Program vs. Programme
One of our readers wrote to ask if we could clarify the difference between program and programme.
The Noun: Program or Programme?
The basic difference is between different languages:
- American English always uses program
- British English uses programme unless referring to computers
- Australian English recommends program for official usage, but programme is still in common use.
The word “program” was predominant in the UK until the 19th century, when the spelling “programme” became more common — largely as a result of influence from French, which has the same word “programme”.
So, if you’re writing in British English (either as part of an examination, if you’re studying English, or for a British publication), here’s some examples of how to use programme and program correctly:
- We’re still drawing up the programme for the concert.
- This computer program won’t run on my PC.
- I missed my favourite television programme last night.
The Verb: To Program, Programmed, Programming
The word program is also a verb, as in “I’ll program the computer today.” In this case, both American and British English use “to program”.
These forms are also valid in American English:
- programed
- programing
But the Oxford English Dictionary recommends the double-m instead, which is in far more widespread usage:
- programmed
- programming
If in doubt, and writing for a publication, check whether or not they have a style guide or a rule on which form of the verb to use. When you’re writing for yourself, just make sure you’re consistent.
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I don’t believe that one would say, “I’ll program the computer today.” One doesn’t program computers, see? He might program for a computer, or use a program on one, but one doesn’t simply program up a computer….
While grammatically correct, it doesn’t make much sense.
JuwBagel,
I’m not sure if I agree completely. It’s true you don’t “program up a computer”, but you can certainly “program a computer to do something.”
It’s similar to the way you can program a modern coffee maker to automatically start the coffee making process at 8:30am, or program a phone system to send callers to different departments depending on the option selected.
Granted, these last two examples are not desktops, but they are computers nonetheless.
i enjoy reading this please keep it on thanks