Editing Canadian English (section)

== Vocabulary ==
Where Canadian English shares vocabulary with other English dialects, it tends to share most with American English, but also has many non-American terms distinctively shared instead with Britain. British and American terms also can coexist in Canadian English to various extents, sometimes with new nuances in meaning; a classic example is {{lang|italic=yes|en-GB|holiday}} (British) often used interchangeably with {{lang|italic=yes|en-US|vacation}} (American), though, in Canadian speech, the latter can more narrowly mean a trip elsewhere and the former can mean general time off work.  In addition, the vocabulary of Canadian English also features some words that are seldom (if ever) found elsewhere. A good resource for these and other words is ''[[A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles]]'', which is currently being revised at the [[University of British Columbia]] in [[Vancouver]], British Columbia. The Canadian public appears to take interest in unique "Canadianisms": words that are distinctively characteristic of Canadian English—though perhaps not exclusive to Canada; there is some disagreement about the extent to which "Canadianism" means a term actually unique to Canada, with such an understanding possibly overstated by the popular media.<ref name="Dollinger 2008" /><ref>"[https://www.academia.edu/4002053/Uniquely_Canadian_Eh_Review_of_Barber_Katherine._2007._Only_in_Canada_You_Say_A_Treasury_of_Canadian_Language._Oxford_University_Press Uniquely Canadian, Eh?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021064829/http://www.academia.edu/4002053/Uniquely_Canadian_Eh_Review_of_Barber_Katherine._2007._Only_in_Canada_You_Say_A_Treasury_of_Canadian_Language._Oxford_University_Press |date=2017-10-21 }}" Review of Barber, Katherine by Stefan Dollinger. 2007. ''Only in Canada You Say: A Treasury of Canadian Language''. Oxford University Press.</ref> As a member of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], Canada shares many items of institutional terminology and professional designations with the countries of the former British Empire—for example, {{lang|italic=yes|en-CA|constable}}, for a police officer of the lowest rank, and {{lang|italic=yes|en-CA|chartered accountant}}.

=== Regional variation ===
While Canadian English has vocabulary that distinguishes it from other varieties of English across the world,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Avis |first1=Walter S. |title=A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles |last2=Crate |first2=Charles |last3=Drysdale |first3=Patrick |last4=Leechman |first4=Douglas |last5=Scargill |first5=Matthew H. |last6=Lovell |first6=Charles J. |publisher=Gage Education |year=1991 |edition=1st ed [1967 reprint] |pages=n/a (online edition)}}</ref> there is significant regional variation in its lexis within Canada as well. A balanced cross-continental sample of 1800 Canadians and 360 Americans<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Boberg |first=Charles |date=2005 |title=The North American Regional Vocabulary Survey: new variables and methods in the study of North American English |journal=American Speech |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=29|doi=10.1215/00031283-80-1-22 }}</ref> the Canada and the USA is the result of Boberg's North American Regional Vocabulary Survey (NARVS), a questionnaire employed by Boberg from 1999–2007 <ref name="Archived copy">{{Cite journal |journal=World Englishes |url=https://www.academia.edu/4001738 |title=On the Autonomy and Homogeneity of Canadian English |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=449–466 |year=2012 |access-date=11 April 2023 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406204237/https://www.academia.edu/4001738/On_the_Autonomy_and_Homogeneity_of_Canadian_English_with_Sandra_Clarke_ |url-status=live |last1=Dollinger |first1=Stefan |last2=Clarke |first2=Sandra |doi=10.1111/j.1467-971X.2012.01773.x }}</ref> that sought out lexical items that vary regionally within Canada. Six regions were identified in the NARVS data collection: The West, which includes British Columbia and the Prairies; Ontario; Quebec, which represents data from Montreal mostly; New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island; and Newfoundland.<ref name="Archived copy"/> Many regional differences in the lexis are item-specific. For example, one of these items has to do with the nationally enjoyed meal of pizza, and more specifically, the term used to refer to a pizza that features all available toppings. While Atlantic Canada refers to this order as ‘the works,’ the majority term used from eastern Ontario to the West Coast is deluxe, and terms such as 'all-dressed' and 'everything-on-it' are used in Quebec and Toronto, respectively. Other examples include the regionally varied usage of running shoes/runners/sneakers to describe athletic shoes, and notebook/scribbler/cahier to describe any type of plain [[Notebook|note-pad.]]<ref name="Archived copy"/> Despite the regional variation of vocabulary items within Canada, the lexis of Canadian English still maintains greater commonality between its own regions than it does with American English or British English.

==== Quebec ====
Quebec recognizes French as its primary language. As a result, English has no official status in Quebec and is not used often in the public sphere. Although, in more metropolitan areas such as Montreal or Quebec City, it is not uncommon to see English media in public, such as in advertisements and store-fronts. Also, the provincial government must officially be referred to as the "Gouvernement du Québec", regardless of the language being used by the speaker. While the lexical catalog of Quebec English contains items influenced or borrowed by French, the influence of the dominant French language on Quebec English is marginal.<ref name="onlinelibrary.wiley.com">{{cite journal | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-971X.2012.01776.x?saml_referrer | doi=10.1111/j.1467-971X.2012.01776.x | title=English as a minority language in Quebec | year=2012 | last1=Boberg | first1=Charles | journal=World Englishes | volume=31 | issue=4 | pages=493–502 | access-date=11 April 2023 | archive-date=8 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408095502/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-971X.2012.01776.x?saml_referrer | url-status=live }}</ref> The francophone dominance in Quebec makes the province a linguistic anomaly within Canada, where English maintains a negligible role in government and public domains.<ref name="onlinelibrary.wiley.com"/> The French influence on Quebec English operates through five distinct processes, as identified by Charles Boberg: elective direct lexical transfer of non-English words (e.g., garderie for daycare), imposed direct lexical transfer of non-English words, for example, SAQ for ''Société des alcools du Québec'', loan translation/calques such as 'all-dressed' for the French equivalent 'toute garnie'. Semantic shifts of existing English words, like 'magasin' for 'store', in addition to syntactic influences; e.g, "we're living here three years" instead of the English "we've been living here for three years".<ref name="onlinelibrary.wiley.com"/> Although Quebec English differs from other Canadian regional lexes due to its special contact with French, it still shares some similarities with the lexis of other Canadian regions. For instance, the use of lexical items such as all-dressed has been successfully transferred to most other Canadian regional lexes.<ref name="Archived copy"/>

==== Ontario ====
Southern Ontario was initially settled by white Protestants, with the late 19th century witnessing the migration of white Protestant settlers from Ontario to western Canada following the suppression of the Métis opposition. This migration facilitated the transplantation of the Ontario accent and the emergence of a homogeneous Canadian English dialect.<ref name="hdl.handle.net">{{cite book | url=http://hdl.handle.net/1974/27537 | hdl=1974/27537 | title=Canadian English: A Linguistic Reader | year=2010 | access-date=11 April 2023 | archive-date=11 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411040907/https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/27537 | url-status=live | last1=Gold | first1=Elaine | last2=McAlpine | first2=Janice }}</ref> Distinctive to Ontario are Canadianisms such as concession roads, which refer to roads that transect a township, dew-worm, which refers to an earthworm, and fire-reel, which refers to a fire truck.<ref name="hdl.handle.net"/> Walter S. Avis identified several linguistic features characteristic of Ontarians, including their preference for the word vacation, rather than holiday—which is considered more British English—and sack over paper bag. While there may be numerous such lexical differences in the speech of provincial and national borderers, Avis asserts that these are relatively minor compared to the linguistic features held in common.<ref name="cambridge.org">{{Cite journal |title=Speech Differences along the Ontario-United States Border  |journal=Canadian Journal of Linguistics / Revue canadienne de linguistique |date=October 1954 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=13–18 |doi=10.1017/S0319573200025145 |last1=Avis |first1=Walter S. |s2cid=247198153 }}</ref> Furthermore, Avis suggests that the difference between American English and Ontario English is relatively small near the border due to their close proximity. The historical settlement patterns of southern Ontario, coupled with linguistic research, indicate the existence of distinctively Ontarian lexical items. However, Ontario maintains greater similarities with other Canadian regions than it does with the neighbouring American English and its regional variations.<ref name="cambridge.org"/>

