This is a nagging question for me that really has no importance other than satisfying my curiosity. In the relatively short time that I have been involved with metrology I have noticed two spellings for the same word: gage and gauge. Are these both correct in every circumstance and completely interchangeable, or are there specific instances where one spelling should be favored over the other? Like I said, it really isn't important, but I am curious.

Industry vernacular = gage
Webster says gauge


In all respects the same.

According to The Columbia Guide to Standard American English,
" ...Gage is a variant of gauge, but apparently in dwindling use..."

For some reason I always thought 'Gage' was an American spelling of the 'English' Gauge. ;)

I have generally seen 'gage/gauge' used to mean an attribute measuring device (GO/NO-GO gage etc.). A variable characteristic is measured with an 'Instrument' (such as a Vernier, micrometer ...).

- Atul.

Can one of the many metrologists who often post things here tell me the difference between a "gauge" and a "gage"?

I see the two as completely interchangeable. Is there a proper or improper way to use either?

Also, if this thread should be moved to a forum for the truly nitpicky, please move. Thank you!

Can one of the many metrologists who often post things here tell me the difference between a "gauge" and a "gage"?

I see the two as completely interchangeable. Is there a proper or improper way to use either?

Also, if this thread should be moved to a forum for the truly nitpicky, please move. Thank you!

"Gage" is a variant spelling of "gauge" and the two may be used interchangeably. In general, variants aren't used in formal writing, but in this case I think the distinction is moot. There are some usages where "gauge" is the more accepted form (such as when describing the distance between railroad rails).

Jim is correct, the main difference in practical use in metrology is spelling.....

To add to that, gauge can also be a verb, as in to gauge.......

Hershal

jfgunn, I have to laugh! My Quality Engineer and I have had this same discussion several times! We attributed it to illiteracy! :lol:

a 'gage' is sweet, juicy and makes great preserves..........on the other hand, you wouldn't want to put a gauge on bread.........:lol:

A gage is a plum-like fruit, grown in England..........;)

Andy

a 'gage' is sweet, juicy and makes great preserves..........on the other hand, you wouldn't want to put a gauge on bread.........:lol:

A gage is a plum-like fruit, grown in England..........;)

Andy

Ahhh, the things you learn at The Cove!

No "I" in team;
No "U" in gage

Makes sense to me!;)

What's next?
wait for weight? How about W8?
mike for micrometer?
decal for decalcomania?

On a serious note: this is a topic that arises frequently. There is no shame in asking the question. Here's one response which struck me as "interesting."
(http://asuwlink.uwyo.edu/~metal/gage.html)
What does "gage" (or "gauge") mean?
Dictionaries (at least in the US) seem to consider "gage" to be an alternate spelling of "gauge". But common usage suggests "gage" refers to sheet metal thickness, gage blocks, and most concrete measurement systems and devices. "Gauge" seems to refer to pressure gauges and level gauges. Comparing Machinery's Ready Reference, Machinery's Handbook, and the MSC catalog, there is no agreement on "wire gage" versus "wire gauge". Time seems to have corrupted any clear distinction, and things are most likely different in England and other places.

So my particular preference is to only use "gauge" for devices that measure more abstract things like pressure and level.

Gage: An arbitrary assignment of numbers to size, used on sheet, wire, and many other things (tubing, shotgun bore, needles, and so on). Unfortunately there are so many different standards that using gage to specify a material is almost useless, and perhaps even dangerous. If in doubt, use decimals.

For example, in U.S. gage, the standard for sheet metal is based on the weight of the metal, not on the thickness. 16-gage is listed as approximately .0625 inch thick and 40 ounces per square foot (the original standard was based on wrought iron at .2778 pounds per cubic inch; steel has almost entirely superseded wrought iron for sheet use, at .2833 pounds per cubic inch). Smaller numbers refer to greater thickness. There is no formula for converting gage to thickness or weight.

Wire might be specified in American or Browne & Sharpe, Birmingham or Stubs, Washburn & Moen, Trenton Iron Co., Stubs' Steel, Imperial Wire gage, music wire gauge, or others. In the US, I've commonly seen electrical wire in AWG (American Wire Gauge); even-numbered values are much more common than odd ones. As an example, 12-gauge wire is .081" (AWG), .109" (Birmingham or Stubs), .105" (Washburn & Moen), .028" (music wire gauge). In most cases a larger gauge means smaller wire, except music wire goes the other way around!

If you need specific values for specific gages, many are listed in various references such as Machinery's Handbook.

