Word difference between american and british english

English is the second-most widely spoken native tongue globally and an official language in 53 countries. It first developed in Britain—or, more precisely, in the British Isles—but the majority of its speakers live in the United States. English is the main language for global communication and the most popular language among foreign-language learners.

Like any language, English has many varieties. The best-known varieties are British and American English. Can you tell them apart? Consider our comparison.

Are British and American English the same?

These two English varieties are definitely not the same, but they aren’t too different either. This is important to know if you’re a foreign English speaker and find yourself afraid that swapping a few words would render you incomprehensible. While this almost never happens, these two varieties do sometimes differ in spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary or even grammatical structures (as you will see below). However, globalization and the Internet have caused these differences to shrink. You may raise some eyebrows in London when asking whether the pants you want to buy have pockets, but we guarantee that you’ll eventually walk away with a nice pair of trousers.

We do advise that you stick to one variety when writing an official document or email, or when speaking to anyone in an official context. When writing, always make sure to switch your spell-checker to the desired variety. That way you will seldom make spelling mistakes. For vocabulary differences, check the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries to see which words are typical to each variety.

But why are there differences in the first place? The answer isn’t simple, as many factors are involved. American English, which is older than British English, came to the American continent with the English settlers, whose pronunciation was based on rhotic speech. This means that the letter r was clearly pronounced, much like today. In Britain, the higher social classes softened the r sound which remained to this day. Different spellings were caused by Americans attempting to differentiate themselves from the British, which is mainly thanks to Mr. Noah Webster whom I advise you to Google. Having different words for the same thing resulted from both countries borrowing from neighboring countries. While Americans took many Spanish words, the British borrowed many from French. This is why the former uses cilantro and the latter uses coriander.

Sometimes, the differences are rather laughable, and you can watch plenty of hilarious YouTube videos where native speakers compare their vocabulary. To take a break from all this information, check out this British-American couple struggling to communicate while raising their child. But be sure to come back, as we’re about to dive into some major differences between British and American English.

British vs American spelling

While writing a text, you may have found your text editor marked a spelling as incorrect. Yet, when you checked it in a dictionary, the spelling was in fact correct. This can often be accounted for by the differences between British and American English.

The key spelling difference between British and American English is the letter omission in American English. For example, in writing, the British keep the letters that account for the spelling differences in these words:

The spelling differences between British and American English also include letter changes and letter reversals:

Interestingly enough, British English doesn’t use a period after honorifics, for instance Mr Bean, Mrs Smith, House, M.D. Meanwhile, Americans normally use them.

British vs American pronunciation

British English and American English differ even more regarding their pronunciation. You immediately know the difference between British and American accents when heard.

While the r sound is pronounced in American English, it remains silent in British English unless it occupies an initial syllable position. For example:

The stress can fall on different syllables as well:

British pronunciation	American pronunciation
A-dult	a-DULT
week-END	WEEK-end

American English sometimes simplifies the pronunciation by altering or omitting some vowel sounds:

British pronunciation	American pronunciation
waw-tah	wa-der
moun-tin	moun-nn

American vs British grammatical differences

The differences between British and American English grammar are slightly more complicated. The differences are small, but they are significant.

Take the verb to have, for instance. To talk about possession, British English uses the verb to have got (I have got a book.), whereas American English uses to have (I have a book.). An important note: the verb have got is also used in American English, but mostly to indicate obligation (I have got to go.).

The present perfect tense usage differs as well. The British normally use the verb to have (I have just arrived.) in this tense, whereas the Americans usually omit this verb. As a result, the sentences sound simpler: I just arrived.

Other differences concern preposition usage:

The grammatical differences also include irregular verbs, for example:

British English	American English
spill, spilt, spilt	spill, spilled, spilled
dive, dived, dived	dive, dove, dived

Collective nouns are also used differently. The words team and committee can be either singular or plural in British English, with the plural being more frequent, pointing to the fact that the group consists of multiple individuals. In the United States, the group is considered as a single entity; consequently, these words are always considered as singular.

Finally, for true English language connoisseurs, there is the present subjunctive. Before the 20^th century, this structure had been used in both American and British English, but it remained only in the former. Americans use it regularly in mandative clauses, such as “I demand you be here.” or “She suggested he arrive early.” In Britain, this form is only used in formal writing. Also, in day-to-day life, should is usually inserted in the sentence, such as “She suggested he should arrive early.”

American vs British vocabulary differences

The vocabulary differences between British and American English are no less tricky. British and American English sometimes use different words to refer to the same thing. In fact, there are many cases of this in both varieties. You may ask how many words are different between British and American English. While it is hard to determine the exact number, some lists state there are over one hundred, if not many more.

Sometimes these words can be used in just one variety. But a problem arises when a word is used in both varieties but with completely different meanings, for example:

These differences mean that you should always specify which variety should be used by the translator in your English translations.

British and American slang and colloquialisms

“Taking a vacation” (American English) / “Going on a holiday” (British English) in either the US or Britain probably won’t get you invited to a formal conference. Yet they will work well among regular people. Unsurprisingly, the slang is different in both countries. Whether you wind up in a bar or a pub, you might hear some of the words in the following table.

Standard word	American Colloquialism	British Colloquialism
mouth	piehole	cakehole
house	crib	gaff
friend	homie	mate, fam
tired	beat	knackered, shattered
excited	hyped, amped	buzzing
share the bill (BrE) / check (AmE)	go Dutch	split the bill
police officer	cop	copper, bobby
angry	pissed	pissed off
pleased	stoked	chuffed
drunk	wasted, trashed	hammered, battered

Naturally, you won’t hear all of these words in every part of the US or Britain. Slang is, by definition, used only by a particular social group, which there are many of in both countries. If you are a translator, these words can often prove useful when translating modern literary texts, such as contemporary novels or television and movie scripts. In fact, many mistakes are made in these translations due to the lack of knowledge of slang terms and colloquialisms.

British vs American differences in monetary values

When traveling between Britain and the US, money can get a bit complicated, especially when trying to use proper English in these countries or translating economic texts or subtitles for movies. The colloquial term for the British pounds (£) is quid. While in the US, dollars ($) are sometimes referred to as bucks. And they don’t stop there. Unlike the British, who call coins smaller than £1 pences, Americans often use the word nickel for 5 cents, dime for 10 cents and quarter for 25 cents.

Things become even more complicated when discussing larger amounts of money but we’ll try to clarify it for you.

Amount	American English	British English
$/£1.70	a dollar seventy	one pound seventy
$/£5.80	five-eighty five dollars and eighty cents	five-eighty five pounds eighty

Regarding amounts under one dollar or pound, in American English the indefinite article is preferred, while in British English the numeral one is used. However, when discussing amounts higher than one dollar or pound, in America you either drop the words dollars and cents completely or mention them both, connecting the two parts of the phrase with the conjunction and. While in Britain you can use the denomination-less option, which is similar to the American method, or you can say both the amount and the denominations without a conjunction. Moreover, in the United States, the indefinite article is used together with the conjunction and and the use of numerals while omitting the conjunction after the thousands. And in Britain, the conjunction is omitted. This is why you would sooner hear this amount, $1.500, pronounced as “a thousand and five hundred dollars” and this one, £1.500, pronounced as “one thousand five hundred pounds.”

Confused? Try wrapping your head around this custom of American English: pronouncing larger amounts of money as multiples of hundreds. For example:

Amount	American English
$7.520	seventy-five hundred and twenty dollars

If you still haven’t had enough money talk, take a look at actual American and British bills (American English) / notes (British English) and coins. Many English speakers go about their lives without ever seeing them. Check out this excellent comparison video. You can also notice the differences in the monetary amounts we described in this section.

American vs British differences in dates

Now we arrive at one of the most confusing things: date formats. This confusion is largely thanks to the United States because they use the MM/DD/YY format, meaning that we celebrate Halloween on October 31, 2020 (10/31/2020). For non-Americans, this is spooky enough on its own. Whereas in Britain the format is more similar to most of the world, where they would write this date as 31 October 2020 (31/10/2020 or 31.10.2020). Moreover, in British English you are free to use dots instead of slashes (American and British English) / obliques (British English).

British vs American differences in time

Have you ever heard the expression military time? If yes, then chances are you heard it in an American film, not a British one. Military time is what many Americans call the “24-hour clock,” as this system of telling time is uncommon there and is predominantly used by the military, police, or in aviation. And, while it is used in Britain and the rest of Europe, Americans mostly use the 12-hour clock. Additionally, they use colons when telling time, whereas the British often use the full stop. This means that in Britain people may wake up at 8.00 and go to bed at 20.00, whereas in the US they may get up at 8:00 AM and go to sleep at 8:00 PM. AM comes from the Latin phrase ante meridiem (before noon) and PM from the phrase post meridiem (after noon).

Christmas vocabulary

Let’s end this article on a lighter note after accidentally setting your head spinning with all these different date and time formats. Let’s talk about Christmas or Winter holidays. This will also help us understand the nature of all these differences, because language always reflects the state of our world and particularly our social and cultural environments. For example, in the United States, you might be waiting for Santa Claus to bring your gifts, while the British wait for Father Christmas. The former lives in the North Pole, and the latter has his workshop in Lapland. At that time of the year, when you take a walk through, let’s say, Birmingham, you’ll be greeted with “Happy Christmas”. But that won’t happen in Austin, where you’ll only hear “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”.

Parting words

Distinguishing between what is common in the United States and what is preferred in Britain can be incredibly useful. It shows that you have done your research and become more knowledgeable. When translating into English, it helps you sound natural when presenting to a native speaker from any English-speaking country. But, above all, once you’ve chosen the variety, the golden rule is to stay consistent. A purely British word or phrase in an otherwise American text can stick out like a sore thumb and disrupt the integrity of the text.

Yet when you’re outside of professional usage, enjoy both varieties in the same way native speakers often do. And don’t let yourself get flustered by the differences, as they hardly matter very much at all. In Britain, they do understand the concept of AM and PM, and in America, they don’t have any problem understanding that 16.07.2020 is the sixteenth day in July.

Useful resources about British and American English

• • Comparison of American and British English (Wikipedia.org)
  • Differences between British and American English (Britishcouncilfoundation.id)
  • How British English and American English are Different (Grammarly.com)
  • What Are The Differences Between American And British English? (Babbel.com)
  • British English and American English (Britishcouncil.org)
  • British vs. American English: 63 Differences (Infographic) (Grammarcheck.net)

Which variety of English do you normally use? Do you prefer the sound of British or American English? Let us know in the comments.

Составили подборку отличных друг от друга слов с одинаковым значением, а также привели примеры их употребления.

Еще со школы у многих сложился стереотип — британцы говорят правильнее, чем американцы. Однако, вопреки распространенному мнению, нет более правильного варианта языка. Каждый диалект отражает культурные особенности, свойственные жителям разных стран.

Британскому и американскому вариантам английского, как и любым диалектам, характерны некоторые отличия в грамматике, лексике и произношении. Какому варианту следовать, решать вам, но перед тем как сделать выбор, рекомендуем прочитать статью «Какой язык учить? Британский английский против американского». Также в нашем блоге вы найдете статьи о грамматических отличиях и особенностях национального сленга.

В статье расскажем об основных лексических и орфографических отличиях между британским и американским вариантами английского языка.

Люди и общество

В таблице вы найдете наиболее распространенные слова, которые жители Великобритании и США используют в повседневной речи.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
an apartment a flat	an apartment	квартира	BrE: Eric lived in a small flat. AmE: Eric lived in a small apartment. Эрик жил в маленькой квартире.
crazy mad	crazy	безумный, сошедший с ума, душевнобольной	BrE: Kitty’s agreed to marry him! Is she mad? AmE: Kitty’s agreed to marry him! Is she crazy? Китти согласилась выйти за него замуж. Она сошла сума?
a nappy	a diaper	пеленка, подгузник	BrE: My husband never changes the baby’s nappies. AmE: My husband never changes the baby’s diapers. Мой муж никогда не меняет детские подгузники.
a line a queue	a line	очередь	BrE: I stood in a queue for an hour. AmE: I stood in a line for an hour. Я целый час стояла в очереди.
angry	mad	злой	BrE: I am still so angry about the situation. AmE: I am still so mad about the situation. Я до сих пор так зла из-за сложившейся ситуации.
nasty	mean	неприятный, грубый	BrE: What a nasty man! AmE: What a mean man! Какой грубый мужчина!
stingy mean	stingy	скупой	BrE: Clark is too mean to give money to charity. AmE: Clark is too stingy to give money to charity. Кларк слишком скупа, чтобы жертвовать на благотворительность.
a (public) toilet a (public) lavatory	a restroom	уборная	BrE: Where is the lavatory? AmE: Where is the restroom? Где у вас уборная?

