The words toward and towards are two similar-sounding prepositions that mean in the direction of. However, they are spelled differently and have different preferences.
Toward is the preferred spelling in American English and is favored in North America, whereas towards is more popular in Britain and Australia. The AP Stylebook advises writers to use toward and not towards when writing for an American audience.
American English
Whether you’re writing for an American or British audience, the good news is that both toward and towards are correct. It’s just that one is preferred in North America and the other in Britain. Ultimately, the best approach is to keep in mind your intended audience and the style guide that you’re following.
For example, if you’re following The Associated Press Stylebook, you should use toward without the s in all your work. However, if you’re writing for a newspaper or magazine that follows the Fowler’s English Dictionary, you should use towards. It’s important to be consistent, especially if you write for multiple audiences in different regions.
British English
When used as prepositions, toward and towards mean the same thing. However, they are pronounced differently in different regions of the world. While the AP Stylebook recommends using toward in North America, many other style guides suggest that writers use towards if they are writing for readers in Britain and Australia.
Luckily, there’s no need to fight over this small difference. As linguists and grammarians point out, both toward and towards are correct. Both have the same meaning, and both can be used to describe a physical direction or a metaphorical relationship to something or someone.
The easiest way to remember which to use is that toward has no s, while towards has an s. This same convention is also true of words like upward, backward, forward, and afterward. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that whichever version you choose, it should be consistent throughout your writing. Try a free ProWritingAid Grammar Report to ensure your writing is polished and professional.
Usage
There are some words that have multiple correct spellings. Often, it’s just a matter of what one prefers or what the writing style demands. Some examples are color and colour, but even other words like favor and neighbour have different spellings depending on context. Towards and towards are no exception.
Both ‘towards’ and ‘toward’ mean the same thing: in the direction of. They are also used as prepositions to show proximity, connection, or intent. Towards is the preferred spelling in North America (according to Chicago and AP styles), while other English-speaking countries tend to use towards.
In most cases, both spellings are acceptable and will convey the same meaning. If you’re unsure, feel free to consult your favourite style guide and go with that. However, if you’re writing for an audience that requires a specific spelling, be consistent and stick with it throughout your piece. This will prevent confusion and ensure that your readers understand your message.
Spelling
If you ask a linguist about the differences between British and American English, they may point to vocabulary differences like “boot” and “trunk” or orthography differences such as “honour” and “honor.” However, there are also grammatical distinctions that exist despite having the same meaning. Such is the case with toward and towards, which are similar-sounding words that have different functions as prepositions.
Depending on who your audience is, you may want to choose one spelling over the other. For example, if you are writing for an audience in the United States, The AP Stylebook recommends that you use toward without the s, while the Chicago Manual of Style prefers towards with the s.
Ultimately, though, both words are correct, and you can feel free to use whichever one sounds more natural for your audience. Just make sure that you are consistent throughout your writing so that your readers do not get confused. Thankfully, Grammarly’s free grammatical checker can save you from embarrassing misspellings and grammatical mistakes.