Québec, City of Québec, Quebec City

According to the Geographical Names Board of Canada, the names of virtually all Canadian cities and towns have only one official form. Thus, the capital city of the province of Quebec is spelled Québec, with an accented é, in both English and French.

• Intrigued by the old walls and European atmosphere, Willy stopped in Québec (or the city of Québec) for a few days.

Many Canadians and Canadian newspapers prefer Quebec City, but this usage is informal and unofficial.

• Does your company have an office in Quebec City?

City of Québec (with a capital C) is an officially accepted designation for the municipality.

• The City of Québec spent millions of dollars cleaning up after the protests in 2001.

Note that when the official spelling for an institution or corporation does not use the accent, that usage should be respected.

• North America’s oldest newspaper is the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph.

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