Canceled or Cancelled – Which One is Correct?

Canceled or Cancelled 

“American and British English have many similar habits when it comes to past and present participles: both double the final consonant of a word when it follows a short vowel and has the stress on the syllable attached to the suffix (such as remit/remitted/remitting). However, if the stress does not come on the syllable that attaches to the suffix then the final consonant is not doubled (as is the case with edit/edited/editing).” – Lynne Murphy

Canceled or cancelled is the past tense of the verb ‘cancel.’ Both spellings are right. It’s just that Americans prefer ‘canceled‘ or ‘canceling,’ whereas ‘cancelled‘ or ‘cancelling‘ is used in British English and other dialects. However, the word ‘cancelation’ is rarely used and is technically correct, while ‘cancellation’ is by far the most widely-used spelling.

Difference between Cancelled vs. Cancelled

• The difference between canceled vs. cancelled is the same that we’ll find in other American and British spellings. For example, colour and colour; honour and honour; and favourite and favourite.
• In British English, the spellings outlined in Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language are used. Whereas, American publications use the spellings given in Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language.

Canceled	Cancelled
Used in American English	Used in British English
Eg., Andaman canceled island hopping due to the covid pandemic.	Eg., Andaman cancelled island hopping due to the covid pandemic.

When to use Cancelled

‘Cancelled‘ is used as the past tense of ‘cancel’ when corresponding in British English.

• The President cancelled planned local elections across the United States.
• The protest was cancelled due to safety concerns.
• Will the football match be cancelled because of the rain?
• Ultimately, my contract with the firm wasn’t cancelled, and I will begin the shoot on Monday.

When to use Canceled

‘Canceled‘ is used as the past tense of ‘cancel‘ when corresponding in American English.

• The exams at Oxford were canceled after a flu outbreak.
• The family canceled the trip to Las Vegas.
• Is the ‘Born to Shine’ concert canceled?
• I hope that the summit for addressing the general public issues isn’t canceled this time.

Cancelled vs. Canceled: American Examples

(i) Jerry and Joanna couldn’t muster enough mangoes to bake a nice mango pie, so they just canceled the county barbecue.

(ii) The 9M entertainment news show, launched in 1996, was canceled due to the economic fallout from the covid pandemic, a spokesperson for BBC confirmed with CNN Business in an email.

(iii) The team running the show in Bollywood would never think of canceling the next blockbuster superhero film.

(iv) Since the automatic canceler stopped all electronic signals as soon as the tidal waves started up, it looks like the officers will have to go surfing instead.

(v) For the second consecutive year, Boston Calling has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cancelled vs. Canceled: British (UK) Examples

(i) Since Nora’s pyjama party was cancelled, let’s line up for some sushi and drinks at the restaurant.

(ii) The BTS never cancelled a gig, even when they didn’t get a nice cup of coffee beforehand.

(iii) Now, without any warning whatsoever, your new favourite web series, is cancelled.

(iv) At the end of one of its most difficult weeks of the year, Air India cancelled 45 flights to and from Swindon on Friday, the vast majority at Heathrow Terminal 4.

(v) Placidly, the last one caused a severe backlash, with left-wing pundits claiming that “childhood is cancelled” after the estate of Dr Johns quietly removed five lesser-read books which, in their opinion, were “hurtful and wrong” racial stereotypes, first published in 1957.

Cancelled vs. Canceled: Pronunciation

While pronouncing ‘cancel,’ we emphasize the first syllable. And, when a word is stressed on its final syllable, it generally takes two l’s before “ed.” For example, cancelled, compelled, rebelled, repelled, etc.

It’s the case for both American and British English spellings. In order to figure out whether this rule applies, just try to pronounce the words in your head.

Conclusion

Thus, both words ‘canceled‘ and ‘cancelled‘ are used for the past tense of “cancel”, the one with single ‘l’ is more common in American English while the one with double ‘l’ is common in British English. Therefore, it’s a matter of location or who you are writing for while deciding whether to use two l’s or one. Also, American English just doubles the consonant if the stress is on the syllable attached to the suffix. Further, you can also check another article named “Gray vs Grey”.

FAQs on Canceled vs. Cancelled:

Q1. Which is correct: “canceled” or “cancelled”?

Both the words are correct. It solely depends on the location of the usage of these two words. ‘Canceled‘ is used in American English while ‘cancelled‘ is used in British English.

Q2. Give 2-2 examples of both ‘canceled’ and ‘cancelled.’

Canceled- (i) The theatrical play was canceled due to a fire. (ii) The meeting should not be canceled at the last hour due to some lame excuse. Cancelled- (i) The theatrical play was cancelled due to a fire. (ii) The meeting should not be cancelled at the last hour due to some lame excuse.

Q3. What is the difference between ‘canceled’ and cancelled?’

The difference between the two has already been explained earlier in this article.

Q4. How to pronounce ‘canceled’ and ‘cancelled?’

Kindly refer to the above article for understanding the pronunciation.

Q5. Is it canceled or cancelled in India?

In India, both “canceled” and “cancelled” are commonly used, and both are considered acceptable spellings. However, the preferred spelling may vary depending on individual preferences or the specific style guide being followed.

In British English, “cancelled” with two “l’s” is the preferred spelling. In American English, “canceled” with one “l” is more common. In India, due to the influence of both British and American English, you may encounter both spellings being used. It’s important to be consistent with your chosen spelling within a document or context.