Use abbr tag for alternate spellings?

is this a good idea

[mfagan]

I know that <abbr> and <acronym> tags weren't meant for this, but how about using them for alternate spellings. Such as
<abbr title="color">colour</abbr>
<abbr title="encyclopedia">encyclopędia</abbr>

It seems to me that this way I can use Canadian spelling, and proper spelling, without compromising which keywords appear on a page.

Just an idea.

[tedster]

It's worth a try, I'd say. My guess is that the spelling version within the title attribute will get MUCH less weight in most search engine algorithms - but that is a guess. Nothing like a real world test to tell for sure.