Northern Ontario English has several distinct qualities stemming from its large [[Franco-Ontarian]] population. As a result several [[French language|French]] and English words are used interchangeably. A number of phrases and expressions may also be found in Northern Ontario that are not present in the rest of the province,<ref>{{cite web |last=Stone |first=Laura |date=27 September 2011 |title=Looking for true Canadian English, there? Go north |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2011/09/27/looking_for_true_canadian_english_there_go_north.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013145609/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2011/09/27/looking_for_true_canadian_english_there_go_north.html |archive-date=13 October 2014 |access-date=5 August 2014 |work=Toronto Star}}</ref> such as the use of ''camp'' for a summer home where Southern Ontario speakers would idiomatically use [[cottage]].

In the mid to late 90s, certain words from [[Jamaican Patois]], Arabic and Somali were incorporated into the local variety of English by [[Toronto]] youth, especially in immigrant communities, thus giving rise to [[Toronto slang]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Elango |first1=Vidhya |last2=Denis |first2=Derek |title=Variable BAN-laxing in Multicultural Toronto English |url=https://cla-acl.ca/pdfs/resumes-2021-abstracts/ElangoDenis.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729050620/https://cla-acl.ca/pdfs/resumes-2021-abstracts/ElangoDenis.pdf |archive-date=2021-07-29 |website=(CLA) Canadian Linguistic Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-17 |title=The past, present, and future of Canadian English: What our accent tells us about being Canadian |url=https://the-pigeon.ca/2020/07/17/canadian-accent/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505081732/https://the-pigeon.ca/2020/07/17/canadian-accent/ |archive-date=5 May 2022 |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=The Pigeon |language=en-CA}}</ref> These examples included words such as ''mandem'', ''styll'', ''wallahi'', ''wasteman'', and ''yute''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Denis |first1=Derek |date=2016-10-05 |title=A note on mans in Toronto |url=https://twpl.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/twpl/article/view/26973 |url-status=live |journal=Toronto Working Papers in Linguistics |volume=37 |doi=10.33137/twpl.v37i0.26973 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213022451/https://twpl.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/twpl/article/view/26973 |archive-date=13 December 2022 |access-date=11 April 2023 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-08 |title=Opinion: The revolution of Toronto slang |url=https://thevarsity.ca/2020/03/08/opinion-the-revolution-of-toronto-slang/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411040922/https://thevarsity.ca/2020/03/08/opinion-the-revolution-of-toronto-slang/ |archive-date=11 April 2023 |access-date=2022-05-31 |website=The Varsity |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta) ====
The Prairies, consisting of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, have their own lexical features. The linguistic legacy from the settlement patterns in these regions, along with the Indigenous communities, specifically the large Métis population in Saskatchewan and Manitoba also carry certain linguistic traits inherited from the French, Indigenous, and Celtic forebears. The linguistic features brought by Ukrainian, German, and Mennonite populations in the Saskatchewan Valley of Saskatchewan and Red River Valley of Manitoba have also influenced the lexis of the Prairies. Some terms are derived from these groups and some are formed within the region by locals throughout time. An example of the former is the high-profile variable bunnyhug, a term for a hooded sweatshirt in Saskatchewan.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305326586 |title=the Written Questionnaire in Social Dialectology: History, Theory, Practice |access-date=11 April 2023 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406204237/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305326586_The_Written_Questionnaire_in_Social_Dialectology_History_Theory_Practice |url-status=live }}</ref> As discussed in The Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles,<ref name="DCHP-2">{{cite web | url=http://www.dchp.ca/dchp2/ | title=DCHP-2 | access-date=11 April 2023 | archive-date=18 October 2019 | archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/4160/20191018173237/http://www.dchp.ca/dchp2/ | url-status=live }}</ref> bunnyhug is purposely and commonly used by young Saskatchewan speakers to indicate a sense of provincial identity, and is referred to as a Saskatchewanism. It should be further noted that it is assumed based on circumstantial evidence that teenagers played a crucial and special role in the spread and adoption of the term bunnyhug for hooded sweatshirts.<ref name="DCHP-2"/> Across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba there are other terms consistent in or throughout the 3 provinces. Biffed is a term for falling, such as "John biffed it over there". Pickerel is Manitoba's official fish, also known as Walleye. Play structure is used to describe a playground for children consisting of monkey bars, slides, etc.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://globalnews.ca/news/2479009/can-you-speak-prairies-here-is-your-guide-to-deciphering-the-dialect/ | title=Can you speak Prairies? Here is your guide to deciphering the dialect &#124; Globalnews.ca | access-date=11 April 2023 | archive-date=8 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408095503/https://globalnews.ca/news/2479009/can-you-speak-prairies-here-is-your-guide-to-deciphering-the-dialect/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick & Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland)====
Canada's Atlantic provinces were the first part of North America to be explored by Europeans. The Atlantic provinces, historically and collectively called the Maritimes, consist of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island. Newfoundland and Labrador, which is not part of the Maritimes, is also part of Atlantic Canada. The historical immigrants from Europe have shaped cultures and lexical catalogs across the regions of Atlantic Canada that reflect British, Scottish, Gaelic, and French customs.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://thecanadaguide.com/places/atlantic-canada/ | title=Atlantic Canada | access-date=11 April 2023 | archive-date=6 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406204238/https://thecanadaguide.com/places/atlantic-canada/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The vernacular variations of English spoken in the Atlantic region of Canada. Newfoundland and Labrador English (NLE) possesses unique vocabulary compared to standard Canadian English. The Dictionary of Newfoundland English covers the vocabulary common to Newfoundlanders, such as Newfoundland "screech rum", a Newfoundland-specific brand of rum; mummering, referring to a Christmas tradition; and gut-foundered, meaning starving or fastened.<ref>{{cite thesis | url=https://research.library.mun.ca/13789/ | title=The rough food mystique: The evolution of Newfoundland food culture, 1945-1975 | date=March 2019 | publisher=Memorial University of Newfoundland | type=masters | last1=Alford | first1=Norma | access-date=11 April 2023 | archive-date=6 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406204238/https://research.library.mun.ca/13789/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Nova Scotia also is home to its own vocabulary. The term "Sobeys bag", used to refer to a plastic grocery bag, originates from the Nova Scotian grocery store chain [[Sobeys]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/maritime-dictionary-slang-canadian-english-scribbler-1.4040334 |title='Sobeys bag' and 'scribbler' are uniquely Maritime terms, says new dictionary |access-date=11 April 2023 |archive-date=9 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409044710/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/maritime-dictionary-slang-canadian-english-scribbler-1.4040334 |url-status=live }}</ref> Similarly, Prince Edward Island has its own vocabulary and dictionary. For example, angishore refers to a fisherman who is too lazy to fish and likely is a lexical item originating from Irish Gaelic settlers in Newfoundland.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/j.ctt2ttx17 | jstor=10.3138/j.ctt2ttx17 | title=Dictionary of Prince Edward Island English | year=1988 | publisher=University of Toronto Press | isbn=9780802079046 | access-date=11 April 2023 | archive-date=7 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407162227/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/j.ctt2ttx17 | url-status=live }}</ref> Sarah Sawler, a writer from Halifax, highlights terms that are common to Maritimes, such as dooryard for front yard, owly for when someone is angry or irritable, and biff for throw.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.etalk.ca/fun/stuff-youll-hear-maritimes.html | title=Stuff you'll only ever hear in the Maritimes | date=March 2020 | access-date=11 April 2023 | archive-date=8 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408095514/https://www.etalk.ca/fun/stuff-youll-hear-maritimes.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Education ===
The term ''college'', which refers to post-secondary education in general in the US, refers in Canada to either a post-secondary technical or vocational institution, or to one of the colleges that exist as [[federated school]]s within some Canadian universities. Most often, a ''college'' is a community college, not a university. It may also refer to a [[CEGEP]] in Quebec. In Canada, {{lang|italic=yes|en-CA|college student}} might denote someone obtaining a diploma in business management, an equivalent of this would be an [[associate degree]] in the United States. In contrast, {{lang|italic=yes|en-CA|university student}} is the term for someone earning a [[bachelor's degree]], typically at a post-secondary university institution. Hence, the term {{lang|italic=yes|en-CA|going to college}} in Canada does not have the same meaning as {{lang|italic=yes|en-CA|going to university}}, unless the speaker or context clarifies the specific level of post-secondary education that is meant.

