Spelling - Writing Style Guide

centre (not center, unless part of a proper name, usually a U.S. organization) in past tense is spelled centred
per cent (two words; not percent or % in text)
focused, focusing (not focussed, focussing)
program (not programme)
University (cap “U” when referring to York University)
its (possessive pronoun) – The department cut its budget.
It’s contraction / abbreviation for “it is”) – It’s going to be a busy semester.
presently – means in the future, soon or after a short time, as in “He will arrive presently.” It means soon. It should not be used to mean now. (Use currently if you mean now.)
entitle – means to give or to render, as in “The claim entitles Canadian Indigenous peoples to fish on the land.” This word should not be used in reference to a book, unless one is speaking of the author’s act of giving the book a name, as in “He decided to entitle his book A Life in Progress.” But the book is titled or called A Life in Progress.
in regard to – not “in regards to”
irregardless – this is not a word. Please don’t use it. The word is regardless.
“That” versus “which”: Use "that" before a restrictive clause and "which" before everything else. If removing the words that follow would change the meaning of the sentence, use "that." Otherwise, "which" is fine.
“Comprise” versus “compose”: “To comprise” means “to contain.” “Compose” means “to make up.”

The following includes words from the Canadian Oxford Dictionary and The Canadian Press Caps and Spelling with troublesome spellings. Also included are some academic words often used at York University.

For anything that is not included below, refer to The Canadian Press Caps and Spelling first, followed by the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

