What happened to this word?

[Muthoni]

Thank you for bringing that to my attention. Every time I write the word Cheque on my word document it shows a red line below it to indicate that it is an error. I usually leave it as it is, because I did not know that it was changed. Actually after this I am going to search for the word on the search engine. I am amazed, thanks.

[czarina84]

I have seen the spelling "cheque", but I honestly can't remember where.  I think it was in a book by a British author or possibly my former boss, who was also from England. The spellcheck just put a red line under it.  Wow.  I know that it was a once-popular spelling but here in the US, we use "check".  Some of us older Millennials have seen it with "que", but I think you would confuse some of the ones born in the 90s or later. 

[宇崎ちゃん]

Paper bank cheques don't exist on my continent any more (we use internet banking or mobile banking instead).
To be honest, the first time I heard of the word "cheque" was 2.5 years ago when I became a licensed Nintendo developer.
When I initially saw the word as one of the payment options, I had no clue what a "cheque" is at all.

"Check" on the other hand can have multiple meanings:

• To verify.
• To see/notice something.
• Whatever we in the Netherlands do with our public transport passes while boarding a bus or tram, or before boarding a metro or train (and also when getting off all of these), which by the way works the same way as in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, (South-Korea?) and a couple of major European and Australian cities.
• Whatever everyone does with their passports on aeroports.
• That "OK" sign.
• To put an "X" on a multiple choice question.

And I probably missed a few more.

[shadejb]

In the UK we still use "cheque" for money-related items (cheque book for example). However, the gesture you do at the restaurant IMO is similar to the "tick" action of checking items off the list; which is why I think we associate that with getting restaurant bill rather than "cheque". 

On 10/27/2014, 5:10:31, Muthoni said:

Thank you for bringing that to my attention. Every time I write the word Cheque on my word document it shows a red line below it to indicate that it is an error. I usually leave it as it is, because I did not know that it was changed. Actually after this I am going to search for the word on the search engine. I am amazed, thanks.

Cheque is the British spelling, so unless you set your grammar check as English (UK) then it will show as an error, same way as organise (organize in US), colour (color in the US) and other words.

[pesic87]

Check vs. cheque

Follow the link that I put here. It is very well explained what the difference between the two words is. I  have never ever used the word check, but only cheque, so far..

[BWL]

In Malaysia, where the English is definitely British-influenced, cheque book is the only way we spell it To "check" would be to "examine" or to "verify". 

[capuchin]

Here in the Philippines, we use the spelling "check", not "cheque". I'm familiar with "cheque" but I never use it or see it often.