Differences – ‘Toward’ vs ‘Towards’: Understanding the Difference

differencessynonyms

Which one should should I use? For some reason I have always used "towards", but I see some people saying "toward", like here:

A great deal of his work in economic
theory has been directed toward
strengthening the foundations of our
understanding of central banking and
social insurance–indeed, one of my
most advanced macroeconomic classes
was nothing but a set of changes rung
upon a particular model that Peter
Diamond had advanced at…

Is there a difference between the two? When should they be used?

Best Answer

The Common Errors in English Usage site mentions:

These two words are interchangeable, but “toward” is more common in the US and “towards” in the UK.

Some people, probably influenced by “forwards,” write “torwards” instead of the correct “towards.”

The merriam-webster simply list both words under the same entry, with similar ethymology:

  • toward: Middle English toward, from Old English tōweard facing, imminent, from tō, preposition, to + -weard -ward
  • towards: Middle English towardes, from Old English tōweardes, preposition, toward, from tōweard, adjective