Olde vs. Old — Which is Correct Spelling?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 19, 2024
Olde is the incorrect spelling of old. Old refers to something that has existed for a long time or is of an earlier time.
Table of Contents
Which is correct: Olde or Old
How to spell Old?
Olde
Incorrect Spelling
Old
Correct Spelling
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Key Differences
The standard adjective form in English language does not include an extra 'e' after 'd'.
"Olde" is often used stylistically in business names or themes to evoke an archaic feel, but it's not the standard spelling.
Recall that similar simple adjectives follow the same rule with no extra 'e' at the end, like "cold" not "colde."
Remember that "old" is a straightforward, common English word without any extra letters.
Consider how other words that end with 'd' typically don't add an 'e' in modern English, such as "bold" not "bolde."
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How Do You Spell Old Correctly?
Incorrect: The olde house at the end of the street is haunted.
Correct: The old house at the end of the street is haunted.
Incorrect: This olde book has some fascinating illustrations.
Correct: This old book has some fascinating illustrations.
Incorrect: She found an interesting olde map in the attic.
Correct: She found an interesting old map in the attic.
Incorrect: That olde painting sold for a huge amount.
Correct: That old painting sold for a huge amount.
Incorrect: His olde guitar still sounds amazing.
Correct: His old guitar still sounds amazing.
Old Definitions
Expressing affectionate or derogatory reference to a familiar person or thing.
Good to see you, old friend!
Having lived for a long time; no longer young
The old man lay propped up on cushions
Belonging to the past; former
Valuation under the old rating system was inexact
Of a specified age
A seven-month-old baby
He was fourteetn years old
Used to express affection, familiarity, or contempt
Good old Mum
I didn't like playing with silly old dolls
Having lived or existed for a relatively long time; far advanced in years or life.
Relatively advanced in age
Pamela is our oldest child.
Made long ago; in existence for many years
An old book.
Of or relating to a long life or to people who have had long lives
A ripe old age.
Having or exhibiting the physical characteristics of age
A prematurely old face.
Having or exhibiting the wisdom of age; mature
A child who is old for his years.
Having lived or existed for a specified length of time
She was 12 years old.
Exhibiting the effects of time or long use; worn
An old coat.
Known through long acquaintance; long familiar
An old friend.
Skilled or able through long experience; practiced
He is an old hand at doing home repairs.
Belonging to a remote or former period in history; ancient
Old fossils.
Belonging to or being of an earlier time
Her old classmates.
Often Old Being the earlier or earliest of two or more related objects, stages, versions, or periods.
Having become slower in flow and less vigorous in action. Used of a river.
Having become simpler in form and of lower relief. Used of a landform.
Used as an intensive
Come back any old time. Don't give me any ol' excuse.
Used to express affection or familiarity
Good ol' Sam.
An individual of a specified age
A five-year-old.
Old people considered as a group. Used with the
Caring for the old.
Former times; yore
In days of old.
Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
An old abandoned building
An old friend
Of a living being, having lived for most of the expected years.
A wrinkled old man
Of a perishable item, having existed for most of, or more than, its shelf life.
An old loaf of bread
Of a species or language, belonging to a lineage that is distantly related others
The ginkgo is one of the oldest living trees
Basque is the oldest language in Europe
Having been used and thus no longer new or unused.
I find that an old toothbrush is good to clean the keyboard with.
Having existed or lived for the specified time.
How old are they? She’s five years old and he's seven. We also have a young teen and a two-year-old child.
My great-grandfather lived to be a hundred and one years old.
(heading) Of an earlier time.
Former, previous.
My new car is not as good as my old one.
A school reunion for Old Etonians
That is no longer in existence.
The footpath follows the route of an old railway line.
Obsolete; out-of-date.
That is the old way of doing things; now we do it this way.
Familiar.
When he got drunk and quarrelsome they just gave him the old heave-ho.
(UK) Being a graduate or alumnus of a school, especially a public school.
Tiresome after prolonged repetition.
Your constant pestering is getting old.
Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time.
A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive, and combined with another adjective.
We're having a good old time.
My next car will be a big old SUV.
My wife makes the best little old apple pie in Texas.
Any old
(obsolete) Excessive, abundant.
|invariable plural only}} People who are old; old beings; the older generation, taken as a group.
A civilised society should always look after the old in the community.
(slang) A person older than oneself, especially an adult in relation to a teenager.
One's parents.
I had to sneak out to meet my girlfriend and tell the olds I was going to the library.
A typically dark-coloured lager brewed by the traditional top-fermentation method.
Open country.
Not young; advanced far in years or life; having lived till toward the end of the ordinary term of living; as, an old man; an old age; an old horse; an old tree.
Let not old age disgrace my high desire.
The melancholy news that we grow old.
Not new or fresh; not recently made or produced; having existed for a long time; as, old wine; an old friendship.
Formerly existing; ancient; not modern; preceding; original; as, an old law; an old custom; an old promise.
Continued in life; advanced in the course of existence; having (a certain) length of existence; - designating the age of a person or thing; as, an infant a few hours old; a cathedral centuries old.
And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?
Long practiced; hence, skilled; experienced; cunning; as, an old offender; old in vice.
Vane, young in years, but in sage counsel old.
Long cultivated; as, an old farm; old land, as opposed to new land, that is, to land lately cleared.
Worn out; weakened or exhausted by use; past usefulness; as, old shoes; old clothes.
More than enough; abundant.
If a man were porter of hell gate, he should have old turning the key.
Aged; antiquated; hence, wanting in the mental vigor or other qualities belonging to youth; - used disparagingly as a term of reproach.
Old-fashioned; wonted; customary; as of old; as, the good old times; hence, colloquially, gay; jolly.
Used colloquially as a term of cordiality and familiarity.
Past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age; especially not young; often used as a combining form to indicate an age as specified as in `a week-old baby';
An old man's eagle mind
His mother is very old
A ripe old age
How old are you?
Of long duration; not new;
Old tradition
Old house
Old wine
Old country
Old friendships
Old money
Of an earlier time;
His old classmates
(used for emphasis) very familiar;
Good old boy
Same old story
Lacking originality or spontaneity; no longer new;
Moth-eaten theories about race
Just preceding something else in time or order;
The previous owner
My old house was larger
Of a very early stage in development;
Old English is also called Anglo Saxon
Old High German is High German from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century
Old in experience;
An old offender
The older soldiers
Used informally especially for emphasis;
A real honest-to-god live cowboy
Had us a high old time
Went upriver to look at a sure-enough fish wheel
Having lived or existed for a long time; not new.
This old castle has stood here for centuries.
Referring to something from the past or that has been in existence for a long time.
She loves collecting old coins.
Used to denote age, showing that someone or something is aged or elderly.
His old dog can't hear very well anymore.
Describing something that is outdated or no longer in its prime.
He still drives an old model of that car.
Old Meaning in a Sentence
He read from an old journal he found in his basement.
That old jacket of yours is back in style!
The old tree in our yard finally fell.
That old trick won't work on me!
They renovated the old theater downtown.
The old mill has been converted into apartments.
She keeps her old love letters in a box.
She returned to her old neighborhood.
I bumped into an old classmate yesterday.
His old ways don't fit the new company culture.
The old stove in the kitchen still works.
He visited his old school while in town.
The old road has been closed for construction.
She sold her old camera on an online marketplace.
She revisited her old writings to gain inspiration.
The children explored the old fortress.
They watched an old movie from the 80s.
She baked cookies using her old family recipe.
He told stories about his old adventures.
He fixed up an old bicycle for his son.
She prefers old books over new ones.
That old saying proves true more often than not.
They danced to an old song from their youth.
He found an old coin in the field.
The old laws no longer apply to the new situation.
Old Idioms & Phrases
Old school
Adhering to traditional ideas or methods.
He's pretty old school when it comes to business.
Old flame
A former romantic partner.
He ran into his old flame at the reunion.
