American and British English spelling differences From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search

"Spelling differences" redirects here. For other uses, see Category:Language comparison. For guidelines on dialects and spelling in the English-language version of Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Manual of Style#National varieties of English. One of the ways in which American English and British English differ is in spelling. [edit] Historical origins In the early 18th century, English spelling was not standardized. Differences became noticeable after the publishing of influential dictionaries. Current British English spellings follow, for the most part, those of Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), whereas many American English spellings follow Noah Webster's An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828).[1] Webster was a strong proponent of English spelling reform for reasons both philological and nationalistic. Many spelling changes proposed in the United States by Webster himself, and in the early 20th century by the Simplified Spelling Board, never caught on. Among the advocates of spelling reform in England, the influences of those who preferred the Norman (or Anglo-French) spellings of certain words proved to be decisive. Subsequent spelling adjustments in the United Kingdom had little effect on present-day American spellings and vice-versa. In many cases, American English deviated in the 19th century from mainstream British spelling, but it has also retained some older forms. The spelling systems of most Commonwealth countries and Ireland, for the most part, closely resemble the British system. In Canada, however, the preferred spellings include some American forms and some British,[2] and Canadians are somewhat more tolerant of foreign forms.[3] [edit] Latin-derived spellings [edit] -our, -or Most words ending in an unstressed -our in British English (e.g. colour, flavour, honour, neighbour, rumour, labour, humour) end in -or in American English (cf. color, flavor, honor, neighbor, rumor, labor, humor). Wherever the vowel is unreduced in pronunciation, this does not occur: e.g. contour, velour, paramour and troubadour are spelled thus the same everywhere. Most words of this category derive from Latin non-agent nouns having nominative -or; the first such borrowings into English were from early Old French and the ending was -or or -ur.[4] After the Norman Conquest, the ending became our in Anglo-French in an attempt to represent the Old French pronunciation of words ending in -or,[5] though color has been used occasionally in English since the 15th century.[6] The -our ending was not only retained in English borrowings from Anglo-French, but also applied to earlier French borrowings.[4] After the Renaissance, some such borrowings from Latin were taken up with their original -or ending; many words once ending in -our (for example, chancellour and governour) now end in -or everywhere. Many words of the -our/-or group do not have a Latin counterpart; for example, armo(u)r, behavio(u)r, harbo(u)r, neighbo(u)r; also arbo(u)r meaning "shelter", though senses "tree" and "tool" are always arbor, a false cognate of the other word. Some 16th- and early 17th-century British scholars indeed insisted that -or be used for words of Latin origin (e.g. color[6]) and -our for French loans; but in many cases the etymology was not completely clear, and therefore some scholars advocated -or only and others -our only.[7] Webster's 1828 dictionary featured only -or and is generally given much of the credit for the adoption of this form in the United States. By contrast, Dr Johnson's 1755 dictionary used the -our spelling for all words still so spelt in Britain, and others where the u has since been dropped: ambassadour, emperour, governour, perturbatour; inferiour, superiour; errour, horrour, mirrour, tenour, terrour, tremour. Johnson, unlike Webster, was not an advocate of spelling reform, but selected the version best-derived, as he saw it, from among the variations in his sources: he favored French over

Latin spellings because, as he put it, "the French generally supplied us".[8] Those English speakers who began to move across the Atlantic would have taken these habits with them and H L Mencken makes the point that, "honor appears in the Declaration of Independence, but it seems to have got there rather by accident than by design. In Jefferson's original draft it is spelt honour."[9] Examples such as color, flavor, behavior, harbor and neighbor scarcely appear in the Old Bailey's court records from the 17th and 18th century, whereas examples of their -our counterparts are numbered in thousands.[10] One notable exception is honor. Honor and honour were equally frequent until the 17th century;[11] Honor still is, in the UK, the normal spelling as a person's name. Derivatives and inflected forms In derivatives and inflected forms of the -our/or words, British usage depends on the nature of the suffix used. The u is kept before English suffixes that are freely attachable to English words (for example in neighbourhood, humourless and savoury) and suffixes of Greek or Latin origin that have been naturalised (for example in favourite, honourable and behaviourism). However, before Latin suffixes that are not freely attachable to English words, the u:

may be dropped, as for example in honorific, honorist, vigorous, humorous, laborious and invigorate; may be either dropped or retained, as for example in colo(u)ration and colo(u)rise); or may be retained, as for example in colourist).[4]

In American usage, derivatives and inflected forms are built by simply adding the suffix in all environments (for example, favorite, savory etc.) since the u is absent to begin with. Exceptions American usage, in most cases, retains the u in the word glamour, which comes from Scots, not Latin or French. Glamor is occasionally used in imitation of the spelling reform of other -our words to -or. The adjective glamorous usually omits the first "u". Saviour is a somewhat common variant of savior in the US. The British spelling is very common for honour (and favour) in the formal language of wedding invitations in the US.[12] The name of the Space Shuttle Endeavour has a u in it since this spacecraft was named after Captain James Cook's ship, HMS Endeavour. The special car on Amtrak's Coast Starlight train is known as the Pacific Parlour car, not Pacific Parlor. The name of the herb savory is thus spelt everywhere, although the related adjective savo(u)ry, like savo(u)r, has a u in the UK. Honor (the name) and arbor (the tool) have -or in Britain, as mentioned above. As a general noun, rigour /rr/ has a u in the UK; the medical term rigor (often /rar/)[citation needed] does not. Words with the ending -irior, erior or similar are spelt thus everywhere. Commonwealth usage Commonwealth countries normally follow British usage. In Canada -or endings are not uncommon, particularly in the Prairie provinces. In Australia, -or endings enjoyed some use in the 19th century, and now are sporadically found in some regions,[7] usually in local and regional newspapers, though the most notable countrywide use of -or is for the Australian Labor Party, which was named in hono(u)r of the American labo(u)r movement.[13] Aside from that, -our is almost universal. New Zealand English, while sharing some words and syntax with Australian English, follows British usage. [edit] -re, -er In British usage, some words of French, Latin or Greek origin end with a consonant followed by -re, with the -re unstressed and pronounced //. Most of these words have the ending -er in the United States.[14][15] The difference is most common for words ending -bre or -tre: British spellings calibre, centre, fibre, goitre, litre, lustre, metre, mitre, nitre, reconnoitre, sabre, saltpetre, sombre, spectre, theatre and titre all have -er in American spelling. There are many exceptions to the -re spelling in British usage. Many words spelt with -re in Modern French are spelt with -er in both British and American usage; among these are chapter, December, disaster, enter, filter, letter, member,

