Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed of black and white. It is the color of a cloud-covered sky, of ash and of lead. The first recorded use of grey as a color name in the English language was in 700 CE. Grey is the dominant spelling in European and Commonwealth English, while gray has been the preferred spelling in American English; both spellings are valid in both varieties of English.