British vs. American English - Difference

Learn about the differences between American English and British English. This article will help you to know the commonly confused words in British and American English. A discussion of the differences between standard American and British English.

Difference Between British and American English

Here are some of the main differences in vocabulary between British and American English. Here is a collection of some commonly used words translated from British English to American English. American and British English spelling differences are one aspect of American and British English differences. It is very useful to people who visit both countries more frequently than others to convert commonly used words from British English to American English. There are many British words which are different from American words. It is an effort to provide information about the Commonly confused words in British and American English.

British English American English

British English	American English
Aerial	Antenna
Angry	Mad
Anywhere	Anyplace
Autumn	Fall
Bank note	Bill
Barrister, Solicitor	Attorney
Biscuit	Cookie
Bonnet	Hood
Boot	Trunk
Braces	Suspenders
Caretaker	Janitor
Chemistâ€™s	Drug store
Chips	French fries
Cinema	Movie
Condom	Rubber
Constable	Patrolman
Cooker	Stove
Cot	Crib
Cotton	Thread
Crash	Wreck
Crossroads	Intersection
Curtains	Drapes
Draughts	Checkers
Drawing pin	Thumb tack
Dual carriageway	Divided highway
Dummy	Pacifier
Dust bin, Rubbish bin	Trash can, Garbage can
Dustman	Garbage collector
Dynamo	Generator
Engine	Motor
Film	Movie
Flat	Apartment
Flyover	Overpass
Garden	Yard
Gear lever	Gear shift
Graduate	Alumnus
Grill	Boiler
Ground floor	First floor
Gym shoes, Tennis shoes	Sneakers
Hand bag	Purse
Hoarding	Billboard
Holiday	Vacation
Hoover	Vacuum cleaner
Ill	Sick
Interval	Intermission
Jersey, Jumper, Pull over, Sweater	Sweater
Jug	Pitcher
Lift	Elevator
Lorry	truck
Luggage	Baggage
Mad	Crazy
Main road	Highway
Maize	Corn
Maths	Math
Mean	Stingy
Motorway	Freeway
Nappy	Diaper
Nasty	Vicious, Mean
Nowhere	No place
Nursing home	Private hospital
Occultist, Optician	Optometrist
Paraffin	Kerosene
Pavement	Sidewalk
Peep	Peek
Petrol	Gas, Gasoline
Post	Mail
Postbox	Mailbox
Postman	Mailman, Mail carrier
Potato crisps	Potato chips
Pram	Baby carriage
Pub	Bar
Public toilet	Rest room
Puncture	Blowout
Push chair	Stroller
Queue	Line
Railway	Railroad
Railway carriage	Railway car
Reel of cotton	Reel of thread
Return ticket	Round trip
Reverse charges	Call collect
Rise in salary	Raise
Road surface	Pavement
Roundabout	Traffic circle
Rubber	Eraser
Saloon	Sedan
Sellotape	Scotch tape
Shop	Store
Silencer	Muffler
Single ticket	One way
Somewhere	Someplace
Spanner	Wrench
Staff of a university	Faculty
Sump	Oil pan
Sweet	Dessert
Sweets	Candy
Tap	Faucet
Tap (outdoor)	Spigot
Taxi	Cab
Tea towel	Dish towel
Term	Semester
Tights	Pantyhose
Timetable	Schedule
Tin	Can
Toll motorway	Turnpike
Torch	Flashlight
Tramp	Hobo
Trousers	Pants
Turn ups	Cuffs
Underground railway	Subway
Underpants	Shorts
Verge of road	Shoulder of road
Waistcoat	Vest
Wardrobe	Closet
Wash your hands	Wash up
Windscreen	Windshield
Wing	Fender
Zip	Zipper

In British English, words that end in -l preceded by a vowel usually double the -l when a suffix is added, while in American English the letter is not doubled. The letter will double in the stress is on the second syllable.

Base Word	American English	British English
counsel	counseling	counselling
equal	equaling	equalling
model	modeling	modelling
quarrel	quarreling	quarrelling
signal	signaling	signalling
travel	traveling	travelling
excel	excelling	excelling
propel	propelling	propelling

Difference between British and American Spellings of Verbs

For the spellings of verbs, Generally the rule is that if there is a verb form with -ed, American English will use it, and if there is a form with -t, British English uses it. However, these forms do not exist for every verb and there is variation. For example, both American and British English would use the word 'worked' for the past form of 'to work'. So what does tall his mean for learners of English? In the beginning, unfortunately, it means a lot of memorization (or memorisation) and of course, a few mistakes. For spoken English, the differences are barely audible, so forge ahead and don't be too concerned with whether a word is spelled 'dreamed' or 'dreamt'. With written English, however, if you are unsure about the spelling, better to ask your teacher or look the word up in the dictionary and see what the experts say.

A total of 285 users are reading this article.

Posted by: Administrator This question has been viewed 37099 times so far.

Want More?
Would you like to be notified when new articles are added to our knowledgebase? Subscribe to our Feed and get instant notifications when new articles are added to the knowledgebase.