Calender Vs. Calendar: a Spelling Guide

How do you spell calendar? A document showing days, weeks, and months of a year, especially one hung on a wall. Is it calender or calendar? These words have different meanings! In this article, you’ll learn the etymology of the word ‘calendar‘ and why you should spell it this way.

Calender Vs. Calendar: What’s the Difference?

Calendar originates from the Old French word ‘calendier,‘ which means ‘list, register,’ and from Latin ‘calendarium‘, which means ‘account book.’ The –ar spelling in the English word is a 17th-century attempt to differentiate it from the now-obscure calender. The term ‘calender’ refers to a machine that gives cloth, paper, and other objects a glossy and smooth surface.

Calendar: Definition

The word ‘calendar‘ can function as a noun and a verb. Acting as a noun, it means a printed document showing all the year’s days, weeks, and month. A calendar is a book with a separate space or page for each day in which you write your future arrangements and meetings. It can also mean a list of important events for a person or an organization within a specific year. A calendar lists activities you have to do at particular times.

As a verb, the word means ‘to plan an event on a particular date.’ It means “to enter into a calender’ ‘to write or register.” It takes the following verb forms: simple present tense – calendars, present participle – calendaring, and past participle – calendared.

Sentence Examples

Let’s look at some examples to understand better how to use the word ‘calendar.’

• Jerry has the 2008 calendar hanging on the wall of his room.
• I have included the date and time of the meeting to your calendar.
• According to the school’s calendar, the session is concluding on Wednesday.
• My calendar is busy this month.
• Mary calendared her appointments with the new sponsors but missed them.
• The most parts of the world follow the Gregorian calendar.
• The circled date on the calendar is my birthday.
• I use the calendar to note any changes to meetings.
• Don’t you think calendaring the date of the event is a good idea?

How Do You Spell Calendar?

The accurate spelling of the word is C-A-L-E-N-D-A-R. It is an 8-lettered, three-syllable word with five consonants and three vowels. The phonetic pronunciation of the word is /ˈkæl.ən.də/ with the stress on the first syllable as inCA-len-dar. You can use a dictionary to learn how to pronounce the word correctly.

Don’t bite yourself too hard if you’ve spelled the word as ‘calender‘ previously. It’ll seem like ‘calender‘ is more appropriate from the word’s origin. But it is a different word, and when used to mean ‘calendar,’ it is considered a misspelling and inappropriate in writing.

To Wrap Up

Replacing a letter in an English word with another can lead to the formation of a different word. How do you spell calendar? The term is spelled as CALENDAR – not calender. Use CALENDAR if you’re referring to a system of organizing time or a document used to determine dates throughout a year.