TEC Blog

Canadian and American Spelling: Your Guide from A to G

by Barbara Kamienski

Published at 2016-03-09

Vive la Différence!

We all know that there's a difference between Canadian and American spelling,* and many of us have a basic grasp of the patterns, such as "-our/-or," "-re/er," or "-yse/yze." But certainty usually ends somewhere around here, and unless you consult a dictionary, you may end up making rather haphazard spelling choices. "Does that look right? Um ... I think so ... Yeah, whatever."

To save you the trouble of keeping a dictionary close at hand every time you put pen to paper (or, more likely, fingers to keyboard), we've decided to list frequently confused word spellings in a chart, using the Canadian Oxford Dictionary for Canadian spelling and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary for American spelling. This week, we'll cover words that begin with A to G. You'll no doubt be relieved to see that some words are spelled the same in both systems!

*See also the following blogs:

Karen Kemlo, "American versus Canadian Spelling: It All Started with Noah" (April 21, 2014)

Kaci Schmitt, "An American Editor in the Land of the Canadian Oxford" (March 25, 2015)

CANADIAN	AMERICAN
abridgement	abridgment
acknowledgement	acknowledgment
aesthetic	aesthetic
aging	aging
analyze	analyze
anaesthesia	anesthesia
anemia	anemia
appendices	appendixes
arbour	arbor
archaeology	archaeology
ardour	ardor
armour	armor
axe	ax
balk	balk
behaviour	behavior
benefited	benefited
biased	biased
billeted	billeted
budgeted	budgeted
bureaus	bureaus
candour	candor
catalogue	catalog
catalyze	catalyze
centre	center
châteaus	châteaux
check (verify)	check (verify)
cheque (bank draft)	check (bank draft)
clamour	clamor
colour	color
colouration	coloration
colourful	colorful
colourize	colorize
colourist	colorist
combatting	combating
defence	defense
defensible	defensible
defensive	defensive
demeanour	demeanor
dialyze	dialyze
draft (draw up)	draft (draw up)
draft (wind, gulp)	draft (wind, gulp)
encyclopedia	encyclopedia
endeavour	endeavor
enrolment	enrollment
favour	favor
favourable	favorable
favourite	favorite
fervour	fervor
fibre	fiber
flyer (pilot)	flier (pilot)
flyer (pamphlet)	flyer (pamphlet)
forestall	forestall
forestalment	forestallment
fulfill	fulfill
fulfillment	fulfillment
genre	genre
glamour	glamour
glamorize	glamorize
glamorous	glamorous
grey	gray

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