The differences between English as written and spoken in America and English as used in Britain are considerable, as is the potential for misunderstanding, even offence, when using words or phrases that are unfamiliar or that mean something else on the other side of the Atlantic. This section highlights the important differences between American and British English syntax and punctuation, spelling and usage. (There are also differences between American and Canadian English, but these are not covered here.)
A number of subjects call for detailed, specialised guidance beyond the scope of this book, though some of the vocabulary is dealt with here. These include food and cookery (different names for ingredients and equipment, different systems of measurement); medicine and health care (different professional titles, drug names, therapies); human anatomy; and gardening (different seasons and plants). Many crafts and hobbies also use different terms for equipment, materials and techniques. See also Americanisms in Part 1.
Written American English tends to be more declarative than its British counterpart, and adverbs and some modifying phrases are frequently positioned differently. British English also tends to use more modifying phrases, while American English prefers to go with simpler sentence structure.
In British English, doctors and lawyers are to be found in Harley Street or Wall Street, not on it. And they rest from their labours at weekends, not on them. During the week their children are at school, not in it.
Words may also be inserted or omitted in some standard phrases. British English goes to hospital, American English to the hospital. British English chooses one or other thing; American English chooses one thing or the other. Americans tend to meet with and partner with; Britons merely meet and partner.
commas in lists The use of a comma before the final and in a list is called the serial or Oxford comma: eggs, bacon, potatoes, and cheese. Most American writers and publishers use the serial comma; most British writers and publishers use the serial comma only when necessary to avoid ambiguity: eggs, bacon, potatoes and cheese but The musicals were by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, and Lerner and Loewe.
full stops (periods) The American convention is to use full stops (periods) at the end of almost all abbreviations and contractions; specifically, full stops with abbreviations in lower case, a.m., p.m., and no full stops with abbreviations in capitals, US, UN, CEO. The British convention is to use full stops after abbreviations – eg, abbr., adj., co. – but not after contractions – eg, Dr, Mr, Mrs, St.
hyphens American English is far readier than British English to accept compound words. In particular, many nouns made of two separate nouns are spelt as one word in American English, while in British English they either remain separate or are joined by a hyphen: eg, applesauce, newborn, commonsense (hyphenated or two words in British English).
British English also tends, more than American English, to use hyphens as pronunciation aids, to separate repeated vowels in words such as pre-empt and re-examine, and to join some prefixes to nouns – eg, pseudo-science. Americans tend to get rid of hyphens more rapidly than the British, as new editions of dictionaries reflect.
In British English, hyphens are more frequently used in compound adjectives or adjectival phrases than in American English. See also hyphens in Part 1.
quotation marks In American publications and those of some Commonwealth countries, and also international publications like The Economist, the convention is to use double quotation marks, reserving single quotation marks for quotes within quotes. In many British publications (excluding The Economist), the convention is the reverse: single quotation marks are used first, then double.
With other punctuation the relative position of quotation marks and other punctuation also differs. The British convention is to place such punctuation according to sense. The American convention is simpler but less logical: all commas and full stops precede the final quotation mark (or, if there is a quote within a quote, the first final quotation mark). Other punctuation – colons, semi-colons, question and exclamation marks – is placed according to sense. The following examples illustrate these differences.
The words on the magazine’s cover, ‘The link between coffee and cholesterol’, caught his eye.
‘You’re eating too much,’ she told him. ‘You’ll soon look like your father.’
‘Have you seen this article, “The link between coffee and cholesterol”?’ he asked.
‘It was as if’, he explained, ‘I had swallowed a toad, and it kept croaking “ribbut, ribbut”, from deep in my belly.’
She particularly enjoyed the article ‘Looking for the “New Man”’.
The words on the magazine’s cover, “The link between coffee and cholesterol,” caught his eye.
“You’re eating too much,” she told him. “You’ll soon look like your father.”
“Have you seen this article, ‘The link between coffee and cholesterol’?” he asked.
“It was as if,” he explained, “I had swallowed a toad, and it kept croaking ‘Ribbut, ribbut,’ from deep in my stomach.”
She particularly enjoyed the article “Looking for the ‘New Man.’”
Some words are spelt differently in American English and British English. Often the American spelling is a survival of 18th-century British usage. The spellings are sufficiently similar to identify the word, but the unfamiliar form may still disturb the reader. If you are writing for an international audience, the American form is now much more likely to be recognised.
