These two varieties of English are very similar. There are a few differences of grammar and spelling, and rather more differences of vocabulary and idiom. Modern British English is heavily influenced by American English, so some contrasts are disappearing. Pronunciation is sometimes very different, but most American and British speakers can understand each other easily.
1 grammar
Here are examples of the most important differences. In many cases, two different forms are possible in one variety of English, while only one of the forms is possible or normal in the other variety.
American English British English
He just went home. He’s just gone home. (see just.2)
(or lie’s just gone home.)
I’ve never really gotten to I’ve never really got to know her.
know her.
(see get 1: basic structures.7.)
I (can) see a car coming. I can see a car coming. (see can and could 5: with see, hear, etc.1.)
?
American English
Her feet were sore because her shoes fit I fitted badly.
It’s important that he be told.
Will you buy it?American and British EnglishI may.
The committee meets tomorrow.
(on the phone) Hello, is this Susan?
It looks like it’s going to rain.
He looked at me real strange. (very informal) or He looked at me really strangely.
He probably has arrived by now. or He has probably arrived…
British English
Her feet were sore because her shoes fitted badly. (see irregular verbs.3. It’s important that he should be told. see subjunctive.)
… ѓ may (do). (see do 4: substitute verb.)
The committee meet/ meets tomorrow. (see singular and plural 4: singular nouns with plural verbs.1.)
Hello, is that Susan? (see this and that.5.)
It looks as if I like it’s going to rain.
(see as if and as though; like.3.)
He looked at me really strangely. (see adverbs or adjectives? confusing cases.)
He has probably arrived by now. (see adverb position 4: mid-position.11.) ‘
Besides get and fit, some other irregular verbs have different forms in British and American English. For details, see irregular verbs.3.
For the Southern US second person plural pronoun you all, see personal pronouns 2: advanced points.8.
2
vocabulary
There are very many differences. Sometimes the same word has different meanings (BrE mad = crazy; AmE mad = angry). And very often, different words are used for the same idea (BrE lorry = AmE truck). Here are a few examples, with very brief information about the words and their meanings. (A larger list with more complete information, can be found in The British/ American Dictionary by Norman Moss, published by Hutchinson. This is unfortunately now out of print, but may be obtainable in libraries. A more recently published guide to British-American differences is: Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions – Making Sense of Transatlantic English, edited by Orin Hargraves, Oxford University Press.)
American English British English
airplane aeroplane
anyplace, anywhere anywhere
apartment area code attorney, lawyer busy
call collect
can
candy
check/bill
coin-purse
cookie, cracker
corn
crib
flat, apartment dialling code {phone) barrister, solicitor, lawyer engaged (phone) reverse the charges (phone) tin, can sweets
bill (in a restaurant) purse biscuit
sweet corn, maize cot
American English
crazy
crosswalk
cuffs
diaper
doctor’s office dumb, stupid elevator eraser
fall, autumn faucet, tap
first floor, second floor etc
flashlight
flat (tire)
french fries
garbage, trash
garbage can, trashcan
gas(oline)
gear shift
highway, freeway
hood
intersection
mad
mean
movie, film one-way (ticket) pants, trousers parking lot pavement pitcher
pocketbook, purse, handbag
(potato) chips
railroad
raise
rest room, bathroom
resume
round trip
schedule, timetable
sidewalk
sneakers
spigot, faucet
stand in line
stingy
store, shop
subway
truck
trunk
two weeks
vacation
windshield
British English
mad
pedestrian/zebra crossing turn-ups (on trousers) nappy
doctor’s surgery stupid lift
rubber, eraser autumn tap (indoors)
ground floor, first floor etc torch
flat tyre, puncture
chips
rubbish
dustbin, rubbish bin petrol
gear lever (on a car)
main road, motorway
bonnet (on a car)
crossroads
angry
nasty
film
single (ticket) trousers car park road surface jug
handbag crisps railway rise (in salary)
(public) toilet CV
return (journey/ticket)
timetable
pavement
trainers (= sports shoes) tap (outdoors) queue
mean (opposite of ‘generous’) shop
underground van, lorry boot (of a car) fortnight, two weeks holiday(s)
windscreen (on a car)
American English British English
zee zed (the name of the letter ‘z’)
zipper zip
Expressions with prepositions and particles