Работа и бизнес

В деловой лексике также есть несколько отличий между британским и американским вариантами английского.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
a receptionist	a desk clerk	администратор	BrE: Timmy works as a receptionist at the hotel. AmE: Timmy works as a desk clerk at the hotel. Тимми работает администратором отеля.
labour	labor	работа	BrE: The woman does hard manual labour. AmE: The woman does hard manual labor. Женщина выполняет тяжелую физическую работу.
a raise a pay rise	a raise	повышение оплаты	BrE: It’s always difficult to discuss a pay rise with our chief. AmE: It’s always difficult to discuss a raise with our chief. Всегда трудно обсуждать повышение зарплаты с нашим шефом.
two weeks a fortnight	two weeks	две недели	BrE: He went to Rome for a fortnight. AmE: He went to Rome for two weeks. Он отправился в Рим на две недели.

Закон и порядок

В юридической сфере также есть несколько отличий, как между словами, так и в правописании.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
a lawyer a barrister a solicitor	a lawyer an attorney	адвокат	BrE: Did you speak to a barrister? AmE: Did you speak to an attorney? Вы разговаривали с адвокатом?
prison	jail	тюрьма	BrE: The judge sent Ricardo to prison for seven years. AmE: The judge sent Ricardo to jail for seven years. Судья отправил Рикардо в тюрьму на семь лет.
a licence	a license	водительские права	BrE: Cartman was arrested for driving without a licence. AmE: Cartman was arrested for driving without a license. Картман был задержан за вождение без водительских прав.
an offence	an offense	правонарушение	BrE: She committed the offence because of debts. AmE: She committed the offense because of debts. Она совершила нарушение из-за долгов.

Здоровье

Самые главные лексические различия по этой теме мы привели в следующей таблице:

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
a (doctor’s) surgery	a doctor’s office	кабинет врача	BrE: The doctor’s surgery is on the second floor. AmE: The doctor’s office is on the second floor. Кабинет врача находится на втором этаже.
a chemist	a drugstore a pharmacy	аптека	BrE: The pills are on sale in local chemists. AmE: The pills are on sale in local drugstores. Лекарство продается в местных аптеках.

Деньги и покупки

Слова из таблицы ниже нередко встречаются в повседневной беседе как американцев, так и британцев.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
a cheque	a check	чек	BrE: Can I have the cheque? AmE: Can I have the check? Я могу получить чек?
a bill	a bill a check	счет	BrE: Did she pay the phone bill? AmE: Did she pay the phone check? Она оплатила счет за пользование телефоном?
an estate agent	a realtor	риелтор	BrE: I told the estate agent that we wanted to live on a lake. AmE: I told the realtor that we wanted to live on a lake. Я сказал риелтору, что мы хотим жить у озера.
a shop assistant	a sales clerk	продавец	BrE: The shop assistant gave me my money back. AmE: The sales clerk gave me my money back. Продавец вернул мне деньги.
a shop	a shop a store	магазин	BrE: I saw the wonderful dress in the shop window. AmE: I saw the wonderful dress in the store window. Я увидела чудесное платье в витрине магазина.

Еда и напитки

Возможно, многие слова по теме «Еда и напитки» вам знакомы, например, a biscuit и a cookie, но мы дополнили список и другой часто употребляемой лексикой.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
a hob	a burner	варочная поверхность	BrE: A big pan of boiled potatoes stood on the hob. AmE: A big pan of boiled potatoes stood on the burner. Большая кастрюля вареного картофеля стояла на варочной поверхности.
a tin	a can	жестяная/консервная банка	BrE: I put a tin of sardines in the fridge. AmE: I put a can of sardines in the fridge. Я поставила консервную банку с сардинами в холодильник.
a sweet	a candy	конфета	BrE: Do you want a sweet? AmE: Do you want a candy? Ты хочешь конфету?
crisps	(potato) chips	чипсы	BrE: Crisps are harmful for your body shape. AmE: Chips are harmful for your body shape. Чипсы вредны для вашей фигуры.
a biscuit	a cookie	печенье	BrE: I want a glass of milk and a biscuit for breakfast. AmE: I want a glass of milk and a cookie for breakfast. Я хочу стакан молока и печенье на завтрак.
French fries chips	French fries	картофель фри	BrE: I hate the smell of chips. AmE: I hate the smell of French fries. Я ненавижу запах картофеля фри.
cutlery	silverware	столовые приборы	BrE: The design of cutlery was fabulous. AmE: The design of silverware was fabulous. Дизайн столовых приборов был потрясающим.
a cooker	a stove	плита	BrE: The cooker is broken. AmE: The stove is broken. Плита сломана.
a takeaway	a takeout	еда на вынос, доставка (еды)	BrE: Let’s order a takeaway tonight. AmE: Let’s order a takeout tonight. Давайте закажем доставку сегодня вечером.

Образование

В лексике по теме «Образование» у жителей Великобритании и США довольно много отличий.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
a primary school	an elementary school a junior school	начальная школа	BrE: Ann got a job in a primary school. AmE: Ann got a job in an elementary school. Энн устроилась на работу в начальную школу.
a secondary school	a high school a senior school	старшая школа	BrE: My son will go to the secondary school next year. AmE: My son will go to the high school next year. В следующем году мой сын пойдет в старшую школу.
an eraser a rubber	an eraser	ластик	BrE: The tough rubber can make a hole in the paper. AmE: The tough eraser can make a hole in the paper. Жесткий ластик может сделать дырку в листе бумаги.
a grade a mark	a grade	оценка	BrE: He got a mark A in biology. AmE: He got a grade A in biology. Он получил оценку пять по биологии.
a head a headteacher a headmaster a headmistress	a principal	директор школы, ректор университета	BrE: She works in a small school with just four teachers and the headteacher. AmE: She works in a small school with just four teachers and the principal. Она работает в маленькой школе, где всего четыре учителя и директор.
a test	a quiz	тест (проверочная работа в школе)	BrE: I had a test on history yesterday. AmE: I had a quiz on history yesterday. Вчера я проходил тест по истории.
a break	a recess	перемена	BrE: His favorite time at school is a break. AmE: His favorite time at school is a recess. Его любимое время в школе — перемена.

Наука и технологии

Некоторые слова из таблицы часто встречаются в повседневной речи, однако есть и такая лексика, которую можно отнести к специальной.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
aluminium	aluminum	алюминий	BrE: The fabrictory recycles aluminium. AmE: The fabrictory recycles aluminum. Завод перерабатывает алюминий.
an aerial	an antenna	антенна	BrE: The aerial is broken by the wind. AmE: The antenna is broken by the wind. Антенна сломана ветром.
a mobile phone	a cell phone	мобильный телефон	BrE: Nowadays people can afford a mobile phone. AmE: Nowadays people can afford a cell phone. Сегодня люди могут позволить себе купить мобильный телефон.
a lift	an elevator	лифт	BrE: I usually don’t take a lift. AmE: I usually don’t take an elevator. Обычно я не пользуюсь лифтом.
a tap	a tap a faucet	кран	BrE: How could you make warm water run from taps? AmE: How could you make warm water run from faucets? Как можно сделать так, чтобы горячая вода текла из крана?
a torch	a flashlight	фонарь	BrE: He shone his torch in the dark room. AmE: He shone his flashlight in the dark room. Он посветил фонариком в темной комнате.
zero nought	zero	пустое место, ноль	BrE: A million is 1 with 6 noughts after it. AmE: A million is 1 with 6 zeros after it. Миллион — это один с шестью нолями после него.

Хотите свободно говорить на английском и хорошо понимать собеседника-иностранца? Тогда записывайтесь на разговорный курс английского языка.

Погода и окружающая среда

По этой теме привели небольшой список слов, которые вы наверняка встречали в английском языке.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
town centre city centre	downtown	центр города	BrE: She works for the firm in Chicago city centre. AmE: She works for the firm in Chicago downtown. Она работает в фирме в центре Чикаго.
autumn	autumn fall	осень	BrE: They got married last autumn. AmE: They got married last fall. Они поженились прошлой осенью.
a dustbin a rubbish bin a litter bin	a garbage can a trash can	мусорная корзина	BrE: Where is a dustbin? AmE: Where is a garbage can? Где мусорная корзина.
rubbish	garbage trash	мусор	BrE: The rubbish is collected every Friday. AmE: The garbage is collected every Friday. Мусор собирают каждую пятницу.
a neighbour	a neighbor	сосед	BrE: Neighbours complained about the noise from the party. AmE: Neighbors complained about the noise from the party. Соседи жаловались на шум с вечеринки.
a neighbourhood	a neighborhood	окрестности, район	BrE: I grew up in a quiet neighbourhood of York. AmE: I grew up in a quiet neighborhood of York. Я вырос в тихом районе Йорка.
a garden	a yard	двор	BrE: The kids usually play in the garden. AmE: The kids usually play in the yard. Дети обычно играют во дворе.

Путешествия и транспорт

В этой теме вы встретите много отличий. Но даже если вы будете знать и употреблять лишь один вариант английского, вас несомненно поймут по обе стороны океана.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
an aeroplane	an airplane	самолет	BrE: We got off the aeroplane in London. AmE: We got off the airplane in London. Мы сошли с самолета в Лондоне.
petrol	gas gasoline	топливо	BrE: Petrol prices are rising. AmE: Gasoline prices are rising. Цены на бензин растут.
the main road a motorway	a highway a freeway	трасса	BrE: He got onto the motorway and drove as fast as he could. AmE: He got onto the highway and drove as fast as he could. Он выехал на трассу и поехал так быстро, как только мог.
a single (ticket)	a one-way (ticket)	билет в одну сторону	BrE: A single ticket to Boston costs $55. AmE: A one-way ticket to Boston costs $55. Билет в один конец до Бостона стоит 55 долларов.
a car park	a parking lot	автостоянка	BrE: I parked in the car park next to the cinema. AmE: I parked in the parking lot next to the cinema. Я припарковался на стоянке рядом с кинотеатром.
a pavement	a sidewalk	тротуар	BrE: A group of reporters waited on the pavement outside the hospital. AmE: A group of reporters waited on the sidewalk outside the hospital. Группа репортеров ждала на тротуаре возле больницы.
a railway	a railroad	железная дорога	BrE: He is a top-manager of a railway company. AmE: He is a top-manager of a railroad company. Он топ-менеджер железнодорожной компании.
the underground	a subway	метро	BrE: This city has the oldest underground in the country. AmE: This city has the oldest subway in the country. В этом городе самое старое метро в стране.
a tyre	a tire	шина, покрышка	BrE: I need to buy a set of new tyres. AmE: I need to buy a set of new tires. Мне нужно купить комплект новых шин.
a caravan	a trailer	фургон	BrE: I’ve never travelled in a caravan. AmE: I’ve never travelled in a trailer. Я никогда не путешествовала в фургоне.
a truck a van a lorry	a truck	грузовик	BrE: The big van parked next to my house. AmE: The big truck parked next to my house. Большой грузовик припарковался рядом с моим домом.
a holiday	a vacation	отпуск	BrE: We’re planning a holiday in Australia. AmE: We’re planning a vacation in Australia. Мы планируем провести отпуск в Австралии.
a windscreen	a windshield	лобовое стекло	BrE: He held his face too close to the windscreen. AmE: He held his face too close to the windshield. Он слишком близко прислонился к лобовому стеклу.

Хобби и спорт

Несколько лексических различий есть и в теме «Хобби и спорт». Мы привели примеры наиболее распространенных слов.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
American football	football	американский футбол	BrE: I’ve never played American football. AmE: I’ve never played football. Я никогда не играл в американский футбол.
soccer football	soccer	футбол (европейский)	BrE: He is the best football player of the year. AmE: He is the best soccer player of the year. Он лучший футболист года.
trainers	sneakers	кроссовки	BrE: He bought a pair of black trainers. AmE: He bought a pair of black sneakers. Он купил пару черных кроссовок.
athletics	track and field	легкая атлетика	BrE: Athletics is mostly an individual sport. AmE: Track and field is mostly an individual sport. Легкая атлетика — это в основном индивидуальный вид спорта.
to do practise	to take practice	тренироваться	BrE: Have you done your practise today? AmE: Have you taken your practice today? Ты сегодня тренировалась?

Развлечения и отдых

Несколько лексических отличий нашлось и в этой теме. Список слов и примеры вы увидите в следующей таблице:

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
humour	humor	юмор	BrE: It’s vital to have a sense of humour in such a situation. AmE: It’s vital to have a sense of humor in such a situation. В такой ситуации важно иметь чувство юмора.
a film	a movie	фильм	BrE: She played a gorgeous woman in a historical film. AmE: She played a gorgeous woman in a historical movie. Она играла потрясающую женщину в историческом фильме.
a cinema	a movie theater	кинотеатр	BrE: Let’s go to the cinema tonight? AmE: Let’s go to the movie theater tonight? Давай пойдем в кино сегодня вечером?
a theatre	a theater	театр	BrE: In summer I prefer to visit an open-air theatre. AmE: In summer I prefer to visit an open-air theater. Летом я предпочитаю посещать театр под открытым небом.
a talk show a chat show	a talk show	ток-шоу	BrE: Inga is a brilliant chat show host. AmE: Inga is a brilliant talk show host. Инга — блестящая ведущая ток-шоу.
a TV programme	a TV program	телепрограмма	BrE: They decided to close the TV programme. AmE: They decided to close the TV program. Они решили закрыть телепрограмму.

