British vs American English

British English US English

US English British English
A-Z A-Z
aluminium aluminum aluminum aluminium
bank holiday3 public holiday apartment flat
basin *sink baby buggy pram
big wheel Ferris wheel band-aid plaster
biscuits cookies bangs fringe
bonnet hood bathroom toilet
boot trunk bellboy page
braces suspenders braid plait
break (play time) recess bureau office
candyfloss cotton candy busy engaged
car park parking lot can tin
chest (set) of drawers bureau candy apple toffee apple
caretaker janitor carnival funfair
chips French fries cell phone (aka cell) mobile phone (aka mobile)
compere emcee checking account current account
cinema movie theater chips crisps
crisps chips cookies biscuits
crossroads intersection correctional officer prison officer
current account checking account cotton candy candyfloss
curtains drapes curb kerb
drawing-pin thumbtack cut class play truant
drink-driving drunk driving detergent washing powder
dummy pacifier diapers nappies
dustbin trashcan dishwashing liquid washing up liquid
engaged busy drapes curtains
film movie drunk driving drink-driving
fish fingers fish sticks elevator lift
flannel washcloth emcee compere
flat apartment eraser !rubber
flu grippe faucet tap
fringe bangs Ferris wheel big wheel
frying-pan skillet fish sticks fish fingers
funfair carnival flashlight torch
garden yard free time spare time
ground floor first floor freeway / turnpike motorway
guide dog seeing eye dog French fries chips
handbag purse garbage rubbish
holiday vacation garters !suspenders
hoover vacuum cleaner gas petrol
jam jelly grippe flu
jug pitcher ground beef minced beef
jumper sweater first floor ground floor
kerb curb highway main road
ladder run hood bonnet
lamp post street light intersection crossroads
last post taps janitor caretaker
lift elevator jelly jam
lorry truck knapsack rucksack
mackintosh slicker motorway exit ramp
main road highway movie film
manual (cars) stick shift movie theater cinema
minced beef ground beef moving van removal van
mobile phone (aka nail polish nail varnish
cell phone (aka cell)
mobile) oatmeal porridge
motorway freeway / turnpike pacifier dummy
nail varnish nail polish !pants knickers
nappies diapers panty hose tights
page bellboy parking lot car park
pants panties parking meter
traffic warden
pavement sidewalk attendant
petrol gas pitcher jug
plait braid private school public school
plaster band-aid public holiday bank holiday3
play truant cut class
porridge oatmeal purse handbag
postcode zip code ramp1 slip road
pram baby buggy recess break (play time)
prison officer correctional officer report card school report
public school private school ! rubber ! condom
pupil student rubber boots wellies / wellingtons
removal van moving van run ladder
! rubber ! eraser scallion spring onion
rubbish garbage Scotch tape Sellotape
rubbish trash sedan saloon car
rucksack knapsack seeing eye dog guide dog
saloon car sedan sidewalk pavement
school report report card *sink basin
Sellotape Scotch tape skillet frying-pan
shares stocks slicker mackintosh
spare time free time stick shift manual (cars)
spring onion scallion stocks shares
!suspenders (used street light lamp post
to hold up ladies garters streetcar tram
stockings) student pupil
tap faucet !suspenders braces
tights panty hose sweater jumper
tin can taps last post
toffee apple candy apple thumbtack drawing-pin
toilet bathroom !toilet (but the loo not the
torch flashlight toilet
room)
parking meter trash rubbis
traffic warden
attendant trashcan dustbin
streetcar trolley car tram
tram
trolley car truck lorry
trousers !pants trunk boot
vest undershirt undershirt vest
washing powder detergent vacation holiday
washing up liquid dishwashing liquid vacuum cleaner hoover
wellies / wellingtons rubber boots washcloth flannel
windscreen windshield windshield windscreen
 yard garden
yard2 yard
zip code postcode
zip zipper
zipper zip

1 - When used to talk about roads and motorways. Someone I know took over 4 hours to complete a 25
minute drive, because he didn't know what his sat nav system meant when it said "Take the ramp".

2 - When a Brit hears the word "yard" in connection with houses, we think of a concrete area, usually
full of building materials, or work tools.

3 - Bank holidays have to follow certain rules, otherwise they are also known as public holidays in the
UK. You can read more about what makes a bank holiday in the British Culture section.

!Note - *if the sink is in the kitchen - it's a sink, but if it's in the bathroom it's a basin.

Another huge difference that causes great confusion is writing the date. When you write the date in
numbers British and American English differ. To write the date 7th of September 2007 a Brit would
write dd/mm/yy (07/09/07) and an American would write mm/dd/yy (09/07/07). This often causes great
confusion. It's better to write the date in full (7th September 2007 or September 7th 2007). It also looks
nicer.

Spelling

-ise vs -ize

! - watch out! These words could prove embarassing.

-er vs -re

Words like center / centre.

Do you know any more? Let us know on G+

Click here for a collection of common mistakes and their explanation.

Click here for more mistakes

Click here for a collection of real horror mistakes made by some of the best known companies in the
world.

Click here for a collection of medical howlers.

(Thanks to Hermine, Naveen and Sally for a couple of additions on the forum and Facebook. (And
thanks to Stuart from the English club for admitting his error.)

"We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language." Oscar
Wilde