On September 20, 1994, Rowland Carson posted a nice list of most of the gauge systems in use worldwide:
Alhoff & Muller Music Wire Gauge . . . . . . . music wire
American Screw & Wire Co Music Wire Gauge . . . . . . . music wire, spring wire
American Zinc Gauge . . . . . . . zinc sheet
ASA B32.1 . . . . . . . uncoated thin flat metals USA
Birmingham Gauge BG . . . . . . . iron hoop & strip, steel sheet
Birmingham Wire Gauge BWG . . . . . . . iron & steel telephone wire
Birmingham Wire Gauge for Silver & Gold . . . . . . . silver & gold
Brown & Sharpe Wire Gauge B & S . . . . . . . non-ferrous sheet & strip
Brunton Music Wire Gauge . . . . . . . music wire
Card Wire Gauge CWG . . . . . . . fibre yarns
Continental Zinc Gauge . . . . . . . sheet & strip
English Music Wire Gauge . . . . . . . music wire
English Zinc Wire Gauge . . . . . . . zinc sheet
Felten & Guilleame Music Wire Gauge . . . . . . . music wire
German Sheet Gauge . . . . . . . sheet metal
Instrument Wire Gauge . . . . . . . instrument wire
ISO Metric Preferred Series (R388) . . . . . . . all applications
Junge de Paris . . . . . . . copper wires
Lancashire Pinion Wire Gauge LPG . . . . . . . cast steel drill rods
Mathieson & Hegeler Gauge M & H . . . . . . . zinc sheet
Millimetre Wire Gauge . . . . . . . steel wire
National Wire Gauge NWG . . . . . . . steel wire
Poehlimann Music Wire Gauge . . . . . . . music wire
Printers Wire Gauge . . . . . . . printers wire
Roebling Wire Gauge . . . . . . . steel wire
Sewing & Darning Needle Series . . . . . . . sewing & darning needles
Standard Wire Gauge SWG . . . . . . . wire & strip, tube thickness
Stitching Wire Gauge
Stubs Iron WIre Gauge . . . . . . . iron wire
Stubs Steel Wire Gauge . . . . . . . steel drill rod
Tinplate . . . . . . . finished tinplate
Twist Drill & Steel Wire Gauge . . . . . . . drill rod
US Galvanised Sheet Gauge GSG . . . . . . . galvanised sheet
US Manufacturers' Standard Gauge MSG i . . . . . . . ron & steel sheets & plates
US Standard Gauge USG . . . . . . . stainless steel
US Steel Wire Gauge USSWG . . . . . . . steel wire
Washburn & Moen Gauge WG . . . . . . . steel wire
Warrington Wire Gauge . . . . . . . steel wire
Yorkshire Wire Gauge . . . . . . . steel wire

Since I intended to use the word “gage” or “gauge” in the name of my new business, this is a question that I dealt with in 1993 at the launch of my business.

Trying to be accurate I used Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1990, p. 508, gauge, which states:
gauge 1 measurement according to some standard or system
2 usually gage: an instrument for or a means of measuring or testing

Thus, gauge is the measurement, gage is the tool to take the measurement and my business is named: Gage Crib Worldwide Inc.:cool:

I guess I'll be going home gaze at the garbage in my garage while I gather my gages to gauge!:bonk:

Al...

Since I intended to use the word “gage” or “gauge” in the name of my new business, this is a question that I dealt with in 1993 at the launch of my business.

Trying to be accurate I used Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1990, p. 508, gauge, which states:
gauge 1 measurement according to some standard or system
2 usually gage: an instrument for or a means of measuring or testing

Thus, gauge is the measurement, gage is the tool to take the measurement and my business is named: Gage Crib Worldwide Inc.:cool:
It may sound strange to say, but dictionaries aren't always the best source, and like other standards they should only be used as a referee when everyone agrees to it, and then a particular dictionary has to be specified because of differences between them. In sense #1, your dictionary seems to be saying that "gauge" is properly used only as a verb, which is just wrong.

Here's what the American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition says:

gauge also gage (gāj) n.

1. a. A standard or scale of measurement.
b. A standard dimension, quantity, or capacity.

2. An instrument for measuring or testing.
3. A means of estimating or evaluating; a test: a gauge of character. See Synonyms at standard.
4. Nautical The position of a vessel in relation to another vessel and the wind.
5. a. The distance between the two rails of a railroad.
b. The distance between two wheels on an axle.

