This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
All fully specified names (FSN) should be represented in US English. When there is a difference between the US and GB spelling, there should be US and General British (GB) preferred terms (PT) and/or synonyms (SYN).
For example:
FSN: Benign tumor of endocrine pancreas (disorder)
PT-US: Benign tumor of endocrine pancreas
PT-GB: Benign tumour of endocrine pancreas
SNOMED CT may include (or add) more than one description, each with a different spelling for a given concept. That is, if the above references provide evidence of acceptability in the dialects for which they are being added.
For spelling of preferred terms in a dialect, where the reference sources provide multiple options, a judgment about the most common spelling may be needed. This may be determined by reviewing journal articles containing the word in question.
Articles should be from highly cited journals, e.g BMJ (for British English) or NEJM or JAMA (for US English).
For concepts that are not clinical, appropriate scientific journals should be consulted, e.g. Science (US publisher) or Nature (UK publisher).
Fetal is the preferred term in both the US and GB language reference sets. Fetal is acceptable in GB synonyms. Foetal is not acceptable for US language but acceptable for GB language.
US-GB differences
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia*
*Note: Wikipedia may be used as a starting point, or source, for authoritative references, but not as an actual reference
First point of reference
Provides a summary for authors, addresses many US-GB spelling differences, and provides references
US Medical English
Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style
NA
GB English
Dorland's Medical Dictionary - medical terminology
Chambers 21st Century Dictionary - general
NA