Within the public school system the chief administrator of a school is generally "the principal", as in the United States, but the term is not used preceding their name, i.e., "Principal Smith". The assistant to the principal is not titled as "assistant principal", but rather as "vice-principal", although the former is not unknown. This usage is identical to that in Northern Ireland.

Canadian universities publish ''calendars'' or ''schedules'', not ''catalogs'' as in the US. Canadian students ''write'' or ''take'' exams (in the US, students generally "take" exams while teachers "write" them); they rarely ''sit'' them (standard British usage). Those who supervise students during an exam are sometimes called ''invigilators'' as in Britain, or sometimes ''proctors'' as in the US; usage may depend on the region or even the individual institution.<ref>{{Cite web
| url   = https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/proctor
| title = proctor |website=Oxford Dictionaries|access-date=5 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305142751/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/proctor|archive-date=5 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Successive years of school are usually referred to as ''grade one'', ''grade two'', and so on. In Quebec, Francophone speakers will often say ''primary one'', ''primary two'' as a direct translation from the [[French language|French]], and so on; while Anglophones will say ''grade one'', ''grade two''. These terms are comparable with the American ''first grade, second grade'' (which is used in Canada, yet is rare), English/Welsh ''Year 1, Year 2'', Scottish/Northern Irish ''Primary 1, Primary 2'' or ''P1, P2'', and Southern Irish ''First Class, Second Class'' and so on.<ref name="autogenerated2">''American Speech'' 80.1 (2005), p. 47.</ref> The year of school before grade 1 is usually called "Kindergarten", with the exception of [[Nova Scotia]], where it is called "grade primary". In addition, children younger than the public school start age may attend 'pre-primary',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pre-Primary Program |url=https://www.ednet.ns.ca/pre-primary |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Nova Scotia Education and Early Childhood Development |date=13 August 2019 }}</ref> although this is a newer addition to the Nova Scotian public-school system, and is not used frequently elsewhere.

In parts of the US, the four years of high school are termed the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years (terms also used for college years); in Canada, the specific levels are used instead, such as "grade nine" in lieu of freshman.<ref name="Speech">''American Speech'' 80.1 (2005), p. 48.</ref> As for higher education, only the term ''freshman'' (often reduced to ''frosh'') has some currency in Canada.<ref name="Speech" /> Moreover, some Canadian public-school systems have adolescents start high-school in 'Grade 10' or, the sophomore year, although, this can depend on the province and even vary within a school-district. The American usages "sophomore", "junior" and "senior" are not used in Canadian university terminology, or in speech. The specific high-school grades and university years are therefore stated and individualized; for example, 'Sarah is starting Grade 10 this year', which Americans would state as 'Sarah is going to be a sophomore this year'. Similarly in the post-secondary education context, 'Francois is in second year of university' rather than the Americanism 'Francois is a sophomore in university'.

Canadian students use the term ''marks'' (more common in England) or ''grades'' (more common in the US) to refer to their results.<ref name="Speech" /> Usage is mixed, although ''marks'' more commonly refer to a single score whereas ''grades'' often refers to the cumulative score in that class.

=== Units of measurement ===
Unlike in the United States, use of [[SI|metric]] units within a majority of industries is standard in Canada, as a result of the [[metrication in Canada|partial national adoption of the metric system]] during the mid-to-late 1970s that was eventually stalled; this has spawned some colloquial usages such as ''klick'' for kilometre.

Nonetheless, [[United States customary units|US units]] are still used in many situations. [[Imperial units|Imperial volumes]] are also used, albeit rarely—although many Canadians and Americans mistakenly conflate the measurement systems despite their slight differences from each other (e.g. US, Canadian, and metric cups are 237{{nbsp}}ml, 227{{nbsp}}ml, and 250{{nbsp}}mL respectively).

For example, most [[English Canadians]] state their weight and height in pounds and feet/inches, respectively. This is also the case for many Quebec Francophones. Distances while playing golf are always marked and discussed in yards, though official scorecards may also show metres. Temperatures for cooking or pools are often given in [[Fahrenheit]], while the weather is given in [[Celsius]]. Directions in the [[Prairie provinces]] are sometimes given using miles, because the country roads generally follow the mile-based grid of the [[Dominion Land Survey]]. Motor vehicle speed limits are measured in kilometres per hour.

Canadians measure floor areas, both residential and commercial, in square feet or square metres. Land area is in square feet, square metres, acres or hectares. Fuel efficiency is more often discussed in the metric L/100&nbsp;km than miles per [[Gallon#US liquid gallon|US gallon]]. The [[Letter (paper size)|Letter]] [[paper size]] of 8.5&nbsp;inches × 11&nbsp;inches is used instead of the international and metric equivalent [[ISO 216#A series|A4]] size of 210&nbsp;mm × 297&nbsp;mm. Beer cans are 355{{nbsp}}mL (12 US oz), while beer bottles are typically 341{{nbsp}}mL (12 Imperial oz), and draft beer is sold in various units; US or Imperial oz, US or Imperial pint, or occasionally mL.

Building materials are used in soft conversions of imperial sizes, but often purchased in relation to the imperial sizes. For example, 8-inch [[concrete masonry unit]]s can be referred to as an 8-inch CMU or 190 CMU. The actual material used in the US and Canada is the same.

=== Transport ===
* Although Canadian lexicon features both ''railway'' and ''railroad'', ''railway'' is the usual term in naming (witness [[Canadian National Railway]] and [[Canadian Pacific Railway]]), though ''railroad'' can be heard fairly frequently in some regions; most [[rail terminology]] in Canada follows American usage (for example, ''ties'' and ''cars'' rather than ''sleepers'' and ''carriages'').
* A two-way ticket can be either a ''round-trip'' (American term) or a ''return'' (British term).
* The terms ''highway'' (for example, [[Trans-Canada Highway]]), ''expressway'' (Central Canada, as in the [[Gardiner Expressway]]) and ''freeway'' ([[Sherwood Park Freeway]], [[Edmonton]]) are often used to describe various high-speed roads with varying levels of access control. Generally, but not exclusively, ''highway'' refers to any provincially funded road regardless of its access control. Often such roads will be numbered. Similar to the US, the terms ''expressway'' and ''freeway'' are often used interchangeably to refer to [[controlled-access highways]], that is, divided highways with access only at grade-separated interchanges (for example, a [[400-series highways (Ontario)|400-Series Highway]] in Ontario).