Мода и дизайн

Для того чтобы описать некоторые элементы одежды, американцы и британцы используют разные слова.

Британский вариант	Американский вариант	Перевод	Примеры
a wardrobe a cupboard	a closet	шкаф	BrE: Her wardrobe is full of beautiful clothes. AmE: Her closet is full of beautiful clothes. Ее шкаф полон красивой одежды.
colour	color	цвет	BrE: In spring the grass should be bright green in colour. AmE: In spring the grass should be bright green in color. Весной трава должна быть ярко-зеленого цвета.
turn-ups	cuffs	манжеты на брюках	BrE: Turn-ups of his trousers were red. AmE: Cuffs of his trousers were red. Манжеты его брюк были красными.
modelling	modeling	модельная карьера	BrE: The young girl is dreaming about the career in modelling. AmE: The young girl is dreaming about the career in modeling. Молодая девушка мечтает о карьере модели.
trousers	pants slacks	брюки	BrE: His trousers were too long. AmE: His pants were too long. Его брюки были слишком длинными.
a sweater a jumper a jersey	a sweater	свитер	BrE: The jersey was knitted by my grandmother. AmE: The sweater was knitted by my grandmother. Свитер связала моя бабушка.
a waistcoat	a vest	жилет	BrE: He has to wear a waistcoat as an item of uniform. AmE: He has to wear a vest as an item of uniform. Он должен носить жилет как часть униформы.
a zip	a zipper	молния	BrE: The zip on my bag is broken. AmE: The zipper on my bag is broken. Молния на моей сумке сломана.

В «Инглекс» преподают носители языка — британцы и американцы. Хотите из первых уст узнать о тонкостях каждого из диалектов? Тогда записывайтесь к одному из наших преподавателей.

Теперь вы знаете, какие лексические отличия встречаются в британском и американском вариантах английского. Мы рекомендуем их выучить, чтобы не растеряться во время беседы и понять, что сказал иностранец.

The English language was introduced to the Americas by British colonisation, beginning in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The language also spread to numerous other parts of the world as a result of British trade and colonisation and the spread of the former British Empire, which, by 1921, included 470–570 million people, about a quarter of the world’s population. Written forms of British and American English as found in newspapers and textbooks vary little in their essential features, with only occasional noticeable differences.^[1]

Over the past 400 years, the forms of the language used in the Americas—especially in the United States—and that used in the United Kingdom have diverged in a few minor ways, leading to the versions now often referred to as American English and British English. Differences between the two include pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary (lexis), spelling, punctuation, idioms, and formatting of dates and numbers. However, the differences in written and most spoken grammar structure tend to be much fewer than in other aspects of the language in terms of mutual intelligibility. A few words have completely different meanings in the two versions or are even unknown or not used in one of the versions. One particular contribution towards formalising these differences came from Noah Webster, who wrote the first American dictionary (published 1828) with the intention of showing that people in the United States spoke a different dialect from those spoken in the UK, much like a regional accent.^[2]

This divergence between American English and British English has provided opportunities for humorous comment: e.g. in fiction George Bernard Shaw says that the United States and United Kingdom are «two countries divided by a common language»;^[3] and Oscar Wilde says that «We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, the language» (The Canterville Ghost, 1888). Henry Sweet incorrectly predicted in 1877 that within a century American English, Australian English and British English would be mutually unintelligible (A Handbook of Phonetics). Perhaps increased worldwide communication through radio, television, the Internet and globalisation has tended to reduce regional variation. This can lead to some variations becoming extinct (for instance the wireless being progressively superseded by the radio) or the acceptance of wide variations as «perfectly good English» everywhere.

Although spoken American and British English are generally mutually intelligible, there are occasional differences which might cause embarrassment—for example, in American English a rubber is usually interpreted as a condom rather than an eraser;^[4] and a British fanny refers to the female pubic area, while the American fanny refers to a butt or ass (US) or an arse (UK).

Word derivation and compounds[edit]

• Directional suffix -ward(s): British forwards, towards, rightwards, etc.; American forward, toward, rightward. In both varieties distribution varies somewhat: afterwards, towards, and backwards are not unusual in America; while in the United Kingdom upward and rightward are the more common options, as is forward, which is standard in phrasal verbs such as look forward to.^[5][6][7] The forms with -s may be used as adverbs (or preposition towards) but rarely as adjectives: in the UK, as in America, one says «an upward motion». The Oxford English Dictionary in 1897 suggested a semantic distinction for adverbs, with -wards having a more definite directional sense than -ward; subsequent authorities such as Fowler have disputed this contention.
• American English (AmE) freely adds the suffix -s to day, night, evening, weekend, Monday, etc. to form adverbs denoting repeated or customary action: I used to stay out evenings; the library is closed on Saturdays. This usage has its roots in Old English but many of these constructions are now regarded as American (for example, the OED labels nights «now chiefly N. Amer. colloq.» in constructions such as to sleep nights, but to work nights is standard in British English).
• In British English (BrE), the agentive -er suffix is commonly attached to football to refer to one who plays the sport (also cricket; often netball; occasionally basketball and volleyball). AmE usually uses football player. Where the sport’s name is usable as a verb, the suffixation is standard in both varieties: for example, golfer, bowler (in ten-pin bowling and in lawn bowls), and shooter. AmE appears sometimes to use the BrE form in baller as slang for a basketball player, as in the video game NBA Ballers. However, this is derived from slang use of to ball as a verb meaning to play basketball.
• English writers everywhere occasionally make new compound words from common phrases; for example, health care is now being replaced by healthcare on both sides of the Atlantic. However, AmE has made certain words in this fashion that are still treated as phrases in BrE.
• In compound nouns of the form <verb><noun>, sometimes AmE prefers the bare infinitive where BrE favours the gerund. Examples include (AmE first): jump rope/skipping rope; racecar/racing car; rowboat/rowing boat; sailboat/sailing boat; file cabinet/filing cabinet; dial tone/dialling tone; drainboard/draining board.
• Generally AmE has a tendency to drop inflectional suffixes, thus preferring clipped forms: compare cookbook v. cookery book; Smith, age 40 v. Smith, aged 40; skim milk v. skimmed milk; dollhouse v. dolls’ house; barber shop v. barber’s shop.^[8]
• Singular attributives in one country may be plural in the other, and vice versa. For example, the UK has a drugs problem, while the United States has a drug problem (although the singular usage is also commonly heard in the UK); Americans read the sports section of a newspaper; the British are more likely to read the sport section. However, BrE maths is singular, just as AmE math is: both are abbreviations of mathematics.
• Some British English words come from French roots, while American English finds its words from other places, e.g. AmE eggplant and zucchini are aubergine and courgette in BrE.
• Similarly, American English has occasionally replaced more traditional English words with their Spanish counterparts. This is especially common in regions historically affected by Spanish settlement (such as the American Southwest and Florida) as well as other areas that have since experienced strong Hispanic migration (such as urban centers). Examples of these include grocery markets’ preference in the U.S. for Spanish names such as cilantro and manzanilla over coriander and camomile respectively.

Vocabulary[edit]

The familiarity of speakers with words and phrases from different regions varies, and the difficulty of discerning an unfamiliar definition also depends on the context and the term. As expressions spread with the globalisation of telecommunication, they are often but not always recognised as foreign to the speaker’s dialect, and words from other dialects may carry connotations with regard to register, social status, origin, and intelligence.

Words and phrases with different meanings[edit]

Words such as bill and biscuit are used regularly in both AmE and BrE but can mean different things in each form. The word «bill» has several meanings, most of which are shared between AmE and BrE. However, in AmE «bill» often refers to a piece of paper money (as in a «dollar bill») which in BrE is more commonly referred to as a note. In AmE it can also refer to the visor of a cap,^[9] though this is by no means common. In AmE a biscuit (from the French «twice baked» as in biscotto) is a soft bready product that is known in BrE as a scone or a specifically hard, sweet biscuit. Meanwhile, a BrE biscuit incorporates both dessert biscuits and AmE cookies (from the Dutch ‘little cake’).

As chronicled by Winston Churchill, the opposite meanings of the verb to table created a misunderstanding during a meeting of the Allied forces;^[10] in BrE to table an item on an agenda means to open it up for discussion whereas in AmE, it means to remove it from discussion, or at times, to suspend or delay discussion; e.g. Let’s table that topic for later.

The word «football» in BrE refers to association football, also known as soccer. In AmE, «football» means American football. The standard AmE term «soccer», a contraction of «association (football)», is actually of British origin, derived from the formalisation of different codes of football in the 19th century, and was a fairly unremarkable usage (possibly marked for class) in BrE until relatively recently; it has lately become perceived as an Americanism.^[11] In non-American and non-Canadian contexts, particularly in sports news from outside the United States and Canada, American (or US branches of foreign) news agencies and media organisations also use «football» to mean «soccer», especially in direct quotes.

Similarly, the word «hockey» in BrE refers to field hockey and in AmE, «hockey» means ice hockey.

Words with completely different meanings are relatively few; most of the time there are either (1) words with one or more shared meanings and one or more meanings unique to one variety (for example, bathroom and toilet) or (2) words the meanings of which are actually common to both BrE and AmE but that show differences in frequency, connotation or denotation (for example, smart, clever, mad).

Some differences in usage and meaning can cause confusion or embarrassment. For example, the word fanny is a slang word for vulva in BrE but means buttocks in AmE—the AmE phrase fanny pack is bum bag in BrE. In AmE the word pissed means being annoyed whereas in BrE it is a coarse word for being drunk (in both varieties, pissed off means irritated).

Similarly, in AmE the word pants is the common word for the BrE trousers and knickers refers to a variety of half-length trousers (though most AmE users would use the term «shorts» rather than knickers), while the majority of BrE speakers would understand pants to mean underpants and knickers to mean female underpants.

Sometimes the confusion is more subtle. In AmE the word quite used as a qualifier is generally a reinforcement, though it is somewhat uncommon in actual colloquial American use today and carries an air of formality: for example, «I’m quite hungry» is a very polite way to say «I’m very hungry». In BrE quite (which is much more common in conversation) may have this meaning, as in «quite right» or «quite mad», but it more commonly means «somewhat», so that in BrE «I’m quite hungry» can mean «I’m somewhat hungry». This divergence of use can lead to misunderstanding.

Different terms in different dialects[edit]

Most speakers of American English are aware of some uniquely British terms. It is generally very easy to guess what some words, such as BrE «driving licence», mean, the AmE equivalent being «driver’s license». However, use of many other British words such as naff (slang but commonly used to mean «not very good») are unheard of in American English.^[12]

Speakers of BrE usually find it easy to understand most common AmE terms, such as «sidewalk (pavement or footpath)», «gas (gasoline/petrol)», «counterclockwise (anticlockwise)» or «elevator (lift)», thanks in large part to considerable exposure to American popular culture and literature. Terms heard less often, especially when rare or absent in American popular culture, such as «copacetic (very satisfactory)», are unlikely to be understood by most BrE speakers.

Other examples:

• In the UK the word whilst is commonly used as a conjunction (as an alternative to while, especially prevalent in some dialects). Whilst tends to appear in non-temporal senses, as when used to point out a contrast. In AmE while is used in both contexts,^[13] with whilst being much more uncommon. Other conjunctions with the -st ending are also found even in AmE as much as in BrE, despite being old-fashioned or an affectation (e.g., unbeknownst).
• In the UK generally the use of fall to mean «autumn» is obsolete. Although found often from Elizabethan literature to Victorian literature, the seasonal use of fall remains easily understandable to BrE speakers only because it is so commonly used that way in the U.S.^[14]
• In the UK the term period for a full stop is not used; in AmE the term full stop is rarely, if ever, used for the punctuation mark and commonly not understood whatsoever. For example, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, «Terrorism is wrong, full stop», whereas in AmE, the equivalent sentence is «Terrorism is wrong, period.»^[15] The use of period as an interjection meaning «and nothing else; end of discussion» is beginning to be used in colloquial British English, though sometimes without conscious reference to punctuation.
• In the US, the word line is used to refer to a line of people, vehicles, or other objects, while in the UK queue refers to that meaning. In the US, the word queue is most commonly used to refer to the computing sense of a data structure in which objects are added to one end and removed from the other. In the US, the equivalent terms to «queue up» and «wait in queue» are «line up» or «get in line» and «wait in line.» The equivalent term to «jumping the queue» is «cutting in line.»^[16]

British	American
maths	math
post	mail
trapezium	trapezoid
aluminium	aluminum
football	soccer
quid (slang for one, or multiple pounds)	buck (slang for a dollar)

Holiday greetings[edit]

It is increasingly common for Americans to say «Happy holidays», referring to all, or at least multiple, winter (in the Northern hemisphere) or summer (in the Southern hemisphere) holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) especially when one’s religious observances are not known; the phrase is rarely heard in the UK. In the UK, the phrases «holiday season» and «holiday period» refer to the period in the winter (in the Northern hemisphere) or summer (in the Southern hemisphere) when most people take time off from work, and travel; AmE does not use holiday in this sense, instead using vacation for recreational excursions.