American English is more obviously phonetic than British English. The word cosy becomes cozy, aesthetic becomes esthetic, sizeable becomes sizable, arbour becomes arbor, theatre becomes theater.
-ae/-oe Although it is now common in British English to write medieval rather than mediaeval, other words – often scientific terms such as aeon, diarrhoea, anaesthetic, gynaecology, homoeopathy – retain their classical composite vowel. In American English, the composite vowel is replaced by a single e; thus, eon, diarrhea, anesthetic, gynecology, homeopathy. There are exceptions to this in scientific publications. Fetus is the preferred spelling on both sides of the Atlantic (not foetus), and oestrogen generally becomes estrogen, if only to ensure that the hormone appears in the same place in alphabetical lists in both countries.
-ce/-se In British English, the verb that relates to a noun ending in -ce is sometimes given the ending -se; thus, advice (noun), advise (verb), device/devise, licence/license, practice/practise. In the first two instances, the spelling change is accompanied by a slight change in the sound of the word; but in the other two instances, noun and verb are pronounced the same way, and American English spelling reflects this, by using the same spelling for both noun and verb: thus, license/license and practise/practise. It also extends the use of -se to other nouns that in British English are spelt -ce: thus, defense, offense, pretense.
-e/-ue The final silent e or ue of several words is omitted in American English but retained in British English: thus, analog/ analogue, ax/axe, catalog/catalogue.
-eable/-able The silent e, created when forming some adjectives with this suffix, is more often omitted in American English; thus, likeable is spelt likable, unshakeable is spelt unshakable. But the e is sometimes retained in American English where it affects the sound of the preceding consonant; thus, traceable and manageable.
-ize/-ise The American convention is to spell with z many words that some British people and publishers (including The Economist) spell with s. The z spelling is, of course, also a correct British form. Remember, though, that some words must end in -ise, whichever spelling convention is being followed. These include:
advertise
advise
apprise
arise
chastise
circumcise
comprise
compromise
demise
despise
devise
disguise
emprise
enfranchise
excise
exercise
franchise
improvise
incise
merchandise
premise
prise
revise
supervise
surmise
surprise
televise
Words with the ending -lyse in British English, such as analyse and paralyse, are spelt -lyze in American English.
-ll/-l In British English, when words ending in the consonant l are given a suffix beginning with a vowel (eg, the suffixes -able, -ed, -ing, -ous, -y), the l is doubled; thus, annul/annulled, model/ modelling, quarrel/quarrelling, rebel/rebellious, wool/woolly. This is inconsistent with the general rule in British English that the final consonant is doubled before the suffix only when the preceding vowel carries the main stress: thus, the word regret becomes regretted, or regrettable; but the word billet becomes billeted. American English mostly does not have this inconsistency. So if the stress does not fall on the preceding vowel, the l is not doubled: thus, model/modeling, travel/traveler; but annul/annulled.
Several words that end in a single l in British English – eg, appal, fulfil – take a double ll in American English. In British English the l stays single when the word takes a suffix beginning with a consonant (eg, the suffixes -ful, -fully, -ment): thus, fulfil/ fulfilment. Words ending in -ll usually lose one l when taking one of these suffixes: thus, skill/skilful, will/wilfully. In American English, words ending in -ll usually remain intact, whatever the suffix: thus, skill/skillful, will/willfully.
-m/-mme American English tends to use the shorter form of ending, thus gram and program, and British English tends to use the longer: gramme and programme (but program when referring to a computer program).
-our/-or Most British English words ending in -our – ardour, behaviour, candour, demeanour, favour, valour and the like – lose the u in American English: thus, ardor, candor, etc. The major exception, though even this is broken, is glamour, which retains its u (but loses it in both types of English for the adjective glamorous). Note, however, that squalor is spelt the same on both sides of the Atlantic.
-re/-er Most British English words ending in -re – such as centre, fibre, metre, theatre – end in -er in American English: thus, center, fiber, etc. Exceptions include: acre, cadre, lucre, massacre, mediocre, ogre.
