- British English (= Briticism/Britishism)
- American English (= Americanism)
List of Words and Phrases Difference Between British English and American English
|
No |
British English | American English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
I see, indeed, ... |
Well, ... |
- |
|
2. |
portmanteau |
traveling bag |
- |
|
3. |
playfellow |
playmate |
- |
|
4. |
drawing room / reception room |
parlor |
- |
|
5. |
public house |
saloon, drinking bar |
- |
|
6. |
centenary |
centennial |
- |
|
7. |
barber's, hairdresser's |
barber shop, tonsorial shop |
- |
|
8. |
banknote, note |
bankbill, bank paper |
- |
|
9. |
promissory note |
note |
- |
|
10. |
cattle |
cattle |
In American English, "cattle" means "a cow". |
|
11. |
holiday, holidays |
vacation |
- |
|
12. |
counsellor |
counselor |
In American English, "counselor" means "a lawyer". |
|
13. |
county |
county |
In American English, "county" means "a district". |
|
14. |
cupboard |
cupboard |
In American English, "cupboard" is for food. |
|
15. |
fish-monger |
fish dealer |
- |
|
16. |
gang-board |
gang plank |
- |
|
17. |
gramophone |
phonograph, record player |
- |
|
18. |
guard |
conductor |
- |
|
19. |
huntsman |
hunter |
- |
|
20. |
aerodrome |
airdrome, airport |
- |
|
21. |
armourer |
armorer |
- |
|
22. |
armoured |
armored |
- |
|
23. |
post order, post-office order, postal order |
money order, postal money order |
- |
|
24. |
cinema, kinema, cinematograph, kinematograph |
movies, motion picture, moving picture |
- |
|
25. |
cinematograph, kinematograph |
moving picture machine, movie camera |
- |
|
26. |
post-card |
post-card |
In American English, "post-card" has a picture on it. |
|
27. |
post-card |
postal card |
- |
|
28. |
railway |
railroad |
- |
|
29. |
straight away |
right away / right now / right off |
- |
|
30. |
return ticket |
round-trip ticket |
- |
|
31. |
single ticket |
one-way ticket |
- |
|
32. |
Yours sincerely (Y is uppercase, s is lowercase) |
Sincerely yours (S is uppercase, y is lowercase) |
- |
|
33. |
express delivery |
special delivery |
- |
|
34. |
underground (railway), in London: tube |
subway, sub |
- |
|
35. |
braces |
suspenders |
- |
|
36. |
to tin — tinned — tinned |
to can — canned — canned |
- |
|
37. |
tin opener |
can opener |
- |
|
38. |
room to let |
room for rent |
- |
|
39. |
cock |
rooster |
- |
|
40. |
wireless |
radio |
- |
|
41. |
railway carriage |
railroad card |
- |
|
42. |
ices |
ice-cream |
- |
|
43. |
pail |
bucket |
- |
|
44. |
violent snow-storm, big snow-storm |
blizzard |
- |
|
45. |
improvement |
betterment |
- |
|
46. |
news-stand |
news stall |
- |
|
47. |
news-agent |
news dealer |
- |
|
48. |
admiralty |
naval department |
- |
|
49. |
indecent |
nasty |
- |
|
50. |
letter box, post-box |
mailbox |
- |
|
51. |
constable |
policeman |
In Great Britain, some people also use the word policeman. |
|
52. |
Chief of Constable |
Chief of Police |
- |
|
53. |
plough; to plough |
plow; to plow |
- |
|
54. |
honour |
honor |
- |
|
55. |
councillor |
councilor |
- |
|
56. |
judgement |
judgment |
- |
|
57. |
advertisement |
advertizement |
- |
|
58. |
Exchequer |
Treasury (Department) |
- |
|
59. |
offence |
offense |
- |
|
60. |
liver-sausage |
liverwurst |
- |
|
61. |
quarter of an hour |
quarter hour |
- |
|
62. |
to practise |
to practice |
- |
|
63. |
rubber shoes |
rubbers |
- |
|
64. |
at the butcher's |
at the butcher shop |
- |
|
65. |
sceptic |
skeptic |
- |
|
66. |
sceptical |
skeptical |
- |
|
67. |
scepticism |
skepticism |
- |
|
68. |
dust-bin |
garbage can/pail |
- |
|
69. |
wooden house |
frame house |
- |
|
70. |
match |
game |
- |
|
71. |
wood-chopper, wood-cutter |
lumberjack |
- |
|
72. |
(university) lecturer |
assistant professor |
- |
|
73 |
gear lever |
gearshift |
- |
|
74 |
jug |
pitcher |
- |
|
75 |
to telephone |
to phone |
- |
|
76 |
beyond, beside |
outside |
Examples of phrases using "outside": |
|
77 |
in these circumstances |
under these circumstances |
- |
|
78 |
greens |
vegetables |
- |
|
79 |
first-year student |
freshman |
- |
|
80 |
second-year student |
sophomore |
- |
|
81 |
third-year student |
junior |
- |
|
82 |
fourth-year student |
senior |
- |
|
83 |
old boy: graduate |
alumnus |
- |
|
84 |
school |
school-house |
- |
|
85 |
aluminium |
aluminum |
- |
|
86 |
post-bag |
mailbag |
- |
|
87 |
telly |
TV |
- |
|
88 |
high street |
main street |
- |
|
89 |
corn |
grain |
- |
|
90 |
Indian corn |
maize, corn |
- |
|
91 |
stores |
department store |
In Great Britain, the singular form store means warehouse. |
|
92 |
class-fellow |
classmate |
- |
|
93 |
defence |
defense |
- |
|
94 |
go off / run off the rails |
derail |
- |
|
95 |
contribution |
donation |
- |
|
96 |
drapery |
dry goods |
- |
|
97 |
leading article, leader |
editorial |
- |
|
98 |
shoeblack |
bootblack |
- |
|
99 |
Rugby football, rugger football |
football |
- |
|
100 |
Hallo. Are you there? |
Hello |
- |
|
101. |
jemmy |
jimmy |
- |
|
102. |
sleeping carriage |
sleeping-car, sleeper |
- |
|
103. |
line, rails |
rails |
- |
|
104. |
to display |
to show off |
- |
|
105. |
dinner jacket |
tuxedo (colloquial language: tux) |
- |
|
106. |
football team |
eleven, the eleven |
- |
|
107. |
devilry |
deviltry |
- |
|
108. |
dressing gown |
bathrobe |
- |
|
109. |
of frost |
below zero |
Examples: |
|
110. |
educationist |
educator |
- |
|
111. |
St. Nicholas |
Santa Claus |
- |
|
112. |
petrol station |
gas or filling station |
- |
|
113. |
again and again, repeatedly |
time and again, time and time again |
- |
|
114. |
store |
warehouse |
- |
|
115. |
lady doctor |
woman doctor |
- |
COMMENTS