Counselor or Counsellor | Definition & Spelling

In American English, consonants at the end of words do not double up when a suffix is added. This is true of counselor (counsellor in British English). This is the usual pattern of difference between the two language variants. For example, in American English, “travel” becomes “traveled” or “traveler,” whereas in British English, the consonant doubles up (e.g., “cancelled,” “labelled,” and “traveller”).

Counselor or counsellor in a sentence examples
Nothing really made sense to Frank until he started to see a counselor/counsellor about the traumas of his childhood.

The company was lauded for its policy of providing time with a counselor/counsellor to any employee who needed it.

Janine found her job as a counselor/counsellor was rewarding and demanding in equal measure.

Counselor or counsellor

Counselor/counsellor is a noun that means “someone who gives advice” or, in American English, “a legal representative.” The spellings are not interchangeable. In American English, the correct spelling is counselor, and in British English, it is counsellor.

Counselor or counsellor in a sentence examples
It takes years of training to become a counselor/counsellor and many years of experience to become truly effective.

A guidance counselor is more likely to be called a careers advisor or careers counsellor in an English school.

A debt counselor/counsellor can help people who are struggling with their finances get straight.

Note
The word counselor to refer to a legal representative is not used in the UK legal system (even with the counsellor spelling). Depending on the setting, a lawyer will be called a “solicitor,” “barrister,” or “advocate” (in Scotland). In the higher courts, they might be referred to as “counsel” (e.g., “counsel for the prosecution”) but never counsellor.

  • The judge asked the counsellor to approach the bench.
  • The judge asked the counselor to approach the bench.

There is a possible further source of confusion with the different word councilor/councillor, a homophone with the meaning “member of a council” (e.g., “After serving for two years as a local councilor/councillor, David was elected to parliament”).

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. Behavior or behaviour
Labor or labour
Favor or favour
Favorite or favourite
Color or colour
Honor or honour
Flavor or flavour
In British English, these same words end in -our.
-er vs -re In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er. Theater or theatre
Center or centre
Meter or metre
Liter or litre
Saber or sabre
Fiber or fibre
In British English, these same words end in -re.
-ize vs -ise In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize. Realize or realise
Recognize or recognise
Analyze or analyse
Organize or organise
Minimize or minimise
Finalize or finalise
In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise.
-ed vs -t In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed. Learned or learnt
Burned or burnt
Kneeled or knelt
Dreamed or dreamt
Smelled or smelt
Spelled or spelt
In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t.
Single vs double consonant In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant. Modeling or modelling
Traveling or travelling
Canceled or cancelled
Labeled or labelled
Buses or busses
In British English, these same words are spelled with a double consonant.

Frequently asked questions about counselor or counsellor

Is it councilor or counselor?

In American English, a councilor is someone who is a member of a council. A counselor is someone who gives counsel or advice or a legal representative.

In British English, these words are spelled councillor and counsellor, but the latter is not used to describe a legal representative or lawyer.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker has language settings to allow you to choose the correct region and make sure you have the correct spelling of councilor or counselor.

How do you spell counselor in British English?

Counselor is spelled counsellor in British English. It has the same meaning of “someone who gives counsel or advice,” but it is not used in the UK to refer to a lawyer or legal representative.

In a British court, you will be represented by a “solicitor,” a “barrister,” or, in Scotland, an “advocate.”

You can set the language region of the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you have the correct spelling of counselor or counsellor.

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Trevor Marshall, MSc

Trevor has a BA in English Literature & Language and an MSc in Applied Social Studies. He has been a teacher for 25 years, with 15 years experience teaching ESL alongside 1st language students.