-t/-ed Although this seems to be a mere difference in spelling the past tense of some verbs, it is really a different form; see ‘Verbs: past tenses’ below.
dates Americans are at odds with the rest of the world in the way they express dates in numerical form. In Britain and elsewhere, the order is always: day, month, year – eg, 7/9/2008 for September 7th 2008. In the United States, it is: month, day, year – eg, 9/7/2008. This can lead to misunderstanding – not least with the common term “9/11” to refer to the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001, which the rest of the world will automatically translate as November 9th.
exclusivity What is familiar in one culture may be entirely alien in another. British English exploits terms and phrases borrowed from the game of cricket; American English uses baseball terms. Those writing for readers in both markets use either set of terms at their peril. Do not make references or assumptions that are geographically exclusive, for example by specifying months or seasons when referring to seasonal patterns, by using north or south to imply a type of climate, or by making geographical references that give a state’s name followed by USA, as in Wyoming, USA. You can help to avoid confusion: Cambridge, England; Cambridge, MA.
race and sex The difficulties that arise in Europe as a result of references to race and sex (see ethnic groups, political correctness) are even greater in America. When referring to Americans whose ancestors came from Africa, most people use the adjective African-American rather than black. Other groups are referred to by their specific ethnicity; for instance, Hispanics, who are also Latinos/ Latinas.
American Indians are usually called Native Americans, not least to distinguish them from the ever-growing numbers of Indian-Americans. It is unacceptable to refer to them as red. It can also cause offence to describe the original inhabitants of the lands stretching from Greenland to Alaska as Eskimos; this was a corruption of a Cree word meaning raw-flesh eater. The people themselves are distributed among at least three major tribal groupings. Alaskan natives are usually called Native Americans in Alaska. Inuit should be used only to refer to people of that tribe.
units of measurement In British publications measurements are now largely expressed in SI units (the modern form of metric units), although imperial measures are still used in certain contexts. In American publications measurements may be expressed in SI units, but imperial units are still more common.
Although the British imperial and American standard measures are usually identical, there are some important exceptions, eg, the number of fluid ounces in a pint: 16 in the American system and 20 in the British. This difference has a knock-on effect in the volumes of gallons, which are smaller in America than in Britain. Americans also use the measure quart (one-quarter of a gallon), which is now considered archaic in Britain.
Some measures are peculiar to one or other national system, particularly units of mass relating to agriculture. See also measures in Part 3.
verbs: past tenses -t/-ed Both forms of ending are acceptable in British English, but the -t form is dominant – burnt, learnt, spelt – whereas American English uses -ed: burned, learned, spelled. Contrarily, British English uses –ed for the past tense and past participle of certain verbs – quitted, sweated – while American English uses the infinitive spelling – quit, sweat. Some verbs have a different form of past tense and past participle, eg, the past tense of dive is dived in British English but dove in American English, and the past tense of fit is always fit in American English, not fitted, as in British English. Although loaned is still sometimes used as the past tense of lend in American English, it is not standard.
Sometimes the same word has gradually taken on different meanings on the two sides of the Atlantic, creating an opportunity for misunderstanding. The word homely, for example, means simple or informal in British English, but plain or unattractive in American English.
This also applies to figures of speech. It went like a bomb in British English means it was a great success; it bombed in American English means it was a disaster. To table something in British English means to bring it forward for action; but in American English it means the opposite, ie, to shelve.
One writer’s slang is another’s lively use of words; formal language to one is pomposity to another. This is the trickiest area to negotiate when writing for both British and American readers. At its best, distinctively American English is more direct and vivid than its British English equivalent. Many American words and expressions have passed into British English because they are shorter or more to the point: eg, lay off is preferable to make redundant, and fire is preferable to dismiss. But American English also has a contrary tendency to lengthen words, creating a (to British readers) pompous tone: for instance, transportation (in British English, transport).
British English is slower than American English to accept new words and suspicious of short cuts, and sometimes it resists the use of nouns as verbs (see grammar and syntax in Part 1).
The following lists draw attention to commonly used words and idioms that are spelt differently or have different meanings in American English and British English. When you do not want to produce a single version, follow one or other convention and, if this means using a word that will mystify or mislead one group of readers, provide a translation. The lists do not cover slang or colloquialisms.