In AmE, the prevailing Christmas greeting is «Merry Christmas», which is the traditional English Christmas greeting, as found in the English Christmas carol «We Wish You a Merry Christmas», and which appears several times in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.^[17] In BrE, «Happy Christmas» is a common alternative to «Merry Christmas».

Idiosyncratic differences[edit]

Omission of «and» and «on»[edit]

Generally in British English, numbers with a value over one hundred have the word «and» inserted before the last two digits. For example, the number 115, when written in words or spoken aloud, would be «One hundred and fifteen», in British English. In American English, numbers are typically said or written in words in the same way, however if the word «and» is omitted («One hundred fifteen»), this is also considered acceptable (in BrE this would be considered grammatically incorrect).

Likewise, in the US, the word «on» can be left out when referring to events occurring on any particular day of the week. The US possibility «The Cowboys won the game Saturday» would have the equivalent in the UK of «Sheffield United won the match on Saturday.»

Figures of speech[edit]

Both BrE and AmE use the expression «I couldn’t care less», to mean that the speaker does not care at all. Some Americans use «I could care less» to mean the same thing. This variant is frequently derided as sloppy,^[18] as the literal meaning of the words is that the speaker does care to some extent.

In both areas, saying, «I don’t mind» often means, «I’m not annoyed» (for example, by someone’s smoking), while «I don’t care» often means, «The matter is trivial or boring». However, in answering a question such as «Tea or coffee?», if either alternative is equally acceptable an American may answer, «I don’t care», while a British person may answer, «I don’t mind». Either can sound odd, confusing, or rude, to those accustomed to the other variant.

«To be all set« in both BrE and AmE can mean «to be prepared or ready», though it appears to be more common in AmE.^{[citation needed]} It can also have an additional meaning in AmE of «to be finished or done», for example, a customer at a restaurant telling a waiter «I’m all set. I’ll take the check.»

Equivalent idioms[edit]

A number of English idioms that have essentially the same meaning show lexical differences between the British and the American version; for instance:

British English	American English
not touch something with a bargepole	not touch something with a ten-foot pole
sweep under the carpet	sweep under the rug*
touch wood	knock on wood
(can’t) see the wood for the trees	(can’t) see the forest for the trees
put a spanner in the works	throw a (monkey) wrench in(to) (a situation)
to put (or stick) your oar in[19] but it won’t make a ha’porth of difference[20] to put your two penn’orth (or tuppence worth) in	to put your two cents (or two cents’ worth) in[21]
skeleton in the cupboard	skeleton in the closet
a home from home	a home away from home
to blow one’s own trumpet	to blow (or toot) one’s own horn
a drop in the ocean	a drop in the bucket[22]
flogging a dead horse	beating a dead horse
haven’t (got) a clue	don’t have a clue or have no clue (the British forms are also acceptable)
couldn’t care less	could care less or couldn’t care less[23]
a new lease of life	a new lease on life
lie of the land or lay of the land	lay of the land
take it with a pinch of salt	take it with a grain of salt
a storm in a teacup	a tempest in a teapot (rare)
out of order	out of line
slowcoach	slowpoke[24]

* In the US, a «carpet» typically refers to a fitted carpet, rather than a rug.

Social and cultural differences[edit]

Lexical items that reflect separate social and cultural development.

Education[edit]

Primary and secondary school[edit]

The naming of school years in British (except Scotland) and American English

Age range	British English	American English
Name	Alternative/old name	Syllabus	Name	Alternative name
1–4	Preschool (optional)
Nursery	Playgroup	Foundation Stage 1	Daycare
3–5	Primary school
Reception	Infants reception	Foundation Stage 2	Preschool	Pre-K
5–6	Year 1	Infants year 1	Key Stage 1	Kindergarten
Elementary school
6–7	Year 2	Infants year 2	1st grade
7–8	Year 3	First year Junior	Key Stage 2	2nd grade
8–9	Year 4	Second year junior	3rd grade
9–10	Year 5	Third year junior	4th grade
10–11	Year 6	Fourth year junior	5th grade
11–12	Secondary school / High school	Middle school	Junior high school
Year 7	First form[25]	Key Stage 3	6th grade
12–13	Year 8	Second form	7th grade
13–14	Year 9	Third form	8th grade
14–15	Year 10	Fourth form	Key Stage 4, GCSE	High school
9th grade	Freshman year
15–16	Year 11	Fifth form	10th grade	Sophomore year
16–17	Sixth form / FE College[26]	11th grade	Junior year
Year 12	Lower sixth (first year)	Key Stage 5, A level
17–18	Year 13	Upper sixth (second year)	12th grade	Senior year

The US has a more uniform nationwide system of terms than does the UK, where terminology and structure varies among constituent countries, but the division by grades varies somewhat among the states and even among local school districts. For example, elementary school often includes kindergarten and may include sixth grade, with middle school including only two grades or extending to ninth grade.

In the UK, the US equivalent of a high school is often referred to as a «secondary school» regardless of whether it is state funded or private. US Secondary education also includes middle school or junior high school, a two- or three-year transitional school between elementary school and high school. «Middle school» is sometimes used in the UK as a synonym for the younger junior school, covering the second half of the primary curriculum, current years four to six in some areas. However, in Dorset (South England), it is used to describe the second school in the three-tier system, which is normally from year 5 to year 8. In other regions, such as Evesham and the surrounding area in Worcestershire, the second tier goes from year 6 to year 8, and both starting secondary school in year nine. In Kirklees, West Yorkshire, in the villages of the Dearne Valley there is a three tier system: first schools year reception to year five, middle school (Scissett/Kirkburton Middle School) year 6 to year 8, and high school^[27] year 9 to year 13.

A public school has opposite meanings in the two countries. In American English this is a government-owned institution open to all students, supported by public funding. The British English use of the term is in the context of «private» education: to be educated privately with a tutor.^[28] In England and Wales the term strictly refers to an ill-defined group of prestigious private independent schools funded by students’ fees, although it is often more loosely used to refer to any independent school. Independent schools are also known as «private schools», and the latter is the term used in Scotland and Northern Ireland for all such fee-funded schools. Strictly, the term public school is not used in Scotland and Northern Ireland in the same sense as in England, but nevertheless Gordonstoun, the Scottish private school, is sometimes referred to as a public school, as are some other Scottish private schools. Government-funded schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland are properly referred to as «state schools» but are sometimes confusingly referred to as «public schools» (with the same meaning as in the US), and in the US, where most public schools are administered by local governments, a state school typically refers to a college or university run by one of the U.S. states.

Speakers in both the United States and the United Kingdom use several additional terms for specific types of secondary school. A US prep school or preparatory school is an independent school funded by tuition fees; the same term is used in the UK for a private school for pupils under 13, designed to prepare them for fee-paying public schools. In the US, Catholic schools cover costs through tuition and have affiliations with a religious institution, most often a Catholic church or diocese. In England, where the state-funded education system grew from parish schools organised by the local established church, the Church of England (C of E, or CE), and many schools, especially primary schools (up to age 11) retain a church connection and are known as church schools, CE schools or CE (aided) schools. There are also faith schools associated with the Roman Catholic Church and other major faiths, with a mixture of funding arrangements. In Scotland, Catholic schools are generally operated as government-funded state schools for Catholic communities, particularly in large cities such as Glasgow.

In the US, a magnet school receives government funding and has special admission requirements: in some cases pupils gain admission through superior performance on admission tests, while other magnet schools admit students through a lottery. The UK has city academies, which are independent privately sponsored schools run with public funding and which can select up to 10% of pupils by aptitude. Moreover, in the UK 36 local education authorities retain selection by ability at 11. They maintain grammar schools (state funded secondary schools), which admit pupils according to performance in an examination (known as the 11+) and comprehensive schools that take pupils of all abilities. Grammar schools select the most academically able 10% to 23% of those who sit the exam. Students who fail the exam go to a secondary modern school, sometimes called a «high school», or increasingly an «academy». In areas where there are no grammar schools the comprehensives likewise may term themselves high schools or academies. Nationally only 6% of pupils attend grammar schools, mainly in four distinct counties. Some private schools are called «grammar schools», chiefly those that were grammar schools long before the advent of state education.

University[edit]

In the UK a university student is said to «study», to «read» or, informally, simply to «do» a subject. In the recent past the expression ‘to read a subject’ was more common at the older universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. In the US a student studies or majors in a subject (although a student’s major, concentration or, less commonly, emphasis is also used in US colleges or universities to refer to the major subject of study). To major in something refers to the student’s principal course of study; to study may refer to any class being taken.

BrE:

«She read biology at Cambridge.»
«She studied biology at Cambridge.»
«She did biology at Cambridge.» (informal)

AmE:

«She majored in biology at Harvard.»
«She studied biology at Harvard.»
«She concentrated in biology at Harvard.»

At university level in BrE, each module is taught or facilitated by a lecturer or tutor; professor is the job-title of a senior academic (in AmE, at some universities, the equivalent of the BrE lecturer is instructor, especially when the teacher has a lesser degree or no university degree, though the usage may become confusing according to whether the subject being taught is considered technical or not; it is also different from adjunct instructor/professor). In AmE each class is generally taught by a professor (although some US tertiary educational institutions follow the BrE usage), while the position of lecturer is occasionally given to individuals hired on a temporary basis to teach one or more classes and who may or may not have a doctoral degree.

The word course in American use typically refers to the study of a restricted topic or individual subject (for example, «a course in Early Medieval England», «a course in integral calculus») over a limited period of time (such as a semester or term) and is equivalent to a module or sometimes unit at a British university. In the UK, a course of study or simply course is likely to refer to the entire programme of study, which may extend over several years and be made up of any number of modules, hence it is also practically synonymous to a degree programme. A few university-specific exceptions exist: for example, at Cambridge the word paper is used to refer to a module, while the whole course of study is called tripos.

A dissertation in AmE refers to the final written product of a doctoral student to fulfil the requirement of that program. In BrE, the same word refers to the final written product of a student in an undergraduate or taught master’s programme. A dissertation in the AmE sense would be a thesis in BrE, though dissertation is also used.

Another source of confusion is the different usage of the word college. (See a full international discussion of the various meanings at college.) In the US, it refers to a post-high school institution that grants either associate’s or bachelor’s degrees, and in the UK, it refers to any post-secondary institution that is not a university (including sixth form college after the name in secondary education for years 12 and 13, the sixth form) where intermediary courses such as A levels or NVQs can be taken and GCSE courses can be retaken. College may sometimes be used in the UK or in Commonwealth countries as part of the name of a secondary or high school (for example, Dubai College). In the case of Oxford, Cambridge, Aberdeen, London, Lancaster, Durham, Kent and York universities, all members are also members of a college which is part of the university, for example, one is a member of King’s College, Cambridge and hence of the university.

In both the US and UK college can refer to some division within a university that comprises related academic departments such as the «college of business and economics» though in the UK «faculty» is more often used. Institutions in the US that offer two to four years of post-high school education often have the word college as part of their name, while those offering more advanced degrees are called a university. (There are exceptions: Boston College, Dartmouth College and the College of William & Mary are examples of colleges that offer advanced degrees, while Vincennes University is an unusual example of a «university» that offers only associate degrees in the vast majority of its academic programs.) American students who pursue a bachelor’s degree (four years of higher education) or an associate degree (two years of higher education) are college students regardless of whether they attend a college or a university and refer to their educational institutions informally as colleges. A student who pursues a master’s degree or a doctorate degree in the arts and sciences is in AmE a graduate student; in BrE a postgraduate student although graduate student is also sometimes used. Students of advanced professional programs are known by their field (business student, law student, medical student). Some universities also have a residential college system, the details of which may vary but generally involve common living and dining spaces as well as college-organised activities. Nonetheless, when it comes to the level of education, AmE generally uses the word college (e.g., going to college) whereas BrE generally uses the word university (e.g., going to university) regardless of the institution’s official designation/status in both countries.

In the context of higher education, the word school is used slightly differently in BrE and AmE. In BrE, except for the University of London, the word school is used to refer to an academic department in a university. In AmE, the word school is used to refer to a collection of related academic departments and is headed by a dean. When it refers to a division of a university, school is practically synonymous to a college.

«Professor» has different meanings in BrE and AmE. In BrE it is the highest academic rank, followed by reader, senior lecturer and lecturer. In AmE «professor» refers to academic staff of all ranks, with (full) professor (largely equivalent to the UK meaning) followed by associate professor and assistant professor.

«Tuition» has traditionally had separate meaning in each variation. In BrE it is the educational content transferred from teacher to student at a university. In AmE it is the money (the fees) paid to receive that education (BrE: tuition fees).

General terms[edit]

In both the US and the UK, a student takes an exam, but in BrE a student can also be said to sit an exam. When preparing for an exam students revise (BrE)/review (AmE) what they have studied; the BrE idiom to revise for has the equivalent to review for in AmE.

Examinations are supervised by invigilators in the UK and proctors (or (exam) supervisors) in the US (a proctor in the UK is an official responsible for student discipline at the University of Oxford or Cambridge). In the UK a teacher first sets and then administers exam, while in the US, a teacher first writes, makes, prepares, etc. and then gives an exam. With the same basic meaning of the latter idea but with a more formal or official connotation, a teacher in the US may also administer or proctor an exam.

