Common mistakes
Tire or tyre: choose the American or British spelling
Sign in to saveA shop in London may advertise new tyres, while a shop in Chicago advertises new tires. The objects are the same. The spelling changes with the variety of English.
Choose tire or tyre by identifying the English variety and whether the word means a wheel covering or becoming tired.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
tire / tyre /taɪə(r)/
The short answer
For the wheel covering, write tire in American English and tyre in British English. For becoming tired, write tire in both varieties.
The bicycle needs a new tyre before the weekend ride.
Why it works: This is British spelling because the word names the rubber part around a wheel.
5 more examples
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The car has a flat tire after driving over a nail.
This American English sentence names a damaged wheel covering.
Not this:The car has a
flat tyreafter driving over a nail. What changes: This British English version has the same meaning with the British spelling. -
Please check the tyre pressure before the motorway trip.
Tyre is the normal British spelling for the rubber covering on a wheel.
Not this:Please check the
tire pressurebefore the highway trip. What changes: Tire is the American spelling in a sentence aimed at American readers. -
After carrying the boxes upstairs, I began to tire.
Tire is a verb here. It means become tired, so both English varieties use tire.
Not this:The long meeting
tired everyonein the room. What changes: Tired is the past form of the verb tire. It does not refer to a wheel. -
The mechanic rotated the tires to help them wear evenly.
The plural tires follows American spelling for more than one wheel covering.
Not this:The mechanic rotated
the tyresto help them wear evenly. What changes: The plural tyres follows British spelling for the same objects. -
The cyclist did not tire during the final hill climb.
After did not, use the base verb tire to talk about fatigue.
Not this:The cyclist bought a
spare tyrefor the final hill ride. What changes: Here tyre is a British noun meaning an extra wheel covering.
Read the full guide
First, decide what the word means. If it is about wheels, choose the spelling used by your reader or the publication. If it is about energy or fatigue, use tire in both American and British English. This distinction matters because tyre is not used for the verb.
Start with the meaning in the sentence
The same letters can point to two different ideas. A tire or tyre goes around a wheel. To tire means to become tired or to make somebody tired. Find the meaning before you choose the spelling.
The van needs a new tyre on its rear wheel.
Tyre names an object on the van. It is not an action or a feeling.
In the sentence The journey began to tire us, is the word about a wheel or fatigue?
It is about fatigue. Use tire in both American and British English.
Use tire for the American noun
American English uses tire for the rubber covering around a wheel. Use this spelling in American writing about cars, bicycles, buses, or other vehicles.
The garage repaired the front tire before noon.
The sentence follows American spelling because tire names part of a vehicle.
She keeps a spare tire in the trunk.
Use tyre for the British noun
British English normally uses tyre for the same wheel covering. You will see this spelling in British road-safety advice, repair notices, and writing aimed at readers in the United Kingdom.
The warning light came on because the tyre pressure was low.
Tyre is the British spelling for the object around the wheel. The pronunciation stays the same.
Choose the British spelling: The lorry needs two new ___.
Use tyres. The sentence is about more than one wheel covering in British English.
Keep tire for the verb in both varieties
When tire means lose energy or make someone lose energy, write tire everywhere. This verb can describe a person, an animal, a task, or an activity. British English does not change this verb to tyre.
A noisy classroom can tire a teacher by the end of the day.
Can tire describes the effect of the classroom on the teacher. It is a verb, so tire is required.
We did not tire until the last kilometre.
Build plural and related forms correctly
Add s for more than one object: tires in American English and tyres in British English. The verb changes in the usual way: tires, tired, and tiring. Let the sentence meaning guide you before you add an ending.
The store displayed winter tires near the entrance.
The store displayed winter tyres near the entrance.
Both sentences describe several objects. The spelling changes with the variety of English.
Complete the verb: The repeated alarms ___ the night-shift staff.
Use tire: The repeated alarms tire the night-shift staff. The subject is plural, so the base form fits.
Choose one spelling system for your reader
Do not mix tire and tyre for the wheel noun in one piece of your own writing. A school assignment, instruction manual, or article should follow the required variety. A direct quotation can keep its original spelling when you identify it as a quotation.
This American repair guide recommends checking each tire before a long drive.
The audience is American, so tire is consistent with the guide's spelling system.
You are writing a British cycling notice. Which spelling belongs in Check your ___ before riding?
Use tyres. A British notice normally uses the British spelling for wheel coverings.
Before you go
Remember this
Use tire for the wheel covering in American English and tyre for it in British English. Use tire for the verb about becoming tired in both varieties. Read the sentence first, then keep the spelling system consistent.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Tire or tyre: choose the American or British spelling"
What is the difference between tire and tyre?
For the rubber covering around a wheel, American English uses tire and British English normally uses tyre. The car can have a flat tire in American writing or a flat tyre in British writing. The pronunciation is the same.
The car has a flat tire after driving over a nail.
Does British English use tire at all?
Yes. British English uses tire as the verb meaning become tired or make somebody tired. A noisy classroom can tire a teacher. British English normally reserves tyre for the wheel covering, as in low tyre pressure.
The car has a flat tyre after driving over a nail.
Should I write tires or tyres in a British document?
Write tyres when you mean more than one wheel covering in a British document. The singular is tyre. Keep the spelling consistent with the rest of the document, such as a British cycling notice that asks riders to check their tyres.
Please check the tyre pressure before the motorway trip.
Are tire and tyre pronounced differently?
No. Tire and tyre are pronounced /taɪə(r)/. The difference is a spelling convention for the wheel noun. The verb tire, as in begin to tire, has the same pronunciation.
Please check the tire pressure before the highway trip.
Can I use tire and tyre in the same article?
Use one spelling system in your own prose, based on your intended readers or style guide. You may preserve a different spelling inside a direct quotation. For example, an American repair guide may use tire while a British safety notice uses tyre.
After carrying the boxes upstairs, I began to tire.