6. The interior diameter of a shotgun barrel as determined by the number of lead balls of a size exactly fitting the barrel that are required to make one pound. Often used in combination: a 12-gauge shotgun.
7. The amount of plaster of Paris combined with common plaster to speed setting of the mixture.
8. Thickness or diameter, as of sheet metal or wire.
9. The fineness of knitted cloth as determined by the number of loops per 1 1/2 inches.

tr.v. gauged, also gaged gaug·ing, gag·ing gaug·es, gag·es

1. To measure precisely.
2. To determine the capacity, volume, or contents of.
3. To evaluate or judge: gauge a person's ability.
4. To adapt to a specified measurement.
5. To mix (plaster) in specific proportions.
6. To chip or rub (bricks or stones) to size.


So Wayne, you're on safe ground with "gage," I think.

For what it's worth, I've found that the American Heritage dictionary is the best general-purpose source for American English.

...In sense #1, your dictionary seems to be saying that "gauge" is properly used only as a verb, which is just wrong....OK, you caught me. I did not quote the entire definition, just the part pertinent to my specific comment.

:whip: It was almost 3:00 AM, I was typing on my laptop, balancing the laptop, the dictionary and two cats on my lap while working in low light, watching TV and sipping my second beer. How much thoroughness can be expected?:rolleyes:

Once again I marvel at how QA people can argue, analyze, dissect and discourse on the most basic things! :lol:

Still, when the english language is concerned this sort of thing really is a fair question--especially given the evolving and mutating the language is undergoing over time.

To me, in the noun sense the gage and gauge spellings are used interchangeably. To use it as a verb, add the "u" but IMHO most people would forgive you for it if you didn't.

As a similar example I offer nerve-racking, which I grew up spelling nerve-wracking but I never see it with the "w" anymore. My American Heritage Dictionary approves both spellings but I hear imaginary nails scratching chalkboards when I see it without the "w". Talk about nitpicky! :rolleyes:

suggestion.:mg:

I think it's basically down to what I call 'being different' and there's no deep meaningful reason other than that for leaving out the 'u'.:rolleyes:

It seems to me to be the same thing in the spelling of colo(u)r, and some other modified words, like 'plough' becoming 'plow', 'night' becoming 'nite', etc., which I had put down to poor schooling, cultural demographics and the fact that even the Brits can't tell you why their language (with a 'u'??) is so difficult to learn - just how do you tell which 'ough' pronunciation to use and when??:confused: Try asking for directions to 'Woughton' or 'Broughton' and 'Loughton' - all places within a mile or two of each other.:lmao:

Andy

How is that done?

How is that done?

Any of the moderators can do it. I think it might be here because the forum name uses "gages." And seeing that it's a 4.5-year-old thread, and only a little off-topic...

I think the difference is about 3000 miles of Atlantic Ocean
Paul

According to some Article I red, the first industry to use gages was a France Company during the France Revollution, La bastilla, they were the first in using gauges in France argot.

Anyone ever notice that shotguns are always "gauge"? I don't remember ever seeing a 12 gage or 20 gage shotgun :nope:

What about grey & gray?
I've just attributed the two spellings to an old English variant or something. English is pretty much the mutt of languages...

Jerry :tg:

Anyone ever notice that shotguns are always "gauge"? I don't remember ever seeing a 12 gage or 20 gage shotgun :nope:
A Google search for "12 gage shotgun" (without quotes) yielded 171,000 hits. A search for shotgun gage (http://www.google.com/search?q=shotgun+gage&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official) yielded 294,000 hits.

Google is our friend!

English is pretty much the mutt of languages...



Yeah...dont forget...we spell knife with a "k".:lol: :lol: :lol:

What a language!

Mmmmm, I think grAy is the color, and grEy is a last name. When you look up grey it says "see gray".

All I can say is that I'm glad that I'm a native English speaker. I 'd hate to try to learn this language as an adult.

There's a family in our neighborhood who recently immigrated from Vietnam. The two daughters learned English in Vietnam, but Mom and Dad are in a daily English immersion program trying to get literate. In Vietnamese, there are no tenses, so having to learn past, present, future, pluperfect and all that jazz is really a struggle for them.

Not to mention slang and idioms, and contractions, and homonyms, and double entendres and puns....:mg:

This thread needs to be moved. How is that done?I merged it with a thread of an identical topic. Where do you think it should be moved to?

gage: American spelling
gauge : rest of the world spelling


similar to
color: american spelling
colour rest of the world

The is only one english language!

rangotango (the englishman) rules!!

I merged it with a thread of an identical topic. Where do you think it should be moved to?By merging the threads you have moved the thread and resolved the moving issue. This brings peace to my Obsessive-Compulsive mind.:biglaugh: