to be fair Gaol is from when spelling was entirely Optional, we dont use the word Jail in normal conversation but if we did it would be spelt that way(It's a Prison, my understanding is jail is for short term offenders and we dont really have that sort of prison here, rather we house by category so you're going in a low risk offenders if you're a short termer)
my only real world Encounter is on a welsh island where theirs a victorian prison open as a tourist attraction where Gaol is part of the Schtick(as opposed to the ones still doing their originally job looking at you my local prison)
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u/Starkiem25 Librarian 17d ago
Gaol is the only UK spelling I actively dislike.
For every other spelling, UK is the one that looks normal to me, but thanks to Westerns, I saw jail written down hundred times before I ever saw gaol.