Posted by Dave Thewlis on November 03, 2004 at 14:43:27 from 24.254.88.112 user dthewlis.
In Reply to: Re: despatch or dispatch posted by Alan Hakim on November 03, 2004 at 23:15:02:
I have always believed it was an American versus British spelling as well. Certainly Godine (American) editions changing "despatch" to "dispatch" occasionally but not completely suggests force of habit on the part of the typesetters (not that there are any real typesetters any more). There are other examples: "enquiry" versus "inquiry" comes to mind. As somebody noted with "despatch" and "dispatch" there may also be subtle distinctions of meaning or usage, but popularly it appears the "i" form tends to be used in America and the "e" form in the UK of both sets of words.