If the word you are looking for is not included in the list below, consult Canadian Press Caps and Spelling first, then the Oxford Canadian Dictionary second.
A
| alumna (singular female graduate) alumnae (plural female graduates) alumn (singular gender neutral) alumnus (singular male graduate) alumni (either plural male graduates or group of graduates comprising both sexes) |
| analogue |
| analyze |
| antennas (found on televisions etc.); antennae (found on an insect) |
| award-winning (adj.) |
B
| behaviour |
| bioplastic (one word not bio plastic) |
| booklist |
| brand name (n.); brand-name (adj.) |
| built-in (adj.) |
C
| campus’ (plural possessive) |
| campus’s (singular possessive) |
| centre (not center) |
| cheque |
| child care (two words) |
| classwork |
| closed-circuit |
| colour |
| co-operative |
| coordinator |
| counsel, counselling, counselled, counsellor |
| coursework |
| credentialing, credentialed |
| Criminal Record Check (capitalize when used in program prerequisites or requirements) |
| curriculum (singular); curricula (plural) |
D
| datum (singular); data (plural) |
| Day 1 (It’s been the best program since Day 1.) |
| daycare (one word) |
| decision making (n.); decision-making (adj.) |
| defence |
| degree-granting institution |
| drop-in (adj.) |
E
| Elder (capitalize) |
| emeritas (feminine form), emeritus (masculine form) |
| enrol, enrolled, enrolling, enrolment |
| entry-level job |
F
| fast-track (v.), fast track (n.) |
| first-come, first-served basis |
| first-hand |
| first-year student |
| follow up (v.); follow-up (n.) |
| front line (n.); front-line (adj.), i.e., front-line workers |
| full-load equivalent |
| full-time classes available full time |
G
| gauge |
| GED® (always has the registered trademark symbol following it) |
| go-kart |
| Grade 12 (singular); grades 7 and 8 (plural); grades 9 to 11 (plural) |
| grey (not gray) |
H
| hands-on (adj.) |
| head-on (adj.) |
| head start |
| health care (n.), health-care (adj.) |
| high level of proficiency |
| high school (not high-school) |
| high-demand admission process; high-demand skills |
| high-quality |
| high-tech training |
| home page |
| home study |
| honour, honourable, honorary |
I
| Indigenous (capitalize) |
| internationally recognized |
| interprofessional |
| Internet (capitalized) |
| intranet (not capitalized) |
J
| job ready “students are job ready“; job-ready “job-ready students” |
| journeyperson (not journeyman) |
| judgment (not judgement) |
| jump-start |
L
| labour |
| leading-edge technology |
| learning-centred |
| licence (n.); license (v.) |
| life-changing (adj.) |
| lifelong |
| litre |
| log in (v.), login (n., adj.) |
| long-term care |
| lowercase (n., v.) |
| low-income |
M
| mail out (v.), mailout (n.) |
| metre |
| mid-term |
| Millenials (caps) |
| modelling |
| myriad (n., adj.) |
N
| nationally recognized, nationally accredited |
| neighbour |
| note taking (v.) |
O
| on campus (n. and prep.); on-campus (adj.) |
| on hand |
| online |
| on-site (adj.) |
| one-on-one |
| one to two years |
| overrepresent (one word) |
P
| part-time (adj., adv.); part-timer |
| per cent (two words) |
| personalize |
| post-degree (adj.) |
| post-secondary (adj.) |
| practice (n.), practise (v.) (Nurses practise a variety of health care practices.) |
| practicum (singular); practicums (plural) |
| prerequisite (n., adj.) |
| preschool |
| province-wide |
R
| real-life learning, real-life approach |
| real-world training |
| reapply |
| resumé |
| ribbon cutting (n.); ribbon-cutting (adj.) |
| role-play |
S
| short order |
| short-term (adj.) (short-term investment); short term (n.) (in the short term) |
| skilful |
| sold-out (adj.) |
| stepping stone |
| storyteller, storytelling (one word) |
| subject-matter expert |
T
| theirs, its (possessive pronouns) (not their’s or it’s) but “it’s” for contraction of it is (It’s going to rain today) |
| tipi |
| top-level |
| toward (not towards) |
| troubleshooting |
U
| Ukraine (not “the Ukraine”) |
| undergrads (one word) |
| under-represented |
| undersubscribed |
| up-to-date |
| uppercase (n., v.) |
| user-friendly |
W
| waitlist |
| wastewater (one word) |
| web page |
| website (one word, not capitalized) |
| well-being (n.) i.e., a happy state |
| well-known (adj.) |
| well-rounded (adj.) |
| wide range of student services |
| wide-ranging (adj.) i.e., wide-ranging skills |
| Wi-Fi |
| work site |
| work term |
| workday (one word) |
| workforce |
| workload |
| workplace |
| work-ready, workplace-ready (adj.) |
| World Wide Web (capitalized) |