minister, monster, November, number, October, oyster, perimeter (but not "parametre"), powder, proper, September, sober and tender. The ending -cre, as in acre,[16] lucre, massacre and mediocre, is preserved in American English, to indicate the c is pronounced /k/ rather than /s/.[citation needed] After other consonants, there are not many -re endings even in British English: louvre[16] and manoeuvre after -v; meagre, eagre (but not eager) and ogre after -g; and euchre, ochre and sepulchre after -ch. In the United States, ogre, ochre, and euchre are standard; manoeuvre and sepulchre are usually spelt as maneuver and sepulcher; and the other re forms listed are less used variants of the equivalent -er form.[citation needed] The e preceding the r is retained in American-derived forms of nouns and verbs, for example, fibers, reconnoitered, centering, which are, naturally, fibres, reconnoitred and centring respectively in British usage. Centring is a particularly interesting example, since it is still pronounced as three syllables in British English (/sntr/), yet there is no vowel letter in the spelling corresponding to the second syllable. It is dropped for other derivations, for example, central, fibrous, spectral. However such dropping cannot be regarded as proof of an -re British spelling: for example, entry derives from enter, which has not been spelt entre for centuries.[17] The difference relates only to root words; -er rather than -re is universal as a suffix for agentive (reader, winner, user) and comparative (louder, nicer) forms. One consequence is the British distinction of meter for a measuring instrument from metre for the unit of length. However, while "poetic metre" is often -re, pentameter, hexameter etc. are always er.[18] Exceptions Many other words have -er in British English. These include Germanic words like anger, mother, timber and water and Romance words like danger, quarter and river. Theater is the prevailing American spelling used to refer to both the dramatic arts and buildings where stage performances and screenings of films take place (i.e. "movie theaters"); for example, a national newspaper such as The New York Times uses theater throughout its "Theater", "Movies" and "Arts & Leisure" sections. In contrast, the spelling theatre appears in the names of many New York City theatres on Broadway[19] (cf. Broadway theatre) and elsewhere in the United States. In 2003, the proposal of the American National Theatre, eventually to be founded and inaugurated in autumn 2007, was referred to by The New York Times as the "American National Theater"; but the organisation uses "re" in the spelling of its name.[20][21] The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. features the more common American spelling theater in its references to The Eisenhower Theater, part of the Kennedy Center.[22] Some cinemas outside New York also use the theatre spelling.[23] In many instances, places in the United States use Centre in their names. Examples include the Stonebriar Centre mall in Frisco, Texas, the cities of Rockville Centre, New York and Centreville, Illinois, Centre County, Pennsylvania, and Centre College in Kentucky. Sometimes these places were named before spelling changes took effect but more often the spelling merely serves as an affectation. An apparent example of the use of Center in the United Kingdom is the Valley Centertainment in Sheffield, although this is in fact a portmanteau of centre and entertainment. For British accoutre, the American practice varies: the Merriam-Webster Dictionary prefers the -re spelling[24] but the American Heritage Dictionary prefers the -er spelling.[25] More recent French loanwords retain an -re spelling in American English. These are not exceptions when a Frenchstyle pronunciation is used (/r/ rather than /r/), as with double-entendre, genre and oeuvre. However, the unstressed /r/ pronunciation of an -er ending is used more or less frequently with some words, including cadre, macabre, matre d', Notre Dame, piastre, and timbre. Commonwealth usage

