, it’s not a violent word… it has nothing to do with “blood”.”Bloody” is a common word to give more emphasis to the sentence, mostly used as an exclamation of surprise. Something may be “bloody marvellous” or “bloody awful“. Having said that, British people do sometimes use it when expressing anger…

What is the plural of maths?

Answer. The noun math can be countable or uncountable. In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be math. However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be maths e.g. in reference to various types of maths or a collection of maths.

Is maths a Scrabble word?

Yes, maths is in the scrabble dictionary.

Is physics singular or plural?

Physics, while plural in derivation, is generally construed as a singular noun except when referring to several “physics” (i.e., two or more different systems of physics).

What is the meaning of apostrophe in mathematics?

The apostrophe symbol is used in math to denote the derivative function. Typically the symbol is used in an expression like: f′(x). In plain language, this represents the derivative of the function f(x).

Why is there an apostrophe in the word o clock?

Why is there an apostrophe in “o’clock”? An apostrophe is used in o’clock because the word is a contraction of the phrase “of the clock.” Just like other contractions, the apostrophe takes the place of missing words or letters from a longer word or phrase.Always use the shortened form, “o’clock.”

Who found zero?

Brahmagupta
“Zero and its operation are first defined by [Hindu astronomer and mathematician] Brahmagupta in 628,” said Gobets. He developed a symbol for zero: a dot underneath numbers.

What country is first in math?

PISA 2018 Mathematics Results by Country: