Glossary Earthing

Earthing vs Grounding: Same Concept, Different Words

A quick clarification of terminology, for anyone confused by seeing both terms used seemingly interchangeably.

"Earthing" and "grounding" refer to the same underlying electrical safety concept — the terminology split is a regional English-language convention, not a difference in electrical principle.

Where Each Term Is Used

Term	Common usage
Earthing	British-English-derived convention — common in the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, and most Commonwealth-influenced electrical terminology
Grounding	American-English-derived convention — used throughout the NEC and North American electrical practice

Why This Matters Beyond Just Vocabulary

Since the underlying concept is identical, reading NEC documentation ("grounding") alongside PEC or AS/NZS documentation ("earthing") shouldn't cause confusion about the concept itself — but the specific systems, sizing tables, and terminology conventions built around that shared concept genuinely differ by code, covered in the dedicated cross-code earthing/grounding comparison article.

OhmWorks uses "Earthing" for the PEC and AS/NZS tabs and "Grounding" for the NEC tab, matching each code's own convention.

Engr. Jason Morales — Founder, SolarEnergyPH & OhmWorks

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