Disk and Disc Are Split by the Atlantic and by Technology
A disk is a flat circular object. Which spelling you use depends on both country and subject.
A disk is a flat circular object. The two spellings divide oddly. American English generally prefers *disk*, British English *disc*, but computing added a second rule that both follow: magnetic storage is a *disk*, as in hard disk and floppy disk, while optical media is a *disc*, as in compact disc and DVD. The industry fixed that convention and it has held. Anatomy uses *disc* for the cushions between vertebrae in Britain and *disk* in America.
- A flat circle. *A metal disk.*
- Magnetic storage. *A hard disk.*
- Optical media. *A compact disc.*
- A spinal disc. *A slipped disc.*
- Greek — *diskos*. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | disk | A disk. |
| Plural | disks | Disks. |
| Variant | disc | A disc. |
| Compound | diskette | A diskette. |
| Greek | diskos | A disc. |
- The hard disk failed.Computing.
- He bought the compact disc.Optical.
- She slipped a disc.Anatomy.
Which spelling to use
- Magnetic storage — disk, in both countries
- Optical media — disc, in both countries
- General American — disk
- General British — disc
- Brake disc, disc jockey, disc harrow — disc almost everywhere
Latin *discus*, from Greek *diskos*, a thrown disc.
Is it disk or disc?
Magnetic storage is a disk and optical media a disc, in both countries. Otherwise American English prefers disk and British English disc.
Why does computing distinguish them?
The optical media industry standardised on disc, and the convention held, keeping the two technologies visibly separate.