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Is it National Doughnut or National Donut Day? Discuss

The word "doughnut" first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1782 but by the early 1800s, "donut" became widely used.
Eva Hambach
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AFP via Getty Images
The word "doughnut" first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1782 but by the early 1800s, "donut" became widely used.

Updated June 2, 2023 at 5:23 AM ET

This story was first published on June 4, 2021.

True donut lovers likely have a plan of attack for Friday, which marks National Donut Day. (Pro tip for those who looking ahead to 2024: The day always falls on the first Friday of June.)

The annual celebration for bear claw lovers, jelly-filled fanatics and sprinkle super-fans is usually marked by shops handing out free fluffy, airy, sugary goodies. And this year is no different.

But we're concerned with the more pressing issue: Does anyone actually still spell it D-O-U-G-H-N-U-T?

Mary McCoy, senior librarian in the arts, music and recreation department at the Los Angeles Central Library, says that is her preferred spelling, though she admits "the O-U-G-H version is definitely unwieldy."

"It is purely personal preference because upon looking into it, they seem to be equally acceptable," McCoy explains.

Justifying her own choice, she says: "It just looks more official, though I don't know why a doughnut needs to be official."

Some of the more bizarre variations on the spelling of the word include D-O-N-O-T-E and D-O-W-N-U-T.
/ Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Bloomberg via Getty Images
Some of the more bizarre variations on the spelling of the word include D-O-N-O-T-E and D-O-W-N-U-T.

Doughnut definitely came first

The word first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1782. "However, donut is almost always in the mix," according to McCoy.

By the early 1800s, it seems, D-O-N-U-T became a legitimate rival to the longer version.

There have also been a number of alternate spellings over the last couple of centuries and none seem particularly colloquial one way or the other, McCoy says.

Some of the more bizarre spellings include D-O-N-O-T-E and D-O-W-N-U-T, both popular in the 1800s before fading away.

A woman, likely a doughnut/donut-lover, wears a hat resplendent in deep-fried goodies.
Tim Hales / AP
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AP
A woman, likely a doughnut/donut-lover, wears a hat resplendent in deep-fried goodies.

Even the cookbooks cannot decide

After examining the library's extensive cookbook collection, one of the largest in the country according to McCoy, she says there's a near even split between the two spellings.

"We have 310 books where it's donut and 307 where it's the other way," McCoy said.

Jessica Lopez, a supervisor at the iconic Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, Calif., says she's strictly in the D-O-N-U-T camp.
Joe Sohm/Visions of America / Universal Images Group via Getty
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Universal Images Group via Getty
Jessica Lopez, a supervisor at the iconic Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, Calif., says she's strictly in the D-O-N-U-T camp.

Jessica Lopez, a supervisor at the iconic Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, Calif., says she's strictly in the D-O-N-U-T camp.

"I just grew up spelling it like that," Lopez said from inside the LA-landmark with the towering donut overhead. "I'm not sure who spells it the other way."

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter to her when she and her team are gearing up for the onslaught of customers who will line up for a bag of free donut holes.

Lopez doesn't think about how they're spelling it. "I just take their orders," she says, before rushing off the phone.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Vanessa Romo is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers breaking news on a wide range of topics, weighing in daily on everything from immigration and the treatment of migrant children, to a war-crimes trial where a witness claimed he was the actual killer, to an alleged sex cult. She has also covered the occasional cat-clinging-to-the-hood-of-a-car story.