The -re endings are mostly standard throughout the Commonwealth. The -er spellings are recognised as minor variants in Canada, due in part to American influences. Proper names, particularly names incorporating the word Centre/Center, are an occasional source of exceptions, such as, for example, Toronto's controversially-named Centerpoint Mall.[26] [edit] -ce, -se American English and British English both retain the noun/verb distinction in advice / advise and device / devise (where the pronunciation is -[s] for the noun and -[z] for the verb), but American English has abandoned the distinction with licence / license and practice / practise (where the two words in each pair are homophones) that British spelling retains. American English uses license and practice for both meanings. American English has kept the Anglo-French spelling for defense and offense, which are usually defence and offence in British English; similarly there are the American pretense and British pretence; but derivatives such as defensive, offensive, and pretension are always thus spelled in both systems. Australian[27] and Canadian usage generally follows British. [edit] -xion, -ction The spelling connexion is now rare in everyday British usage, its employment declining as knowledge of Latin declines,[28] and it is not used at all in America: the more common connection has become the standard internationally. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the older spelling is more etymologically conservative, since the word actually derives from Latin forms in -xio-. The American usage derives from Webster who discarded the -xion in favor of -ction by analogy with such verbs as connect.[29] Complexion (which comes from the stem complex) is standard and complection usually is not.[30] However, the adjective complected (as in "dark-complected"), although sometimes objected to, is standard in US English as an alternative to complexioned,[31] but is quite unknown in this sense in the UK, although there is a rare usage to mean complicated.[32] [edit] Greek-derived spellings [edit] -ise, -ize (-isation, -ization) See also: Oxford spelling American and Canadian[33] spelling accepts only -ize endings in most cases, such as organize, realize, and recognize.[34] British usage is split between both -ize and -ise (organize / organise, realize / realise, recognize / recognise),[34] and the ratio between -ise and -ize stands at 3:2 in the British National Corpus.[35] In Australia and New Zealand -ise spellings strongly prevail: the -ise form is preferred in Australian English at a ratio of about 3:1 according to the Macquarie Dictionary. Worldwide, -ize endings prevail in scientific writing and are commonly used by many international organizations, such as the ISO and the WHO. The European Union switched from -ize to -ise some years ago in its English language publications, and this resulted in the coexistence of the -ize spelling in older legislative acts and the -ise spelling in more recent ones. Proofreaders at the EU's Publications Office ensure consistent spelling in official publications such as the Official Journal (where legislation and other official documents are published), but the -ize spelling may be found in other documents. The same pattern applies to derivatives and inflexions such as colonisation/colonization. [edit] British usage British English using -ize is known as Oxford spelling, and is used in publications of the Oxford University Press, most notably the Oxford English Dictionary. It can be identified using the registered IANA language tag en-GB-oed. The

OED lists the -ise form separately, as "a frequent spelling of -IZE", and refuses to list the -ise spellings even as alternatives in the individual entries for words such as realize.[36] It firmly deprecates usage of -ise for words of Greek origin, stating, "[T]he suffix..., whatever the element to which it is added, is in its origin the Greek -, Latin -izre; and, as the pronunciation is also with z, there is no reason why in English the special French spelling in -iser should be followed, in opposition to that which is at once etymological and phonetic." It maintains "... some have used the spelling -ise in English, as in French, for all these words, and some prefer -ise in words formed in French or English from Latin elements, retaining -ize for those of Greek composition."[37] Noah Webster rejected -ise for the same reasons.[38] The Cambridge University Press, on the other hand, has long favoured -ise,[39] as do some other references, including Fowler's Modern English Usage.[39] Perhaps as a reaction to the ascendancy of American spelling, the -ize spelling is often incorrectly viewed in Britain as an Americanism, and -ise is more commonly used in the UK mass media and newspapers,[34] including The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Economist. Meanwhile, -ize is used in many British-based academic publications, such as Nature, the Biochemical Journal and The Times Literary Supplement. Exceptions Some verbs ending in -ize or -ise do not derive from Greek -, and their endings are therefore not interchangeable:

Some words take the -z- form exclusively, for instance capsize, seize (except in the legal phrase to be seised of/to stand seised to), size and prize (only in the "appraise" sense) Others take only -s-: advertise, advise, apprise, arise, circumcise, comprise, compromise, demise, despise, devise, disguise, excise, exercise, franchise, guise, improvise, incise, merchandise (noun), revise, rise, supervise, surmise, surprise, televise, and wise. One special case is the verb prise (meaning to force or lever), which is spelled prize in the US[40] and prise everywhere else,[41] including Canada,[42] although in North American English it is almost always replaced by pry, a back-formation from or alteration of prise.[43]

[edit] -yse, -yze The distribution of -yse and -yze endings, as in analyse / analyze, is different from -ise / -ize: -yse is British and -yze is American. Thus, in British English analyse, catalyse, hydrolyse, and paralyse, but in American English analyze, catalyze, hydrolyze, and paralyze. Analyse seems to have been the more common spelling in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English, but many of the great dictionaries of that period John Kersey's of 1702, Nathan Bailey's of 1721 and Samuel Johnson's of 1755 prefer analyze. In Canada, -yze prevails, just as in the United States. In Australia and New Zealand, -yse stands alone. English verbs ending in -yse or -yze are not similar to the Greek verb, which is l "I release". Instead they come from the noun form lysis with the -ise or -ize suffix. For example, analyse comes from French analyser, formed by haplology from the French analysiser,[44] which would be spelled analysise or analysize in English. [edit] -ogue, -og Some words of Greek origin, a few of which derive from Greek or , can end either in -ogue or in -og: analog(ue), catalog(ue), dialog(ue), demagog(ue), pedagog(ue), monolog(ue), homolog(ue), synagog(ue) etc. In the UK (and generally in the Commonwealth), the -ogue endings are the standard. In the US, catalog has a slight edge over catalogue[45] (the inflected forms, cataloged and cataloging v catalogued and cataloguing); analog is standard for the adjective,[citation needed] but both analogue and analog are current for the noun; in all other cases the -gue endings strongly prevail,[46] for example monologue, except for such expressions as dialog box in computing,[47] which are also used in the UK. Finally, in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia analogue is used, but just as in the US analog has some currency as a technical term[48] (e.g. in electronics, as in "analog electronics" as opposed to "digital electronics" and some video-game consoles might have an analog stick).

