Does Doughnut Have Two Spellings?

The Official Dictionary Spelling of the word in question—if you're into that sort of thing—is “doughnut.” The expedited, simplified, Americanized spelling of “donut,” as Grammarist tells us, has been around since at least the late 19th century. It didn't catch on, though, until late in the 20th century.

Why is donut spelled two ways?

The “nut” part is actually a different way of saying “a small lump.” Originally, the name of the treat was dough boy. Donut is a simplification of the original spelling, and as such, it's completely in the spirit of the American version of the English language.

How do the British spell donut?

There are two common spellings of the dessert; doughnut and donut. The former is considered the UK spelling and the latter the Americanised version. Often Americanisms drop the 'u', for example in colour versus color. Dictionary.com lists doughnut as the primary spelling, with donut as an alternative.