Canadian English: 40 Words and Phrases Newcomers Hear Every Day

Many of my students arrive in Canada with good English and still get confused in their first weeks. People say double-double, toque and washroom, and no textbook taught them these words. Canadian English is mostly like American English, with some British spelling and a few words that are simply Canadian.

Here are the words and phrases my students ask about most, grouped by situation, with an example for each one.

At the Coffee Shop

1. Double-double: a coffee with two creams and two sugars. "Can I get a medium double-double, please?"
2. Timmies: Tim Hortons, the famous Canadian coffee chain. "Let's grab a coffee at Timmies before work."
3. Regular: in many coffee shops, one cream and one sugar. "A large regular, please."
4. For here or to go?: will you drink it in the café or take it with you? "To go, thanks."

Money

5. Loonie: the one-dollar coin (it has a loon, a bird, on it). "Do you have a loonie for the shopping cart?"
6. Toonie: the two-dollar coin. "Parking is a toonie for an hour."
7. Debit: paying directly from your bank account with your card. "Debit or credit?"
8. Tap: paying by touching your card or phone to the machine. "You can just tap."
9. E-transfer: sending money from your bank account by email or phone number. "I'll e-transfer you for the tickets."
10. Tax is extra: prices on shelves usually don't include sales tax. "The shirt says twenty dollars, but tax is extra."

Around the House and Around Town

11. Washroom: a public toilet. Canadians use this word more than bathroom in public places. "Excuse me, where's the washroom?"
12. Convenience store (or corner store): a small shop that sells snacks, drinks and basics. "I'll pick up milk at the corner store."
13. Pop: a soft drink (not soda in most of Canada). "Do you want a pop with your pizza?"
14. Chesterfield: an old word for a sofa. You'll hear it from older Canadians. "Put your coat on the chesterfield."
15. Parkade: a parking garage (common in Western Canada). "I parked on the third floor of the parkade."
16. Transit: public transportation. "I take transit to work."

Winter Words

17. Toque (sounds like took): a warm knitted hat. "Wear your toque, it's minus twenty!"
18. Snowsuit: a one-piece winter outfit for children. "The kids need snowsuits for recess."
19. Windchill: how cold it feels because of the wind. "It's minus ten, but with the windchill it feels like minus twenty-five."
20. Black ice: thin, almost invisible ice on the road. "Drive slowly, there's black ice this morning."
21. Snow day: a day when schools close because of heavy snow. "The kids are home, it's a snow day."
22. Plug in the car: in very cold places, cars have a block heater you plug in at night. "Don't forget to plug in the car tonight."

School and Family

23. Grade one, grade two...: school years (not first grade in everyday Canadian speech). "My daughter is in grade three."
24. Recess: the break when children play outside. "They go outside at recess, even in winter."
25. Daycare: care for young children while parents work. "Is there a spot at the daycare?"
26. Report card: a child's school progress report. "Report cards come home in November."

At Work

27. Stat holiday: a statutory (official) public holiday. "Monday is a stat holiday, so the office is closed."
28. Long weekend: a weekend with an extra day off. "What are you doing this long weekend?"
29. Pay stub: the document that shows your pay and deductions. "Check your pay stub for your vacation pay."
30. Resume: in Canada, people usually say resume (not CV) for most jobs. "Please send your resume by Friday."
31. Touch base: to contact someone briefly. "Let's touch base next week."
32. Give someone a heads-up: to warn or inform in advance. "Just a heads-up: the meeting moved to 3."

Small Talk Expressions

33. Eh?: added at the end of a sentence to ask for agreement, like right? "Cold today, eh?"
34. Sorry: Canadians say it very often, even when it's not their fault. It can mean excuse me. "Oh, sorry!" (when two people almost bump into each other)
35. No worries: it's OK, no problem. "Sorry I'm late!" "No worries."
36. How's it going?: a greeting, not a real question. Answer briefly. "Good, thanks, you?"
37. Give'r: go for it, try hard (informal). "Just give'r!"
38. Beauty! or Beauty, eh!: great, excellent (informal, a bit old-fashioned). "You fixed it? Beauty!"
39. Keener: a very enthusiastic, hard-working person (often a student). "He's such a keener, he finished the homework early."
40. Out for a rip: going for a drive or a ride for fun (informal). "We went out for a rip on the snowmobiles."

Spelling Tip: Canadian vs American

Canada often uses British spelling with American vocabulary:

• colour, favourite, neighbour, centre, cheque (Canadian/British)
• but truck, apartment, cookie, elevator (American words)

Either spelling is usually understood, but at work or in school it's good to be consistent.

How to Practise

1. Choose five words from this list that you hear in your own life.
2. Write one sentence about your day with each word.
3. Say them out loud, for example in the live AI speaking practice, or bring them to the Speaking Club.

For more everyday language, see 100 most useful English phrases, English for newcomers to Canada and our Canada life guides.