Canceled vs. Cancelled - Which Is Correct? (original) (raw)

Cancelled or canceled is the past tense form of the verb cancel. They’re both correct, depending on which side of the pond you find yourself. In British English, it’s cancelled with two L’s, a convention also adopted by Canada and Australia. Meanwhile, in the United States, we like to keep things simple with just one L: canceled. This isn’t just about esthetics or a love for consonants; it boils down to usage and regional preferences.

Stick around as I explain the details about the meaning of these spellings and offer some nifty examples to help you avoid any future cancel culture—of the grammatical sort, at least.

Canceled or Cancelled?

Canceled, with one L, is used in American English, and cancelled, with two L’s, is preferred in British English and outside of the U.S.

Why Cancelled and Canceled are Different

Cancelled and canceled are only different in spelling and origin. Obviously, one word has a double L, while the other only has one. But the most significant difference between them is that cancelled is British English, while canceled is American English.

So, what’s the logic behind American English’s use of a single L? In the 19th century, Noah Webster of the Webster’s Dictionary thought some words kept their value with a letter removed.

Even with a simplified spelling, canceled still sounds and means the same as cancelled. The same is accurate with other American spellings, like honor/honour and color/colour.

Thanks to Noah Webster’s dictionaries, these American spellings became official. However, these orthographic variations were already present before.

The present progressive form of the verb may also use single or double L. This means canceling and cancelling are also acceptable.

When to Use Canceled vs. Cancelled

Spelling variations of the same word can be confusing. Like, authorise vs authorize, or apologise vs apologize.

American English canceled and cancelled usage trend.

Use canceled when writing in American English, and use cancelled for British English. Don’t get confused about their definitions because they are the same. Cancelled and canceled come from the simple verb form, cancel, which means:

• To annul, make void, or revoke. E.g., She canceled/cancelled her transaction.
• To call off an event or occurrence. E.g., My sister’s flight was canceled/cancelled.
• To compensate for one another. E.g., Our opposing votes always cancel each other.

Here are other examples that use American English and British English in a sentence:

• Allan canceled our reservation because I already had dinner.
• Allan cancelled our reservation because I have already had dinner.

Here’s a bonus lesson, which you’ll find helpful later on: American English usually uses simple past tense. And British English uses present perfect tense.

Other words with spelling differences that follow the same guideline include modeled and modelled and bejeweled and bejewelled.

More American Examples

Take a look at these other American examples of canceled and canceling in a sentence:

• My friend canceled his dental appointment because he still gets scared of the dentist.
• The scorching heat of the sun canceled out the coldness of my AC system.
• His secretary canceled all the upcoming meetings next week.
• The newly-wedded couple canceled their Bali honeymoon due to the pandemic.
• An oxymoron is just a figure of speech where the words are canceling each other out.

But there’s a catch. Some verbs that end in L use a double L for their American past tense. Here are some examples:

• Rebel, rebelled, and rebelling.
• Compel, compelled, and compelling.
• Enrol/Enroll, enrolled, and enrolling.
• Dispel, dispelled, and dispelling.

If you want to know whether you should double the L or not, try to pronounce the word. If the final syllable is heavy, a double L is the preferred spelling. If not, use single L. Some American publications also use cancelled to emphasize the last syllable.

More British Examples

Check out these British differences in spelling for cancelled and cancelling in a sentence. Note the double-L spelling:

• My colleague fancied Marilyn Manson before he was cancelled on social media.
• Oliver is pissed because his date got cancelled.
• Her majesty has cancelled her trip to Glasgow due to doctors’ advice.
• Why do you keep cancelling your Netflix subscription?
• I don’t understand why the school cancelled golf and gymnastics programs.

British English vs. American English

British English and American English differ in sentence structure and spelling. One instance is when you maintain or double the last letter when adding inflections like -ed, -ing, -er, and -or.

British English canceled and cancelled usage trend.

You already know that British English always doubles the L. Hence the word cancelled. And American English uses a single L, except when you stress the last syllable.

To tell the difference between the two, just remember that American books and publications use words that are shorter most of the time for an American audience. The terms have “reformed” spellings which many Americans advocated for in the past. Some pushed the change as a form of protest, while others aimed to simplify the language.

Even American sentences are shorter. Remember our previous example on using simple past and present perfect tenses? Americans would say, “I already had dinner,” while British people would say, “I have already had dinner”.

Spelling Exception: Cancellation

Now that you know the difference between canceled and cancelled, let’s talk about cancellation. This word is a spelling exception because it’s the standard term in American and British English.

No matter who your audience is, use cancellation instead of cancelation. Take a look at these examples:

• British Airways suggested rescheduling instead of a flight cancellation.
• I’m disappointed about the cancellation of Beyonce’s concert.
• You better go if you don’t want to pay a cancellation fee of ￡80.
• An annulment is a proper term for the cancellation of a marriage.
• She requested a cancellation of the event because she was afraid of being cancelled.

Does Canadian English Use Canceled or Cancelled?

American and Canadian accents might sound the same, but their writing styles in English are very distinct. Canadian English is similar to British English spellings in that they use cancelled instead of canceled.

Canadian English also uses other longer words as a spelling rule. It adopts “ou” in words like humour, behaviour, and romour. And they prefer “er” instead of “re,” as in centre and theatre.

Does Australian English Use Canceled or Cancelled?

Australia also spells the word with a double L like Canada and British spellings. Australian English uses cancel, cancelled, cancelling, and cancellation. They also spell humour instead of humor and favourite instead of favorite.

In Conclusion

Both canceled and cancelled are acceptable varieties of English, correct spellings, and have the same definitions. However, American English employs the version with a single L, while British English prefers double L. The key to avoiding any confusion is remembering that Americans use simpler spelling.

Remember to consider who your target audience is before using canceled or cancelled. Otherwise, people might cancel you!