British |
American |
acquisition accounting |
purchase accounting |
articles of association |
bylaws |
banknote |
bill |
bonus or scrip issue |
stock dividend or stock split |
building society |
savings and loan association |
Chartered Accountant (CA) |
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) |
cheque (bank) |
check |
clerk (bank) |
teller |
closing rate method |
current rate method |
current account |
checking account |
deferred tax |
deferred income tax |
depreciation |
amortisation |
exceptional items |
unusual items |
finance leases |
capital leases |
HM Revenue and customs (HMRC)/Inland Revenue |
Internal Revenue |
property |
real estate |
nominal value |
par value |
non-pension post-employment benefits |
OPEBS (other post-employment benefits) |
old-age pension, state pension |
Social Security |
ordinary shares |
common stock |
pay rise |
raise |
preference shares |
preferred stock |
price rise |
price hike |
profit for the financial year |
net income |
provisions |
allowances |
share premium |
additional paid-in capital |
shareholders’ funds |
stockholders’ equity |
stock |
inventory |
Treasury share |
Treasury stock |
turnover |
revenues |
undistributable reserves |
restricted surplus or deficiency |
mutual fund |
|
value-added tax (VAT) |
sales tax |
British |
American |
baby’s dummy |
pacifier |
cot |
crib |
nappy |
diaper |
pram, push-chair |
baby carriage, stroller |
British |
American |
braces |
suspenders |
clothes cupboard/wardrobe |
closet |
dressing gown |
bathrobe/housecoat/robe |
hairgrips |
bobby pins |
handbag, wallet |
purse, pocketbook |
ladder (in stocking) |
run |
pants |
underpants |
press studs |
snaps |
purse |
wallet |
sports jacket |
sport jacket |
tartan |
plaid |
tights |
pantyhose, (opaque) tights |
trousers |
pants, slacks, trousers |
vest |
undershirt |
waistcoat |
vest |
zip (noun) |
zipper |
British |
American |
aubergine |
eggplant |
bill (restaurant) |
check |
biscuit (sweet) |
cookie |
biscuit (savoury) |
cracker |
black treacle |
molasses |
chips |
French fries |
cling film |
plastic wrap |
stove |
|
coriander |
cilantro |
cornflour |
cornstarch |
courgette |
zucchini |
crayfish |
crawfish |
crisps |
potato chips |
crystallised |
candied |
double cream |
heavy cream |
essence (eg, vanilla) |
extract or flavoring |
flour, plain |
flour, all-purpose |
flour, self-raising |
flour, self-rising |
flour, wholemeal |
flour, whole-wheat |
golden syrup |
corn syrup |
greengrocer’s |
fruit and vegetable store |
grill (verb and noun) |
broil (verb), broiler (noun) |
icing sugar |
powdered or confectioners’ sugar |
main course |
entrée |
maize/sweetcorn |
corn |
mince |
hamburger meat |
minced meat |
ground meat |
pastry case |
pie crust |
pepper (red, green, etc) |
sweet pepper, bell pepper, capsicum |
pips |
seeds (in fruit) |
rocket (salad) |
arugula |
shortcrust pastry |
short pastry/basic pie dough |
single cream |
light cream |
soya |
soy |
spring onion |
scallion, green onion |
starter |
appetizer |
stoned (cherries, etc) |
pitted |
sultana |
golden raisin |
sweet shop |
candy store |
water biscuit |
cracker |
British |
American |
camp bed |
cot |
cinema |
movie theater |
public housing or project |
|
flat |
apartment |
ground floor |
first floor |
home from home |
home away from home |
homely |
homey |
housing estate |
housing development |
lavatory, toilet |
bathroom, restroom, washroom |
lift |
elevator |
power point |
electrical outlet, socket |
property (land) |
real estate |
storey |
story, floor |
terraced house |
row house |
British |
American |
adopt a candidate |
nominate a candidate |
barrister |
trial lawyer |
doctor |
physician |
estate agent |
realtor/real estate agent |
ex-serviceman |
veteran |
headmistress/headmaster |
principal |
jeweller/jewellery |
jeweler/jewelry |
lawyer |
attorney |
manifesto (political) |
platform |
old-age pensioner, OAP |
senior citizen, senior |
sceptic |
skeptic |
senior (politician) |
ranking |
solicitor |
attorney, lawyer |
stand for office |
run for office |
British |
American |
accelerator |
gas pedal |
bonnet, car |
hood |
boot, car |
trunk |
bumper |
fender |
car park |
parking lot |
caravan |
trailer, motorhome, RV |
bus |
|
crossroads/junction |
intersection |
cul-de-sac |
dead end |
demister |
defogger |
driving licence |
driver’s license |
dual carriageway |
divided highway |
estate car |
station wagon |
exhaust, car |
muffler |
flyover |
overpass |
gearbox |
transmission |