''Expressway'' may also refer to a [[limited-access road]] that has control of access but has [[At-grade intersection|at-grade]] junctions, railway crossings (for example, the [[Harbour Expressway]] in [[Thunder Bay]].) Sometimes the term ''[[Parkway (disambiguation)|Parkway]]'' is also used (for example, the [[Hanlon Parkway]] in [[Guelph]]). In [[Saskatchewan]], the term 'grid road' is used to refer to minor highways or rural roads, usually gravel, referring to the 'grid' upon which they were originally designed. In [[Quebec]], freeways and expressways are called [[Autoroutes of Quebec|autoroutes]].

In [[Alberta]], the generic ''Trail'' is often used to describe a freeway, expressway or major urban street (for example, [[Deerfoot Trail]], [[Macleod Trail]] or [[Crowchild Trail]] in [[Calgary]], [[Yellowhead Trail]], [[Victoria Trail]] or [[St. Albert Trail|Mark Messier/St.Albert Trail]] in [[Edmonton]]). The British term ''[[motorway]]'' is not used. The American terms ''[[Toll road|turnpike]]'' and ''[[tollway]]'' for a toll road are not common. The term ''throughway'' or ''[[freeway|thruway]]'' was used for first tolled limited-access highways (for example, the Deas Island Throughway, now Highway 99, from [[Vancouver]], BC, to [[Blaine, Washington]], USA or the Saint John Throughway (Highway 1) in [[Saint John, NB]]), but this term is not common anymore. In everyday speech, when a particular roadway is not being specified, the term ''highway'' is generally or exclusively used.
* A railway at-grade junction can be called a ''[[level crossing]],'' as well as the term ''[[grade crossing]]'', which is commonly used in the US.<ref>{{Cite web
| url          = https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/railsafety/railsafety-333.htm
| title        = Grade Crossing Safety
| publisher        = Government of Canada, Transport Canada, Safety and Security, Rail Safety
| website      = tc.gc.ca
| access-date  = 24 January 2017
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20170129004919/http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/railsafety/railsafety-333.htm
| archive-date = 29 January 2017
| url-status     = live
}}</ref>
* A railway or highway crossing overhead is an ''overpass'' or ''underpass'', depending on which part of the crossing is referred to (the two are used more or less interchangeably);<ref name="Canadian Oxford Dictionary">{{cite book |editor1-last=Barber |editor1-first=Katherine |title=Canadian Oxford Dictionary |date=2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195418163 |edition=2.}}</ref>{{rp|1109,1695}} the British term ''flyover'' is sometimes used, as is ''subway''.<ref name="Canadian Oxford Dictionary"/>{{rp|576,1553}}
* In Quebec, English speakers often use the word "metro" to mean [[Rapid transit|subway]]. Non-native Anglophones of Quebec will also use the designated proper title "Metro" to describe the Montreal subway system.
* The term ''Texas gate'' refers to the type of [[cattle grid|metal grid]] called a ''cattle guard'' in American English or a ''cattle grid'' in British English.
* Depending on the region, large trucks used to transport and deliver goods are referred to as 'transport trucks' (e.g., used in Ontario and Alberta) or 'transfer trucks' (e.g., used in Prince Edward Island)

=== Politics ===
* While in standard usage the terms [[prime minister]] and [[premier]] are interchangeable terms for the head of an elected parliamentary government, Canadian English today generally follows a usage convention of reserving the title ''prime minister'' for the federal first minister and referring to provincial or territorial leaders as ''premiers''. Because [[Canadian French]] does not have separate terms for the two positions, using {{lang|fr|premier ministre}} for both, the title ''prime minister'' is sometimes seen in reference to a provincial leader when a Francophone is speaking or writing English. Also, until the 1970s the leader of the Ontario provincial government was officially styled ''prime minister''.
* When a majority of the elected members of the House of Commons or a provincial legislature are not members of the same party as the government, the situation is referred to as a minority government rather than a hung Parliament.
* To ''table'' a document in Canadian, in parliamentary usage, is to introduce or present it (as in Britain), whereas in the US it means to postpone consideration until a later date, often indefinitely. While the introduction meaning is the most common sense in non-parliamentary usage, the presentation meaning is also used in Canada. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary simply recommends avoiding the term in non-parliamentary context.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Barber |editor1-first=Katherine |title=The Canadian Oxford dictionary |date=2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195418163 |page=1580 |edition=2nd |quote=Because both of these meanings are in use in Canada, confusion may arise if the verb table is used outside of a strictly parliamentary context, where the first sense [bring forward] should be understood. It is better to use a different verb altogether, such as present or postpone, as the context requires.}}</ref>
* In Canada, a committee is ''struck'', whereas in the US committees are appointed, formed, or created, etc.
* Several political terms are more in use in Canada than elsewhere, including ''[[riding (division)#Canada|riding]]'' (as a general term for a [[Parliament of Canada|parliamentary]] constituency or [[electoral district (Canada)|electoral district]], this term is unique to Canada). The term ''[[reeve (Canada)|reeve]]'' was at one time common for the equivalent of a mayor in some smaller municipalities in [[British Columbia]] and [[Ontario]], but is now falling into disuse. The title is still used for the leader of a rural municipality in [[Saskatchewan]], parts of [[Alberta]], and [[Manitoba]].
* The term ''Tory,'' used in Britain with a [[Toryism|similar meaning]], denotes a supporter of the present-day federal [[Conservative Party of Canada]], the historic [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|federal]] or provincial Progressive Conservative Party. The term [[Red Tory]] is also used to denote the more socially liberal wings of the Tory parties. [[Blue Tory]] is less commonly used, and refers to more strict fiscal (rather than social) conservatism. The use of ''Tory'' to mean a Loyalist in the time of the American Revolution is an American usage. The Canadian term is simply ''Loyalist''.<ref name ="Canadian Oxford Dictionary"/>{{rp|1644}} 
* Members of the [[Liberal Party of Canada]] or a provincial Liberal party are sometimes referred to as ''Grits''. Historically, the term comes from the phrase ''Clear Grit'', used in [[Victorian era|Victorian times]] in Canada to denote an object of quality or a truthful person. The term was assumed as a nickname by Liberals by the 1850s.
* Members of the [[New Democratic Party]] (NDP) are sometimes nicknamed ''dippers'' (a clipped and altered form of ''NDPer'') or ''New Democrats''
* Members of the [[Bloc Québécois]] are sometimes referred to as {{lang|fr|Bloquistes}}. At the purely provincial level, members of Quebec's [[Parti Québécois]] are often referred to as {{lang|fr|Péquistes}}, and members of the Quebec provincial [[Action démocratique du Québec]] as {{lang|fr|Adéquistes}}.
* The term "Socred" is no longer common due to its namesake party's decline, but referred to members of the [[Canadian social credit movement|Social Credit Party]], and was particularly common in British Columbia<!--and Alberta?-->. It was not used for Social Credit members from Quebec, nor generally used for the federal caucus of that party; in both cases {{lang|fr|Créditiste}}, the French term, was used in English.
* Members of the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] are referred to by the title "Senator" preceding their name, as in the United States. Members of the [[House of Commons of Canada]], following British parliamentary nomenclature, are termed "Members of Parliament", and are referred to as "Jennifer Jones, MP" during their term of office only. Senators and members of the Privy Council are styled "The Honourable" for life, and the Prime Minister of Canada is styled "The Right Honourable" for life, as is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Governor General. This honorific may also be bestowed by Parliament, as it was to retiring deputy prime minister [[Herb Gray]] in 1996. Members of provincial legislatures do not have a pre-nominal style, except in certain provinces, such as Nova Scotia where members of the King's [[Executive Council of Nova Scotia]] are styled "The Honourable" for life, and are entitled to the use of the post-nominal letters "ECNS".<ref>{{cite web
| url        = http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/legc/bills/60th_1st/1st_read/b198.htm
| title        = BILL NO. 198| website       = Gov.ns.ca
| access-date        = 26 February 2011
| archive-date        = 8 June 2011
| archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20110608070447/http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/legc/bills/60th_1st/1st_read/b198.htm
| url-status        = dead 
}}</ref> The Cabinet of Ontario serves concurrently (and not for life) as the [[Executive Council of Ontario]], while serving members are styled "The Honourable", but are not entitled to post-nominal letters.
* Members of provincial/territorial legislative assemblies are called [[Member of the Legislative Assembly|MLAs]] in all provinces and territories except: [[Ontario]], where they have been called [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Members of Provincial Parliament]] (MPPs) since 1938; [[Quebec]], where they have been called [[Member of the National Assembly (Quebec)|Members of the National Assembly]] (MNAs) since 1968; and [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], where they are called [[Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly|Members of the House of Assembly]] (MHAs). Each abbreviation is used as a post-nominal during terms of office only.

