Do You Say Artifact or Artefact? Which One is Appropriate?

Some words have the same spellings and pronunciations, but they have different meanings. Then there are words with identical pronunciations but different spellings and meanings. And a few other terms mean the same thing despite having different spellings – for instance, “artifact” and “artefact”.

The word “artifact” refers to an object or item with some significance and a unique design. The article is usually of historical interest. The term “artefact” is the U.K. variant of the same word. It should, therefore, be used to denote items of significance in texts written in U.K. English.

If you strongly believe the difference between the nouns “artifact” and “artefact” is more than just the two having marginally different spellings, read on to get more informed.

“Artifact/Artefact” – Definition

The noun “artifact” or “artefact” is used to define human-made objects with unique designs, with some historical meaning or backstory attached. Works of artistry or artisanship from past civilizations or societies, such as a vase, necklace, work tool, etc., are artifacts, for instance. Some of your typical archaeological artifacts are:

• Projectile points
• Amphorae and other pottery vessels
• Metal items such as guns, buttons, etc.
• Personal adornment items such as clothing and jewelry
• Fire cracked rocks

An “artifact” doesn’t always denote an “old” object, though most artifacts are usually a hundred and even thousands of years old.

Any unique piece of craft or art made by humans (not naturally occurring) with some historical significance is considered an artifact. It need not be certain years old or have crossed a specific age threshold to qualify as an “artifact”.

In cytology, an artifact is a structure found in tissue after fixation, staining, death, etc., usually not present in the tissue when it’s alive.

Digital Artifacts

Though there is no “official” categorization of artifacts per se, an artifact is not always discovered via an archaeological endeavor. There is also something called a “software artifact”. These artifacts are nothing but by-products of software development. It is usually a piece of software on which a fresh piece of software could be based.

A software artifact could be diagrams, data models, setup scripts, etc. The term “artifact”, in fact, could mean a wide variety of things within the software development world. Most software pieces contain multiple artifacts that are required for their proper functioning. Some artifacts demonstrate how a software tool should work; other software artifacts ensure a given program works.

Like archaeological artifacts, digital artifacts are human-made products too. They help current and future developers see and understand the thought process behind developing a particular software tool. This, in turn, provides developers the knowledge base to proceed further with their project plans and decisions.

Developing a new software tool without a digital artifact is akin to building a house with no blueprint. Therefore, a development process without an artifact to rely or fall back on could lead to a big mess, with crucial cogs getting left out.

Medical Artifact

A medical artifact is any medical document with a modified or manipulated appearance or structure. The medical image, for instance, could be distorted during file compression. An X-ray could develop artificial images due to improper handling, storage, or processing. In short, a medical artifact is any structure usually not present in a medical image or file.

• In cardiology, an electrical impulse with no cardiac link or origin getting recorded as a spike on an ECG monitor is an artifact.
• Myopotentials or electrical signals caused by muscle contractions are known as “muscle artifacts”.
• Any alteration in tissue occurring during tissue processing that could change the appearance of tissue and likely the diagnosis is also a medical artifact.

In imaging, the visible artifact is based on the actual procedure. For instance, the artifact could be in a barium enema, wherein inconstant segmental colon contraction zones could be confused with anatomic variations or organic constrictions due to intramural or mucosal tumors, or a surgical clip obscuring an anatomical structure.

Project Management Artifacts

In project management, the term “artifact” denotes project-related documents, such as project charter, customer/stakeholder analysis, etc. Unlike archaeological artifacts, project management artifacts are live and updated formally regularly to incorporate changes in their scope. These documents exist to provide all project team members with a shared understanding of the various information.

Managers are fully responsible for documenting a project’s objectives and deliverables. The documents are devised to align the respective projects with specific business objectives, address clients’ and sponsors’ requirements, and set the project team’s expectations.

Are There Any Differences Between “Artifact” and “Artefact”?

As aforementioned, there is no difference between the nouns “artifact” and “artefact” with regard to their meanings. However, they could be pronounced differently, due to the slight variation in their spellings, and perhaps also because one word is American and the other is British.

Besides the slight pronunciation difference, the context in which the two words get used could also vary slightly. For instance, in U.S. English, the term “artefact” is considered outright wrong and not just a word with a “British” twist. You should, therefore, be particular about the word’s spelling for your texts in U.S. English.

That said, some U.S. newspapers may not be very rigid about their use of the term and could end up using “artefact” instead of “artifact” in their copies. This is typically the case with old newspaper houses since “artifact” became more widespread as a valid term in America only during the 1920s.

Also, some British dictionaries mention “artifact” as the alternate spelling of “artefact”.

Using the Term “Artifact” in Your Writing

If you are clear of what “artifact” means and the context in which it is being used, incorporating the term into your sentences should be relatively straightforward. However, the big question is, “Can you use the British and American spellings of the word interchangeably in your texts?”

Quite a few writers use both “artifact” and “artefact” in their writings – at times, even in the same sentence. This approach is not right.

The British and American versions of English – or the spellings of certain words, to be specific – were not devised to offer writers more options or increased flexibility with spellings of different words. The two versions of the language stand on their own and do not mix.

Also, as mentioned earlier, “artifact” is considered incorrect spelling in British English. Therefore, if you’re drafting a copy for your U.K. audience, make sure you use “artefact” and not “artifact”.

The term “among” is favored more by the Americans than the British, who gravitate more toward the word “amongst” in their manuscripts. However, this distinction isn’t very rigid. It’s acceptable to use the terms interchangeably or use “amongst” in copies written in U.S. English and “among” in writings intended for the U.K. This exchange of words doesn’t work with “artifact/artefact” unfortunately.

As far as which word gets commonly used, “artifact” is a lot more common since U.S. English is used more globally than British English.

Example Sentences with the Word “Artifact”

Here is a list of sentences that use the word “artifact”. Kindly note that the word used is the U.S. variant of the term. You may, therefore, substitute “artifact” with “artefact” in any of these sentences:

• With “working from home” becoming the new normal, workplace conversations at the coffee dispenser could become an artifact of the bygone era.
• Several mathematicians and philosophers during the time considered “arithmetic” to be an artifact of psychology.
• With the fossils, the researchers also turned up some important cultural artifacts.
• Given how randomly fresh copies of the coveted map showed up on the market, most collectors will not think twice about bidding enormous sums for the artifact.
• The essay looks like a dying tradition’s artifact.
• This firewall is truly an artifact.
• Code numbers and names were assigned to all the artifacts.
• This artifact reflects pewter and silver salt varieties from around 1725.
• The artifacts are displayed outside the loo in a glass case.
• Cassettes are now considered pop art artifacts.
• The museum displays the impressive artifacts collection from both the tombs.
• The primary saloon comprises a remarkable collection of artworks and artifacts.
• Those who visit his office are usually impressed by the sheer diversity of the cultural artifacts he has in his collection.
• The exhibition is beautifully showcasing the modernity of the country and not just the artifacts.

Conclusion

The nouns “artifact” and “artefact” have the same sound and mean the same too. But with the kind of discussion going around the two words in online English communities and perhaps in the traditional literary world, it may not take too long for the two terms to assume slight variations in their meanings in the future eventually.

A particular section of the online community believes the term “artifact” should be used to denote human-made objects of archaeology, and the noun “artefact” must be used in reference to digital items and business documents. However, this supposition doesn’t hold water as most online sources use the word “artifact” in pretty much all contexts and writing scenarios.