Spelling dictionary
The following includes words from the Canadian Oxford Dictionary and CP Stylebook with troublesome spellings. Also included are some academic words often used at Memorial University.
- abscess
- accommodate
- advisor
- allotted
- alumnae rarely used (See Alumni section.)
- alumni most commonly used (See Alumni section.)
- alumna
- alumnus
- analyze not analyse
- anoint
- BA
- bachelor’s degree not capitalized
- bachelor’s degrees not bachelors’ degrees, and not capitalized
- battalion
- benefited
- Board of Regents or board in subsequent references (See Capitalization section.)
- B.Sc.
- buoy
- caffeine
- carburetor
- cemetery
- centre in past tense, centred
- chair a verb, as in "she will chair the meeting"
- chair a noun, when referring to a title (See Capitalization section.)
- College is capitalized when referring to a specific college in first reference: Grenfell College (See Capitalization section.)
- cirrhosis
- cocurricular
- college in subsequent references or general use (See Capitalization section.)
- colour
- coloration
- compatible
- confectionery
- connoisseur
- consensus
- co-ordinate
- co-operate
- dean in subsequent references (See Capitalization section.)
- deductible
- defence not defense
- delicatessen
- deterrent
- dilemma
- disappoint
- D.Litt. Doctor of Letters
- doctoral degree not capitalized
- doctorate not capitalized
- ecstasy
- e.g. meaning "for example." Use a comma before the abbreviation but not after.
- email (no hyphen)
- embarrass
- emeritus (masc.) (See Emeritus section.)
- English upper case (See Academic subjects section.)
- enrol, enrolled, enrolling
- enrolment
- ensure not insure (except when referring to insurance)
- etc. meaning "and so on." Do not use a comma before the abbreviation.
- faculty as in a group of professors, the professoriate
- Faculty as in an academic division, the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science (See Capitalization section.)
- fall semester, winter semester, spring semester (no caps)
- favour
- Fax or FAX (no period)
- Fellow, when referring to an academic Fellow, a Fellow of the Royal Society etc. (See Capitalization section.)
- first-year student, during first year
- focused
- focusing
- fulfil
- full time as an adverb, e.g. She works here full time. (modifies a verb or sentence)
- full-time as an adjective, e.g. He is a full-time student. (modifies a noun)
- fundraiser
- fundraising
- gauge
- Governor General no hyphen, upper case only when it precedes name
- governor general lower case in subsequent references and in general use without a name
- Grade 9, Grade 12, ninth grade
- grey
- harass, harassment
- hemorrhage
- honour
- Honours BA
- honours degree
- honorary degree
- honoris causa put in italics, indicating Latin words (See Italics section.)
- hygiene
- hypocrisy
- idiosyncrasy
- i.e. meaning "that is to say." Do not use a comma after the abbreviation.
- impostor
- impresario
- Inco
- infallible
- innocuous
- inoculate
- in regard to not ‘in regards to’
- install
- installation, installed
- instalment
- instill
- instilled
- interdisciplinary no hyphen
- Internet
- Inuit plural noun and adjective
- Inuk singular noun and adjective
- iridescent
- jewelry
- judgment
- khaki
- labour
- lead noun as in "a pencil lead"
- lead verb, present tense of "to lead"
- led verb, past tense of "to lead"
- literature not a synonym for English (there are many different types of literature)
- library in general terms, or in subsequent reference
- Library as in the QE II Library, capitalize on first reference with full name
- licence noun (as in driver’s licence, fishing licence)
- license verb (to grant a permit to, to authorize the use of, as in, he is licensed as a chiropractor, the restaurant is licensed to serve alcohol)
- lieutenant
- Lieutenant-Governor with hyphen, upper case only when it precedes a name
- litre
- LLD Doctor of Laws
- LLB Bachelor of Laws
- LLM Master of Laws
- MA
- master’s degree not capitalized
- master’s degrees not masters’ degrees, and not capitalized
- metre
- millennium
- Mother Nature
- Ms.
- M.Sc. (See Degrees section.)
- multilingual no hyphen
- multidisciplinary no hyphen
- non-profit
- numbers write one through nine as words, depict 10 and up as figures (See Numbers section.)
- occurrence
- online
- organization
- parallel
- paralleled
- paraphernalia
- parliament no caps
- part time as an adverb, e.g. She works here part time. (modifies a verb or sentence) part-time as an adjective, e.g. He is a part-time student. (modifies a noun)
- pavilion
- perseverance
- per cent (use % only in a table)
- percentage
- PhD no periods, stands for doctor of philosophy
- post-secondary
- prerequisite
- prerogative
- Principal upper case only when followed by a name, as in Grenfell College Principal John Ashton (See Capitalization section.)
- principle noun, meaning fundamental truth or law, as in the moral principle or she has no principles
- privilege
- professor emeritus
- professor emerita
- professores emeriti
- program not programme
- pro tempore (always italics)
- questionnaire
- rarefy
- reconnaissance
- Remembrance Day (not Armistice Day)
- restaurateur
- resuscitate
- rhythm
- sacrilegious
- semi-final
- senate in second and subsequent references or general use. (See Capitalization sections.)
- shepherd
- siege
- supersede
- surmise
- surprise
- theatre not theater (unless part of a proper name, esp. in the U.S.)
- ton - imperial measure
- tonne - metric measure
- U.S., but US when referring used with money, $50 US
- U.S.A.
- valour
- vapour
- versus use long form in text
- vs. use short form only in sports schedules and law cases
- vigorous
- vigour
- WAR: First World War, Second World War
- website
- weird
- well-known
- world renowned
- Yom Kippur