Honor and honour are both used as nouns and verbs to mean great respect and show respect for somebody. Both words have the same meaning but only differ in spelling. Honor is the American English spelling of the word, while honour is the British English spelling.
While honor and honour are both correct, it’s better to use them depending on the audience. Therefore, use honor for American audiences and opt for honour for British audiences.
When to Use Honor
We use honor as the preferred American English spelling to mean respect and to show respect. It’s used as a noun and a verb. Use honor when speaking with or writing for Americans.
Honor as a Noun
Great respect for somebody
For Sergio, it’s an honor to be invited to the grand opening of the best barbecue restaurant in town.
It is a great honor for J-hope to be the first South Korean artist to headline at a musical festival in the U.S.
A good character
There’s no reason to doubt my husband; he’s a man of honor.
Integrity and honor are more important than success and recognition.
A reward for an unusual achievement
Sarsoise received the highest honor for completing the most difficult course in her college.
Taylor Swift received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from New York University, and it’s the most unexpected honor she received to this date.
Honor as a Verb
To show respect for somebody
We are honored to be part of this ceremony.
She is honored that the country shows admiration for what she did.
To give someone a reward for an unusual achievement
Her university honored her outstanding academic excellence.
South Korea’s president honored BTS for their great contribution to their country.
To fulfill an agreement or accept a form of payment
Her parents honor their promise to go on vacation with her.
The hospital staff honored her request to reduce her payment.
When to Use Honour
We use honour as the preferred British English spelling to mean respect and to show respect. Like honor, It’s used as a noun and a verb. Use honour when speaking with or writing for British people.
Honour as a Noun
Great respect for somebody
It’s an honour to have him as their guest speaker.
What an honour to witness such bravery.
A good character
You can see that her actions show her honour.
Doing what’s morally right? That’s honour.
A reward for an unusual achievement
He was given an honour for doing an extraordinary act of bravery in his town.
She received a military honour during her burial.
Honour as a Verb
To show respect for somebody
The attorney is honoured to be considered the most important guest speaker.
They are honoured to be invited to the White House.
To give someone a reward for an unusual achievement
Three firefighters have been honoured for their courage.
The community honoured her recent research contribution.
To fulfill an agreement or accept a form of payment
Lizzo and her friends honour each other’s promises.
The official didn’t honour the man’s payment.
Honor vs. Honour: Which One Is Correct?
Honor and honour are both correct words that mean great respect or to show respect for somebody. They have the same meaning and only have different spellings. While honor is the preferred American English, honour is the preferred British English spelling. Therefore, althoughboth words are correct, use honor for American audiences and honour for British audiences.
References:
Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.) Honor. In https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/ dictionary. Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/honor
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online. (n.d.). Honor. In https://www.ldoceonline.com/ dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/honor
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online. (n.d.). Honour. In https://www.ldoceonline.com/ dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/honour
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Honor. In Merriam-Webster.comdictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honor
Oxford Learners Dictionaries. (n.d.). Honour. In https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/ dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/honour
