I don’t know about you, but I’m trying to think positive thoughts these days, positive thoughts like peace, unity, health, and the pursuit of happiness. And today, all this leads me to a very important question:
What is the correct spelling of “marvelous”/”marvellous”?
Well, it depends on who you ask.
- “Marvelous” is the standard spelling in the United States.
- “Marvellous” is the standard spelling in the United Kingdom.
Looking at global English usage in texts up through 2019, it’s a fascinating–dare I say “marvelous”–debate that has been going on for quite a while. Teaser: after about 110 years, “marvellous” has recently taken back the lead. Yes, you read that spelling correctly.
But this isn’t the end of this “marvelous” vs. “marvellous” conversation, because some other rather lovely, optimistic words are closely connected here too. You likely already understand the underlying relationship between “marvelous” and “marvel” (concerning superheroes and beyond), but did you know that “admire” and possibly even “smile” are etymological cousins of “marvelous”/”marvellous” too?
So much traces back to the Latin word mīrābilis, meaning “to cause wonder.” To become the “marvelous”/”marvellous” word we know today, this root jumped through French before moving into the Anglo French word merveille and later the Middle English word merveile, sometimes spelled mervayle. Only then did things become “marvelous” and by “things,” of course, I mean this modern English spelling. But, taking a different direction, mīrābilis with a prefix of ad, meaning “toward,” is the root of “admire.” And while “smile” is a bit of a mystery (yes, its mysteries go back much further than the Mona Lisa), some researchers think that the Latin word mīrus, as in “remarkable or amazing,” is an early root. As noted in other discussions, “l”s and “r”s have been known to interchange themselves–right, “colonel” and “glamour”?
So here’s to thinking happy thoughts, marvelous thoughts even, because that’s where the magic begins, isn’t it? At least that’s what I’m arguing. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this language conversation.
Happy writing, folks.
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