BrE:

«I sat my Spanish exam yesterday.»
«I plan to set a difficult exam for my students, but it isn’t ready yet.»

AmE:

«I took my exams at Yale.»
«I spent the entire day yesterday writing the exam. I’m almost ready to give it to my students.»

In BrE, students are awarded marks as credit for requirements (e.g., tests, projects) while in AmE, students are awarded points or «grades» for the same. Similarly, in BrE, a candidate’s work is being marked, while in AmE it is said to be graded to determine what mark or grade is given.

There is additionally a difference between American and British usage in the word school. In British usage «school» by itself refers only to primary (elementary) and secondary (high) schools and to sixth forms attached to secondary schools—if one «goes to school», this type of institution is implied. By contrast an American student at a university may be «in/at school», «coming/going to school», etc. US and British law students and medical students both commonly speak in terms of going to «law school» and «med[ical] school», respectively. However, the word school is used in BrE in the context of higher education to describe a division grouping together several related subjects within a university, for example a «School of European Languages» containing departments for each language and also in the term «art school». It is also the name of some of the constituent colleges of the University of London, for example, School of Oriental and African Studies, London School of Economics.

Among high-school and college students in the United States, the words freshman (or the gender-neutral terms first year or sometimes freshie), sophomore, junior and senior refer to the first, second, third, and fourth years respectively. It is important that the context of either high school or college first be established or else it must be stated directly (that is, She is a high-school freshman. He is a college junior.). Many institutes in both countries also use the term first-year as a gender-neutral replacement for freshman, although in the US this is recent usage, formerly referring only to those in the first year as a graduate student. One exception is the University of Virginia; since its founding in 1819 the terms «first-year», «second-year», «third-year», and «fourth-year» have been used to describe undergraduate university students. At the United States service academies, at least those operated by the federal government directly, a different terminology is used, namely «fourth class», «third class», «second class» and «first class» (the order of numbering being the reverse of the number of years in attendance). In the UK first-year university students are sometimes called freshers early in the academic year; however, there are no specific names for those in other years nor for school pupils. Graduate and professional students in the United States are known by their year of study, such as a «second-year medical student» or a «fifth-year doctoral candidate.» Law students are often referred to as «1L», «2L», or «3L» rather than «nth-year law students»; similarly, medical students are frequently referred to as «M1», «M2», «M3», or «M4».

While anyone in the US who finishes studying at any educational institution by passing relevant examinations is said to graduate and to be a graduate, in the UK only degree and above level students can graduate. Student itself has a wider meaning in AmE, meaning any person of any age studying any subject at any level (including those not doing so at an educational institution, such as a «piano student» taking private lessons in a home), whereas in BrE it tends to be used for people studying at a post-secondary educational institution and the term pupil is more widely used for a young person at primary or secondary school, though the use of «student» for secondary school pupils in the UK is increasingly used, particularly for «sixth form» (years 12 and 13).

The names of individual institutions can be confusing. There are several high schools with the word «university» in their names in the United States that are not affiliated with any post-secondary institutions and cannot grant degrees, and there is one public high school, Central High School of Philadelphia, that does grant bachelor’s degrees to the top ten per cent of graduating seniors. British secondary schools occasionally have the word «college» in their names.

When it comes to the admissions process, applicants are usually asked to solicit letters of reference or reference forms from referees in BrE. In AmE, these are called letters of recommendation or recommendation forms. Consequently, the writers of these letters are known as referees and recommenders, respectively by country. In AmE, the word referee is nearly always understood to refer to an umpire of a sporting match.

In the context of education, for AmE, the word staff mainly refers to school personnel who are neither administrators nor have teaching loads or academic responsibilities; personnel who have academic responsibilities are referred to as members of their institution’s faculty. In BrE, the word staff refers to both academic and non-academic school personnel. As mentioned previously, the term faculty in BrE refers more to a collection of related academic departments.

Government and politics[edit]

In the UK, political candidates stand for election, while in the US, they run for office. There is virtually no crossover between BrE and AmE in the use of these terms. Also, the document which contains a party’s positions/principles is referred to as a party platform in AmE, whereas it is commonly known as a party manifesto in BrE. (In AmE, using the term manifesto may connote that the party is an extremist or radical organisation.) The term general election is used slightly differently in British and American English. In BrE, it refers exclusively to a nationwide parliamentary election and is differentiated from local elections (mayoral and council) and by-elections; whereas in AmE, it refers to a final election for any government position in the US, where the term is differentiated from the term primary (an election that determines a party’s candidate for the position in question). Additionally, a by-election in BrE is called a special election in AmE.

In AmE, the term swing state, swing county, swing district is used to denote a jurisdiction/constituency where results are expected to be close but crucial to the overall outcome of the general election. In BrE, the term marginal constituency is more often used for the same and swing is more commonly used to refer to how much one party has gained (or lost) an advantage over another compared to the previous election.

In the UK, the term government only refers to what is commonly known in America as the executive branch or the particular administration.

A local government in the UK is generically referred to as the «council,» whereas in the United States, a local government will be generically referred to as the «City» (or county, village, etc., depending on what kind of entity the government serves).

Business and finance[edit]

In financial statements, what is referred to in AmE as revenue or sales is known in BrE as turnover. In AmE, having «high turnover» in a business context would generally carry negative implications, though the precise meaning would differ by industry.

A bankrupt firm goes into administration or liquidation in BrE; in AmE it goes bankrupt, or files for Chapter 7 (liquidation) or Chapter 11 (reorganisation). An insolvent individual or partnership goes bankrupt in both BrE and AmE.

If a finance company takes possession of a mortgaged property from a debtor, it is called foreclosure in AmE and repossession in BrE. In some limited scenarios, repossession may be used in AmE, but it is much less commonly compared to foreclosure. One common exception in AmE is for automobiles, which are always said to be repossessed. Indeed, an agent who collects these cars for the bank is colloquially known in AmE as a repo man.

Employment and recruitment[edit]

In BrE, the term curriculum vitae (commonly abbreviated to CV) is used to describe the document prepared by applicants containing their credentials required for a job. In AmE, the term résumé is more commonly used, with CV primarily used in academic or research contexts, and is usually more comprehensive than a résumé.

Insurance[edit]

AmE distinguishes between coverage as a noun and cover as a verb; an American seeks to buy enough insurance coverage in order to adequately cover a particular risk. BrE uses the word «cover» for both the noun and verb forms.

Transport[edit]

AmE speakers refer to transportation and BrE speakers to transport.^[29] (Transportation in the UK has traditionally meant the punishment of criminals by deporting them to an overseas penal colony.) In AmE, the word transport is usually used only as a verb, seldom as a noun or adjective except in reference to certain specialised objects, such as a tape transport or a military transport (e.g., a troop transport, a kind of vehicle, not an act of transporting).

Road transport[edit]

Differences in terminology are especially obvious in the context of roads. The British term dual carriageway, in American parlance, would be divided highway or perhaps, simply highway. The central reservation on a motorway or dual carriageway in the UK would be the median or center divide on a freeway, expressway, highway or parkway in the US. The one-way lanes that make it possible to enter and leave such roads at an intermediate point without disrupting the flow of traffic are known as slip roads in the UK but in the US, they are typically known as ramps and both further distinguish between on-ramps or on-slips (for entering onto a highway/carriageway) and off-ramps or exit-slips (for leaving a highway/carriageway). When American engineers speak of slip roads, they are referring to a street that runs alongside the main road (separated by a berm) to allow off-the-highway access to the premises that are there; however, the term frontage road is more commonly used, as this term is the equivalent of service road in the UK. However, it is not uncommon for an American to use service road as well instead of frontage road.

In the UK, the term outside lane refers to the higher-speed overtaking lane (passing lane in the US) closest to the centre of the road, while inside lane refers to the lane closer to the edge of the road. In the US, outside lane is used only in the context of a turn, in which case it depends in which direction the road is turning (i.e., if the road bends right, the left lane is the «outside lane», but if the road bends left, it is the right lane). Both also refer to slow and fast lanes (even though all actual traffic speeds may be at or around the legal speed limit).

In the UK drink driving refers to driving after having consumed alcoholic beverages, while in the US, the term is drunk driving. The legal term in the US is driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (of alcohol) (DUI). The equivalent legal phrase in the UK is drunk in charge of a motor vehicle (DIC) or more commonly driving with excess alcohol.^[30]

In the UK, a hire car is the US equivalent of a rental car. The term «hired car» can be especially misleading for those in the US, where the term «hire» is generally only applied to the employment of people and the term «rent» is applied to the temporary custody of goods. To an American, «hired car» would imply that the car has been brought into the employment of an organisation as if it were a person, which would sound nonsensical.

In the UK, a saloon is a vehicle that is equivalent to the American sedan. This is particularly confusing to Americans, because in the US the term saloon is used in only one context: describing an old bar (UK pub) in the American West (a Western saloon). Coupé is used by both to refer to a two-door car, but is usually pronounced with two syllables in the UK (coo-pay) and one syllable in the US (coop).

In the UK, van may refer to a lorry (UK) of any size, whereas in the US, van is only understood to be a very small, boxy truck (US) (such as a moving van) or a long passenger automobile with several rows of seats (such as a minivan). A large, long vehicle used for cargo transport would nearly always be called a truck in the US, though alternate terms such as eighteen-wheeler may be occasionally heard (regardless of the actual number of tires on the truck).

In the UK, a silencer is the equivalent to the US muffler. In the US, the word silencer has only one meaning: an attachment on the barrel of a gun designed to stop the distinctive crack of a gunshot.

Specific auto parts and transport terms have different names in the two dialects, for example:

UK	US
accelerator	gas pedal, accelerator
accumulator	battery
bendy bus	articulated bus
bonnet	hood[31]
boot (of a car)	trunk (of a car)[31][32]
breakdown lorry	tow truck
car journey	road trip
car park	parking lot[33]
(railway) coach, carriage	(railroad) passenger car
crash barrier	guardrail
driving licence	driver’s license[34]
dual carriageway	divided highway[31]
estate car	station wagon[33]
exhaust pipe	tail pipe, exhaust
fire engine	fire truck, fire engine
flyover	overpass,[33] flyover
gearbox	transmission[31]
gear lever	gear shift, shifter
give way	yield
goods train	freight train
goods wagon/truck	freight car
hard shoulder	shoulder
hired car, hire car	rental car, rental
hood, soft/hard top	convertible top, soft/hard top
indicator	turn signal; blinker
juggernaut, lorry	semi, semi-truck, 18-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer[35]
jump lead	jumper cable
junction	fork (in the road)
lorry	truck[32]
articulated lorry	semi-trailer truck, semi[33]
manual	stick shift, manual
marshalling yard	classification yard
metalled road	cobblestone road, paved road
motorway	freeway,[35] highway, expressway
mudguard, wheel arch, wing	fender[36]
number plate	license plate
overtake (a vehicle)	pass (a vehicle)
pavement, footpath	sidewalk, pavement[37][38]
pedestrian crossing	crosswalk
petrol	gasoline, gas[31]
police car	patrol car, cop car, police car
public transport	public transportation, public transit, mass transit
racing car	racecar
railway	railroad
roadworks	construction zone, roadwork
saloon	sedan[39]
silencer	muffler[31]
single carriageway	undivided highway
spanner	wrench[31][32]
taxi	cab, taxi, taxicab
ticking over	idling[35]
tram	streetcar, trolley
transport café	truck stop
tyre	tire
underground (tube)	subway, metro (see variations below)
windscreen	windshield[31]
car valeting	auto detailing

Rail transport[edit]

There are also differences in terminology in the context of rail transport. The best known is railway in the UK and railroad in North America,^[a] but there are several others. A railway station in the UK is a railroad station in the US, while train station is used in both; trains have drivers (often called engine drivers) in the UK, while in America trains are driven by engineers; trains have guards in the UK and conductors in the US, though the latter is also common in the UK; a place where two tracks meet is called a set of points in the UK and a switch in the US; and a place where a road crosses a railway line at ground level is called a level crossing in the UK and a grade crossing or railroad crossing in America. In the UK, the term sleeper is used for the devices that bear the weight of the rails and are known as ties or crossties in the United States. In a rail context, sleeper (more often, sleeper car) would be understood in the US as a rail car with sleeping quarters for its passengers. The British term platform in the sense «The train is at Platform 1» would be known in the US by the term track, and used in the phrase «The train is on Track 1». The British term brake van or guard’s van is a caboose in the US. The American English phrase «All aboard» when boarding a train is rarely used in the UK,^{[citation needed]} and when the train reaches its final stop, in the UK the phrase used by rail personnel is «All change» while in the US it is «All out», though such announcements are uncommon in both regions.

For sub-surface rail networks, while underground is commonly used in the UK, only the London Underground actually carries this name: the UK’s only other such system, the smaller Glasgow Subway, was in fact the first to be called «subway».^[40] Nevertheless, both subway and metro are now more common in the US, varying by city: in Washington D.C., for example, metro is used, while in New York City subway is preferred. Another variation is the T in Boston.

