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Which one is considered correct? I say "math", however I believe I heard somewhere that "maths" is correct. Also, should it (and "mathematics") be capitalized or not?

Daniel
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Kevin Yap
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  • Neither is correct. All words are made up. Therefore "correct" is relative to whatever you local tribe has decided is correct. If you grew up in a place that uses "maths" then you will and it will be considered correct. (Source = me, from UK, and we say "maths" as it's a contraction of mathematics. And presumably that is a plural because it is comprised of several sub-fields including algebra, statistics, geometry etc.) – Jag Feb 19 '24 at 14:30

2 Answers2

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This is simple:

  • Math is American English.
  • Maths is British English.

It is a common noun and should only be capitalized at the beginning of a sentence.

nohat
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    Conversely, Americans say "sports" while British people say "sport". The different forms are arbitrary. – Kosmonaut Aug 16 '10 at 00:59
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    Unless it's a name of a subject/course, in which case it should be capitalised. – Noldorin Aug 16 '10 at 08:11
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    @Kosmonaut Actually the difference there is more subtle than that.

    "Sport" in BrE can be used as an abstract noun relating to the concept, as well as as a count noun. In AmE, it can only be a count noun, so if you want to refer to "all sports" (that plural is correct in both dialects), then you have to talk about "sports" in AmE, but you can say "sport" in BrE. But if you want to say "I was the captain of the school team in two sports", then that's a count noun plural in both dialects.

    Many Americans get it wrong and think that sport can't take a plural in BrE.

     – Richard Gadsden Sep 01 '11 at 13:14
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    You can say sports in BrE. How did you enjoy the school sports day? – Dominic Cronin Sep 17 '12 at 19:44
  • But is it as simple as that? Mathematics , like economics, physics and other fields of study ending in '...ics' is a plural word, which doesn't exist in the singular. So I am puzzled as to how Math came about. – WS2 Aug 29 '14 at 17:05
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    @WS2 Merriam-Webster calls "mathematics" a "noun plural but usually singular in construction". You remove "ematics" from "mathematics" and you are left with "math". And FWIW, the shortened form for "economics" is "econ". – nohat Aug 31 '14 at 16:30
  • @WS2 Don't tell me you hadn't seen these two questions? http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/11830/why-is-math-always-pluralized-in-british-english-and-singular-in-american-engl?lq=1 and http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/171025/maths-for-mathematics-where-does-the-s-come-from?lq=1 In any case the OP's question didn't ask why it only asked "Which is correct?". Back in 2010 it was easier to get peer approval too, by the looks of it. The Times they are a-changin'. – Mari-Lou A Sep 02 '14 at 11:44
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This is meant to be added to nohat's response but I can't seem to add comments (yet).

The words "math" and "maths" are both abbreviations of "mathematics" and are dictated by your local variation of English.

soutarm
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