2SLGBTQIA+ (stands for: Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender, queer/questioning, intersexual, asexual, and additional people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities; acronym is OK on first reference)
3D (not 3-D)
Aboriginal (uppercase in all uses; but Indigenous preferred in Canada)
abscess
accommodate
acknowledgment
adviser (not advisor)
aging (not ageing)
allotted
alumnae (rarely used. See Alumni section)
alumni (most commonly used. See Alumni section)
alumna (avoid gendered form unless pronouns are known; can use "alum" instead)
alumnus (avoid gendered form unless pronouns are known; can use "alum" instead)
analyze
BA
bachelor’s degree
bachelor’s degrees (not “bachelors’ degrees” and not capitalized)
benefited
Bethune College
biannual, biennial, bimonthly, biweekly
Black (uppercase for race)
board or board of governors (uppercase only when using formal name of the board. See Capitalization section)
BSc
buoy
caffeine
Calumet College
Canada Research Chair
carburetor
cemetery
centre (in past tense, centred)
CEO (OK on first reference for chief executive officer)
chair (a verb, as in “she will chair the meeting”)
Chair (a noun, when referring to a title, capitalized to avoid confusion with other form of the word. See Capitalization section)
châteaux
co-curricular
college (in general use. See Capitalization section)
colour, colourize, colourist, colouration
colorific
compatible
confectionery
connoisseur
consensus
co-ordinate
co-operate
deductible
defence (not defense, but defensive)
deterrent
dilemma
disappoint
DLitt
doctor of letters, doctor of laws, doctor of medicine (avoid use of "Dr." title entirely, both for people with doctoral degrees and for medical doctors)
doctoral degree (not capitalized)
doctorate (not capitalized)
EcoCampus
ecstasy
e.g. (meaning “for example.” Avoid using, but if you must, use a comma before the abbreviation and not after)
email, ebook
e-cigarette, e-commerce, e-learning, e-reader
embarrass, embarrassment
emeritus (masculine. See Emeritus section)
emoji (singular), emojis (plural)
English (uppercase. See Academic subjects section)
enrol, enrolled, enrolling, enrolment
ensure (make sure of; not insure, except when referring to insurance)
aesthetic
etc. (meaning “and so on.” Use a comma before the abbreviation if it is part of a series)
faculty (as in, a group of professors, the professoriate)
Faculty (as in, an academic division, the Faculty of Science. See Capitalization section)
favour, favourite, favourable
fellow (not capitalized, unless part of an honorific title like Distinguished Fellow in Learning and Teaching Excellence)
first-hand
First Nation(s)
First World War (not World War I)
focused, focusing
formula, formulas (not -lae)
Founders College
fulfil, fulfilled, fulfilment
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
Glendon Campus (location); but Glendon College (as a Faculty)
Governor General (no hyphen; capitalize in all references to the Canadian incumbent, otherwise only as a title preceding a name)
grey
harass, harassment
Harry W. Arthurs Common
health care (noun), health-care (adjective)
hemorrhage
high school (noun), high-school (adjective)
honour, honourable but honorary and honoree
Honours BA
honours degree
honorary degree
honoris causa (put in italics, indicating Latin words. See Italics section)
Hyderabad Campus
hygiene
hypocrisy, hypocrite
idiosyncrasy
i.e. (meaning “that is to say” – prefer that is. Do not use a comma after the abbreviation)
impostor
impresario
index, indexes (not indices)
Indigenous (capitalize in all uses when in reference to Indigenous people in Canada)
Indigenous Peoples (when referring to all First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Canada)
infallible
innocuous
inoculate, inoculation
in regard to (not “in regards to”)
install
installation, installed
instalment
instil
instilled
interdisciplinary (no hyphen)
internet
Inuit (plural noun and adjective)
Inuk (singular noun and adjective)
iridescent
jeweller, jewelry
judgment
Keele Campus
khaki
labour but laborious
Las Nubes EcoCampus
lead (noun, as in “pencil lead” or type of metal)
lead (verb, present tense of “to lead”)
led (verb, past tense of “to lead”)
literature (not a synonym for English)
Libraries (as in York University Libraries, the academic library system at York; capitalize when in reference to library system)
library (in general terms, or in subsequent reference)
Library (as in the Scott 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)
lieutenant
lieutenant-governor (with hyphen; uppercase only when it precedes a name)
lifelong
likable
litre or l (no period; spell out unless in a table or if used repeatedly)
livestream
LLD: doctor of laws
LLB: bachelor of laws
LLM : master of laws
long-standing
loonie (dollar coin)
MA: master of arts
Markham Centre Campus
master’s degree (not capitalized)
master’s degrees (not “masters’ degrees,” and not capitalized)
McLaughlin College
medallist
metre or m (no period; spell out unless in a table or if used repeatedly)
mid-’90s
midday
midsummer
midterm
midway
midyear
Mi'kmaq (not Micmac; plural for First Nation from Atlantic Canada; singular is Mi'kmaw)
mileage (not milage)
Miles Nadal Management Centre
millennium
MSc: master of science (see Degrees section)
multilingual (no hyphen)
multidisciplinary
newsfeed
non-profit
numbers (write one through nine as words; depict 10 and up as figures. See Numbers section)
occur, occurred, occurrence, occurring
off-site (adjective)
OK (not okay), OK’d, OK’ing
online
on-site (adjective)
Order of Canada (recipients may use initials: CC for companion of the Order of Canada; OC for officer; CM for member)
organization, organize
Osgoode Hall Law School (on first reference. (In subsequent references, use Osgoode or the law school. Don’t use Osgoode Hall – it confuses the school with the court in downtown Toronto.)
Osgoode Professional Development Centre
panel, panellist, panelling
parallel
paralleled
paralyze
paraphernalia
Parliament (capitalized when referring to the national legislature; not capitalized when referring to provincial or regional legislature)
parliamentary
Parliament Buildings (Ottawa)
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)
a part-timer
pavilion
pediatrician
perseverance, persevere, persevering
per cent (spell out, e.g. six per cent increase. No hyphens)
percentage
PhD (no periods; stands for doctor of philosophy)
policymaker
postdoctoral
postgraduate
post-secondary
pow wow
practice (noun or adjective), practise (verb)
prerequisite
prerogative (not perog-)
Pride (capitalized in all references to 2SLGBTQIA+ events and symbols)
principal (noun or adjective, meaning first in rank or importance, as in the principal of Glendon Campus, the principal investigator in the research project or the principal objective of the union)
Principal (uppercase only when followed by a name, as in Glendon Principal Donald Ipperciel. See Capitalization section)
principle (noun, meaning fundamental truth or law, as in the moral principle or they have no principles)
privilege
program (not programme), programmer, programming
Q-and-A, question-and-answer (not Q&A)
questionnaire
rarefy, rarefied
reconnaissance
restaurateur (note the absence of an “n”)
resuscitate
rhythm
sacrilegious
salable (not -eable)
Schulich School of Business
Second World War (not World War II)
self-care
semi-annual, semi-automatic
semicircle, semifinal (but quarter-final)
Senate (national legislature)
senate (state legislature; in second and subsequent references to the University Senate or general use. See Capitalization section)
shepherd
siege
sizable
smartphone
smoky (not smokey)
startup (noun and adjective)
stationary (not moving), stationery (writing materials)
Statistics Canada (StatCan acceptable in headlines; not StatsCan)
Stong College
supersede
surmise
surprise
tableau
TD Community Engagement Centre
tipi (not teepee), the York Tipi
textbook
text message, messaging
theatre (not theater, unless part of a proper name, especially in the U.S.)
theatregoer
thesis, theses
TikTok
ton (2,000 pounds, U.S. ton; use in colloquial references like “he weighed a ton”)
long ton (2,240 pounds, British ton)
tonne (1,000 kilograms or 2,204.62 pounds, a.k.a. metric ton)
toonie, toonies ($2 coin)
trade-off (noun and adjective), trade off (verb)
travel, traveller
Two-Spirit
University (referring to York University)
university (referring to all others, or to universities in general. See Capitalization section)
University Board of Governors (in first reference. See Capitalization section)
University Senate (in first reference. See Capitalization section)
U.K. (use periods)
US (use only with dollar figures: US$550)
U.S. (all other instances)
valour but valorous
Vanier College
vapour, vapourish but vaporous, vaporize
versus (use long form in text)
vs. (use short form only in sports schedules and law cases)
Vice-President (capitalize only when it precedes a name, as in Vice-President Advancement Susana Gajic-Bruyea)
vice-president (lowercase in all subsequent references. See Capitalization section)
vigorous, vigour
voice mail
volano, volcanoes
web page
website
well-being
well-known
Wi-Fi (prefer description such as wireless network in first reference)
wilful (not willful)
Winters College
world-renowned
worldwide
worthwhile
Yom Kippur
York University (avoid York U and YorkU; York or the University are OK on second reference only)
YSpace Markham
YU-card
YU Learn
YU Link
zigzag
zero, zeros

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