Television[edit]

Traditionally, a show on British television would have referred to a light-entertainment program (BrE programme) with one or more performers and a participative audience, whereas in American television, the term is used for any type of program. British English traditionally referred to other types of program by their type, such as drama, serial etc., but the term show has now taken on the generalised American meaning. In American television the episodes of a program first broadcast in a particular year constitute a season, while the entire run of the program—which may span several seasons—is called a series. In British television, on the other hand, the word series may apply to the episodes of a program in one particular year, for example, «The 1998 series of Grange Hill«, as well as to the entire run. However, the entire run may occasionally be referred to as a «show».
The term telecast, meaning television broadcast and uncommon even in the US, is not used in British English. A television program would be broadcast, aired or shown in both the UK and US.

Telecommunications[edit]

A long-distance call is a «trunk call» in British English, but is a «toll call» in American English, though neither term is well known among younger Americans. The distinction is a result of historical differences in the way local service was billed; the Bell System traditionally flat-rated local calls in all but a few markets, subsidising local service by charging higher rates, or tolls, for intercity calls, allowing local calls to appear to be free. British Telecom (and the British Post Office before it) charged for all calls, local and long distance, so labelling one class of call as «toll» would have been meaningless.

Similarly, a toll-free number in America is a freephone number in the UK. The term «freefone» is a BT trademark.

Rivers[edit]

In British English, the name of a river is placed after the word (River Thames). In American English, the name is placed before the word (Hudson River).

Style[edit]

Use of that and which in restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses[edit]

Generally, a non-restrictive relative clause (also called non-defining or supplementary) is one containing information that is supplementary, i.e. does not change the meaning of the rest of the sentence, while a restrictive relative clause (also called defining or integrated) contains information essential to the meaning of the sentence, effectively limiting the modified noun phrase to a subset that is defined by the relative clause.^[41]
An example of a restrictive clause is «The dog that bit the man was brown.»
An example of a non-restrictive clause is «The dog, which bit the man, was brown.»
In the former, «that bit the man» identifies which dog the statement is about.
In the latter, «which bit the man» provides supplementary information about a known dog.
A non-restrictive relative clause is typically set off by commas, whereas a restrictive relative clause is not, but this is not a rule that is universally observed.^[41] In speech, this is also reflected in the intonation.^[42]
Writers commonly use which to introduce a non-restrictive clause, and that to introduce a restrictive clause. That is rarely used to introduce a non-restrictive relative clause in prose. Which and that are both commonly used to introduce a restrictive clause; a study in 1977 reported that about 75 per cent of occurrences of which were in restrictive clauses.^[43]

H. W. Fowler, in A Dictionary of Modern English Usage of 1926, followed others in suggesting that it would be preferable to use which as the non-restrictive (what he calls «non-defining») pronoun and that as the restrictive (what he calls defining) pronoun, but he also stated that this rule was observed neither by most writers nor by the best writers.^[44]
He implied that his suggested usage was more common in American English.^[45]
Fowler notes that his recommended usage presents problems, in particular that that must be the first word of the clause, which means, for instance, that which cannot be replaced by that when it immediately follows a preposition (e.g. «the basic unit from which matter is constructed»)^[46] – though this would not prevent a stranded preposition (e.g. «the basic unit that matter is constructed from«).^[47]

Style guides by American prescriptivists, such as Bryan Garner, typically insist, for stylistic reasons, that that be used for restrictive relative clauses and which be used for non-restrictive clauses, referring to the use of which in restrictive clauses as a «mistake».^[41] According to the 2015 edition of Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage, «In AmE which is ‘not generally used in restrictive clauses, and that fact is then interpreted as the absolute rule that only that may introduce a restrictive clause’, whereas in BrE ‘either that or which may be used in restrictive clauses’, but many British people ‘believe that that is obligatory'».^[48]

Subjunctive[edit]

The subjunctive mood is commoner in colloquial American English than in colloquial British English.^[49]

Writing[edit]

Spelling[edit]

Before the early 18th century English spelling was not standardised. Different standards became noticeable after the publishing of influential dictionaries. For the most part current BrE spellings follow those of Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language (1755), while AmE spellings follow those of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). In the United Kingdom, the influences of those who preferred the French spellings of certain words proved decisive. In many cases AmE spelling deviated from mainstream British spelling; on the other hand it has also often retained older forms. Many of the now characteristic AmE spellings were popularised, although often not created, by Noah Webster. Webster chose already-existing alternative spellings «on such grounds as simplicity, analogy or etymology».^[50] Webster did attempt to introduce some reformed spellings, as did the Simplified Spelling Board in the early 20th century, but most were not adopted. Later spelling changes in the UK had little effect on present-day US spelling, and vice versa.

Punctuation[edit]

Full stops and periods in abbreviations[edit]

There have been some trends of transatlantic difference in use of periods in some abbreviations. These are discussed at Abbreviation § Periods (full stops) and spaces. Unit symbols such as kg and Hz are never punctuated.^[51]

Parentheses/brackets[edit]

In British English, «( )» marks are often referred to as brackets, whereas «[ ]» are called square brackets and «{ }» are called curly brackets. In formal British English and in American English «( )» marks are parentheses (singular: parenthesis), «[ ]» are called brackets or square brackets, and «{ }» can be called either curly brackets or braces.^[52] Despite the different names, these marks are used in the same way in both varieties.

Quoting[edit]

British and American English differ in the preferred quotation mark style, including the placement of commas and periods. In American English, » and ‘ are called quotation marks, whereas in British English, » and ‘ are referred to as either inverted commas or speech marks. Additionally, in American English direct speech typically uses the double quote mark ( » ), whereas in British English it is common to use the inverted comma ( ‘ ).^[53][54]

Commas in headlines[edit]

American newspapers commonly use a comma as a shorthand for «and» in headlines. For example, The Washington Post had the headline «A TRUE CONSERVATIVE: For McCain, Bush Has Both Praise, Advice.»^[55]

Numerical expressions[edit]

There are many differences in the writing and speaking of English numerals, most of which are matters of style, with the notable exception of different definitions for billion.

The two countries have different conventions for floor numbering. The UK uses a mixture of the metric system and Imperial units, where in the US, United States customary units are dominant in everyday life with a few fields using the metric system.

Monetary amounts[edit]

Monetary amounts in the range of one to two major currency units are often spoken differently. In AmE one may say a dollar fifty or a pound eighty, whereas in BrE these amounts would be expressed one dollar fifty and one pound eighty. For amounts over a dollar an American will generally either drop denominations or give both dollars and cents, as in two-twenty or two dollars and twenty cents for $2.20. An American would not say two dollars twenty. On the other hand, in BrE, two-twenty or two pounds twenty would be most common.

It is more common to hear a British-English speaker say one thousand two hundred dollars than a thousand and two hundred dollars, although the latter construct is common in AmE. In British English, the «and» comes after the hundreds (one thousand, two hundred and thirty dollars). The term twelve hundred dollars, popular in AmE, is frequently used in BrE but only for exact multiples of 100 up to 1,900. Speakers of BrE very rarely hear amounts over 1,900 expressed in hundreds, for example, twenty-three hundred. In AmE it would not be unusual to refer to a high, uneven figure such as 2,307 as twenty-three hundred and seven.

In BrE, particularly in television or radio advertisements, integers can be pronounced individually in the expression of amounts. For example, on sale for £399 might be expressed on sale for three nine nine, though the full three hundred and ninety-nine pounds is at least as common. An American advertiser would almost always say on sale for three ninety-nine, with context distinguishing $399 from $3.99.^{[citation needed]} In British English the latter pronunciation implies a value in pounds and pence, so three ninety-nine would be understood as £3.99.

In spoken BrE the word pound is sometimes colloquially used for the plural as well. For example, three pound forty and twenty pound a week are both heard in British English. Some other currencies do not change in the plural; yen and rand being examples. This is in addition to normal adjectival use, as in a twenty-pound-a-week pay-rise (US raise). The euro most often takes a regular plural -s in practice despite the EU dictum that it should remain invariable in formal contexts; the invariable usage is more common in Ireland, where it is the official currency.

In BrE the use of p instead of pence is common in spoken usage. Each of the following has equal legitimacy: 3 pounds 12 p; 3 pounds and 12 p; 3 pounds 12 pence; 3 pounds and 12 pence; as well as just 8 p or 8 pence. In everyday usage the amount is simply read as figures (£3.50 = three pounds fifty) as in AmE.

AmE uses words such as nickel, dime, and quarter for small coins. In BrE the usual usage is a 10-pence piece or a 10p piece or simply a 10p, for any coin below £1, pound coin and two-pound coin. BrE did have specific words for a number of coins before decimalisation. Formal coin names such as half crown (2/6) and florin (2/-), as well as slang or familiar names such as bob (1/-) and tanner (6d) for pre-decimalisation coins are still familiar to older BrE speakers but they are not used for modern coins. In older terms like two-bob bit (2/-) and thrupenny bit (3d), the word bit had common usage before decimalisation similar to that of piece today.

In order to make explicit the amount in words on a check (BrE cheque), Americans write three and 24⁄100 (using this solidus construction or with a horizontal division line): they do not need to write the word dollars as it is usually already printed on the check. On a cheque UK residents would write three pounds and 24 pence, three pounds ‒ 24, or three pounds ‒ 24p since the currency unit is not preprinted. To make unauthorised amendment difficult, it is useful to have an expression terminator even when a whole number of dollars/pounds is in use: thus, Americans would write three and 00⁄100 or three and no⁄100 on a three-dollar check (so that it cannot easily be changed to, for example, three million), and UK residents would write three pounds only.^[56]

Dates[edit]

Dates are usually written differently in the short (numerical) form. Christmas Day 2000, for example, is 25/12/00 or 25.12.00 in the UK and 12/25/00 in the US, although the formats 25/12/2000, 25.12.2000, and 12/25/2000 now have more currency than they had before Y2K. Occasionally other formats are encountered, such as the ISO 8601 2000-12-25, popular among programmers, scientists and others seeking to avoid ambiguity, and to make alphanumerical order coincide with chronological order. The difference in short-form date order can lead to misunderstanding, especially when using software or equipment that uses the foreign format. For example, 06/04/05 could mean either June 4, 2005 (if read as US format), 6 April 2005 (if seen as in UK format) or even 5 April 2006 if taken to be an older ISO 8601-style format where 2-digit years were allowed.

When using the name of the month rather than the number to write a date in the UK, the recent standard style is for the day to precede the month, e. g., 21 April. Month preceding date is almost invariably the style in the US, and was common in the UK until the late twentieth century. British usage normally changes the day from an integer to an ordinal, i.e., 21st instead of 21. In speech, «of» and «the» are used in the UK, as in «the 21st of April». In written language, the words «the» and «of» may be and are usually dropped, i.e., 21st April. The US would say this as «April 21st», and this form is still common in the UK. One of the few exceptions in American English is saying «the Fourth of July» as a shorthand for the United States Independence Day. In the US military the British forms are used, but the day is read cardinally, while among some speakers of New England and Southern American English varieties and who come from those regions but live elsewhere, those forms are common, even in formal contexts.

Phrases such as the following are common in the UK but are generally unknown in the US: «A week today», «a week tomorrow», «a week (on) Tuesday» and «Tuesday week»; these all refer to a day which is more than a week into the future. «A fortnight Friday» and «Friday fortnight» refer to a day two weeks after the coming Friday). «A week on Tuesday» and «a fortnight on Friday» could refer either to a day in the past («it’s a week on Tuesday, you need to get another one») or in the future («see you a week on Tuesday»), depending on context. In the US the standard construction is «a week from today», «a week from tomorrow», etc. BrE speakers may also say «Thursday last» or «Thursday gone» where AmE would prefer «last Thursday». «I’ll see you (on) Thursday coming» or «let’s meet this coming Thursday» in BrE refer to a meeting later this week, while «not until Thursday next» would refer to next week. In BrE there is also common use of the term ‘Thursday after next’ or ‘week after next’ meaning 2 weeks in the future and ‘Thursday before last’ and ‘week before last’ meaning 2 weeks in the past, but not when referring to times more than 2 weeks been or gone or when using the terms tomorrow today or yesterday then in BrE you would say ‘5 weeks on Tuesday’ or ‘2 weeks yesterday’.

Time[edit]

The 24-hour clock (18:00, 18.00 or 1800) is considered normal in the UK and Europe in many applications including air, rail and bus timetables; it is largely unused in the US outside military, police, aviation and medical applications. As a result, many Americans refer to the 24-hour clock as military time. Some British English style guides recommend the full stop (.) when telling time,^[b] compared to American English which uses colons (:) (i.e., 11:15 PM/pm/p.m. or 23:15 for AmE and 11.15 pm or 23.15 for BrE).^[61] Usually in the military (and sometimes in the police, aviation and medical) applications on both sides of the Atlantic 0800 and 1800 are read as (oh/zero) eight hundred and eighteen hundred hours respectively. Even in the UK, hundred follows twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two and twenty-three when reading 2000, 2100, 2200 and 2300 according to those applications.

