spelling: international variations

There are hundreds of words that have variant spellings in different parts of the English-speaking world, the principal cleavage being between the United Kingdom and the United States. Partly as a result of our historical links with Britain and our proximity to the United States, Canadian spelling has tended to waver between the forms used in these two countries, so that, to this day, there is no clearly established Canadian standard.

Differences between British and American spelling

While a list of words that have variant spellings in British and American practice would run into the hundreds and still not be exhaustive, the great majority of them fall into a few well-defined classes, as listed below.

• verbs ending in ise/ize and their derived forms
  • British: civilise, civilisation; organise, organisation; specialise, specialisation
  • American: civilize, civilization; organize, organization; specialize, specialization
• verbs ending in single l/double l and their derivatives
  • British: instil; fulfil, fulfilment; enrol, enrolment
  • American: instill; fulfill, fulfillment; enroll, enrollment
• double l/single l in the past tense of verbs
  • British: counselled; labelled; travelled
  • American: counseled; labeled; traveled
• nouns ending in our/or
  • British: colour; honour; favour
  • American: color; honor; favour
• nouns ending in re/er
  • British: centre; fibre; theatre
  • American: center; fiber; theater
• nouns in ce/se
  • British: defence; offence; pretence
  • American: defense; offense; pretense

Note: British spelling also makes a distinction between certain noun and verb forms that is not maintained in American spelling. Thus, British licence (noun), license (verb) and practice (noun), practise (verb); American license and practice for both forms.

• treatment of the digraphs ae and oe in words derived from Greek and Latin
  • British: anaemia; encyclopaedia, diarrhoea, oecumenical
  • American: anemia, encyclopedia, diarrhea, ecumenical 

Canadian spelling

The recommended spelling authority is a reliable Canadian dictionary such as the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. It is important to choose one and use it consistently. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary is based on research into Canadian usage, contains specifically Canadian terms and reflects the usage of most federal government departments and agencies more closely than do American or British dictionaries.

When the dictionary lists two spellings for a word in the same entry, choose the one entered first. When two spellings are given separate entries, choose the primary spelling, which is the one followed by the definition (the variant simply refers the reader to the primary entry).

For scientific and technical words not in the Canadian Oxford, check Webster’s Third New International Dictionary.

In light of these recommendations, use the following variant spellings:

• endings in ize, ization;
• double l in verbs like fulfill (exception: enrol);
• double l in words such as fulfillment (exception: enrolment);
• double l in travelled, etc.;
• endings our, re, and ce for nouns (exception: pretense); and
• e for digraphs (exceptions: aesthetic and onomatopoeic).

However, be careful to respect the official spelling of names of U.S. institutions: e.g. Department of Defense, Center for Disease Control.

Note

The spelling rules and lists of words presented in our articles are intended to supplement, not replace, the use of the spelling authority you choose. The important point with respect to spelling is to be consistent in your written work unless a good reason exists for using variant or archaic spellings.

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