The use of the English language in most member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations was inherited from British colonisation. English is spoken as a first or second language in most of the Commonwealth. In a few countries, such as Cyprus and Malaysia, it does not have official status, but is widely used as a lingua franca. Mozambique is an exception – although English is widely spoken there, it is a former Portuguese colony which joined the Commonwealth in 1996.

Many regions, notably Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and the Caribbean, have developed their own native varieties of the language. As such, generalisations cannot be made about the various forms of English used by the various member nations of the Commonwealth.

Written English as used in the Commonwealth generally favours traditional spelling as opposed to American spelling, with one notable exception being Canada, where there is also a strong influence from neighbouring American English.