Fifteen minutes after the hour is called quarter past in British usage and a quarter after or, less commonly, a quarter past in American usage. Fifteen minutes before the hour is usually called quarter to in British usage and a quarter of, a quarter to or a quarter ’til in American usage; the form a quarter to is associated with parts of the Northern United States, while a quarter ’til or till is found chiefly in the Appalachian region.^[62] Thirty minutes after the hour is commonly called half past in both BrE and AmE; half after used to be more common in the US. In informal British speech, the preposition is sometimes omitted, so that 5:30 may be referred to as half five; this construction is entirely foreign to US speakers, who would possibly interpret half five as 4:30 (halfway to 5:00) rather than 5:30. The AmE formations top of the hour and bottom of the hour are not used in BrE. Forms such as eleven forty are common in both varieties. To be simple and direct in telling time, no terms relating to fifteen or thirty minutes before/after the hour are used; rather the time is told exactly as for example nine fifteen, ten forty-five.

Sports percentages[edit]

In sports statistics, certain percentages such as those for winning or win–loss records and saves in field or ice hockey and association football are almost always expressed as a decimal proportion to three places in AmE and are usually read aloud as if they are whole numbers, e.g. (0).500 or five hundred,^[63] hence the phrase «games/matches over five hundred», whereas in BrE they are also expressed but as true percentages instead, after multiplying the decimal by 100%, that is, 50% or «fifty per cent» and «games/matches over 50% or 50 per cent». However, «games/matches over 50% or 50 percent» is also found in AmE, albeit sporadically, e.g., hitting percentages in volleyball.^[64]

The American practice of expressing so-called percentages in sports statistics as decimals originated with baseball’s batting averages, developed by English-born statistician and historian Henry Chadwick.

See also[edit]

• American and British English grammatical differences
• American and British English pronunciation differences
• American and British English spelling differences
• British and American keyboards
• List of dialects of the English language
• Lists of words having different meanings in American and British English

Explanatory notes[edit]

Citations[edit]

General and cited sources[edit]

• Algeo, John (2006). British or American English?. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-37993-8.
• Hargraves, Orin (2003). Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515704-4.
• McArthur, Tom (2002). The Oxford Guide to World English. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-866248-3.
• Murphy, Lynne (2018). The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between British and American English. London. Oneworld Publications. ISBN 1-786-07269-6.
• Peters, Pam (2004). The Cambridge Guide to English Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62181-X.
• Trudgill, Peter and Jean Hannah (2002). International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English, 4th ed. London: Arnold. ISBN 0-340-80834-9.

Further reading[edit]

• Erin Moore (2015). That’s Not English: Britishisms, Americanisms, and What Our English Says About Us. Avery. ISBN 978-1592408856.

External links[edit]

• Word substitution list, by the Ubuntu English (United Kingdom) Translators team
• Linguistics Issues List of American, Canadian and British spelling differences
• Map of US English dialects
• The Septic’s Companion: A British Slang Dictionary
• Selected Vocabulary Differences Between British and American English at the Wayback Machine (archived 1 July 2016)
• British English vs. American English Slang Compared
• British English-American English Vocabulary Quiz

There is a famous quote that “America and Britain are two nations divided by a common language.”

American and British English seem quite alike but are very different. There are a lot of differences between these two. From vocabulary to grammar to spelling to pronunciation, everything is poles apart. 

Many people may be asking themselves what’s the difference between American and British English. If you are one of them, then this post is for you. 

1. Pronunciation

It’s not difficult to identify distinctions between British and US pronunciations. These differences took place after the first settlers reached America. These people used to speak what is known as rhotic speech, where the words with “r” sounds are pronounced aggressively. 

However, upper classes in the United Kingdom wanted to differentiate their speaking from the common people. Therefore, they started to soften their pronunciation of the “R” sounds. As elite people were considered the norm for being elegant, everyone started to copy their way of speaking.

Let’s take a look at the general rule about the letter “R” in British and American English.

In British English, the letter “R” is only pronounced when it comes after a vowel (a,e, I,o, u). However, this is not the case with American English. Americans pronounce this letter always.

2. Vocabulary

Numerous common words in British and American English have entirely different meanings. For example, when you search for a caretaker in England, you come across cleaners for cleaning a house. On the other hand, in America, the caretaker is a person who takes care of someone like an elderly, child, or sick person. 

Apart from this, there are a few everyday objects that have different names in both dialects. Have a look at the below table.

British English	American English
Autumn	Fall
Chips	Fries
Handbag	Purse
Holiday	Vacation
Flat	Apartment
football	soccer
University	College
Lift	elevator
Biscuit	cookie
Car park	Parking lot

3. Spellings

Even though Americans and the British speak the same language, they do not use the same spelling. The differences in spelling date back to the time when spelling standard was not yet developed. 

The key difference is that British English uses the spelling of words adopted from languages, primarily French and German. In contrast, American English spellings are based majorly on how a word sounds when it is spoken. 

For instance, Americans write “color” while the British spelling for the same word is “colour.”

Below are a few major ways in which American and British spellings are distinct.

1. British English words which end in “re” usually end in “er” in American English:

British English vs American English

• litre vs liter
• centre vs center

1. Verbs in British English that are spelled with “ise” at the end are spelled with “ize” at the end in American English:

British English vs American English

• organise vs organize
• recognise vs recognize
• capitalise vs capitalize

1. Most words ending in “our” in British English are spelled without the “u” in American English:

British English vs American English

• humour vs humor
• behaviour vs behavior

1. Verbs ending in a vowel plus “l” in British English double the “l”. This is not the case with American English.

British English vs American English

• travelled vs traveled
• fuelled vs fueled

1. In British English, nouns that end with “ence” are written “ense” in American English.

British English vs American English

• licence vs license
• pretence vs pretense

4. Grammar

Besides vocabulary and spelling differences, there are specific grammatical contrasts between American and British English. These variations are usually due to the influence of different cultures adopted by these two nations. British people prefer to use formal speech, while Americans prefer more informal speech.

Let’s understand the fundamental grammar differences between British and American English.

1. Prepositions

Americans and British people use prepositions differently. In American English, “on” is used when talking about weekend while in British English “at” is used for time expression.

US

We are going to a party on the weekend.

British

We are going to a party at the weekend.

2. The past participle of “get”

In British English, “got” is the past participle form of “get” while Americans use the word “gotten” as the past participle.

US

I haven’t gotten any email from you.

British

I haven’t got any email from you.

3. Past Simple vs. Present Perfect

Americans are more likely to use the past simple when referring to something that happened in the recent past. On the contrary, British people tend to use the present perfect tense. 

Check out the following example.

US

She ate too much.

British

She has eaten too much.

4. Use of collective nouns

A collective noun such as a team, government, etc. in the US English is always singular as Americans consider the group as one whole entity. On the other hand, a collective noun in British English usually tends toward plural.

US

Our team is doing everything possible to boost business.

British

Our team are doing everything possible to boost business.

5. Regular or irregular verbs

Since this is a minor difference, it is often overlooked in speech. However, it is much more evident in the written form. In British English, many verbs that are irregular in the past tense are made regular in American English.

 British vs American English

• Burnt vs Burned
• Learnt vs Learned
• Dreamt vs Dreamed
• Leapt vs Leaped

Final Thoughts

Learning English is essential, not only because it is a global language, but also for the fact that it has turned into the language of the internet, media, business, science, and more. 

Though there are numerous varieties of English language, British and American English are two prominent varieties which are taught in most English learning programs. In this post, we made you familiar with some key differences between British and American English in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, spellings, and grammar. Hopefully, it helps you get a better understanding of the differences between these two.

Updated on November 04, 2019

While pronunciation, grammar, and spelling are among the many differences between American and British English, perhaps the most difficult to navigate is the difference in American and British vocabulary and word choice. 

American and British Vocabulary and Word Choice

Many students are confused about word differences between American and British English. Generally speaking, it’s true that most Americans will understand British English speakers and vice versa despite the many differences. As your English becomes more advanced, however, it becomes more important to decide which form of English you prefer. Once you’ve decided, try to stick to one form or the other in all aspects including pronunciation differences: General American or Received Pronunciation. This consistency is key to clear English communication.

The following list provides common American English vocabulary and word choices and their British English equivalents arranged in alphabetical order. Which words are already most familiar to you?

American English	British English
antenna	aerial
mad	angry
anyplace	anywhere
fall	autumn
bill	bank note
attorney	barrister, solicitor
cookie	biscuit
hood	bonnet
trunk	boot
suspenders	braces
janitor	caretaker
drug store	chemist’s
french fries	chips
the movies	the cinema
rubber	condom
patrolman	constable
stove	cooker
wheat	corn, wheat
crib	cot
thread	cotton
wreck	crash
intersection	crossroads
drapes	curtains
checkers	draughts
thumbtack	drawing pin
divided highway	dual carriageway
pacifier	dummy
trashcan	dustbin, rubbish-bin
garbage can	dustbin, rubbish-bin
garbage collector	dustman
generator	dynamo
motor	engine
engineer	engine driver
movie	film
apartment	flat
overpass	flyover
yard	garden
gear-shift	gear-lever
alumnus	graduate
boiler	grill
first floor	ground floor
rubbers	gumshoes, wellington boots
sneakers	gym shoes, tennis-shoes
purse	handbag
billboard	hoarding
vacation	holiday
vacuum cleaner	hoover
sick	ill
intermission	interval
sweater	jersey, jumper, pullover, sweater
pitcher	jug
elevator	lift
truck	lorry
baggage	luggage
raincoat	mackintosh, raincoat
crazy	mad
highway	main road
corn	maize
math	maths
stingy	mean
freeway	motorway
diaper	nappy
vicious, mean	nasty
noplace	nowhere
private hospital	nursing home
optometrist	optician
liquor store	off-license
kerosene	paraffin
sidewalk	pavement
peek	peep
gasoline	petrol
mail	post
mailbox	postbox
mailman, mail carrier	postman
potato chips	potato crisps
baby carriage	pram
bar	pub
restroom	public toilet
blow-out	puncture
stroller	push-chair
line	queue
railroad	railway
railway car	railway carriage
spool of thread	reel of cotton
round trip	return (ticket)
call collect	reverse charges
raise	rise (in salary)
pavement	road surface
traffic circle	roundabout
eraser	rubber
garbage, trash	rubbish
sedan	saloon (car)
Scotch tape	sellotape
store	shop
muffler	silencer
one-way	single (ticket)
someplace	somewhere
wrench	spanner
faculty	staff (of a university)
oil pan	sump
dessert	sweet
candy	sweets
faucet	tap
spigot	tap (outdoors)
cab	taxi
dish-towel	tea-towel
semester	term
pantyhose	tights
schedule	timetable
can	tin
turnpike	toll motorway
flashlight	torch
hobo	tramp
pants	trousers
cuffs	turn-ups
subway	underground railway
shorts	underpants
shoulder (of road)	verge (of road)
vest	waistcoat
closet	wardrobe
wash up	wash your hands
windshield	windscreen
fender	wing
zipper	zip

Now, test your knowledge with the two quizzes below.

American to British English Vocabulary Quiz

Replace the American English word in italics with a British English word. 

1. I’d like to hang the drapes tonight. Do you have time?
2. We took the elevator to the 10th floor.
3. Would you like to see a movie tonight?
4. Have you seen Tim’s new apartment yet? It’s very nice.
5. Run down to the drug store and buy some aspirin, please. 
6. Let’s go to the bar and get a drink.
7. I’ll take the garbage out before I leave tomorrow morning.
8. Take the second exit at the traffic circle.
9. Let’s get have some potato chips with lunch. 
10. Could you hand me the flashlight so I can take a look in the closet?
11. Peter wore a pair of slim fitting pants to the party.
12. She opened the tap and watered the garden.
13. Have you ever worn a vest with a suit?
14. I’ll pick up the mail on the way home from work.
15. Could you buy me a pair of pantyhose at the mall?

Answers

1. curtains
2. lift
3. film
4. flat
5. chemist’s
6. pub
7. rubbish
8. roundabout
9. crisps
10. torch
11. trousers
12. spigot 
13. waistcoat
14. post
15. tights

British to American English Vocabulary Quiz

Replace the British word in italics with an American English word.

1. We need to find a public toilet soon.
2. Let’s get the pram and take a walk with Jennifer. 
3. I’m afraid I had a puncture and had to get it fixed.
4. Could you bring in that tin of tuna over there?
5. He puts his trousers on like any other person.
6. She’s very mean with her money. Don’t ask her for any help.
7. I generally don’t wear a suit with a waistcoat.
8. We should ask a constable for help.
9. Let’s go to the off-license and get some whiskey. 
10. Get on queue and I’ll get us something to eat.
11. Grab a tea-towel and clean that up.
12. Look at the schedule and see when the train leaves.
13. The car has a dent in the wing.
14. Choose a sweater from the wardrobe and let’s get going.
15. The lights have gone out, and we’ll need a torch.

Answers

1. restroom
2. baby carriage
3. blow-out
4. can
5. pants
6. stingy
7. vest
8. patrolman
9. liquor store
10. line
11. dish-towel
12. time table
13. fender
14. closet 
15. flashlight

In the IELTS speaking test sometimes candidates try to mimic an accent. But it is always a wise idea to use your natural tone and neutral accent. You won’t get a good score if you try to mimic a British accent but can’t show the fluency.