=== Law ===
Lawyers in all parts of Canada, except Quebec, which has its own [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] system, are called "[[barrister]]s and [[solicitor]]s" because any lawyer licensed in any of the common law provinces and territories must pass bar exams for, and is permitted to engage in, both types of legal practice in contrast to other common-law jurisdictions such as England, Wales and Ireland where the two are traditionally separated (i.e., Canada has a [[fused profession|fused legal profession]]). The words ''lawyer'' and ''counsel'' (not ''counsellor'') predominate in everyday contexts; the word ''attorney'' refers to any personal representative. Canadian lawyers generally do not refer to themselves as "attorneys", a term that is common in the United States.

The equivalent of an American ''[[district attorney]]'', meaning the barrister representing the state in criminal proceedings, is called a ''[[crown attorney]]'' (in [[Ontario]]), ''crown counsel'' (in British Columbia), ''crown prosecutor'' or ''the crown'', on account of Canada's status as a [[constitutional monarchy]] in which [[the Crown]] is the locus of state power.

The words ''advocate'' and ''[[civil law notary|notary]]''&nbsp;– two distinct professions in Quebec civil law&nbsp;– are used to refer to that province's approximate equivalents of barrister and solicitor, respectively. It is not uncommon for English-speaking advocates in Quebec to refer to themselves in English as "barrister(s) and solicitor(s)", as most advocates chiefly perform what would traditionally be known as "solicitor's work", while only a minority of advocates actually appear in court. In Canada's [[common law]] provinces and territories, the word ''notary'' means strictly a [[notary public]].

Within the Canadian legal community itself, the word ''[[solicitor]]'' is often used to refer to any Canadian lawyer in general (much like the way the word ''attorney'' is used in the United States to refer to any American lawyer in general). Despite the conceptual distinction between ''barrister'' and ''solicitor'', Canadian court documents would contain a phrase such as "''John Smith, ''solicitor'' for the Plaintiff''" even though "John Smith" may well himself be the barrister who argues the case in court. In a letter introducing him/herself to an opposing lawyer, a Canadian lawyer normally writes something like "''I am the ''solicitor" for Mr. Tom Jones."

The word ''litigator'' is also used by lawyers to refer to a fellow lawyer who specializes in lawsuits even though the more traditional word ''barrister'' is still employed to denote the same specialization.

Judges of Canada's superior courts, which exist at the provincial and territorial levels, are traditionally addressed as "My Lord" or "My Lady". This varies by jurisdiction, and some superior court judges prefer the titles "Mister Justice" or "Madam Justice" to "Lordship".

[[Master (judiciary)|Masters]] are addressed as ''"Mr. Master"'' or simply ''"Sir."'' In British Columbia, masters are addressed as ''"Your Honour."''

Judges of provincial or inferior courts are traditionally referred to in person as ''"Your Honour"''. Judges of the [[Supreme Court of Canada]] and of the federal-level courts prefer the use of ''"Mister/Madam (Chief) Justice"''. [[Justice of The Peace#Canada|Justices of The Peace]] are addressed as ''"Your Worship"''. ''"Your Honour"'' is also the correct form of address for a [[Lieutenant-Governor (Canada)|Lieutenant Governor]].

A serious crime is called an [[indictable offence]], while a less-serious crime is called a [[summary offence|summary conviction offence]]. The older words [[felony]] and [[misdemeanour]], which are still used in the United States, are not used in Canada's current ''[[Criminal Code (Canada)|Criminal Code]]'' (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46) or by today's Canadian legal system. As noted throughout the ''Criminal Code'', a person accused of a crime is called ''the accused'' and not ''the defendant'', a term used instead in civil lawsuits.

In Canada, ''[[visible minority]]'' refers to a non-aboriginal person or group visibly not one of the majority race in a given population. The term comes from the ''[[Employment equity (Canada)|Canadian Employment Equity Act]]'', which defines such people as "persons, other than [[Aboriginal peoples of Canada|Aboriginal people]], who are non-[[Caucasian race|Caucasian]] in race or non-white in colour."<ref>{{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/reference/reportsandguides/visible-minorities.cfm |title=Visible Minority Population and Population Group Reference Guide, 2006 Census |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211044318/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/reference/reportsandguides/visible-minorities.cfm |archive-date=11 December 2008 |website=StatsCan}}</ref> The term is used as a demographic category by [[Statistics Canada]]. The qualifier "visible" is used to distinguish such minorities from the "invisible" minorities determined by [[languages of Canada|language]] (English vs. French) and certain distinctions in [[religion in Canada|religion]] ([[Catholicism in Canada|Catholics]] vs. [[Orange Order in Canada|Protestants]]).<ref>{{Cite web
| url          = http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/rp-guides/lang-eng.cfm
| title        = 2006 Census : Languages Reference Guide
| website      = Statistics Canada
| access-date  = 11 March 2018
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160826153103/http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/rp-guides/lang-eng.cfm
| archive-date = 26 August 2016
| url-status     = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |date=2021-09-17 |title=Visible minority of person |url=https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3Var.pl?Function=DEC&Id=45152 |access-date=2023-09-19 |website=Statistics Canada }}</ref>

A [[Counties of British Columbia|county in British Columbia]] means only a regional jurisdiction of the courts and justice system and is not otherwise connected to governance as with counties in other provinces and in the United States. The rough equivalent to "county" as used elsewhere is a "[[Regional District]]".

