Superintendant Vs Superintendent: Which Should You Use?

Superintendant vs superintendent; what do you call your supervisor, manager, or person in authority at your workplace? Let us answer this question as we tell you a lot more you may have about these words.

A superintendent is someone with the mandate to oversee or direct a project or work. The word also refers to a janitor or guardian in a premise like a school or an apartment. In contrast, the word superintendant is an obsolete spelling for superintendent, preferred in the early 1800s.

If you are not keen on reading these words, you may not recognize that superintendent and superintendant are different words. It is because the only difference between these words is a single character. Besides the spelling, this article will examine the key differences between these words.

Definitions Of Superintendant And Superintendent

Superintendant and superintendent are pretty heavy terms, as you can see from their long spellings. Also, thanks to their lengthy spelling, most people may not notice that these are not the same word. The only difference in their spelling is one character, which comes towards the end, so it is hard to spot.

While researching these words, we discovered some interesting facts. However, before getting into them, let us look at the definitions first.

Definition Of Superintendant

According to most online and offline sources, the word superintendant is a misspelling of “superintendent.”

However, other sources explain that superintendant is an archaic or obsolete spelling for the word superintendent. The alternative spelling became a preferred choice in the 1800s. Besides this, we did not find any further information regarding the definition of superintendant.

Definition Of Superintendent

Superintendent refers to “the manager of a building, especially a communal residence, responsible for keeping the facilities in top-notch shape.” A superintendent also collects rent and other payments from tenants.

So, a superintendent can be a landlord or act on behalf of a landlord or building owner. Here is an example in a sentence, “Our building superintendent does not allow us to host parties in our apartment.”

A superintendent is also “a person who is authorized to supervise, manage, direct, or administer something.” For example, in a sentence, “Jane got the superintendent position for the company project.”

In Commonwealth countries, a superintendent is a police rank, ranking above the chief inspector and below the chief superintendent. An example in a sentence is: “It took Jane two years to move from the chief inspector position to the superintendent rank.”

In religion, specifically Christianity, a superintendent is the head of a Sunday school. In a sentence, “The superintendent at church asked the kids to get to service early.”

In some protestant churches, the superintendent is a clergyman that oversees a district clergy. For example, in a sentence, “The district fired the superintendent for poor behavior.”

Other sources define a superintendent as “someone with oversight and charge over a place, institution, company, or organization.” A superintendent has the power of direction over the institution they are in charge of.

In simpler terms, a superintendent is a person that directs or manages an organization. Let’s look at a sentence example, “The hospital superintendent resigned yesterday.

How To Properly Use Superintendant And Superintendent In A Sentence

Most people are unaware of the words superintendent and superintendant because they often use abbreviated forms, like supt and super. While these abbreviated forms are not formal, understanding how to use these words in their complete form in sentences would be wise.

Below are some guidelines for properly using the words superintendent and superintendant in sentences:

How To Use The Word Superintendant

Since superintendant is an incorrect spelling for the word superintendent, you should not use it in sentences. This is an archaic spelling of this word, so it would not make sense to talk about how to use it in sentences at this time.

How To Use The Word Superintendent

You can use the word superintendent as a noun in a sentence in the following contexts:

• A person managing an activity or organization
• A building caretaker
• A person employed to oversee a project or something
• An individual given the mandate to inspect something
• An older, mature, or established manager

You can also use this word as an adjective in sentences in the following contexts:

• Pertaining to a manager or supervisor
• In the capacity of a supervisor

Note: The word superintendent is often abbreviated as “super.” For example, in a sentence, “Our superintendent will collect the rent receipts tomorrow.” An example with the abbreviation, “Our super will collect the rent receipts tomorrow.”

Superintendant Vs Superintendent: Consider The Following When Using These Words

One of the primary things you should consider before using these words is that, while superintendant is an existing English word, it is currently obsolete. Therefore, you should not use it. So, the correct spelling is superintendent.

Besides this, here are some things you should consider when using these words:

Using These Words In Written Text

When using these words in written text or documents, you must first consider the spelling. Many people struggle to remember that the correct spelling is “SUPERINTENDENT,” not ‘SUPERINTENDANT.” So, we discovered something that can help you remember. A superintendent is “entitled’ because he has the requisite authority to manage or supervise something.” The word entitled starts with an ‘e.’ So, the correct spelling for has an “e,” not an “a.”

Using These Words In Conversations

When using these words in conversations, you must consider their pronunciation. Understandably, many people struggle with pronouncing these words because they are long and complex. However, you can master spellings by breaking down a word into syllables. The word superintendent has five syllables, “su-per-in-tend-ent.”

So, its correct spelling is either “/soop-per-in-ten-duhnt/” or “/soo-prin-ten-duhnt/.” Like superintendant, the word superintendent also has five syllables and a similar spelling. So, when speaking and you pronounce it correctly, no one can tell the difference.

The History Of These Words

The word superintendent originally comes from the 1550s Medieval Latin word, “superintendentem” meaning “biship or minister in charge of churches within a district.” It was coined from “superintendere,” meaning “overseer.”

Its forming words are “super,” which is a Latin word meaning “above,” and “intendere,” meaning “to direct or turn one’s attention to something.” The preferred spelling for this word, before the 1800s, was superintendant. However, after the 1800s, the English adopted the alternative spelling.

List Of Examples Of Superintendant And Superintendent Used In Sentences

Superintendent and superintendant are interesting words, as you can tell from the above content. However, they are also quite simple, and you do not need to use them in complex sentences. Check out the simple sentence examples below.

Note that we have only given out the example sentences of the word superintendent because that’s the word you should use going forward. Here we go.

1. An excellent example of a superintendent is the Director of Schools.
2. The superintendent kicked the noisy tenants out.
3. Our new superintendent will ensure the project runs smoothly.
4. The company hired a new superintendent this month.
5. The newly hired superintendent will report to work today
6. Our superintendent always forgets to change the bulbs in the hallways.
7. The building superintendents refused to rent apartments to people of color.
8. The private company hired a new superintendent after the former quit.
9. Before ascending the throne, the queen was the superintendant for the London Missionary Society.
10. The church appointed a new superintendent for the cathedral school.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that the word superintendant is a misspelling for the word superintendent. Therefore, if you began reading this article looking for the answer regarding which of these words you should use, the answer is superintendent.