Toward vs. towards

Grammarist

Toward and towards are equally acceptable words. The main difference is that, while both of these directional words are used in all varieties of English, toward is preferred in American and Canadian English, while towards is preferred in varieties of English from outside North America. These are not rules, however, and exceptions abound, so you’re safe using the one that sounds better to you.

Examples

American and Canadian publications prefer toward—for example:

Scientists are moving toward the conclusion that the eastern cougar was erroneously classified as a separate subspecies in the first place. [NY Times]
To be sure, China is already seeing a shift away from exports toward domestic purchases as its sales to places like Europe falter. [Globe and Mail]
One inning Tuesday went a long way toward erasing any questions the Minnesota Twins might have about their closer … [USA Today]

U.K. and Australian writers heavily favor towards, by a ratio of about 10 to 1. For example, these news outlets use towards much more often than toward:

Libyan rebels advanced west towards Tripoli today after seeing off yet more airstrikes on captured cities by an increasingly desperate Colonel Gaddafi. [Daily Mail]
A few months later, towards December, they circle back completing a round trip of several hundred kilometres. [Guardian]
Scientists are moving towards the conclusion that the eastern cougar was erroneously classified as a separate subspecies in the first place. [Australian Associated Press (article now offline)]
Police began a surveillance operation and on December 23 last year saw David Smith leave his home and head towards a car. [Edinburgh Evening News (article now offline)]

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