=== Places ===
Distinctive Canadianisms are:
* ''[[bachelor]]'': bachelor apartment, an apartment all in a single room, with a small bathroom attached ("They have a bachelor for rent").<ref>''Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary'', "bachelor".</ref> The usual American term is ''studio''. In Quebec, this is known as a ''one-and-a-half'' apartment; some Canadians, especially in Prince Edward Island, call it a ''loft''.<ref name="autogenerated1">Boberg 2005.</ref> In other  provinces ''loft'' refers to a second floor in  a condo unit or bungalow usually with second floor bedrooms   
* ''bluff'': small group of trees isolated by [[prairie]]
* ''camp'': in Northern Ontario, it refers to what is called a ''cottage'' in the rest of Ontario; often more specifically to a vacation home not directly adjacent to a body of water,  and a ''cabin'' in the West.<ref>Boberg 2005, p. 38.</ref> It is also used, to a lesser extent, in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, as well as in parts of New England. It generally refers to vacation houses in rural areas.
* ''fire hall'': [[fire station]], firehouse.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fire%20hall |title=Fire hall |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]], Inc. |date=13 August 2010 |access-date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402110704/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fire%20hall |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''height of land'': a [[drainage divide]]. Originally American.<ref>Webster's New World College Dictionary, Wiley, 2004.</ref>
* ''parkade'': a [[parking garage]], especially in [[Western Canada|the West]].<ref name="autogenerated1" />
* ''[[washroom]]'':<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Dollinger |first1=Stefan |last2=Fee |first2=Margery |date=2017 |title="washroom" in Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles, Second Edition |url=http://apps.plotandscatter.com:8080/dchp2/Entries/view/washroom |url-status=live |access-date=6 Apr 2023 |website=www.dchp.ca/dchp2 |archive-date=11 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411040914/http://apps.plotandscatter.com:8080/dchp2/Entries/view/washroom }}</ref> the general term for what is normally named ''public toilet'' or ''lavatory'' in Britain. In the United States (where it originated) the word was mostly replaced by ''restroom'' in the 20th century. Generally used only as a technical or commercial term outside of Canada. The word ''bathroom'' is also used.
* ''[[Indian reserve]]'', rather than the US term ''federal Indian reservation''. Often shortened to ''reserve'', especially when the meaning is clear from context; another slang variant of this term is the shortened ''res'' or (more commonly) ''rez''. Not to be confused with ''res'', which in the context of universities refers strictly to ''residences'' or ''halls of residence'' (compare to the US American ''dorms'' or ''dormitories''). Therefore, the sentences ''when I lived on rez'' and ''when I lived in res'' mean different things. The territory of the particular band nation is usually referred to on a map as ''(Band name here) First Nations I.R.''  
* ''[[rancherie]]'': the residential area of a First Nation reserve, used in BC only.
* ''[[quiggly hole]]'' and/or ''quiggly'': the depression in the ground left by a ''[[kekuli]]'' or pithouse. Groups of them are called "quiggly hole towns". Used in the BC Interior only.
* ''gas bar'': a [[filling station]] (gas station) with a central island, having pumps under a fixed metal or concrete awning.
* ''booze can'': an after-hours establishment where alcohol is served, often illegally.
* ''dépanneur'', or the diminutive form ''dep'', is often used by English speakers in Quebec. This is because [[convenience stores]] are called ''dépanneurs'' in Canadian French.
* ''snye'', a side-stream channel that rejoins a larger river, creating an island.
* slough: pond&nbsp;– usually a pond on a farm

=== Daily life ===
Terms common in Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth nations but less frequent or nonexistent in the United States are:
* ''tin'' (as in ''tin of tuna''), for ''can'', especially among older speakers. Among younger speakers, ''can'' is more common, with ''tin'' referring to a can which is wider than it is tall as in "a tin of sardines" as opposed to a "can of soup".{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
* ''cutlery'', for ''silverware'' or ''flatware'', where the material of which the utensil is made is not of consequence to the context in which it is used.
* ''serviette'', especially in Eastern Canada, for a paper table ''napkin''.<ref>{{Cite web
| url          = https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serviette
| title        = Definition of SERVIETTE
| website      = Merriam-Webster
| access-date  = 17 August 2017
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20171011045628/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serviette
| archive-date = 11 October 2017
| url-status     = live
}}</ref>
* ''[[Tap (valve)|tap]]'', conspicuously more common than ''faucet'' in everyday usage.

The following are more or less distinctively Canadian:
* ''ABM'', ''bank machine'': synonymous with [[automated teller machine|ATM]] (which is also used, but much more widely than ABM by financial organizations in the country).<ref>Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, ''ABM''; Boberg 2005.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/banking/atm-fees.html|title=ATM fees |publisher=Financial Consumer Agency of Canada|language=en|access-date=2018-07-29|date=8 June 2018|archive-date=29 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081344/https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/banking/atm-fees.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cibc.com/en/personal-banking/ways-to-bank/atm-and-branch-network.html|title=ATM and Banking Centre Network |website=cibc.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-29|archive-date=29 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081348/https://www.cibc.com/en/personal-banking/ways-to-bank/atm-and-branch-network.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tdcanadatrust.com/products-services/banking/electronic-banking/ATM.jsp|title=TD Green Machine ATM Machines |website=tdcanadatrust.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-29|archive-date=19 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719034214/https://www.td.com/ca/en/personal-banking/solutions/ways-to-bank/?tdtab=branch-atm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''BFI bin'': Dumpster, after a prominent Canadian waste management company, BFI Canada (which was eventually bought out and merged to become [[Waste Connections of Canada]]) in provinces where that company does business; compare to other [[generic trademark]]s such as [[Kleenex]], [[Xerox]], and even [[Dumpster]] itself.
* ''chesterfield'': originally British and internationally used (as in classic furnishing terminology) to refer to a sofa whose arms are the same height as the back, it is a term for ''any'' couch or sofa in Canada (and, to some extent, Northern California).<ref>[http://www.oup.com/oald-bin/web_getald7index1a.pl OUP.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130211752/http://www.oup.com/oald-bin/web_getald7index1a.pl |date=30 January 2010 }} <!-- OALD link: just type "chesterfield" --></ref><ref>{{cite web
| url         = http://www.bartleby.com/61/94/C0279400.html
| title       = Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070218023015/http://www.bartleby.com/61/94/C0279400.html
| archive-date = 18 February 2007
}}</ref> Once a hallmark of CanE, ''chesterfield'', as with ''settee'' and ''davenport'', is now largely in decline among younger generations in the western and central regions.<ref>[http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~chambers/couch.html Utoronto.ca] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912210235/http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~chambers/couch.html |date=12 September 2007 }} J.K. Chambers, "The Canada-U.S. border as a vanishing isogloss: the evidence of chesterfield." Journal of English Linguistics 23 (1995): 156&ndash;166.</ref> ''Couch'' is now the most common term; ''sofa'' is also used.
* ''dart'': cigarette, used primarily by adolescents and young adults.
* ''dressing gown'' or ''housecoat'' or ''bathrobe'': a dressing gown and housecoat can be of silk or cotton, usually an attractive outer layer, while a bathrobe is made of absorbent fabric like a towel; in the United States, called a ''bathrobe''.
* ''eavestrough'': [[rain gutter]]. Also used, especially in the past, in the Northern and Western United States; the first recorded usage is in [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick]]'': "The tails tapering down that way, serve to carry off the water, d'ye see. Same with cocked hats; the cocks form gable-end eave-troughs {{sic}}, Flask."<ref>Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, ''eavestrough''; Oxford English Dictionary; American Heritage Dictionary.</ref>
* ''flush'': toilet, used primarily by older speakers throughout the Maritimes.
* ''garburator'': (rhymes with ''carburetor'') a [[garbage disposal]].<ref>According to the ''Canadian Oxford Dictionary'' (second edition), ''garburator'' is "Canadian" and ''garbage disposal'' is "North American."</ref>
* ''hydro'': a common synonym for [[mains electricity|electrical service]], used primarily in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia. Most of the power in these provinces is generated through [[hydroelectricity]], and suppliers' company names incorporate the term "Hydro". Usage: "I didn't pay my hydro bill so they shut off my lights." Hence ''hydrofield'' or ''hydro corridor'', a line of electricity transmission towers, usually in groups cutting across a city, and ''hydro lines/poles'', [[Overhead power line|electrical transmission lines]]/[[Utility pole|pole]]s.<ref>Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, ''hydro''.</ref> These usages of ''hydro'' are also standard in the Australian state of [[Tasmania]]. Also in slang usage can refer to hydroponically grown marijuana.
* ''[[loonie]]'': the Canadian one-dollar coin; derived from the use of the [[common loon]] on the reverse. The ''[[toonie]]'' (less commonly spelled ''tooney'', ''twooney'', ''twoonie'') is the two-dollar coin. ''Loonie'' is also used to refer to the [[Canadian dollar|Canadian currency]], particularly when discussing the exchange rate with the [[United States dollar|US dollar]]; ''loonie'' and ''toonie'' describe coinage specifically. (for example, "I have a dollar in pennies" versus "I have three loonies in my pocket").
* ''pencil crayon'':<ref name=":0">{{cite book |editor    = Barber, Katherine
 |title     = The Canadian Oxford Dictionary
 |edition   = 1st
 |year      = 1998
 |publisher = Oxford University Press
 |isbn      = 978-0-19-541120-1
 |pages     = [https://archive.org/details/canadianoxforddi00barb/page/1075 1075]
 |url       = https://archive.org/details/canadianoxforddi00barb/page/1075
}}</ref> coloured pencil.
* ''pogie'' or ''pogey'': term referring to unemployment insurance, which is now officially called ''Employment'' Insurance in Canada. Derived from the use of ''pogey'' as a term for a poorhouse.<ref>{{cite web
| url         = http://home.comcast.net/~russ1980/stuff/Pogey.pdf
| title       = Pogey: What Does it Mean? Bonny, 2006
| access-date  = 26 February 2011
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110812060347/http://home.comcast.net/~russ1980/stuff/Pogey.pdf
| archive-date = 12 August 2011
}}</ref> Not used for welfare, in which case the term is ''"the dole"'', as in ''"he's on the dole, eh?"''.
* ''[[Multistorey car park|parkade]]:'' multistorey parking garage.<ref name=":0" />

