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'Canvas' is the fabric artists paint on; 'canvass' means to campaign door-to-door or gather opinions.
Side-by-side comparison
"Canvas" is a noun referring to a sturdy fabric, used for painting, tents, bags, or shoes.
The artist stretched a fresh canvas before starting the painting.
I bought a pair of canvas shoes for the summer.
The tent is made of thick, waterproof canvas.
"Canvass" is a verb meaning to go around an area asking for votes, opinions, or signatures, typically in political campaigns or surveys.
Volunteers canvassed the neighborhood asking residents to vote.
The candidate spent the weekend canvassing door to door.
We canvassed our customers to find out what features they wanted most.
Common mistake
Writing "canvas the neighborhood" (with a single "s") when talking about door-to-door campaigning is a common spelling mistake: the verb needs a double "s" at the end, "canvass". With a single "s", "canvas" is just the fabric.
Trick to remember it
"Canvass" with the double "s" has an extra "s", like asking twice: knocking on doors, asking for opinions again and again. "Canvas" with a single "s" is just the physical material, nothing to do with gathering opinions.
Quick rule
Is it the fabric for painting or making bags/shoes? "Canvas" (one "s"). Is it going around gathering votes or opinions? "Canvass" (two "s"s).
Did you know?
Surprisingly, both words share the same root: "canvas" (the fabric) comes from Latin "cannabis" (yes, the hemp plant, originally used to make the sturdy fabric). "Canvass" was born as a verb derived from "canvas": it originally meant "to toss something in a hemp cloth" (a way of separating grain from chaff), and over time it came to mean "to examine or sift through something thoroughly", eventually landing on the modern sense of going around gathering opinions.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The painting was done on a large _____ that covered most of the wall.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The campaign team plans to _____ the whole district before election day.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy