Doughnut or Donut? Caught in the Middle of the Debate?

Should it be donut or doughnut when you’re writing about those round treats with the famous hole in the center?

I’m one of those rare birds when it comes to Krispy Kreme, the company whose unique take on spelling has probably caused a headache for English teachers. (At least until said teachers actually sampled the product.)

I actually prefer mine as room temperature, when the glaze has had just enough time to harden a bit and the dough beneath it has had just enough time to cool.

The “Hot Donuts” sign that lights up in red neon doesn’t make me go wild the way it makes those who prefer the warm, gooey mess. Give me, instead, a box of glazed KKs from the grocery store, perhaps even a day or two old, and just get out of my way: it might not be pretty.

In any case, temperature aside, why do we have such disagreement over how the sweet treat is spelled? Is the correct answer doughnut or donut? And how did a nut get into the act to begin with?

Get ready for a pair of shocks.

The ‘nut’ in ‘doughnut’ has nothing to do with actual nuts.

Etymologists, people who study the origin of words, tell us that the word doughnut dates all the way back to 1809.

Back then, there was no “hole.” The reference to a “nut”&nbsp is believed to have been made because they were referred to as being “a small round lump.”

But there was an even earlier name for these little fried pastries: the “dough-boy”&nbsp dates all the way back to the 1680s.

The hole in the middle was first referenced in 1861. That means doughnuts as we know them have been around for 155 years. Maybe we should buy a dozen to celebrate.

But I digress.

‘Donut’ has been around a lot longer than you think.

Many of us would think the Americanization donut has only been around for a few generations, perhaps as long as Dunkin’ Donuts popularized the word.

And we’d be wrong.

Dunkin’ Donuts opened its first location back in 1950. Krispy Kreme opened its first location back in 1937, though it used doughnuts. But the five-letter alternate has been popular in bakeries since the 1920s.

And get this: it had turned up in the U.S. as early as 1870.

The real question: Which is correct?

Technically, either is considered correct, but if you’re trying to appear more formal, you might want to use the longer version. The Associated Press Stylebook also prefers doughnut, which is why you’ll likely see the longer version in the majority of news articles whenever the treat is mentioned.

Which do you prefer: doughnut or donut?