One of the challenges of Canadian English is that it incorporates British English while simultaneously incorporating American English. This is particularly confusing when it comes to choosing which words to use.
Take the words licence and license, for example.
License
In both the UK and the US, license is a verb, as in, “I am licensed to drive.” However, in the United States, it can be used as a noun, as in, “I have a driver’s license.”
Licence
Licence, on the other hand, is a strictly British usage. In the UK, English speakers use licence as a noun, in the same way that Americans use license as a noun.
So, where do Canadians come in? Do we side with Americans as we do with tire and curb, or do we side with the British as we do with colour and metre?
Well, in this case, in Canada, we use “licence” as a noun and “license” as a verb, just like the Brits.
Now, keep in mind, as with some other words, this usage is changing. Just as how the American spelling of color and pronunciation of zee are starting to gain popularity in Canada, so is the American usage of license. In time, Canadians may end up favouring the simpler approach.
But for now, in Canada, use licence as a noun and license as a verb. An easy way to remember it is that your driver’s licence is a card, and licence and card both contain a C. Also, Canada starts with a C, and we use licence, which also has a C
Bonus tip: same goes for practice and practise. In Canada, practice is where you go and practise is what you do when you get there.
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