==== Apparel ====
The following are common in Canada, but not in the United States or the United Kingdom.
* ''runners'':<ref>Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, ''runner''.</ref> running shoes, especially in [[Western Canada]].<ref>American Speech 80.1 (2005).</ref> Also used in [[Australian English]]<ref>Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary.</ref> and [[Irish English]].<ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2009/0106/1230936690382.html Sometimes the gym doesn't fix it] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112005033/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2009/0106/1230936690382.html |date=12 November 2011 }}, ''[[The Irish Times]]'', Tuesday, 6 January 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2008/0322/1206024702849.html Machismo ... or masochism?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112003112/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2008/0322/1206024702849.html |date=12 November 2011 }}, ''The Irish Times''&nbsp;– Saturday 22 March 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2008/1007/1222959451495.html Stars in the running] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112021537/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2008/1007/1222959451495.html |date=12 November 2011 }}, ''The Irish Times'', Tuesday 7 October 2008</ref> Atlantic Canada prefers ''sneakers'' while central Canada (including Quebec and Ontario) prefers ''running shoes''.<ref>American Speech 80.1 (2005), p. 36.</ref>
* ''[[touque]]'' (also spelled ''toque'' or ''tuque''): a knitted winter hat. A similar hat would be called a ''beanie'' in the western United States and a ''watch cap'' in the eastern United States, though these forms are generally closer-fitting, and may lack a brim as well as a pompom. There seems to be no exact equivalent outside Canada, since the tuque is of French Canadian origin.
* ''bunnyhug'': a hooded sweatshirt, with or without a zipper. Used mainly in Saskatchewan.
* ''ginch/gonch/gitch/gotch'': underwear (usually men's or boys' underwear, more specifically briefs; whereas women's underwear are ''gotchies''), probably of Eastern European or Ukrainian origin. ''Gitch'' and ''gotch'' are primarily used in Saskatchewan and Manitoba while the variants with an ''n'' are common in Alberta and British Columbia.<ref>[http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/gonch/ Doubletongued.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122104734/http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/gonch |date=22 November 2008 }}, reference for gonch.</ref>

==== Food and beverage ====
* Most Canadians as well as Americans in the Northwest, North Central, Prairie and Inland North prefer ''pop'' over ''soda'' to refer to a carbonated beverage, but ''soda'' is understood to mean the same thing, in contrast to British English where ''soda'' refers specifically to soda ''water'' (US/Canadian ''seltzer water''). ''Soft drink'' is also extremely common throughout Canada.
* What Americans call ''Canadian bacon'' is named ''[[back bacon]]'' in Canada, or, if it is coated in cornmeal or ground peas, ''cornmeal bacon'' or ''[[peameal bacon]]''.
* What most Americans call a ''[[chocolate bar|candy bar]]'' is usually known as a ''chocolate bar'' (as in the United Kingdom). In certain areas surrounding the [[Bay of Fundy]], it is sometimes known as a ''nut bar''; this use is more popular in older generations. Legally only bars made of solid chocolate may be labelled chocolate bars.<ref>{{cite web
| title       = Decisions: Chocolate and Cocoa Products
| url         = http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/decisions/chocoe.shtml
| publisher   = Canadian Food Inspection Agency
| access-date  = 4 June 2012
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100427022122/http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/decisions/chocoe.shtml
| archive-date = 27 April 2010
}}</ref>
* Even though the terms ''French fries'' and ''fries'' are used by Canadians, some speakers use the word ''chips'' (and its diminutive, ''chippies''). (Chips is always used when referring to ''[[fish and chips]]'', as elsewhere.)
* ''homogenized milk'' or ''homo milk'': milk containing [[Fat content of milk|3.25% milk fat]], typically called "whole milk" in the United States.
* ''brown bread'' refers to [[whole-wheat bread]], as in "Would you like white or brown bread for your toast?"
* An ''[[expiry date]]'' is the term used for the date when a perishable product will go bad (similar to the UK ''Use By'' date). The term ''expiration date'' is more common in the United States (where ''expiry date'' is seen mostly on the packaging of Asian food products). The term ''Best Before'' also sees common use, where although not spoiled, the product may not taste "as good".
* ''double-double'': a cup of coffee with two measures of cream and two of sugar,<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/double-double-now-you-can-look-it-up-1.511522|title = 'Double-double'? Now you can look it up|publisher = [[CBC News]]|date = 30 June 2004|access-date = 20 August 2017|archive-date = 31 August 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130831024640/http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2004/06/30/doubledouble040630.html|url-status = live}}</ref> most commonly associated with the [[Tim Hortons]] chain of coffee shops.<ref>Douglas Hunter, ''Double Double: How Tim Hortons Became a Canadian Way of Life, One Cup at a Time''. [[HarperCollins]], 2012. {{ISBN|978-1443406741}}.</ref>
* Canadianisms relating to alcohol:
** ''mickey'': a {{convert|375|mL|USfloz impfloz|abbr=on|lk=out}} bottle of hard liquor (informally called a [[pint]] in the Maritimes and the United States). In Newfoundland, this is almost exclusively referred to as a "[[hip flask|flask]]". In the United States, "mickey", or "[[Mickey Finn (drugs)|Mickey Finn]]", refers to a drink laced with drugs.
** ''two-six'', ''twenty-sixer'', ''twixer'': a {{convert|750|mL|USfloz impfloz|abbr=on}} bottle of hard liquor (called a quart in the Maritimes). The word ''handle'' is less common. Similarly, a {{convert|1.14|L|USfloz impfloz|abbr=on}} bottle of hard liquor is known as a ''forty'' and a {{convert|1.75|L|USfloz impfloz|abbr=on}} bottle is known as a ''sixty'' or ''half gallon'' in Nova Scotia.
** ''Texas mickey'' (especially in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; more often a "Saskatchewan mickey" in western Canada): a {{convert|3|L|USfloz impfloz|0|abbr=on}} bottle of hard liquor. (Despite the name, Texas mickeys are generally unavailable outside of Canada.)
** ''two-four'': a case of 24 beers, also known as a ''case'' in Eastern Canada, or a ''flat'' in Western Canada (referencing that cans of beer are often sold in packages of six, with four packages to a flat box for shipping and stacking purposes).
** ''six-pack'', ''half-sack'', ''half-case'', or ''poverty-pack'': a case of six beers
* ''[[poutine]]'': a snack of french fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy.
* There are also [[genericized trademark]]s used in Canada:
** ''[[cheezies]]'': [[cheese puffs]]. The name is a [[genericized trademark]] based on a brand of crunchy cheese snack sold in Canada.
** [[Kraft Dinner]] or "KD": for any packaged dry macaroni and cheese mix, even when it is not produced by Kraft.
* ''[[freezie]]'': A frozen flavoured sugar water snack common worldwide, but known by this name exclusively in Canada.
* ''dainty'': a fancy cookie, pastry, or square served at a social event (usually plural). Used in western Canada.
* ''[[Smarties]]'': a bean-sized, small candy-covered chocolate, similar to plain [[M&M's]]. This is also seen in British English. [[Smarties (tablet candy)|Smarties in the United States]] refer to small tart powdered disc sold in rolls; in Canada these tart candies are sold as "[[Rockets (wafer candy)|Rockets]]".

