A new HWE reagent, (o-tBuC(6)H(4)O)(2)P(O)CH2CN (2e), reacts with various types of aldehydes to give Z-alpha,beta-unsaturated nitriles with 86% to >99% Z-selectivity. Especially, the reaction of 2e with bulkier aldehydes, both aromatic and aliphatic, gave the Z-olefins with extremely high selectivity. The combination of t-BuOK and 18-crown-6 (1 equiv) is the base of choice for aromatic aldehydes and t-BuOK is generally the base of choice for aliphatic aldehydes. (C)2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.