Canadian spelling cheatsheet

Easy rules

-re not -er

centre, kilometre, lustre and lacklustre, calibre, sabre, ochre, microfibre

Same goes for verbs, adjectives, and adverbs: centring, sombrely, mitred

-our not -or

colour, labour, favour, honour and honourable, glamour

But many adjectives drop the U: colorful, laborious, favorable, honorable, glamorous

-ize not -ise (but be careful)

Many words use -ize: realize, optimize, authorize, reprioritize, paralyze

But many other words always use -ise everywhere that English is written, including Canada: exercise, advertise, excise, devise, chastise, improvise, rise

-ould not -old

mould, moulting, smouldering

Drop an E, add an E

No E: achievable, livable, lovable, licensable, movable

Added E: axe, analogue, catalogue

Tricky rules

Some nouns don’t match their verbs

Offence is a noun. So are defence and licence. But license is a verb (hence licensing). Practice is a noun (also malpractice) and practise is a verb (practising)

Oddball words

We write some words the way Americans do: program, curb, draft, aluminum, cozy, oriented, cognizant, tire (on a vehicle)

We write a few words the way the British do: cheque (banking; also chequing account, chequebook), sulphur, storey (three-storey building).

Doubled consonants -ll-, -ss-, -tt

There isn’t agreement here. Use a single or double consonant, but be consistent and use one set of spellings all the time.

model → modelling
budget → budgetted
focus → focussed

The same goes for words like skillful, willful, and fulfillment. Choose one L or two, but be consistent.