American English
check something (out) different from/than do something over/again in a course live on X street look around the church meet somebody {by chance) / meet with somebody (planned)
Monday through/to Friday on a team on the weekend ten after/past four (time) ten to/of/before/till four
British English check something different from/to (see different) do something again on a course live in X street
look (a)round the church (see around and about) meet somebody
Monday to Friday in a team at the weekend ten past four ten to four
3
spelling
American English
aluminum
analyze
catalog(ue)
center
check
color
defense
enroll
fulfill
honor
jewelry
labor
liter
meter (measure)
neighbor
organize
pajamas
paralyze
practice, practise
program
realize
A number of words end in -or in American English and -our in British English (e.g. color!colour). Some words end in -er in American English and -re in British English (e.g. center!centre). Many verbs which end in -ize in American English (e.g. realize) can be spelt in British English with -ize or -ise (see spelling 3: -ise and -ize). Some of the commonest words with different forms are:
British English
aluminium
analyse
catalogue
centre
cheque (paid by a bank)
colour
defence
enrol
fulfil
honour
jewellery
labour
litre
metre
neighbour
organise/organize
pyjamas
paralyse
practise (verb)
programme
realise/realize
American English British English
skillful skilful
theater/theatre theatre
tire tyre (on a wheel)
traveller traveller (see spelling 7: doubling final consonants)
whiskey (Scotch) whisky, (Irish) whiskey
4 pronunciation
There are, of course, many different regional accents in both Britain and America. The most important general differences between American and British speech are as follows:
a Certain vowels are nasal (pronounced through the nose and mouth at the same time) in some varieties of American English, but not in most British accents.
b British English has one more vowel than American English. This is the rounded short o (/d/) used in words like cot, dog, got, gone, off, stop, lost. In American English these words are pronounced either with /a:/, like the first vowel in father, or with /o:/, like the vowel in caught. (This vowel is also pronounced rather differently in British and American English.)
c Some words written with a + consonant (e.g. fast, after) have different pronunciations: with /a:/ in standard southern British English, and with /ae/ in American and some other varieties of English.
d The vowel in home, go, open is pronounced /au/ in standard southern British English, and /ou/ in American English. The two vowels sound veiy different.
e In standard southern British English, r is only pronounced before a vowel sound. In most kinds of American English, (and most other British varieties) r is pronounced in all positions where it is written in a word, and it changes the quality of a vowel that comes before it. So words like car, turn, offer sound very different in British and American speech.
f In many varieties of American English, t and d both have a very light voiced pronunciation (/d/) between vowels – so writer and rider, for example, can sound the same. In British English they are quite different: /’rait9(r)/ and /’raida(r)/.
g Some words which are pronounced with /u:/ in most varieties of American English have /ju:/ in British English. These are words in which th, d, t or n (and sometimes s or Z) are followed by u or ew in writing.
enthusiastic
AmE /in,0u:zi’жstik/
BrE /in,0ju:zi’жstik/
duty
AmE /’du:ti/
BrE /’dju:ti/
tune
AmE /turn/
BrE /tju:n/
new
AmE /nu:/
BrE /nju:/
illuminate
AmE /I’lurmineit/
BrE /i’lju:mmeit/
?
h
Words ending in unstressed -ile (e.g. fertile, reptile, missile, senile
)
are pronounced with /ail/ in British English; some are pronounced with /l/ in American English.
fertile AmE /’f3:rtl/ (rhyming with turtle)
BrE /‘f3:tail/ (rhyming with her tile)
i Some long words ending in -ary, -eiy or -oiy are pronounced differently, with one more syllable in American English. secretary AmE /’sekrateri/ BrE /’sekratri/
j Borough and thorough are pronounced differently.
AmE /’bAroo, ‘SATOЬ/
BrE /’bAra, ‘0Ara/
k Words borrowed from French are often stressed differently, especially if their pronunciation ends with a vowel sound. The final vowel is usually stressed in American English but not in British English. patй AmE /pae’tei/ BrE /’paetei/ ballet AmE /bae’lei/ BrE /’baelei/
For more information consult a good dictionary like Langman, Oxford, Merriam Webster, or Collins.
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