The dropping of the "ue" is mandatory in forming such related words as "analogy", "analogous", and "analogist". [edit] Simplification of ae and oe Many words are written with ae/ or oe/ in British English, but a single e in American English. The sound in question is /i/ or // (or unstressed //). Examples (with non-American letter in bold): aesthetics, amoeba, anaemia, anaesthesia, caesium, diarrhoea, encyclopaedia, faeces, foetal, gynaecology, haemophilia, leukaemia, oesophagus, oestrogen, orthopaedic, palaeontology, paediatric. Oenology is acceptable in American English but is regarded as a minor variant of enology. The spelling foetal is a Britishism based on a false etymology.[49] The etymologically correct original spelling "fetus" reflects the Latin original and is the standard spelling in medical journals worldwide.[50] Exceptions to the American simplification rule include aesthetics and archaeology, which usually prevail over esthetics and archeology, respectively,[51] as well as the stronger case of palaestra, in which the simplified form palestra is a variant described by Merriam-Webster as "chiefly Brit[ish]."[52] Words where British usage varies include encyclopaedia, homoeopathy, mediaeval, and foetus (though the British medical community, as well as at least one authoritative source,[53] consider this variant to be unacceptable for the purposes of journal articles and the like, since the Latin spelling was actually fetus). The Ancient Greek diphthongs <> and <> were transliterated into Latin as <ae> and <oe>. The ligatures and were introduced when the sounds became monophthongs, and later applied to words not of Greek origin, in both Latin (for example, cli) and French (for example, uvre). In English, which has imported words from all three languages, it is now usual to replace / with Ae/ae and / with Oe/oe. In many cases, the digraph has been reduced to a single e in all varieties of English: for example, oeconomics, praemium, and aenigma.[54] In others, it is retained in all varieties: for example, phoenix, and usually subpoena.[55] This is especially true of names: Caesar, Oedipus, Phoebe etc. There is no reduction of Latin -ae plurals (e.g. larvae); nor where the digraph <ae>/<oe> does not result from the Greek-style ligature: for example, maelstrom, toe. The British form aeroplane is an instance (compare other aero- words such as aerosol). The now chiefly North American airplane is not a respelling but a recoining, modeled after airship and aircraft. The word airplane dates from 1907,[56] at which time the prefix aero- was trisyllabic, often written aro-. Internationally, the American spelling is closer to the usage in a number of other languages using the Latin alphabet.[citation needed] For instance, almost all Romance languages (which tend to have more phonemic spelling) lack the ae and oe spellings (a notable exception being French), as do Swedish, Polish, and others, while Dutch uses them sometimes ("ae" is rare, but "oe" is the normal representation of the sound [u], while written "u" represents either the sound [y] or []). The languages Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian and some others retain the original ligatures. In German, through umlauts, is retained as its equivalent of the ligature, for when written without the umlaut. These words resemble the British usage (i.e. becomes ae and becomes oe). Similarly, Hungarian uses "" as a replacement for "ae" (although it becomes "e" sometimes), and the special character "" (sometimes "") for "oe". [edit] Commonwealth usage In Canada, e is usually preferred over oe and often over ae as well, just as in the neighbouring United States.[citation needed] In Australia and elsewhere, the British usage prevails, but the spellings with just e are increasingly used.[57] Manoeuvre is the only spelling in Australia, and the most common one in Canada, where maneuver and manoeuver are also sometimes found.[58] This shortening is natural, especially since the Canadian Forces in the air and on the oceans are frequently involved in joint maneuvers with the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. In Canada, oe and ae are used occasionally in the academic and science communities.[citation needed] [edit] Doubled consonants

[edit] Doubled in British English The final consonant of an English word is sometimes doubled in both American and British spelling when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel, for example strip/stripped, which prevents confusion with stripe/striped and shows the difference in pronunciation (see digraph). Generally, this occurs only when the word's final syllable is stressed and when it also ends with a single vowel followed by a single consonant. In British English, however, a final -l is often doubled even when the final syllable is unstressed.[59] This exception is no longer usual in American English, apparently because of Noah Webster.[60] The -ll- spellings are nevertheless still regarded as acceptable variants by both Merriam-Webster Collegiate and American Heritage dictionaries.

The British English doubling is required for all inflections (-ed, -ing, -er, -est) and for the noun suffixes -er and -or. Therefore, British English usage is cancelled, counsellor, cruellest, labelled, modelling, quarrelled, signalling, traveller, and travelling. Americans usually use canceled, counselor, cruelest, labeled, modeling, quarreled, signaling, traveler, and traveling. o The word parallel keeps a single -l- in British English, as in American English (paralleling, unparalleled), to avoid the unappealing cluster -llell-. o Words with two vowels before a final l are also spelled with -ll- in British English before a suffix when the first vowel either acts as a consonant (equalling and initialled; in the United States, equaling or initialed), or belongs to a separate syllable (British fuelling and dialled; American fueling and dialed). British woollen is a further exception due to the double vowel (American: woolen). Also, wooly is accepted in American English, though woolly dominates in both systems.[61] Endings -ize /-ise, -ism, -ist, -ish usually do not double the l in British English; for example, normalise, dualism, novelist, and devilish. o Exceptions: tranquillise; duellist, medallist, panellist, and sometimes triallist in British English. For -ous, British English has a single l in scandalous and perilous, but the "ll" in marvellous and libellous. For -ee, British English has libellee. For -age, British English has pupillage but vassalage. American English sometimes has an unstressed -ll-, as in the UK, in some words where the root has -l. These are cases where the alteration occurs in the source language, which was often Latin. (Examples: bimetallism, cancellation, chancellor, crystallize, excellent, tonsillitis, and raillery.) All forms of English have compelled, excelling, propelled, rebelling (notice the stress difference); revealing, fooling (note the double vowel before the l); and hurling (consonant before the l). Canadian and Australian English largely follow British usage.[59]

Among consonants other than l, practice varies for some words, such as where the final syllable has secondary stress or an unreduced vowel. In the United States, the spellings kidnaped and worshiped, which were introduced by the Chicago Tribune in the 1920s,[62] are common. Kidnapped and worshipped are the only standard British spellings. Miscellaneous:

British calliper or caliper; American caliper. British jewellery; American jewelry. The standard pronunciations (/dulri/)[63] do not reflect this difference. According to Fowler, jewelry used to be the "rhetorical and poetic" spelling in the UK. Canada has both, but jewellery is more often used. Likewise, the Commonwealth (including Canada) has jeweller and the United States has jeweler for a jewel(le)ry retailer.

