Dear Geist,

Are the terms West Coast and west coast interchangeable? Whenever I think I’ve got it sorted out and written west coast, someone who’s lived there all their life writes West Coast, and vice versa. I’ve seen both terms in articles and books that are well written and published. But neither version is in my Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Help!

—Jeannye Lond, Toronto ON

Dear Jeannye,

You’re right—reference texts differ on this question, and some publishers ignore it or settle on one of the favoured approaches. At Geist, we go with a popular book-publishing preference: west coast when referring to a geographical area, and West Coast when referring to a cultural area. This approach allows for some overlap and leeway, and it accommodates change. But any clear house-style terms, based on sensible approaches in use and applied consistently, are fine.

—The Editors