Canadian Oxford Dictionary

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary is a dictionary of Canadian English. First published by Oxford University Press Canada in 1998, it became a well-known reference for Canadian English.

The second edition, published in 2004, contains about 300,000 entries, including about 2,200 true Canadianisms. It also provides information on Canadian pronunciation and on Canadian spelling, which has features of both British and American spelling: colour, centre, and travelling, but tire, aluminum, and realize, resulting in combinations such as .

Editorial staff and development method
Until September 2008, Oxford maintained a permanent staff of lexicographers in Canada, led by editor Katherine Barber. With its Canadian dictionary division closed, Oxford has since been outsourcing work on Canadian dictionary products to freelance editors.

Editions and versions



 * Prior editions


 * Picture dictionary


 * Paperback


 * Alex Bisset, editor. The Canadian Oxford Paperback Dictionary (first edition 2000, reissued 2004, second edition 2006) Toronto, Oxford University Press.


 * Compact
 * The Canadian Oxford Compact Dictionary (published 2001, reissued 2004)


 * Concise
 * Concise Canadian Oxford Dictionary (published 2005)


 * High school
 * The Canadian Oxford High School Dictionary (published 2002, reissued 2004)


 * Spelling
 * The Canadian Oxford Spelling Dictionary (published 1999, reissued 2004)


 * Juvenile
 * My First Canadian Oxford Dictionary

Other Canadian English dictionaries
Two other major Canadian English dictionaries are the ITP Nelson Canadian Dictionary and the Gage Canadian Dictionary.