IELTS Candidates often get confused whether to use the American spelling or British spelling, especially in the writing test. But you should not worry about it. Either spelling and words are accepted. But maintaining a consistency is better according to some teachers.

Following is a list of word differences that we observe in British and American English:

     American                  British

• Cell Phone                      Mobile Phone
• Math                                Maths
• City hall                           Town hall
• Sidewalk                          Pavement
• Movie/ Film                     Film
• Pharmacy                        Chemist
• Parking garage/ lot       Car park
• Movie theater                 Cinema
• Antenna                           Aeriel
• Airplane                           Aero-plane
• Counter-clockwise         Anti-clockwise
• Fall                                    Autumn
• Cookie                              Biscuit
• Hood                                 Bonet
• Trunk                                Boot
• Automobile                     Car
• Janitor                              Care taker
• Potato Chips                   Crisps
• Intersection                    Crossroads
• Closet                               Cupboard
• Trashcan                          Dustbin
• Term paper                     Essay
• Apartment                       Flat
• Overpass                         Flyover
• Yard                                  Garden
• Purse                                Handbag
• Vacation                           Holiday
• Assignment                     Homework
• Jelly                                   Jam
• Pitcher                              Jug
• Attorney                           Lawyer
• Elevator                            Lift
• Truck                                 Lorry
• Diaper                              Nappy
• Bulletin Board                Notice Board
• Mail                                  Post
• Zip Code                          Post Code
• Bar                                    Pub
• Dessert                            Pudding
• Line                                  Queue
• Railroad                           Railway
• Call                                    Ring
• Eraser                               Rubber
• Couch                               Sofa
• Underpass                        Subway
• Candy                                Sweet
• Cab                                    Taxi
• Check                                Tick
• Schedule                           Timetable
• Can                                    Tin
• Flashlight                         Torch
• Vest                                   Waistcoat
• Windshield                       Windscreen

Apart from the above word differences, British and American English have some spelling differences as well. Since IELTS test is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment, many teachers advise candidates to follow the British spelling. However, you won’t be negatively scored if you use American English.

Here are some spelling differences between British and American English, which we presume are already known to you.

Some US words take -er while it is -re in British English.

      US            British

• center         centre
• fiber            fibre
• liter             litre
• theater       theatre

Some verbs in US English that end in -yze while it is -yse in British English.

      US             British

• analyze        analyse
• paralyze       paralyse
• catalyze       catalyse

A very common spelling difference between American and British English is using -or in American spelling and -our in British spelling. Here are such few commonly used words.

      US             British

• labor            labour
• flavor           flavour
• color            colour
• humor         humour
• neighbor     neighbour
• candor         candour
• clamor         clamoour
• demeanor   demeanour
• armor          armour
• behavior     behaviour

Some verbs in American English always take -ize while in British English both -ise and -ize are acceptable.

      US             British

• apologize     apologize or apologise
• agonize        agonize or agonise
• organize      organize or organise
• authorize     authorize or authorise
• recognize     recognize or recognise

Some verbs with a preceding vowel end with ‘l’ in American spelling but take double l (‘ll’) in the past and ‘ing’ form.

      US             British

• fuel               fuel
• fueled          fuelled
• fueling         fuelling
• travel           travel
• traveled       travelled
• traveling      travelling
• traveler        traveller

Some nouns that end with -og in American spelling but takes -ogue in British spelling.

      US           British

• analog      analogue
• catalog     catalogue
• dialog       dialogue

Some nouns are spelled using -ense in American English but they end with -ence in British English.

      US            British

• license        licence
• defence     defense
• pretence    pretense
• offence      offense

Some words only take e in American English but have oe (double vowel) in British English.

      US               British

• maneuver     manoeuvre
• leukemia       leukaemia
• pediatric       paediatric
• estrogen       oestrogen

You can find a comprehensive list of spelling differences between American and British English at www.tysto.com/uk-us-spelling-list.html

Британский английский и американский английский: Различия в лексике

The lists below provide some examples of vocabulary differences between British English and American English. The words under the heading «British English» are used mainly in British English; the words under the heading «American English» are used mainly in American English.

Despite a rather large number of words that differ in meaning in British English and American English, native speakers of English usually have no problem understanding such words in speech and writing. (Spelling differences are described in British and American Spelling in the section Writing.)

Списки ниже приводят некоторые примеры различий в лексике между британским английским и американским английским. Слова под заголовком «British English» употребляются в основном в британском английском; слова под заголовком «American English» употребляются в основном в американском английском.

Несмотря на довольно большое число слов, которые имеют разное значение в британском английском и американском английском, носители английского языка обычно без проблем понимают такие слова в устной и письменной речи. (Различия в написании слов описаны в материале «British and American Spelling» в разделе Writing.)

House

British English – American English – Russian translation

flat – apartment – квартира

block of flats – apartment house, apartment building – многоквартирный дом

ground floor – first floor – первый этаж (начинающийся на уровне земли)

first floor – second floor – второй этаж

lift – elevator – лифт

cooker – stove – кухонная плита, печь

gas cooker – gas stove – газовая плита

electric cooker – electric stove – электрическая плита

frying pan – frying pan, skillet – сковорода

standard lamp – floor lamp – торшер

tap – faucet – водопроводный кран

letterbox, postbox – mailbox – почтовый ящик

postman – postman, mailman – почтальон

postal code, postcode – zip code – почтовый индекс

dustbin – garbage can, trash can – контейнер, бак для мусора; мусорный ящик

rubbish – garbage, trash – мусор

Family, children

British English – American English – Russian translation

cot – crib – детская кроватка

dummy – pacifier – соска-пустышка

elder brother (elder sister) – older brother (older sister) – старший брат (старшая сестра)

Примеры: My elder sister is four years older than I am. My older sister is four years older than I am.

nappy – diaper – пелёнка, подгузник

pram – baby carriage – детская коляска

pushchair – stroller – лёгкая прогулочная детская коляска (сидячая, складная)

merry-go-round, roundabout – merry-go-round, carrousel – карусель

sandpit – sandbox – песочница для детей (AmE: sandpit – песчаный карьер)

skipping rope – jump rope – скакалка

surname – last name, family name – фамилия

School

British English – American English – Russian translation

drawing pin – thumbtack – кнопка (канцелярская)

form – grade – класс (в школе)

Примеры: My son is in the sixth form. My son is in the sixth grade.

holiday – vacation – каникулы, отпуск

Примеры: summer holidays, summer vacation; He is on holiday. He is on vacation.

mark – grade, mark – отметка, оценка (в школе)

nought, naught, zero – zero – нуль

public school – private school – частная платная школа (AmE: public school – бесплатная школа для детей школьного возраста.)

pupil (ученик, учащийся, особенно детского возраста) – student (ученик, учащийся, студент)

BrE, AmE student – учащийся, студент; изучающий (что-то)

Примеры: a third-year student (in college or university); a history student; a student of law.

rubber – eraser – резинка, ластик (для стирания)

set square, setsquare – triangle – угольник

full stop – period – точка в конце предложения или сокращения

quotation marks, inverted commas – quotation marks – кавычки

parentheses, round brackets – parentheses – круглые скобки

Food

British English – American English – Russian translation

biscuits – cookies – печенье (сухое, песочное, галетное, сладкое или не сладкое) (Примечание: в ед. числе – a biscuit, a cookie.)

crackers – crackers – крекер (сухое печенье)

chips, potato chips – French fried potatoes, French fries – жареный картофель (длинными узкими ломтиками)

crisps, potato crisps – chips, potato chips – хрустящий картофель (чипсы)

scone – biscuit, scone – небольшая хлебная лепёшка (пшеничная, овсяная)

porridge – oatmeal – овсяная каша

sweets – candies – конфеты (Примечание: в ед. числе – a sweet, a candy.)

aubergine, eggplant – eggplant – баклажан (Примечание: squash – тыква, кабачок; pumpkin – тыква.)

beetroot – beet – свекла

maize, sweet corn – corn, sweet corn – кукуруза, сахарная кукуруза

stone – pit – косточка (вишни, сливы, персика)

a cherry stone – a cherry pit – косточка вишни, вишнёвая косточка

to stone cherries (plums, peaches) – to pit cherries (plums, peaches) – вынимать косточки из вишни (слив, персиков)

tin (of sardines, green peas, etc.) – can (of sardines, green peas, etc.) – консервная банка (сардин, зелёного горошка и т.д.)

tin opener – can opener – нож для открывания консервов

cookery book – cookbook – поваренная книга

napkin, serviette – napkin – салфетка

Clothes, accessories

British English – American English – Russian translation

dinner jacket – tuxedo – смокинг

polo-neck jumper, polo-neck sweater – turtleneck sweater – свитер, джемпер с воротом типа водолазки

tie – necktie, tie – галстук

tights – pantyhose – колготки

trousers – pants, trousers – брюки

BrE: pants (трусы, трусики); panties (трусики) – AmE: underpants (трусы, кальсоны); panties (трусики)

vest – undershirt – майка (нательная)

waistcoat – vest – жилет

windcheater – windbreaker – ветровка (куртка)

braces – suspenders – подтяжки

court shoes – pumps – туфли-лодочки

plimsolls – sneakers – теннисные туфли

BrE: purse (кошелёк) – AmE: purse (женская сумочка)

wallet – pocketbook, wallet – бумажник

rucksack – backpack – рюкзак

wellington boots – rubber boots – резиновые сапоги

Shopping, paying

British English – American English – Russian translation

bill (in a restaurant) – check, bill (in a restaurant) – счёт в ресторане

carrier bag – shopping bag – пластиковая или бумажная сумка для покупок

note, bank note – bill, bank note – банкнота

Примеры: a five-pound note; a five-dollar bill.

queue – line – очередь

to stand in a queue – to stand in line – стоять в очереди

pharmacy – drugstore – аптека

pub – bar, tavern – пивная, бар, кабак

shop – store – магазин

shop assistant – salesclerk, salesperson – продавец, продавщица

shopgirl – salesgirl – продавщица

trolley – shopping cart – тележка для продуктов, покупок

Streets, roads

British English – American English – Russian translation

car park – parking lot – место парковки / стоянки автомобилей

crossroads – intersection – перекрёсток

flyover – overpass – эстакада, путепровод

motorway – expressway, freeway – автомагистраль

pavement – sidewalk – тротуар

pedestrian crossing, zebra crossing – crosswalk, pedestrian crossing – пешеходный переход

petrol station, filling station – gas station, filling station – заправка, бензоколонка

roundabout – traffic circle – круговое движение

subway – underpass – подземный переход или туннель (для пешеходов или машин)

underground, tube – subway – метро

Airport, railroad

British English – American English – Russian translation

railway – railroad – железная дорога

railway station, train station – railroad station, train station – железнодорожный вокзал, железнодорожная станция

sleeper – sleeping car – спальный вагон

compartment – roomette – купе в спальном вагоне

return ticket – round-trip ticket – билет туда и обратно (AmE: return ticket – обратный билет)

single ticket / a single – one-way ticket – билет в одну сторону

book a seat – reserve a seat – забронировать место

luggage trolley – baggage cart – тележка для чемоданов (в аэропорту)

cabin bag – carry-on bag – сумка, которую можно взять с собой на борт самолёта

(See Bus, Taxi, Train, Plane in the section Phrases.)

Cars

British English – American English – Russian translation

aerial – antenna – антенна

bonnet – hood – капот

boot – trunk – багажник

driving licence – driver’s license – водительские права, водительское удостоверение

gear lever – gearshift – рычаг переключения передач

indicator – turn signal – указатель поворота

indicator switch – turn signal lever – включатель / рычаг указателя поворота

number plate – license plate – номерной знак

petrol – gasoline, gas – бензин

rear lights – taillights, rear lights – задние фонари

reversing light – backup light – свет заднего хода

sidelights – parking lights – габаритные огни, стояночные огни

silencer – muffler – глушитель (AmE: silencer – глушитель на пистолете; muffler также: толстый тёплый шарф.)

spanner – wrench – гаечный ключ

torch – flashlight – карманный фонарь

tyre – tire – шина, покрышка

windscreen – windshield – ветровое стекло

windscreen wipers – windshield wipers – дворники (ветрового стекла)

wing – fender – крыло (автомобиля)

caravan – trailer – жилой автоприцеп

lorry – truck – грузовик

estate car – station wagon – универсал

tram – streetcar – трамвай

motor accident – car accident, automobile accident – автомобильная авария

Miscellaneous

British English – American English – Russian translation

autumn – autumn, the fall – осень

chap, bloke, fellow – guy, fellow – парень, мужчина

cinema – movie theater – кинотеатр

film – movie, film – фильм

draughts – checkers – шашки (игра)

noughts-and-crosses, noughts and crosses – tick-tack-toe, tic-tac-toe – крестики и нолики (игра)

fringe – bangs – чёлка

nail varnish – nail polish – лак для ногтей

mobile phone, mobile – cellular phone, cell phone – мобильный телефон, сотовый телефон