Public Services and Procurement Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

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Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.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

jack-o’-lantern

Note the two hyphens and the apostrophe in jack-o’-lantern, a carved pumpkin used as a decoration at Hallowe’en. Jack-o’-lantern is also the name of a variety of pumpkin grown for this purpose.

  • Samira carved a jack-o’-lantern for her high school Hallowe’en dance.
  • Traditional jack-o’-lanterns are now outnumbered by Hallowe’en garlands, scarecrows and ghostly effects in most Canadian neighbourhoods.