When Canadians sit across from an American, they often feel like we understood every word but many times, we had no idea what they meant. This is because Americans use terms that seem totally normal to them but sound like code to the average person north of the border. It’s not that Canadians don’t speak English—it’s just that we don’t speak that English. Here are twelve things Americans say that confuse Canadians.
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“I’m mailing it with USPS.”
USPS doesn’t operate in Canada and although most Canadians understand what it is, they’re not used to hearing statements like “I’m mailing it with USPS” in conversation. Americans often mention it casually, like everyone uses it, yet many Canadians see USPS as one of those abbreviations you need to look up. It’s not something we ever deal with directly and that’s why it usually needs explaining.
“I have a 1099 job.”
Most Americans understand that “1099 work” is a U.S. tax form for independent contractors or freelancers—but Canadians often don’t know what that means. In Canada, people just say they’re self-employed or doing contract work and won’t use specific terms like “1099” since they don’t really apply. If you casually mention, “I have a 1099 job” to a Canadian, don’t be surprised if they give you a blank look because they have no idea it’s something tax-related.
“Do you have a W-2?”
Speaking of jobs, the question “Do you have a W-2?” pops up a lot during conversations about jobs or during tax season, with most Americans saying it like everyone just knows what it is. Meanwhile, Canadians are quietly Googling it because we don’t get W-2s—we get T4s, which is part of a completely different system. Anytime that an American starts talking about their W-2 showing up late or missing deductions, Canadians have no frame of reference at all.
“My deductible’s $1,500.”
Americans often talk about deductibles in health insurance like they’re just a part of daily life and they’ll throw around numbers for how much they pay before insurance kicks in. It doesn’t matter if it’s for health or dental insurance because in Canada, the idea of a “deductible” on health insurance isn’t something common. We’ll probably be able to work out what you mean, but hearing someone say they “haven’t hit their deductible yet” is odd to someone in a country with free healthcare.
“It’s covered by my HMO.”
But that’s not all for healthcare, as Americans will also mention things being “covered by my HMO,” which makes most Canadians rather confused. They have OHIP, MSP & the occasional private plan, but that alphabet soup of U.S. insurance acronyms just isn’t on the menu up here. Canadians don’t usually talk about healthcare in terms of cost at all, so there’s no shared context when Americans say their HMO won’t cover a certain doctor or that they hit their deductible.
“I’m heading to the DMV.”
To an American, “I’m heading to the DMV” is as normal as saying “I’m going to the grocery store,” but Canadians don’t have a DMV—it literally doesn’t exist here. Instead, we have ICBC, ServiceOntario, SAAQ, and about ten other provincial names, as each area has its own version of the DMV. It doesn’t matter if the job is the same, like renewing a license, because the process is quite different in each province.
“I got it at Trader Joe’s.”
To Canadians, Trader Joe’s is a place that most Americans talk about way too often and they’ll name-drop it like they all shop there on weekends and the chain has a whole cult following in the States. But it doesn’t exist in Canada, so while you’re raving about your cookie butter haul, Canadians just smile and pretend they’ve had it too. The closest we’ll get is maybe Whole Foods or Costco.
“I went to community college.”
Canadians don’t really use the phrase “community college,” and although they say “college,” that means something different from “university.” Americans mean a very specific kind of two-year school with transfer credits—in Canada, if someone hears “community college,” they might be wondering if it’s adult ed or a rec center. Saying you went to college could mean a trades program instead of a pathway to a degree, meaning it’s a phrase that requires some extra explanation.
“I need to renew my tags.”
Hearing someone say they need to “renew [their] tags” is odd for most Canadians because we’re not sure if the other person is talking about hashtags or dog tags. It’s neither, as the word just means vehicle registration stickers, which Canadians just refer to as…well, stickers. Americans will talk about “getting pulled over for expired tags” or “my tags are good for another year,” and it takes Canadians a minute or two to understand that they mean their car.
“I used my EBT.”
EBT cards are how Americans access food assistance programs like SNAP, but in Canada, we don’t use these cards, although we still have social assistance. Our system is structured—and named—completely differently, so unless you explain it, most Canadians won’t have a clue what just happened. There’s no physical “card” tied specifically to food spending in the same way and people might receive direct deposit or have access to food banks instead.
“I’m in 401(k) matching.”
Saying that you’re “in 401(k) matching” could make some Canadians think you’re part of some elite club or a spreadsheet RPG, even though the term simply means your employer puts some money into your retirement account. Canadians have RRSPs and some employers offer pension matching, although no one says “I’m in matching.” The 401(k) system has its own rules and language that don’t carry over, so this phrase just sounds oddly corporate.
“We’re going to tailgate.”
If you tell a Canadian you’re tailgating this weekend, expect them to be worried because over here, tailgating means riding someone’s bumper too close on the highway. That’s quite different from the BBQs & parking lots before a game that most Americans expect—one ends in a ticket, the other in grilled sausages. Of course, Canadians are used to pre-gaming, but they don’t have full-on parking lot parties with folding chairs and bean bag toss games like Americans do.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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