Canceled vs Cancelled

Compare it Versus > Grammar > Difference between canceled and cancelled, which is correct?
First published on 2nd of October 2015, updated most recently on the 3rd of January 2023
Edited by Mary S., secondary school English teacher

With all the travelling that takes place nowadays owing to work, pleasure and personal reasons, a verb that you are bound to come across quite frequently is ‘canceled’.

It may be your flight, bus or train which may stand canceled but nevertheless the feeling that it invokes is usually that of disappointment.

Or is it that of confusion at the way in which the word is spelled?

This is where our article will attempt to help out, the difference between canceled and cancelled.

Past tense of cancel

‘Cancel’ being the original word, this past tense is spelled in two different ways namely with a single ‘l’ and with two ‘l’s’ – canceled or cancelled.

Checking the Internet would reveal that both ‘canceled’ and ‘cancelled’ are widely used the world over and this in itself is a big source of the confusion.

People who have come across both versions often wonder which they should use while writing something so that their writing remains correct and is not held up as an example of spelling errors or wrong usage.

Which form is correct – canceled or cancelled?

In such a situation, isn’t it a relief on being told that both versions are correct and enjoy acceptance the world over?

The two are both correct and interchangeable.

Why the two different forms?

It is important is to realise a basic difference between the two – ‘canceled’ is a form of American English while ‘cancelled’ is indicative of British English.

Of course, it was the British version which came into being first and is still used in countries like UK, Canada and Australia.

While no one can pinpoint exactly when the American spelling of the word ‘canceled’ came into being, it is a version which has caught on sufficiently to replace its predecessor in many parts of the globe.

This distinction in spelling carries forth to other forms of the word ‘cancel’ too, the most common examples being ‘canceler’ or ‘canceller’ and ‘cancelable’ or ‘cancellable’. However, ‘cancellation’ is a form which retains its spelling in all forms of English across the world.

Ultimately, both forms of the word are correct and you can choose one as per your personal liking. That said one point that you must bear in mind is that having chosen one version, you must stick to it all through and refrain from using both.

So if you like single ‘l’ then canceled should be your choice and if you wish to go the traditional way then ‘cancelled’ is what you must opt for.

Popularity of the search terms cancelled and canceled online

When searching for the exact term “canceled” on Google, the search engine gets about 202 million results.

In comparison, searching for the exact term “cancelled” returns about 344 million results.

This suggests and adds weight to the fact that “cancelled” is still somewhat more used.

References

References used in the writing of this English language article

1. 1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed in December 2022, link to Merriam-Webster page
   2. Oxford English Dictionary, accessed in December 2022, link to Oxford page
   3. Google search engine for popularity of search terms, search completed in December 2022
   4. How Often Should website, reference on how often things are or should be done, accessed January 2023

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