Is It Fulfil or Fulfill? | Spelling, Difference & Examples

UK vs US updated on  November 13, 2023 3 min read
Fulfil and fulfill are two ways of spelling the same verb, which means “achieve something” or “carry out a duty as required.”

The spelling depends on whether you use British English or American English.

  • In British English, “fulfil” (with one “l”) is correct.
  • In American English, “fulfill” (with a double “l”) is most common.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.

Examples: Fulfil or fulfill in a sentence

Cassy promised to fulfil/fulfill her obligations and complete the project on time.

Lee’s dream was to fulfil/fulfill his lifelong ambition of becoming a principal.

A teacher’s aide must fulfil/fulfill a number of classroom-related duties.

Fulfilment or fulfillment

The related noun fulfilment or fulfillment has the same spelling distinction. It refers to the achievement of something.

  • In British English, “fulfilment” (with one “l”) is correct.
  • In American English, “fulfillment” (with a double “l”) is most common.

Examples: Fulfilment or fulfillment in a sentence

Achieving his lifelong dream brought him a profound sense of fulfilment/fulfillment.

The company’s mission is to help employees find fulfilment/fulfillment in their careers.

For some, traveling provides a unique sense of fulfilment/fulfillment.

Other forms of fulfil or fulfill

The spelling difference does not apply to the past tense, past participle, and present participle forms of the verb. You use fulfilled and fulfilling (with a double “l”) in both British and American English.

Examples: Other forms of fulfil or fulfill in a sentence

The freelancer fulfilled his promise to deliver the product ahead of schedule.

Many people find volunteering their time a fulfilling way to give back to the community.

Main differences between American and British English

American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Five important differences are:

Difference

Rule

Examples

-or vs -our

In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or.

In British English, these same words end in -our.

Behavior or behaviour
Labor or labour
Favor or favour
Favorite or favourite
Color or colour
Honor or honour

-er vs -re

In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er.

In British English, these same words end in -re.

Theater or theatre
Center or centre
Meter or metre
Liter or litre
Saber or sabre
Fiber or fibre

-ize vs -ise

In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize.

In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise.

Realize or realise
Recognize or recognise
Analyze or analyse
Organize or organise
Minimize or minimise
Finalize or finalise

-ed vs -t

In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed.

In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t.

Learned or learnt
Burned or burnt
Kneeled or knelt
Dreamed or dreamt
Smelled or smelt
Spelled or spelt

Single vs double consonant

In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant.

In British English, these same words are spelled with a double consonant.

Modeling or modelling
Traveling or travelling
Canceled or cancelled
Labeled or labelled
Buses or busses
Focused or focussed

Do you want to know more about common mistakes, commonly confused words, or other language topics? Check out some of our other language articles full of examples and quizzes.


Common mistakes

Commonly confused words

Rhetoric

Whoa or woah

Advisor vs adviser

Metonymy

Theirs or their's

Accept vs except

Synecdoche

Ours or our's

Affect vs effect

Verbal irony

Forty or fourty

Among vs between

Irony

Sence or sense

Anymore vs any more

Grawlix


Frequently asked questions about fulfil or fulfill

Is it fulfil or fulfill in Canada?

Fulfil and fulfill are two spellings of the same verb. The spelling depends on the type of English.

  • In American English, you use “fulfill” (with a double “l”).
  • In British English, you use “fulfil” (with one “l”).

While Canadian English mostly follows British English guidelines, both forms of the word are commonly used.

It's important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.

Is it fulfil or fulfill in Australia?

Fulfil and fulfill are two spellings of the same verb. The spelling depends on the type of English.

  • In American English, you use “fulfill” (with a double “l”).
  • In British English, you use “fulfil” (with one “l”).

Australian English mostly follows British English guidelines, so “fulfil” with one “l” is most common.

It's important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.

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Julia Merkus

Julia has master's degrees in Linguistics and Language and speech pathology. Her expertise lies in grammar, language and speech disorders, foreign language learning, and child language acquisition.

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