=== Informal speech ===
One of the most distinctive Canadian phrases is the spoken interrogation or tag ''[[eh]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Nosowitz|first1=Dan|date=10 January 2017|title=Why Do Canadians Say 'Eh'?: The story behind Canada's most distinctive verbal tic|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-do-canadians-say-eh|access-date=12 January 2017|website=Atlas Obscura|archive-date=12 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112074324/http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-do-canadians-say-eh|url-status=live}}</ref> The only usage of ''eh'' exclusive to Canada, according to the ''Canadian Oxford Dictionary'', is for "ascertaining the comprehension, continued interest, agreement, etc., of the person or persons addressed" as in, "It's four kilometres away, eh, so I have to go by bike." In that case, ''eh?'' is used to confirm the attention of the listener and to invite a supportive noise such as ''mm'' or ''oh'' or ''okay''. This usage is also common in Queensland, Australia and New Zealand. Other uses of ''eh''&nbsp;– for instance, in place of ''huh?'' or ''what?'' meaning "please repeat or say again"&nbsp;– are also found in parts of the British Isles and Australia. It is common in Northern/Central Ontario, the [[Maritimes]] and the [[Canadian Prairies|Prairie provinces]]. The word ''eh'' is used quite frequently in the North Central dialect, so a Canadian accent is often perceived in people from [[North Dakota]], [[Michigan]], [[Minnesota]], and [[Wisconsin]].

A ''rubber'' in the US and Canada is slang for a condom. In Canada, it sometimes means an [[eraser]] (as in the United Kingdom and Ireland).

The word ''bum'' can refer either to the buttocks (as in Britain), or to a homeless person (as in the US). The "buttocks" sense does not have the indecent character it retains in British use, as it and "butt" are commonly used as a polite or childish euphemism for ruder words such as ''[[buttocks|arse]]'' (commonly used in Atlantic Canada and among older people in Ontario and to the west) or ''[[buttocks|ass]]'', or ''mitiss'' (used in the Prairie Provinces, especially in northern and central Saskatchewan; probably originally a Cree loanword). Older Canadians may see "bum" as more polite than "butt", which before the 1980s was often considered rude.

Similarly the word ''pissed'' can refer either to being drunk (as in Britain), or being angry (as in the US), though anger is more often said as ''pissed off'', while ''piss drunk'' or ''pissed up'' is said to describe inebriation (though ''piss drunk'' is sometimes also used in the US, especially in the northern states).

[[File:Curtiss JN-4 CAN.jpg|thumb|right|A Canadian-built Curtiss JN-4C "Canuck" training biplane of 1918, with a differing vertical tail to the original US version]]
The term ''Canuck'' simply means ''Canadian'' in its [[demonym]]ic form, and, as a term used even by Canadians themselves, it is not considered derogatory. (In the 19th century and early 20th century it tended to refer to French-Canadians.) The only Canadian-built version of the popular World War I-era American [[Curtiss JN-4]] ''Jenny'' training biplane aircraft, the JN-4C, 1,260 of which were built, got the "Canuck" nickname; so did another aircraft, the Fleet Model 80, built from the mid-1940s until the late 1950s. The nickname [[Janey Canuck]] was used by Anglophone women's rights writer [[Emily Murphy]] in the 1920s and the ''[[Johnny Canuck]]'' comic book character of the 1940s. Throughout the 1970s, Canada's winning World Cup men's downhill ski team was called the "[[Crazy Canucks]]" for their fearlessness on the slopes.<ref>{{cite web
| url        = http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/skiing/the-crazy-canucks-canadas-skiing-heroes/topic---the-crazy-canucks-canadas-skiing-heroes.html
| title        = The Crazy Canucks: Canada's Skiing Heroes
| publisher        = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
| access-date        = 25 September 2012
| archive-date        = 29 December 2012
| archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20121229141618/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/skiing/the-crazy-canucks-canadas-skiing-heroes/topic---the-crazy-canucks-canadas-skiing-heroes.html
| url-status        = dead 
}}</ref> It is also the name of the [[Vancouver Canucks]], the [[National Hockey League]] team of [[Vancouver]], British Columbia.

The term ''[[hoser]]'', popularized by [[Bob & Doug McKenzie]], typically refers to an uncouth, beer-swilling male and is a euphemism for "loser" coming from the earlier days of hockey played on an outdoor rink and the losing team would have to hose down the ice after the game so it froze smooth.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/51399/where-does-word-hoser-come|title=Where Does the Word 'Hoser' Come From?|date=2016-07-01|website=Mental Floss |first1=Sean |last1=Hutchinson |language=en|access-date=2020-02-03|archive-date=4 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404215149/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/51399/where-does-word-hoser-come|url-status=live}}</ref>

A ''Newf'' or ''Newfie'' is someone from Newfoundland and Labrador; sometimes considered derogatory. In Newfoundland, the term ''Mainlander'' refers to any Canadian (sometimes American, occasionally Labradorian) not from the [[Newfoundland (island)|island of Newfoundland]]. ''Mainlander'' is also occasionally used derogatorily.

In the Maritimes, a ''Caper'' or "Cape Bretoner" is someone from [[Cape Breton Island]], a ''Bluenoser'' is someone with a thick, usually southern Nova Scotia accent or as a general term for a Nova Scotian (including Cape Bretoners), while an ''Islander'' is someone from [[Prince Edward Island]] (the same term is used in [[British Columbia]] for people from [[Vancouver Island]], or the numerous islands along it). A ''Haligonian'' refers to someone from the city of [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]].

Cape Bretoners and Newfies (from Newfoundland and Labrador) often have similar slang. "Barmp" is often used as the sound a car horn makes, example: "He cut me off so I barmped the horn at him". When saying "B'y", while sounds like the traditional farewell, it is a syncopated shortening of the word "boy", referring to a person, example: "How's it goin, b'y?". Another slang that is commonly used is "doohickey" which means an object, example: "Pass me that doohickey over there". When an individual uses the word "biffed", they mean that they threw something. Example: "I got frustrated so I biffed it across the room".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Da Mudder Tung|last=Glen|first=Gray|publisher=Microtext Publishing|year=2014|pages=6, 7, 17}}</ref>

=== Survey and research methodology ===

Canadian English dialectology examines Canadian English through the use of written surveys due to the vastness of the country and the difficulties of conducting face-to-face interviews on a nationwide level. The historical overview of written surveys in Canadian-English dialectology includes Avis's study of speech differences among the Ontario-United States borders through the use of questionnaires. Another example is the Survey of Canadian English directed by Scargill.<ref name="Labov, Ash 2006"/> A more recent example would be Nylvek's survey of Saskatchewan English and Chambers' trans-Canada dialect questionnaires.