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“Meter” or “Metre”

Language

Meter and metre are both English terms.

Usage

For the unit of distance, meter is predominantly used in 🇺🇸 American (US) English (en-US) while metre is predominantly used in 🇬🇧 British English (used in UK/AU/NZ) (en-GB). For the measurement device, meter is the spelling in all regions.

In terms of actual appearance and usage, here's a breakdown by country, with usage level out of 100 (if available):

Term US UK India Philippines Canada Australia Liberia Ireland New Zealand Jamaica Trinidad & Tobago Guyana
meter 99 81 75 100 68 68 95 77 71 85 88 90
metre 1 19 25 0 32 32 5 23 29 15 12 10

  • In the United States, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (99 to 1).
  • In the United Kingdom, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (81 to 19).
  • In India, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (75 to 25).
  • In the Philippines, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (100 to 0).
  • In Canada, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (68 to 32).
  • In Australia, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (68 to 32).
  • In Liberia, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (95 to 5).
  • In Ireland, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (77 to 23).
  • In New Zealand, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (71 to 29).
  • In Jamaica, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (85 to 15).
  • In Trinidad & Tobago, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (88 to 12).
  • In Guyana, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (90 to 10).
Examples

Below, we provide some examples of when to use meter or metre with sample sentences.

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Examples in Context

Examples of “meter”

  • …exposures or milligrams per cubic meter of ambient air for inhalation
  • …his best event, the 1,000 meter race.
  • …maximum height well over one meter.
  • …frozen in ice over one meter thick in winter.
  • …herb often exceeding half a meter in height.
  • …of less than 0.1% -a meter of difference for each kilometer…
  • …Earth atmosphere onto every square meter of the planet's surface, as…
  • Commercial customers are all metered and are charged 4.31 Georgian…
  • …is safety glass, a 6 meter × 1.5 kilometer (18.5 ft…
  • …and shale of the 600 meter thick Odukpani Formation formed during…

Examples of “metre”

  • …metric units, including aune for metre, litron for litre, livre for…
  • The girls' 50 metre freestyle event in swimming at…
  • …Chalandamarz, up to half a metre in diameter.
  • …competed in the men's 100 metre backstroke at the 1968 Summer…
  • 300 metre military rifle, three positions –…
  • It grows up to 1 metre high, and is not aromatic.
  • …held in a 46,000 square metre open-air plaza named 751 D-Park,…
  • The Men's 100 metre backstroke S14 event at the…
  • …– Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
  • …about 69 individuals per square metre in suitable habitats, by 1950…


(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license.)


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