Hello, Sir Joe!
Can we use the American word "thru" and British word "through" interchangeably?
Thanks indeed, Sir Joe.
A lot of people use “thru” and “through” interchangeably in their informal writing, but I’m sure they’ll think twice about doing that when writing formal communication like, say, term papers, dissertations, and job applications. It’s just that “thru” is usually looked upon as a lazy person’s “through” in the same way as “tho” for “though.” I must admit that I find “thru” and “tho” too teenybopper for my taste. These days, in fact, the only place where I’d accept a “thru” with equanimity is in a text message on my mobile phone or in a street sign that says “THRU STREET”—and only as a concession to overwhelming space constraints. But would you ever catch me using “thru” for brevity’s sake when composing my own text messages? My answer is an unequivocal “no.” I’d rather rewrite my message to avoid it.
My personal aversion to using “thru” is, of course, largely personal and is no doubt a function of my age, so just to make sure that I’m not being overly biased against “thru,” I looked for the opinion of someone much younger. Click
this link to read Mignon Fogarty’s take on “thru” in “Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” I think you’ll agree with me that Mignon and I are essentially on the same wavelength about “thru.”
And by the way, I’d like to correct your impression that “thru” is distinctly American usage and “through” distinctly British. I think their interchangeability in informal usage is endemic on both sides of the Atlantic.
