Dependent or Dependant?
The Grammar Guru has learned something today, and she’s here to pass it on to you.
The Grammar Guru was taught that dependant was not a word — that it was an all-too-common misspelling of dependent, and that dependent was always the correct spelling.
Imagine the Grammar Guru’s surprise when, upon checking her references prior to responding to a reader’s inquiry, she found that both spellings are considered correct.
One dictionary lists dependant as a variant spelling of dependent, leading the Grammar Guru to believe that this, perhaps, is one of those misspellings that is so common that it eventually becomes a word. More research is needed on this aspect.
Several dictionaries, however, offer different definitions for the two words, with dependent referring to something that hangs (e.g.: In the doorway we saw a spider dependent from its web.), and dependant referring to a person who is leaglly supported by another person (e.g.: List your dependants on your IRS forms.).
Thanks to the alert reader who inquired about this fascinating question.
1 Comment
Mum,
Thanks! I just now checked back to see if this question had been answered.
That is fascinating isn’t it? It niggled at the back of my mind that perhaps “dependant” was a misspelling, but I kept pushing the thought out because I have seen it on forms and documents, etc.
I thought maybe we were dependent on something, but that our children were our dependants. Weird…