Canadian English

Canadian English is the main variety of about 30 million native speakers across Canada, sitting close to General American but with consistent giveaways. The most famous is Canadian raising: the diphthong in words like about and house starts higher, giving the much-parodied (and slightly exaggerated) aboot stereotype. The same raising affects right and write. Other markers include British-influenced spellings (colour, centre, cheque), the distinctive eh tag, and a vowel system that retains some contrasts American English has lost (cot and caught are still distinct in many regions). The accent is generally rhotic, broadcast-friendly, and easy on learners trained on American media. Vocabulary picks up some British and French-Canadian loans alongside the standard North American base, especially for everyday objects, food, and political institutions.