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Important notice

Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.

For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!

Search Canada.ca
To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

colour, colourful, coloration

In such words as colour, Canadians generally prefer the British ending ‑our to the American ending ‑or (as in color).

  • Dominique doesn’t want to colour your opinion by telling you what she thinks.

Words formed from the root colour are also usually written with the ‑our spelling in Canada.

  • The newscaster used a colourful turn of phrase to describe the thief’s actions.
  • Cobalt was added as a colourant to the figurines and ornaments.
  • Each spring, the tap water at the cottage is discoloured.

However, the u is usually dropped in the words coloration and discoloration.

  • The discoloration of the wallpaper was due to a leaky pipe.