[edit] Doubled in American English Conversely, there are words where British writers prefer a single l and Americans usually use a double l. In American usage, the spelling of words is usually not changed when they form the main part (not prefix or suffix) of other words, especially in newly formed words and in words whose main part is in common use. Words exhibiting this spelling difference include wil(l)ful, skil(l)ful, thral(l)dom, appal(l), fulfil(l), fulfil(l)ment, enrol(l)ment, instal(l)ment. These words have monosyllabic cognates always written with -ll: will, skill, thrall, pall, fill, roll, stall, still. Cases where a single l nevertheless occurs in both American and British English include nullannul, annulment; tilluntil (although

some prefer "til" to reflect the single L in "until", occasionally using an apostrophe ['til]); and others where the connection is not transparent or the monosyllabic cognate is not in common use in American English (e.g. null is used mainly as a technical term in law, mathematics, and computer science). In the UK, ll is used occasionally in distil(l), instil(l), enrol(l), and enthral(l)ment, and often in enthral(l), all of which are always spelt this way in American usage. The former British spellings instal, fulness, and dulness are now quite rare.[64] The Scottish tolbooth is cognate with toll booth, but it has a specific distinct sense. In both American and British usages, words normally spelled -ll usually drop the second l when used as prefixes or suffixes, for example fulluseful, handful; allalmighty, altogether; wellwelfare, welcome; chillchilblain. The British fulfil and American fulfill are never fullfill or fullfil. Dr Johnson wavered on this issue. His dictionary of 1755 lemmatises distil and instill, downhil and uphill.[65] [edit] Dropped e British English sometimes keeps silent e when adding suffixes where American English does not. Generally speaking, British English drops it in only some cases in which it is unnecessary to indicate pronunciation whereas American English only uses it where necessary.

British prefers ageing,[66] American usually aging (compare raging, ageism). For the noun or verb "route", British English often uses routeing,[67] but in America routing is used. (The military term rout forms routing everywhere.) However, all of these words form "router", whether used in the context of carpentry, data communications, or military. (e.g. "Attacus was the router of the Huns at ....")

Both forms of English retain the silent e in the words dyeing, singeing, and swingeing[68] (in the sense of dye, singe, and swinge), to distinguish from dying, singing, swinging (in the sense of die, sing, and swing). In contrast, the verb bathe and the British verb bath both form bathing. Both forms of English vary for tinge and twinge; both prefer cringing, hinging, lunging, syringing.

Before -able, British English prefers likeable, liveable, rateable, saleable, sizeable, unshakeable,[69] where American practice prefers to drop the -e; but both British and American English prefer breathable, curable, datable, lovable, movable, notable, provable, quotable, scalable, solvable, usable,[69] and those where the root is polysyllabic, like believable or decidable. Both forms of the language retain the silent e when it is necessary to preserve a soft c, ch, or g, such as in traceable, cacheable, changeable; both usually retain the "e" after -dge, as in knowledgeable, unbridgeable, and unabridgeable. ("These rights are unabridgeable.") Both abridgment and the more regular abridgement are current in America, only the latter in the UK.[70] Similarly for the word lodg(e)ment. Both judgment and judgement are in use interchangeably everywhere, although the former prevails in America and the latter prevails in the UK[71] except in the practice of law, where judgment is standard. The similar situation holds for abridgment and acknowledgment. Both forms of English prefer fledgling to fledgeling, but ridgeling to ridgling. The word "blue" always drops the "e" when forming "bluish" or "bluing".

[edit] Different spellings for different meanings

dependant or dependent: British dictionaries distinguish between dependent (adjective) and dependant (noun). In the US, dependent is usual for both noun and adjective, notwithstanding that dependant is also an acceptable variant for the noun form in the US.[72] disc or disk: Traditionally, disc used to be British and disk American. Both spellings are etymologically sound (Greek diskos, Latin discus), although disk is earlier. In computing, disc is used for optical discs (e.g. a CD, Compact Disc; DVD, Digital Versatile/Video Disc), by choice of the group that coined and trademarked the name Compact Disc, while disk is used for products using magnetic storage (e.g. hard disks or floppy disks, also known as diskettes).[73] For this limited application, these spellings are used in both the US and the Commonwealth. Solid-state devices also use the spelling "disk".

