Pajamas or Pyjamas
They are the same word. Pajamas is the American spelling and pyjamas is the British one. There is no difference in meaning, no difference in the garment, and neither is more correct than the other. Which you write depends on where you are.
Canada sits in the middle and uses both, which is why this question comes up here more than anywhere else.
Which spelling goes where
| Spelling | Used in |
|---|---|
| Pajamas | United States, and the more common form in Canada |
| Pyjamas | United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India |
| Pijamas | Spanish and Portuguese |
Canadian English generally follows British spelling for words like colour and neighbour, but on this one it leans American. Both are accepted here and neither will look wrong to a Canadian reader.
Where the word comes from
It is not an English word originally. It comes from the Hindi and Urdu pāy-jāma, from Persian, meaning leg garment. It described loose drawstring trousers worn across South Asia and the Middle East long before anyone in Britain slept in them.
British colonists in India adopted the trousers as nightwear in the seventeenth century and brought the word home, where it picked up the y. When it crossed to the United States the spelling simplified to an a, along with a lot of other words at the same time.
So the garment is South Asian, the y is British, and the a is American. The Spanish and Portuguese pijamas came the same route through a different door.
The short forms
- PJs works everywhere and is the most common short form in Canada.
- Pyjies and jammies are informal and mostly British or Australian.
- Jams shows up occasionally in American use.
- There is no apostrophe in PJs. It is a plural, not a possessive.
Which should you write?
Write the one your reader uses. If you are in Canada, either is fine and pajamas is the safer default. If you are writing for a British or Australian audience, use pyjamas. The only real rule is to pick one and stay with it in the same piece of writing.
We use pajamas, because we are Canadian and it is the more common form here. It is worth saying plainly that this is a spelling choice and nothing more.
What we make
Isla Lune sets are 100% cotton, cut relaxed and sold as separates. Tops are $48 CAD and pants are $68 CAD, XXS to XXL, designed in Victoria, B.C.
Common questions
Is it pajamas or pyjamas in Canada?
Both are used and both are correct. Pajamas, the American spelling, is more common in Canadian writing, while pyjamas appears often enough that it never looks out of place. Canadian English follows British spelling for many words but tends toward the American form for this one.
What is the difference between pajamas and pyjamas?
Spelling only. They refer to exactly the same garment. Pajamas is American, pyjamas is British and used across Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India. Neither is more formal or more correct.
Why is it spelled pijamas sometimes?
Pijamas is the Spanish and Portuguese spelling of the same word. All three forms trace back to the Hindi and Urdu pāy-jāma, from Persian, meaning leg garment.
Where does the word pajamas come from?
From the Hindi and Urdu pāy-jāma, meaning leg garment, describing loose drawstring trousers worn across South Asia and the Middle East. British colonists in India adopted them as nightwear in the seventeenth century and carried the word into English.
Is PJs spelled with an apostrophe?
No. PJs is a plural, not a possessive, so it takes no apostrophe. PJ's would mean something belonging to a PJ.
More: loungewear versus pajamas, cotton versus polyester for sleepwear, and how to build an evening routine you will actually keep.