Comradery vs. Camaraderie

There is a small probability that you saw "comradery" spelled like this, according to statistics that show that "camaraderie" is used significantly more frequently in English. Yet, if you are wondering whether both versions are correct or not, or about the reason why they are spelled differently and what meanings they carry, than let's clear your confusion!

Find out whether "comradery" is correct and if you should or should not always use "camaraderie".

Comradery vs. Camaraderie

Even though there are a few dictionaries that accept and define "comradery" as a second spelling for the main noun "camaraderie", most notorious publications, including "Cambridge Learner's Dictionary" and "Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary", do not include this word in the English vocabulary. So you might consider it correct according to some specialists, but not everybody will embrace your text as impeccable if you choose to spell "comradery". If we were to find a source for this word, other than the French "camaraderie", we can refer to "comrade", which means "friend" and which contains the letter "o". But the correct form for "friendship", even in this situation, is officially defined as "comradeship", referring to the friendship between people who work or live together.

"Camaraderie", on the other hand, is a usual noun, generally accepted and defined in all dictionaries as a noun referring to the relationship of friendship and understanding that is created between colleagues at work or people who spend a lot of time or live together.

When do we use "comradery"?

Even though it's considered to have the same meaning as "camaraderie", "comradery" is very rarely used because it is not accepted as a correct form officially by all specialists. So it is recommended to avoid this spelling.

When do we use "camaraderie"?

"Camaraderie" is a noun that kept its original form from French and it is generally used and accepted as the correct synonym for friendship. This is the version you should always use when referring to a strong bond between people who spend lots of time together or who are colleagues at work.

Conclusion

Apart from the fact that "camaraderie" is much more frequently used than "comradery", the second one is also considered to be wrong by most experts. Next time you have to spell it, just forget about "comradery" and go for "camaraderie" to make sure your message is correct.