American English and British English : 25 Key Differences You Should Know
And just when you thought English couldn’t get anymore confusing, you learn that American English and British English use different words that mean the same thing. If you have an American English conversation partner, you probably learned an American vocabulary. However, if you had an English conversation partner from Britain, chances are you learned a British vocabulary.
In fact, due to the stark vocabulary differences between these two versions of English, some people have joke that they could actually be two languages – American English and British!
While the Americans and the Britains are sometimes confused by each other’s vocabulary, they figure out the meaning using context clues! And no matter what, it’s always a guaranteed laugh between nationalities!
Read below for some common differences you may hear between American English and British English
American English and British English : 25 Key Differences You Should Know
American English: Pants
British English: Trousers
In American English you’ll never hear ‘pant’s called trousers. However, in British English ‘pants’ means underwear! So you might get some funny looks from people on the streets of London!
American English: Sweater
British English: Jumper
In American English, a jumper is a piece of clothing with the shirt and the ‘pants’ attached.
American English: French fries
British English: Chips
If you speak British English, be cautious when ordering at an American restaurant. If you order ‘chips’, you’ll be served potato chips instead of French fries!
American English: Chips
British English: Crisps
Once again, two words so similar in spelling but will ensure you get odd looks from those around you if you use the wrong one!
American English: Eggplant
British English: Aubergine
Most Americans will know what you mean if you say ‘aubergine’ instead of ‘eggplant’. In fact, America is one of the few English speaking countries that doesn’t call this vegetable ‘aubergine’!
American English: Apartment
British English: Flat
Most Americans know that ‘flat’ means apartment. You can thank the popularity of Harry Potter for that!
American English: Cotton candy
British English: Cotton floss
If you ask an American for ‘cotton floss’ they will probably think that’s a type of dental floss.
American English: Plastic wrap
British English: Cling film
Don’t worry too much about this one! These words are used somewhat interchangeably.
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American English: Trash
British English: Rubbish
For Americans, the usage of ‘rubbish’ instead of ‘trash’ is a tell-tale sign you speak British English.
American English: Bathrobe
British English: Dressing gown
In American English, they will assume a ‘dressing gown’ is a fancy ball gown!
American English: Soccer
British English: Football
Be wearing of these two! Soccer and football are two completely different sports but these two versions of English have the opposite name for the same sport! Talk about tricky!
American English: Vacation
British English: Holiday
In American English, if you say ‘holiday’, it’s assumed you mean a government issued day off from work!
American English: Powdered sugar
British English: Icing sugar
Again, another pairing you won’t need to worry too much about! These are being used more and more interchangeably with the prevalence of online recipe websites.
American English: Elevator
British English: Lift
American English speakers know when you say ‘lift’ you mean ‘elevator’.
American English: Highway
British English: Motorway
You won’t hear ‘motorway’ in America, but thankfully the context is fairly straightforward!
American English: Diaper
British English: Nappy
If you tell an American to “change the baby’s nappy”. They will probably just give you a blank stare.
American English: Traffic circle
British English: Roundabout
The popularity of Siri, iPhone’s helpful intelligent assistant, has made the word ‘roundabout’ familiar to all iPhone using Americans!
American English: Candy
British English: Sweets
Americans will know what you mean by the context, but in American English, ‘sweets’ is a common pet name for a significant other.
American English: Mail
British English: Post
Yet another word commonly used interchangeably. In America you “take your mail to the post office”.
American English: Dish towel
British English: Tea towel
If you’re speaking to an American, the catchall word would be “rag”.
American English: Sneakers
British English: Trainers
Even in American English you’ll hear some people call them ‘sneakers’ and some people call them ‘tennis shoes’. Who knew there were so many words to say one thing!?
American English: Line
British English: Queue
Another reason English can be confusing? The British English ‘queue’ is pronounced just like you pronounce it’s first letter, ‘q’.
American English: Subway
British English: Tube
If you tell an American to take the tube they may ask you, “a tube of what?”
American English: Package
British English: Parcel
To be fair, it’s an unspoken rule in American English that ‘parcel’ can mean a small package.
American English: Game
British English: Match
If you use them interchangeably people will know what you mean.
By now you’re a bit more knowledgeable on the differences between American English and British English. Remember, don’t let these differences stress you out and just have fun with your new English language knowledge!
