Gage vs. Gauge: Is There a Difference?
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Gage vs. Gauge: Is There a Difference?
Do you know the difference between the words gauge and gage? Is there a difference at all? Is one just a misspelling of the other?
If you’ve ever wondered, this discussion will help to clear things up.
The Meaning of Gauge
To establish the difference between gage and gauge, we should note that, at least in American English, gauge is used far more often. It’s a word that has a couple of meanings.
As a noun, it refers to an object that measures things or is the unit of measurement itself. For example, you might come across:
a gauge in the cockpit of an airplane
a shotgun shell that is measured in a specific gauge to denote its size or weight
something being used as a tool of measurement (e.g., the stock market as a gauge for the health of the American economy)
These are all examples of gauge being used as a noun. You can see how each refers to measurement.
As a verb, gauge means something similar. It is the act of measuring something.
Examples
You should never jump off a cliff if you can’t gauge the depth of the water below.
The firm conducted a poll to gauge interest in their newest product.
It takes a lot of math to gauge the distance between two comets.
You can see how the word gauge is used for the action of measurement.
The Meaning of Gage
Multiple grammar sources agree that the word gage has traditionally referred to a pledge, collateral, or something presented to initiate combat or a challenge. In modern terms, for example, your home might be a gage that secures a loan taken against it. In years past, a knight might have thrown down his gauntlet as a gage challenging another knight to a duel.
While precision in daily formal writing would keep gage and gauge as separate words with separate meanings, the words may still often appear as interchangeable spellings in certain technical industries, such as engineering, machining, and dimensional metrology.
The Bottom Line on Gauge vs. Gage
The words gage and gauge have very similar spellings and pronunciations. They have different uses and meanings in an academic application of English vocabulary, but both spellings might be used to represent the meaning of gauge in certain industries.
Want to Master More Grammar?
We’re here to help you take your grammar skills to the next level. Our website includes hundreds of articles to support your study of American English, and we add new posts every week. Continue browsing our archive of topics, or if you have questions or thoughts about the topic on this page, leave us a comment below. We are glad to help you be an even more precise and eloquent communicator!
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
Gage is still used in the machining and dimensional metrology field. It’s used to describe fixed metal measurement tooling. For example gage blocks are blocks ground to a precise height, usually certified by a measurement lab to a tight tolerance.
I agree with Mike. The word gage is used in everyday mechanics in the US.
You and we are both correct. We have considered the feedback, further researched the item raised, and updated the post.
From the description above of mechanics’ “gage,” it sounds as if it is in reality a misspelling embedded in the professional lingo/lore, as it is helping to “gauge” a precise measurement. It’s kind of how so many civil engineers I work with persist in laying “lineal feet” when “linear” is proper. “Lineal” is something that denotes a line, e.g., in genealogy. Maybe there really is a historical other meaning of “gage” in metrology, but that’s what it sounds like to me.