Old as the hills
Extremely old or ancient.
That joke is as old as the hills.
Same old same old
The same things happening repeatedly; nothing new.
Every day it's the same old same old at work.
Old hand
Someone very experienced in something.
He's an old hand at carpentry.
Old chestnut
A story or joke that has been repeated often.
He always tells that old chestnut at parties.
Old stager
A person with a lot of experience in a certain area.
As an old stager, he knows all the ins and outs of the business.
Good old days
A time remembered nostalgically as better or simpler.
We often talk about the good old days of our childhood.
Old hat
Something considered outdated or no longer in style.
Using that software is considered old hat now.
Old news
Information that is no longer relevant or is already widely known.
Their engagement is old news by now.
The old guard
People who have been involved in an organization or activity for a long time.
The old guard of the club isn't very welcoming of the new changes.
Put the old thinking cap on
To engage in deep thinking or problem-solving.
Let's put the old thinking cap on to solve this issue.
An old head on young shoulders
A young person who thinks and acts in a way characteristic of someone older.
She's got an old head on her young shoulders, making wise decisions.
Your old man
Informal term for one's father.
I'm going fishing with my old man this weekend.
Old wives' tale
A traditional but scientifically unproven belief.
Eating carrots improves your night vision is just an old wives' tale.
Old faithful
A dependable and consistently reliable person, thing, or brand.
This old coffee maker is my old faithful.
Old-boy network
A system of advancement where males are favored, who have attended the same private school or university.
He got the job through the old-boy network.
Old saw
A well-known saying or proverb.
That old saw about opportunity only knocking once is not really true.
Your old lady
Informal term for one's mother or wife.
My old lady will join us later for dinner.
Old money
Wealth that has been inherited over generations.
Their family is considered old money in the community.
Common Curiosities
What is a stressed syllable in old?
The whole word "old" is stressed, as it is a single syllable.
How do we divide old into syllables?
Old is divided as: old.
What is the verb form of old?
Old does not have a verb form; it is an adjective.
How is old used in a sentence?
Old can describe anything that has existed for a long time, is from a past era, or is aged.
What is the singular form of old?
The singular form is old.
What is another term for old?
Another term for old could be "aged" or "ancient".
What is the pronunciation of old?
Old is pronounced as /oʊld/.
Why is it called old?
"Old" is called so from the Old English "eald", meaning having existed for a long time or aged.
How many syllables are in old?
Old has one syllable.
What is the root word of old?
The root word of old is from Old English "eald".
What is the opposite of old?
The opposite of old is "new" or "young".
Is old a noun or adjective?
Old is an adjective.
Is old an adverb?
No, old is not an adverb.
Is old an abstract noun?
No, old is an adjective and does not function as a noun.
Is the word “old” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
Old is an adjective and does not serve as an object.
Which vowel is used before old?
The vowel "o" is used in the spelling of old.
Is old a vowel or consonant?
The word old starts with a vowel sound.
What is the plural form of old?
The plural form is old; it does not change.
Is old a negative or positive word?
Old can be either negative or positive depending on the context in which it is used.
Is old a countable noun?
Old is not a noun; it is an adjective.
Which preposition is used with old?
Common prepositions used with old include "from" and "than", e.g., Older than you think, from the old times.
Which conjunction is used with old?
Conjunctions that can connect clauses involving old include "and" and "but", e.g., Old and worn out, but still functional.
Which article is used with old?
The definite article "the" or the indefinite article "an" can be used, e.g., An old friend, the old way.
What part of speech is old?
Old is an adjective.
Is old a collective noun?
Old is not a collective noun; it is an adjective.
Is the old term a metaphor?
Old can be used metaphorically to describe something that is seen as outdated or from a former era.
Which determiner is used with old?
Common determiners used with old include "an" and "the", e.g., That old chair is still comfortable.
Is the word old imperative?
No, old is not an imperative; it is an adjective.
Is the word old a Gerund?
No, old is not a gerund; it remains an adjective in usage.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