give way |
yield |
high street |
main street |
hire (a car) |
rent or hire |
indicator |
turn signal |
jump leads |
jumper cables |
lorry |
truck |
motor-racing |
auto-racing |
motorway |
highway, freeway, |
expressway, thruway |
|
number plate |
license plate |
passenger |
rider |
pavement |
sidewalk |
pedestrian crossing |
crosswalk |
petrol |
gasoline, gas |
petrol station |
gas/service station |
puncture |
flat tire |
railway station |
train station |
rambler |
hiker |
return ticket |
round-trip ticket |
riding (horses) |
horseback riding |
ring road |
beltway |
road surface |
pavement |
rowing boat |
rowboat |
sailing boat |
sailboat |
single ticket |
one-way ticket |
slip road |
ramp |
subway |
pedestrian underpass |
transport |
transportation |
turnoff |
|
underground (or tube train) |
subway |
walk |
hike (only if more energetic than a walk) |
windscreen |
windshield |
British |
American |
aerial (TV) |
antenna |
ageing |
aging |
anti-clockwise |
counterclockwise |
at weekends |
on weekends |
autumn |
fall |
bank holiday |
public holiday |
British Summer Time (BST) |
Daylight Saving Time (DST) |
chemist |
drugstore, pharmacy |
clever |
smart (though since everything digital is smart, this usage is becoming almost universal in British English) |
diary (appointments) |
calendar |
diary (record) |
journal |
dustbin |
garbage can |
earthed (wire) |
ground |
exhibition (unless a single item) |
exhibit |
film |
movie |
flannel |
washcloth |
fortnight |
two weeks |
from … to … |
through (with the understanding that the period terminates at the end of the day, month or year) |
got (past participle) |
gotten |
holiday |
vacation |
lease of life |
lease on life |
mean (parsimonious) |
stingy, tight (mean is nasty, cruel) |
mobile phone |
cell phone |
oblige |
obligate |
regular, normal |
|
outside |
outside of |
over (as in too much) |
overly |
paddling pool |
wading pool |
plait |
braid |
post, post box |
mail, mailbox |
post code |
zip code |
postponement |
rain-check |
public school |
private school |
queue (noun and verb) |
line (noun), line up |
quite |
somewhat (quite means very) |
reverse charges |
call collect |
phone |
call, phone |
spanner |
wrench |
state school |
public school |
stupid |
dumb |
torch |
flashlight |
upmarket |
upscale |
work out (problem) |
figure out |
Zimmer frame |
walker |
zed (the letter z) |
zee |
Below is a list of words that are acceptable in both American and British English, for use when you want to produce a single version of written material for both categories of reader.
ambience not ambiance
among not amongst
annex not annexe
artifact not artefact
backward not backwards
baptistry not baptistery
Bible, not bible (for Scriptures)
burned not burnt
bus not coach
canvases not canvasses
car rental not car hire
cater to not cater for (for needs)
custom-made not bespoke
development not estate (for housing)
diesel fuel not DERV
disc not disk (except in computing)
dispatch not despatch
encyclopedia not encyclopaedia
except for not save
farther not further (for distance)
first name not Christian name
flip not toss (for coins, etc)
focusing, focused, etc
forward not forwards
fuel not petrol (UK) or gasoline (US)
(eye)glasses not spectacles
gypsy not gipsy
hairdryer not hairdrier
horse-racing not just racing
insurance coverage not insurance cover
intermission not interval
jail not gaol
learned not learnt
line not queue
location not situation
maid not chambermaid
mathematics not maths (UK) or math (US)
motorcycle not motorbike
neat not spruce or tidy
news-stand not kiosk
nightgown not nightdress
orangeade/lemonade not orange/lemon squash
package not parcel
parking spaces/garage not car park (UK) or parking lot (US)
phoney not phony
refrigerator not fridge
railway not railroad
raincoat not mac, mackintosh
rent not hire (except for people)
reservation, reserve (seats, etc) not booking, book
retired person not old-age pensioner (UK) or retiree (US)
slowdown not go-slow (in production)
soccer not football (except for American football)
spelled not spelt
spoiled not spoilt
street musician not busker
swap not swop
swimming not bathing
team not side (in sport)
tearoom not teashop
thread not cotton
toilet not lavatory
toll-free not free of charge (for telephone numbers)
tuna not tunny
underwear not pants or knickers (or use lingerie for women’s underwear)
unmistakable not unmistakeable
unspoiled not unspoilt
while not whilst
yogurt not yoghourt or yoghurt