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Difference Between British English and American English
Difference Between British English and American English
Difference Between British English and American English
Vocabulary:
American English
British English
anti-clockwise counter-clockwise
barrister attorney
biscuit cookie
boot trunk
caravan trailer
diversion detour
drawing-pin thumbtack
flyover overpass
gear-lever gearshift
holiday vacation
juggernaut 18-wheeler
lift elevator
maize corn
maths math
motorbike motorcycle
nappy diaper
pavement sidewalk
post mail
postbox mailbox
pub bar
railway railroad
rubber eraser
spanner wrench
sweets candy
timetable schedule
tin can
torch flashlight
vest undershirt
waistcoat vest
whisky whisky/whiskey
windscreen windshield
zip zipper
The general spelling differences between British and American English are listed below.
British -our vs. American- British -re vs. American - British -ae/-oe/-oeu vs.
or difference er American
difference -e/-o/-eu difference
armour armor
amphitheatre amphitheater archaeology archeology
behaviour behavior
centimetre centimeter gynaecology gynecology
colour color
centre center leukaemia leukemia
favourite favorite
fibre fiber manoeuvre maneuver
flavour flavor
kilometre kilometer mediaeval medieval
harbour harbor
litre liter mementoes mementos
honour honor
lustre luster oestrogen estrogen
humour humor
louvre louver orthopaedic orthopedic
labour labor
manoeuvre maneuver paediatric pediatric
neighbour neighbor
metre meter palaeontology paleontology
rumour rumor
spectre specter toxaemia toxemia
saviour savior
theatre theater
British -se vs. American - British -l vs. American - British -ogue vs.
ze difference* ll difference American
-og difference
analyse analyze enrolment enrollment
analogue analog
apologise apologize fulfil fulfill
catalogue catalog
appetiser appetizer instalment installment
dialogue dialog
catalyse catalyze skilful skillful
monologue monolog
civilise, civilize,
civilisation civilization British -ll vs. American -
l difference British –ence vs.
colonise, colonize, American
colonisation colonization counsellor counselor -ense difference
criticise criticize fuelled fueled defence* defense
emphasise emphasize travelling traveling license (both
licence(noun)
parallelled paralleled noun and
organise organize license(verb)
verb)
popularise, popularize, quarrelling quarreling offence* offense
popularisation popularization
pretence pretense
prise prize !Remember: In British
English, verbs that end in -
realise realize l preceded by a vowel usually *But note: defensive,offensive
double the final -l when a
recognise recognize suffix -ed/-ing is added. In
American English the final -
l is doubled only when the last
syllable is stressed.
*Additional notes:
: British English uses both "-ise" and "-ize" forms but tends to prefer -ise (-isation) form.
:: Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either "-ize" or "-ise" at the end are always
spelled with -ize in American English.
:: Verbs in British English that end in "-yse" (e.g. analyse) are always spelled "-yze" in American
English (analyze).