Candor and candour mean the same thing: speaking honestly and openly, even when the truth is awkward or uncomfortable. Candor is the American spelling and candour is the British one. A CEO who admits to losses with candor in a US report and one who answers questions with candour in a UK interview are being praised for exactly the same quality.
The core difference
Candor and candour both mean open, honest speech; only the American versus British spelling differs.
- candor — American spelling for honest, straightforward speech: The CEO's candor about the company's losses surprised the shareholders.
- candour — British spelling of the same word: She answered questions about the failed launch with surprising candour.
How to tell them apart
Both spellings share the same Latin root, candor, meaning brightness or whiteness, from candere, meaning to shine. The sense of open, unclouded honesty grew out of that idea of clarity and light, so candor and candour are essentially about shining a light on the truth rather than hiding it.
The mix-up shows up most often in business and journalism writing, where quotes and reports move between American and British outlets. As with other -or/-our pairs, the fix is to pick one spelling convention and use it consistently across a piece, rather than switching mid-document.