enquiry or inquiry:[74] According to Fowler, inquiry should be used in relation to a formal inquest, and enquiry to the act of questioning. Many (though not all) British writers maintain this distinction; the OED, on the other hand, lists inquiry and enquiry as equal alternatives, in that order. Some British dictionaries, such as Chambers 21st Century Dictionary,[75] present the two spellings as interchangeable variants in the general sense, but prefer inquiry for the "formal inquest" sense. In the US, only inquiry is commonly used; the title of The National Enquirer, as a proper name, is an exception. In Australia, inquiry and enquiry are often interchangeable, but inquiry prevails in writing.[citation needed] Both are current in Canada, where enquiry is often associated with scholarly or intellectual research. ensure or insure: In the UK (and Australia), the word ensure (to make sure, to make certain) has a distinct meaning from the word insure (often followed by against to guarantee or protect against, typically by means of an "insurance policy"). The distinction is only about a century old,[76] and this helps explain why in (North) America ensure is just a variant of insure, more often than not. According to Merriam-Webster's usage notes, ensure and insure "are interchangeable in many contexts where they indicate the making certain or [making] inevitable of an outcome, but ensure may imply a virtual guarantee <the government has ensured the safety of the refugees>, while insure sometimes stresses the taking of necessary measures beforehand <careful planning should insure the success of the party>."[77] insurance or assurance: In the business of risk transfer, American English speakers will normally refer to life insurance or fire insurance. In British English, "assurance" refers to risk associated with certainty, such as covering death (death is inevitable), whereas "insurance" refers to uncertainty (such as a home insurance policy). In British English "life insurance" is used for a policy covering uncertainty (for example, a pianist's hands may be covered under "life insurance"). Canadian speakers remain more likely than US speakers to use assurance.[78] matt or matte: In the UK, matt refers to a non-glossy surface, and matte to the motion-picture technique; in the US, matte covers both.[79] programme or program: The British programme is a 19th-century French version of program. Program first appeared in Scotland in the 17th century and is the only spelling found in the US. The OED entry, written around 1908 and listing both spellings, said program was preferable, since it conformed to the usual representation of the Greek as in anagram, diagram, telegram etc. In British English, program is the common spelling for computer programs, but for other meanings programme is used. In Australia, program has been endorsed by government writing standards for all senses since the 1960s,[80] although programme is also seen; see also the name of The Micallef Program(me). In Canada, program prevails, and the Canadian Oxford Dictionary makes no meaning-based distinction between it and programme. However, some Canadian government documents nevertheless use programme in all senses of the word and also to match the spelling of the French equivalent.[80] tonne or ton: in the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the spelling tonne refers to the metric unit (1000 kilograms), whereas in the US the same unit is referred to as a metric ton. The unqualified ton usually refers to the long ton (2,240 lb.) in the UK and to the short ton (2,000 pounds (910 kg)) in the US (but note that the tonne and long ton differ by only 1.6%, and are roughly interchangeable when accuracy is not critical; ton and tonne are usually pronounced the same in speech).

See also meter/metre, for which there is a British English distinction between these etymologically related forms with different meanings but the standardised American spelling is "meter". The spelling used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures is "metre".[81] This spelling is also the usual one in most English-speaking countries, but only the spelling "meter" is used in American English, and this is officially endorsed by the United States.[82] [edit] Different spellings for different pronunciations In a few cases, essentially the same word has a different spelling that reflects a different pronunciation. However, in most cases the pronunciation of the words is the same. As well as the miscellaneous cases listed in the following table, the past tenses of some irregular verbs differ in both spelling and pronunciation, as with smelt (UK) versus smelled (US) (see American and British English differences: Verb morphology).

UK US aeroplane airplane

Notes Aeroplane, originally a French loanword with a different meaning, is the older spelling.[83] The oldest recorded uses of the spelling airplane are British.[83] According to the OED,[84] "[a]irplane became the standard American term (replacing aeroplane) after this was adopted by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1916. Although A. Lloyd James recommended its adoption by the BBC in 1928, it has until recently been no more than an occasional form in British English." In the British National Corpus,[85] aeroplane outnumbers airplane by more than 7:1 in the UK. The case is similar for the British aerodrome[86] and American airdrome,[87] although both of these terms are now obsolete. Aerodrome is used merely as a technical term in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The prefixes aero- and air- both mean air, with the first coming from the Ancient Greek word (r). Thus, the prefix appears in aeronautics, aerostatics, aerodynamics, aeronautical engineering and so on, while the second occurs invariably in aircraft, airport, airliner, airmail etc. In Canada, airplane is more common than aeroplane, although aeroplane is not unknown, especially in parts of French Canada (where it is, however, used only in English the French term is avion, and the French word aroplane designates 19th-century flying machines).[88] aluminium aluminum The spelling aluminium is the international standard in the sciences according to the IUPAC recommendations. Humphry Davy, the element's discoverer, first proposed the name alumium, and then later aluminum. The name aluminium was finally adopted to conform with the -ium ending of metallic elements.[89] Canada uses aluminum and Australia and New Zealand aluminium, according to their respective dictionaries.[90] arse ass In vulgar senses "buttocks" ("anus"/"wretch"/"idiot"); unrelated sense "donkey" is ass in both. Arse is very rarely used in the US, though understood. behove behoove The 19th century had the spelling behove pronounced to rhyme with move.[91] Subsequently, a pronunciation spelling was adopted in America, while in Britain a spelling pronunciation was adopted. bogeyman boogeyman or It is pronounced /boimn/ BOH-gee-man in the UK, so that the American form, boogerman boogeyman /bimn/, is reminiscent of the 1970s disco dancing "boogie" to the British ear. Boogerman /bmn/ is common in the Southern US and gives an association with the slang term booger for Nasal mucus while the mainstream American spelling of boogeyman does not. brent brant For the species of goose. carburettor carburetor UK /krbrtr/; US /krbretr/. charivari shivaree, In America, where both terms are mainly regional,[92] charivari is usually pronounced as charivari shivaree, which is also found in Canada and Cornwall,[93] and is a corruption of the French word. coup coupe For a two-door car; the horse-drawn carriage is coup in both (meaning "cut"); unrelated "cup"/"bowl" is always coupe. In the United States, the "e" is accented when it is used as a foreign word. eyrie aerie This noun (not to be confused with the adjective eerie) rhymes with weary and hairy respectively. Both spellings and pronunciations occur in America. fillet fillet, filet Meat or fish. Pronounced the French way (approximately) in the US; Canada follows British pronunciation and distinguishes between fillet, especially as concerns fish, and filet, as concerns certain cuts of beef. McDonald's in the UK use the US spelling "filet" for their Filet-O-Fish. furore furor Furore is a late 18th-century Italian loan-word that replaced the Latinate form in the UK in the following century,[94] and is usually pronounced with a voiced e. The Canadian the same as the American, and Australia has both.[95] grotty grody Clippings of grotesque; both are slang terms from the 1960s.[96] haulier hauler Haulage contractor; haulier is the older spelling.[97]

