How To Spell Cancelled

Americans favor canceled one l while cancelled two ls is preferred in british english and other dialects.

How to spell cancelled. Grammarist says september 19 2012 at 9 23 am. Spelling in the english language has historically been messy and inconsistent. Cancel definition is to decide not to conduct or perform something planned or expected usually without expectation of conducting or performing it at a later time. Past simple and past participle of cancel 2. Allow us to explain.

Canceled is the recommended spelling in webster s 1898 dictionary. You can sign in to vote the answer. How do you think about the answers. Canceled is typically preferred in american english while cancelled is the standard in british english. Both spellings are correct.

Webster s 1806 dictionary has cancelled but in his 1828 the word is spelled as canceled. Past simple and past participle of cancel. The word canceled is on the rise in the u s. Because cancelled does not pass the microsoft word spell check. I believe canceled is the american practice and cancelled the british usage.

How to use cancel in a sentence. There are examples of cancelled in american use and of canceled in british so you needn t feel bad about yourself if you mistakenly use the variant that is less common where you live. Likewise the ap stylebook prefers the use of cancel canceled and canceling but it favors cancellation over cancelation. Taking this into consideration you should only use one l if you are writing to an american audience with the possible exception of cancellation. Hitting the spell check would show both as correct.

Well it all boils down to whether you re a citizen of the united states or the united kingdom. Canceled or cancelled is the past tense of the verb to cancel. Why are there two different spellings. What s the correct spelling. Plus it s ok to use cancelled in the us too.