Gray or Grey?

Writer Robin Salls

Do you have gray or grey hair is the question?

It’s a shade of color that has two different spellings yet, sisters in the silver community are constantly in flux as to which word is the proper way to claim embracing our grays.

Thank our first grade teachers for starting us down the road of color and spelling as these subjects are usually some of the first things we are taught, which leads to having internal grammar police on hand the rest of our lives. You know, the ones who call us out when things don’t look right. She stands around with her ticket book waiting for you to mess up. Then you throw her for a loop by using gray/grey and it’s not a black and white area, so to speak.

Both share the definition of a shade of color created when black and white colors are mixed together. We already know that many shades of gray come from this combination, just look around at all the gorgeous shades of gray gracing women today. So, how do you know if you’ve used the correct gray spelling? Look to the world map!

If you’re using it to describe your hair, you’re right regardless of which way you prefer to spell it. Originating from the Old English word “graeg”, gray is more widely used in American English, with grey being used more in British English speaking countries. This comes straight from the mouth of Grammar Girl over on QuickandDirtytips.com after doing a google search in an effort to squash this debate. Gray or grey, when used in general terms like “grey wolf” or “gray hair” are good. When using words where there is only one spelling appropriate, such as when talking about the dog breed greyhounds, be sure to use the proper spelling to check the grammar police at the door.

Bottom line is women around the globe are spelling it both ways and they're all correct. Grammar police need not bust your groove because you can use gray or grey to your heart's desire when talking hair!