Despatch Goods, or Dispatch Goods - A Poll

[RegMolehusband]

Just for fun, and to help me to understand which is used more widely in the UK nowadays for a leaflet I'm putting together, would you dispatch goods or despatch goods? In a factory are products ready to be shipped held in despatch bays or dispatch bays?

The spell checker on my browser has put a squiggly red line beneath one of them but I'm not in agreement.

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

Despatch was the earlier spelling, common in the 1800s.

It still appears now and then as a noun but the modern preferred spelling is with the i.

Edited by Ginetta G15 Girl on Monday 18th January 17:20

[RegMolehusband]

It must be a generation thing too. Being an older bloke who started working in industry in the seventies, "despatch" has stuck with me and I perceive "dispatch" to be an Americanism that I became more aware of in the nineties.

Hmmm - it grates, but I might have to start using dispatch.

[motco]

Either is better than the ubiquitous 'ship'

[Animal]

Why don't you just send them?

[SidJames]

Dispatch is an Americanism....narrowly followed by "Shipping".

Despatch is English for sending a parcel, Dispatch is English for killing ones enemy.

[poing]

We have a delivery note to go with the truck drivers at work, me and someone else couldn't agree on this very question so now one box has Despatch and another box has Dispatch. Problem solved.

[Warmfuzzies]

SidJames said:

Dispatch is an Americanism....narrowly followed by "Shipping".

Despatch is English for sending a parcel, Dispatch is English for killing ones enemy.

This is how I have always known it to be.

[kambites]

I don't think it's an English vs American thing, at least not originally. I think the two spellings co-existed in English for a long time. Most likely they share the same Latin root but came into English via slightly different paths through other languages.

They're certainly both considered correct in British English these days. I prefer it with an "e" just because that's not how the Americans spell it.

Edited by kambites on Monday 18th January 21:53

[RegMolehusband]

I think 33% is good enough for me to continue spelling it correctly with an "e". Especially since my customer demographic is aged 40 - 65 like me

[soad]

Address label and despatch note.

[RegMolehusband]

The "e's" are putting up a bit of a fight I'm pleased to say!

[Gargamel]

They are both correct.

The i spelling is the more correct


https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/news/view/e...

[richardxjr]

Despatch.

My firm's printed 774 Despatch Notes for different UK companies in the last 8 years, and precisely zero Dispatch Notes.

[AJS-]

Despatch. Dispatch just looks wrong to me. Though I didn't know that about dispatching an enemy, I will try it sometime.

[Einion Yrth]

Gargamel said:

They are both correct.

The i spelling is the more correct


https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/news/view/e...

I think he was asking about English, not 'strine.

[don4l]

I've always spelled it "despatch".

However, Chambers says that both spellings are equal.

[davepoth]

Well...

OED said:

Origin

Early 16th century: from Italian dispacciare or Spanish despachar 'expedite', from dis-, des- (expressing reversal) + the base of Italian impacciare, Spanish empachar 'hinder'.

The word doesn't exist in Latin which would have been the decider. So it essentially comes down to whether you prefer Prosecco or Cava. Just to be contrary I sometimes use both spellings in the same email.

[perdu]

AJS- said:

Despatch. Dispatch just looks wrong to me. Though I didn't know that about dispatching an enemy, I will try it sometime.

Hmm all well and good (maybe) but remember walls have ears

And there is certain to be a videocamera nearby

Just saying...

[davhill]

When the Tyrannosaurs and I were in school it was taught this way....

Despatch: Noun, as in 'mentioned in despatches'.

Dispatch: Verb, as in 'I will dispatch that Frenchman with my musket'.

Now, even Oxford Online says 'Despatch, Noun and Verb!