Etymologically, the word comes from the French for rebirth, which is spelled 'renaissance'. Normally, it's prudent to take a live-and-let-live approach to the d

Etymologically, the word comes from the French for rebirth, which is spelled 'renaissance'. Normally, it's prudent to take a live-and-let-live approach to the development of language as that's how language evolves, but in this instance the Americanised spelling is downright barbarous and not holding with the origins or spirit of the word. In this case, I'd argue that the American spelling isn't different in the way color or aluminum are, it's just wrong.