Patchouly, Patchouli, Pachouli

Patchouly Fragrance Oil scented soap on the left and control on the right. Don’t expect a discoloration with our fragrance oil.

How do you spell the name for this deep, long-lasting scent?

We have recently been asked to change the spelling of our essential oil because we spell the name wrong. All three ways of spelling patchouly are correct and considered appropriate so it is a matter of preference. When MMS started the majority of our suppliers spelled this oil with a Y and not an I. Many of our reference books used both I and Y. It was rare for us to find the spelling without a T but it did exist.

The reason we went with a Y is that our suppliers spelled their products with a Y and not an I. We looked over many sources and found many trends were showing spelling to change from Ys to Is and we felt this was a linguistic trend and not representative of the product in a historical fashion. Language is an amazing, yet dynamic, thing. When I was a child it was drive-through and not drive-thru. It was also doughnut and not donut.

Aside from these examples, what items do you see that are changing in the spelling as we grow older? I want to hear of your patchouly stories, opinions and linguistic changes you have observed.

Happy spelling day!