WHY DO CANADIANS
WRITE COLOUR?

Most Canadians learn to write colour in elementary school and rarely think twice about it. Yet that single extra u tells a fascinating story about Canadian history, education, publishing traditions and our place between British and American influences.

Canadian English developed through a distinctive mixture of British conventions and North American usage. Canada retained familiar spellings such as colour, honour, favour, labour and neighbour, while the United States adopted the shorter forms ending in-or. These Canadian spellings remain widely used in government, education, journalism, business and professional writing.

Today, however, Canadians encounter American spelling almost everywhere. Computer programs, mobile devices, websites and international publications frequently suggest color rather than colour. Even confident writers may begin to wonder which form belongs in Canadian correspondence, reports and publications.

The answer involves more than one letter. Canadian spelling reflects our history, our institutions and the way Canadians have chosen to communicate across generations.

The Canadian English Guide explores those choices, explains the differences and provides practical examples to help Canadians write with confidence and consistency.

Discover the history behind the words Canadians write every day.

WHY DO CANADIANS
CALL IT HYDRO?

For many Canadians, paying the hydro bill simply means paying for electricity. The expression feels so natural that most people never stop to question it. Yet visitors from outside Canada are often puzzled. Why would electricity be called hydro, especially in places where the power doesn’t come from hydroelectric generation?

The answer lies in Canadian history. During the twentieth century, hydroelectric projects and publicly owned power systems became closely associated with electricity generation and distribution across much of the country. Over time, the word hydro moved beyond its technical meaning and entered everyday conversation. What once referred specifically to hydroelectric power gradually became shorthand for electricity itself.

Today, Canadians commonly speak about hydro bills, hydro poles, hydro workers, and hydro outages, whether they live in a downtown apartment, a suburban neighbourhood, or a rural community. The term has become such a familiar part of Canadian English that many people are surprised to discover it is not widely used in the same way elsewhere.

Hydro is also a reminder that language develops through experience. Words are shaped not only by dictionaries and grammar books, but by government programs, public institutions, local traditions, technology, and everyday conversation. As communities change, so does the language they use.

Alongside washroom, toque, loonie, eavestrough, and pencil crayons, hydro has become one of the most recognisable examples of Canadian English. Each word carries a small piece of Canadian history and helps tell the story of how Canadians communicate with one another from coast to coast.

The Canadian English Guide will explore these uniquely Canadian words and expressions, tracing their origins, explaining their meanings, and revealing the fascinating stories hidden inside the language many Canadians use every day.

Discover the words that make Canadian English unmistakably Canadian..

WHY DO CANADIANS
SAY WASHROOM?

Ask for a washroom almost anywhere in Canada and no one will think twice. Use the same word elsewhere, however, and the choice may immediately identify the speaker as Canadian.

Most Canadians use washroom without considering why. It sounds polite, practical and entirely ordinary. Yet in other English-speaking countries, people may be more accustomed to hearing restroom, bathroom, toilet or another regional term.

That simple difference illustrates one of the most enjoyable aspects of Canadian English. Our language is filled with familiar words whose distinctiveness becomes apparent only when someone from outside Canada points them out.

Expressions such as washroom, hydro, toque, loonie, eavestrough and pencil crayons reflect geography, institutions, regional customs and generations of everyday conversation. Some are used throughout Canada, while others reveal where a person grew up or which expressions were common within a particular community. Exploring Canadian English means paying attention to these ordinary words and discovering the remarkable stories behind them.

Come back and explore the language that helps make everyday Canadian life unmistakably Canadian.