Last Updated: August 31, 2026
Sometimes, They Sound a Little Different
At ESLFromCanada.com, I teach a neutral, easy-to-understand Canadian accent. Actually, Canadian English sounds very close to American English. (That’s one reason why so many actors in American movies are actually Canadians! )
But there are a few differences. For example:
- Canadians say the last letter in the alphabet is “zed.” American say “zee.”
- For the word process, Canadians say “PROH-cess” (long “o” sound). Americans say “PRAH-cess” (short “o” sound).
- For progress: Canadians say “PROH-gress” (long “o”). Americans say “PRAH-gress” (short “o”).
- For project, Canadians say “PROH-ject” (long “o”). Americans says “PRAH-ject” (short “o”).
American Spelling is Easier
Canadian spelling is more like British spelling. For example, Canadians write "colour," "honour," and "neighbour" with a "u." Americans don’t use the “u”. They write “color,” “honor,” and “neighbor.”
Then there are words like "centre" and "theatre." The British way is to have an “re” ending. Americans always use “er” (center and theater). The same goes with metric words like kilometre (kilometer) and centimetre (centimeter). But since Canada is so close to the USA, we often mix them up. In other words, you will see both American and British spelling in Canada.
One more thing: In Canada, a “cheque” is a piece of paper that is used as money. Americans spell it as “check.” But in Canada, a “check” is a bill to pay. That’s why we have the expression: “Waiter, may I have the check please?” This means we have to give money to the waiter, but we don’t know how much.
The Good News!
American and Canadian English are nearly the same. If you subscribe to ESLFromCanada.com, you won’t go wrong. My subscribers get written lessons and YouTube videos. And I explain the differences between American and Canadian English. But everyone in the USA understands Canadian English very well. Once in a while, if you say “zed” instead of “zee”, someone might say to you, “Are you from Canada?”