Cancelled or Canceled | Difference & Examples
Cancelled and canceled are two different spellings of the past tense of the verb ‘cancel’, which means ‘annul’, ‘revoke,” or ‘match in force or outcome’. The spelling tends to vary based on the version of English:
- In UK English, ‘cancelled’ (double ‘l’) is standard.
- In US English, ‘canceled’ (one ‘l’) is more common.
My vote cancelled/canceled out Dave’s.
Farrah cancelled/canceled the reservation at the restaurant because of a family emergency.
I cancelled/canceled the hotel booking too late and lost my deposit.
‘Cancelling’ or ‘canceling’
The same distinction applies to the ‘-ing’ forms of the verb.
- In UK English, ‘cancelling’ (double ‘l’) is always used.
- In US English, both ‘canceling’ and ‘cancelling’ can be used depending on your preference, but ‘canceling’ is the more common spelling.
Kelly tried to check in online but ended up accidentally cancelling/canceling her booking.
‘Cancelation’ or ‘cancellation’
Cancellation (double ‘l’) is a noun used to refer to an act or instance of canceling something. This is the standard spelling in both UK and US English. While ‘cancelation’ (one ‘l’) occurs occasionally in US English, it’s rare and best avoided.
We got a late reservation at the restaurant due to a cancellation.
Other interesting language articles
If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.
Confused words
Definitions
US vs. UK spellings
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
Ryan, E. (2022, November 16). Cancelled or Canceled | Difference & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 9 December 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/uk-vs-us/canceled-or-cancelled/
