English in the Commonwealth of Nations

Commonwealth English is the set of varieties of the English language used in current and former countries of the Commonwealth. It connotes a mostly similar set of word spellings, punctuation rules and grammatical conventions. The use of English was largely inherited through British colonisation, with limited exceptions. The language forms part of the association's common culture and serves as the medium of inter-Commonwealth relations.

The term Commonwealth English is most often interchangeable with British English, but is also used to distinguish between British English and that in the rest of the Commonwealth. Many regions have developed their own local varieties of the language. Its official status varies; in Bangladesh, it lacks any but is widely used, and likewise in Cyprus, it is not official but is used as the lingua franca.

Written English in current and former countries of the Commonwealth generally favours British English spelling as opposed to that of American English, with some exceptions, particularly in Canada.

Native varieties

Southern Hemisphere native varieties of English began to develop during the 18th century, with the colonisation of Australasia and South Africa. Australian English and New Zealand English are closely related to each other and share some similarities with South African English.