Spelling

Use spell check but don't over rely on it. Spell check may highlight:

• words that are spelt correctly but may not be what you meant to say, for example 'to' instead of 'two'
• words as incorrect when they are correct in an Australian context, for example 'organisation' instead of 'organization'.

Commonly used words can be added to the Word spell-check so that they will no longer be corrected, for example by adding the word 'organisation'.
If in doubt about a spelling, check the Macquarie Dictionary. Some word endings in particular cause confusion, for example:

• -our/or words such as humour or humor. Our recommendation is 'our' but do not change the name of organisations, publications or titles of books, for example Australian Labor Party but British Labour Party.
• -ise/ize words such as realise or realize. Our recommendation is 'ise'.
• -or/er words such as advisor or adviser. In this case, generally the word advisor is used in a job title, such as HR Advisor. An adviser is a more generic term applied to anyone giving advice. There are many other -or/er words, so our recommendation is to treat them on a case-by-case basis and check the dictionary.
• -ible/able words. Check the dictionary and use the first spelling. Some common ones appear below.