UK US jemmy jimmy moustache mustache

Notes In the sense "crowbar". In America, according to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary, the British spelling is an also-ran, yet the pronunciation with secondsyllable stress is a common variant. In Britain the second syllable is usually stressed. Mother. Mom is sporadically regionally found in the UK (e.g. in West Midlands English). Some British dialects have mam,[98] and this is often used in Northern English, Irish English, and Welsh English. In the American region of New England, especially in the case of the Boston accent, the British pronunciation of mum is often retained, while it is still spelled mom. In Canada, there are both mom and mum; Canadians often say mum and write mom.[99] In Australia and New Zealand, mum is used. In the sense of a preserved corpse, mummy is always used. The American spelling is from French, and American speakers generally approximate the French pronunciation as /niv()te/, whereas the British spelling is nativised, as also the pronunciation /niv()ti/. In the UK, navet is a minor variant, used about 20% of the time in the British National Corpus; in America, naivete and naivet are marginal variants, and naivety is almost unattested.[100][101] The 'y' represents the pronunciation of the original Urdu "py-jma", and in the 18th century spellings such as "paijamahs" and "peijammahs" appeared: this is reflected in the pronunciation /padmz/ (with the first syllable rhyming with "pie") offered as an alternative in the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Both "pyjamas" and "pajamas" are also known from the 18th century, but the latter became more or less confined to the US.[102] Canada follows both British and American usage, with both forms commonplace. Persnickety is a late 19th-century American alteration of the Scots word pernickety.[103] Abbreviations of quintuplet. In the United States (where the word originated, as scalawag),[104] scallywag is not unknown.[105] In British English the standard usage is speciality, but specialty occurs in the field of medicine,[106] and also as a legal term for a contract under seal. In Canada, specialty prevails. In Australia both are current.[107] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the oldest form was "tyd bit", and the alteration to "titbit" was probably under the influence of the obsolete word "tit", meaning a small horse or girl. Penguin Working Words recommends while only, and notes that whilst is old-fashioned. Cambridge Guide to English Usage and M-W's Webster's Guide to English Usage comment on its regional character, and note that it is rare in American usage. It is thus safer to use only while in international English. (See the article While for further sources deprecating the use of whilst, and cautioning about uses of while.)

mum(my) mom(my)

navety

navet

pyjamas

pajamas

pernickety persnickety quin quint scallywag scalawag sledge sled speciality specialty

titbit

tidbit

whilst

while

[edit] Miscellaneous spelling differences In the table below, the more common spellings are on top. UK ache acre adze US ache, ake[108][109] acre, aker[110] adz, Remarks

UK annexe adze annex

US

Remarks To annex is the verb in both British and American usage; however, when speaking of an annex(e) the noun referring to an extension of a main building, not a military or political conquest, which would be an annexation the root word is usually spelled with an -e at the end in the UK, but in the US it is not. In British usage, artefact is the main spelling and artifact a minor variant.[111] In American English, artifact is the usual spelling. Canadians prefer artifact and Australians artefact, according to their respective dictionaries.[112] Artefact reflects Arte-fact(um), the Latin source.[113]

artefact

artifact

artisan axe

artisan, artizan ax, axe

Both the noun and verb. The word comes from Old English x. In the US, both spellings are acceptable and commonly used. The Oxford English Dictionary states that "the spelling ax is better on every ground, of etymology, phonology, and analogy, than axe, which became prevalent in the 19th century; but it ["ax"] is now disused in Britain".[114]

brasier camomile, chamomile

brasier, brazier[115][116] chamomile, camomile

cheque

check

chequer chilli

checker

chili, chile cipher, cypher cipher cosy cozy In all senses (adjective, noun, verb). dyke dike domicile domicile, domicil[120] doughnut doughnut, donut In the US, both are used, with donut indicated as a variant of doughnut.[121] In the UK, donut is indicated as an American variant for doughnut.[122] draught draft British English usually uses draft for all senses as the verb;[123] for a preliminary version of a document; for an order of payment (bank draft), and for military conscription (although this last meaning is not as common as in American English). It uses draught for drink from a cask (draught beer); for animals used for pulling heavy loads (draught horse); for a current of air; for a ship's minimum depth of water to float; and for the game draughts, known as checkers in America. It uses either draught or draft for a plan or sketch (but almost always draughtsman in this sense; a draftsman drafts legal documents). American English uses draft in all these cases, including draftsman (male or female) (although in regard to drinks, draught is sometimes found). Canada uses both systems; in Australia, draft is used for technical

The word derives, via French and Latin, from Greek ("earth apple"). The more common British spelling "camomile", corresponding to the immediate French source, is the older in English, while the spelling "chamomile" more accurately corresponds to the ultimate Latin and Greek source.[117] In the UK, according to the OED, "the spelling cha- is chiefly in pharmacy, after Latin; that with ca- is literary and popular". In the US chamomile dominates in all senses. In banking. Hence pay cheque and paycheck. Accordingly, the North American term for what is known as a current account or cheque account in the UK is spelled chequing account in Canada and checking account in the US. Some American financial institutions, notably American Express, prefer cheque, but this is merely a trademarking affectation. As in chequerboard/checkerboard, chequered/checkered flag etc. In Canada as in the US.[118] The original Mexican Spanish word is spelled chile.[118][119] In Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, chile and chilli are given as also variants.

