Differences Between British English and American English

British English and American English have some differences, even though they are both forms of English. This article focuses on the standard ways of speaking and writing in both. It is helpful to know these differences, especially for new English learners.

Vocabulary differences

People in the United States and the United Kingdom sometimes use different words for the same thing. Here are some examples:

• Garbage or trash (US) versus rubbish (UK). This word can mean actual waste or something of low quality. For example, "That game was rubbish!" (That game was bad!)
• Go on vacation (US) versus Go on holiday (UK).
• Apartment (US) versus flat (UK).
• First floor (US) versus ground floor (UK). In the US, the floor at street level is the first floor. In the UK, it is the ground floor. The floor above it is the second floor in the US, but the first floor in the UK.
• Elevator (US) versus lift (UK).
• TV (US) versus telly (UK).
• Sidewalk (US) versus pavement (UK).
• Subway (US) versus underground (UK).
• Pants (US) versus trousers (UK). In the UK, "pants" means underpants, which are underwear.

In British English, the word "pants" can also be an adjective to say something is bad. For example, "This album is pants." In American English, you might say "This album sucks" to mean the same thing.

Pronunciation differences

There are clear differences in how some sounds are made in British and American English. We will look at some common ones.

The "r" sound

American English is a rhotic accent. This means that the "r" sound is always pronounced. British English is non-rhotic, which means the "r" sound is only pronounced if it is followed by a vowel sound. Listen to the difference:

• US: "My father is in the car." The "r" in "father" and "car" is pronounced.
• UK: "My father is in the car." The "r" in "father" and "car" is not pronounced. For example, "father" sounds like /fɑːðə/ and "car" sounds like /kɑː/.

Sometimes, in non-rhotic British accents, an extra "r" sound is added between words if one word ends with a vowel and the next word starts with a vowel. This is called the intrusive r. For example, "I saw a film" can sometimes sound like "I saw'r a film."

The "t" sound

In standard British English, the "t" sound is usually a strong, voiceless /t/ sound. In American English, the "t" sound can sometimes be softer, like a /ɾ/ sound (a quick tap of the tongue). This often happens in an unstressed syllable, between two vowel sounds, or between a vowel and an "r" sound. For example:

• US: Butter /bʌɾɚ/
• UK: Butter /bʌtə/

The "o" sound

Words like "stop" or "hot" have different vowel sounds. In American English, the "o" sound in "stop" is an unrounded vowel, /ɑ/. In British English, the "o" sound is a rounded vowel, /ɒ/. For example:

• US: Hot /hɑt/
• UK: Hot /hɒt/

The "ow" sound

In words like "know" or "show," there is also a difference in the diphthong (a sound made by combining two vowels).

• US: Know /noʊ/
• UK: Know /nəʊ/
• US: Show /ʃoʊ/
• UK: Show /ʃəʊ/

The "a" sound

Words with the letter "a" can also be pronounced differently. In British English, this "a" often sounds like /ɑː/. In American English, it often sounds like /æ/. For example:

• UK: Half /hɑːf/
• US: Half /hæf/

However, some words with /æ/ in British English stay similar in American English. For example, cat /kæt/ is pronounced the same in both. An exception is a small group of words where "a" is followed by "rr." In these cases, the vowel sound is pronounced as /e/ in British English.

• UK: Marry /mæri/
• US: Marry /meri/

Because of this difference, in American English, words like "marry" and "merry" sound the same.

Spelling differences

Noah Webster made an effort in the 1700s to change English spellings to make words look more like they sound. This led to some spelling changes in American English. Most American and British spellings are the same, but there are a few important differences:

• Words ending in -re (UK) often end in -er (US).
• centre / center
• theatre / theater
• metre / meter
• Some words ending in -nce (UK) are spelled with -nse (US).
• licence / license
• defence / defense
• offence / offense
• Words with ou (UK) are often spelled with o (US).
• colour / color
• favour / favor
• honour / honor
• Words ending in -ise (UK) often end in -ize (US).
• organise / organize
• apologise / apologize
• Verbs ending in -l in British English often double the "l" when a suffix is added. In American English, the "l" is not doubled.
• travelled / traveled
• cancelled / canceled
• marvellous / marvelous

Grammar differences

There are only small differences in grammar between British and American English.

Auxiliary verbs

British English speakers use shall more often than Americans for the future tense, or to ask for advice or an opinion.

Prepositions

There are some differences in how prepositions are used:

• US: on the weekend
• UK: at the weekend
• US: different from or different than
• UK: different from or different to

Past tense forms

Some past tense forms are different. For example:

• The past tense of "learn" is usually learned in American English, but more commonly learnt in British English. Both forms are understood in both countries.
• Similarly, for "dream," it is dreamed (US) and dreamt (UK); for "burn," it is burned (US) and burnt (UK); and for "lean," it is leaned (US) and leant (UK).
• The past tense of "dive" is usually dove in American English, but dived in British English.

Past participle forms

Sometimes, the past participle is different. The most famous example is the verb "get":

• US: get / got / gotten
• UK: get / got / got

Both forms have been around for a long time, but "gotten" is used less in the UK. In American English, "got" can be used instead of "have got," but it means "have" (possession), not "has received" or "has become." For example:

• US: "I haven't gotten the eviction notice yet." (I have not received the notice yet.)
• UK: "I haven't got the eviction notice yet." (I do not have the notice yet.)

Different words in sentences

Sometimes, a whole sentence can show different word choices. Here are some examples:

• US: "I think we need a lawyer."
• UK: "I reckon we need a solicitor."
• Reckon (UK) means "to think" or "to suppose." Americans know this word but do not use it often.
• Lawyer (US) is a general term for a legal professional. In the UK, a solicitor is a type of lawyer who gives advice, and a barrister is a lawyer who represents you in court. In the US, a lawyer in court is often called an attorney.
• US: "I'm going for a beer with my friends."
• UK: "I'm going for a pint with my mates."
• Pint (UK) is a common way to refer to a glass of beer, especially in an informal setting. British people also say "beer," but "pint" is used often.
• Mate (UK) is an informal word for a friend.

Remember that while these differences exist, most native speakers of one type of English can understand the other easily. The differences are usually small, especially in standard speech.