KILOMETRE or KILOMETER – 

which spelling is correct?

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You may have seen kilometre spelled as kilometer and wondered, “Which is the correct spelling?”

The answer to that depends on where you are!

The British spelling is kilometre.

The American spelling is kilometer.

Canada is part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, so traditionally, Canadian school children were taught to use the British spellings for English words.

However, Canada is a neighbour to the United States and that, as well as the influence of the internet, influences Canada’s language. 

To answer the question,

“Which spelling is correct?”,

both kilometre and kilometer are considered correct in Canada.

 

Whether you are writing a long document or a short paragraph, keep your spelling consistent.

If you choose to use British spellings (such as kilometre and neighbour), use British spellings throughout your writing.

If you choose to use American spellings (such as kilometer and neighbor), use American spellings throughout your writing.

 

 

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