Storey or Story?

What Is the Difference between "Storey" and "Story"?

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"Storey" and "story" are easy to confuse if you're following UK writing conventions because "story" and "storey" have different meanings. In the US, "storey" is not a word.

"Story" means "narrative" or "tale." For example:

Tell me a bedtime story.

"Story" means "the level of a building" in the US. For example:

A five-story building

"Storey" means "the level of a building" in the UK. For example:

A five-storey building

The Plural of "Story" and "Storey"

The plural of "story" is "stories." For example:

She tells good stories. ( and )
With 163 stories, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. () ()

The plural of "storey" is "storeys." For example:

With 163 storeys, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. () ()

More Examples with "Story" and "Storey"

Here are two more examples to show the difference between "story" and "storey":

Beowulf is an epic traditional good-versus-evil story. Beowulf battles three monsters throughout the story. ( and )
I heard a story about the bungee jumper who died because he miscalculated the height of the each storey before diving off a building. () ()

First Floor or Ground Floor?

Americans call the ground-level floor of a building the "first floor," but the Europeans call it the "ground floor." (The star on the lift buttons below indicates the ground-level floor.)