UK

US

gage[126] gauge gauntlet gauntlet, gantlet When meaning "ordeal", in the phrase running the ga(u)ntlet, some American style guides prefer gantlet.[128] This spelling is unused in Britain[129] and less usual in America than gauntlet. The word is an alteration of earlier gantlope by folk etymology with gauntlet ("armored glove"), always spelled thus. gazelle gazelle, gazel[130][131] glycerine glycerin, Scientists use the term glycerol, but both spellings are used sporadically in the US. glycerine grey gray Grey became the established British spelling in the 20th century, pace Dr Johnson and others,[132] and it is but a minor variant in American English, according to dictionaries. Canadians tend to prefer grey. The non-cognate greyhound was never grayhound. Both Grey and Gray are found in proper names everywhere in the English-speaking world. The two spellings are of equal antiquity, and the Oxford English Dictionary states that "each of the current spellings has some analogical support".[133] hearken harken jail, jail In the UK, gaol and gaoler are used sometimes, apart from literary usage, chiefly to gaol describe a medieval building and guard. Both spellings go back to Middle English: gaol was a loanword from Norman French, while jail was a loanword from central (Parisian) French. In Middle English the two spellings were associated with different pronunciations. In current English the word, however spelt, is always given the pronunciation originally associated only with the jail spelling (/del/). The survival of the gaol spelling in British English is "due to statutory and official tradition".[134] kerb curb For the noun designating the edge of a roadway (or the edge of a British pavement/ American sidewalk/ Australian footpath). Curb is the older spelling, and in the UK and US it is still the proper spelling for the verb meaning restrain.[135] (kilo)gram, (kilo)gram (Kilo)gramme is used sometimes in the UK but never in the US. (Kilo)gram is the (kilo)gramme only spelling used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. liquorice licorice The American spelling is nearer to the Old French source licorece, which is ultimately from Greek glykyrrhiza.[136] The British spelling was influenced by the unrelated word liquor.[137] Licorice prevails in Canada and it is common in Australia, but it is rarely found in the UK. Liquorice is all but nonexistent in the US. ("Chiefly British", according to dictionaries).[138] mollusc mollusk, mollusc The related adjective is normally molluscan in all forms of English. mould mold In all senses of the word. The American spelling is the older of the two.[139] In Canada, both words have wide currency.[140] When speaking of the noun describing a form for casting a shape, the US will also use the "mould" spelling, but defaults to "mold" when referring to the fruiting bodies of tiny fungi. moult molt neurone, neuron neuron omelette omelet, The omelet spelling is the older of the two, in spite of the etymology (French omelette omelette).[141] Omelette prevails in Canada and in Australia. opaque opaque, The opake spelling has existed since Middle English and was used in Webster's gauge

Remarks drawings, is accepted for the "current of air" meaning, and is preferred by professionals in the nautical sense.[124] The pronunciation is always the same for all meanings within a dialect (RP /drft/, General American /drft/). The spelling draught is older; draft appeared first in the late 16th century.[125] Both spellings have existed since Middle English.[127]

UK partisan phantasm phantom phoney

US opake partisan, partizan phantasm, fantasm[144][145] phantom, fantom[146][147] phony dictionaries.

[142][143]

Remarks

plough

plow

rack and ruin

wrack and ruin

The fantom spelling is the older of the two and has existed since Middle English.[148][149] The American spelling is the older of the two.[150] The word originated in America and made its widespread appearance in Britain during the Phoney War. Phony is famously used often in The Catcher in the Rye. Both spellings have existed since Middle English. The OED records several dozen variants. In the UK, plough has been the standard spelling for about 300 years.[151] Although plow was Noah Webster's pick, plough continued to have some currency in the US, as the entry in Webster's Third (1961) implies. Newer dictionaries label plough as "chiefly British". The word snowplough/snowplow, originally an Americanism, predates Webster's reform and was first recorded as snow plough. Canada has both plough and plow,[152] although snowplough is much rarer there than snowplow. In the US, "plough" sometimes describes a horsedrawn kind while "plow" refers to a gasoline (petrol) powered kind. Several words like "rack" and "wrack" have been conflated, with both spellings thus accepted as variants for senses connected to torture (orig. rack) and ruin (orig. wrack, cf. wreck)[153] In "(w)rack and ruin", the W-less variant is now prevalent in the UK but not the US.[154]

rhyme sceptic (-al, ism)

rhyme, rime[155][156] skeptic (-al, ism)

smoulder stead(fast) storey

smolder

The American spelling, akin to Greek, is the earliest known spelling in English.[157] It was preferred by Fowler, and is used by many Canadians, where it is the earlier form.[158] Sceptic also pre-dates the European settlement of the US, and it follows the French sceptique and Latin scepticus. In the mid-18th century, Dr Johnson's dictionary listed skeptic without comment or alternative, but this form has never been popular in the UK;[159] sceptic, an equal variant in the old Webster's Third (1961), has now become "chiefly British". Australians generally follow the British usage (with the notable exception of the Australian Skeptics). All of these versions are pronounced with a hard "c", though in French that letter is silent and the word is pronounced like septique. The American spelling is the older of the two and has existed since Middle English.[148]

sulphate sulphur

stead(fast), sted(fast)[160][161] story Level of a building. The plurals are storeys and stories respectively. The letter "e" is used in the UK and Canada to differentiate between levels of buildings and a story as in a literary work.[162] Story is the earlier spelling. The Oxford English Dictionary states that this word is "probably the same word as story [in its meaning of "narrative"] though the development of sense is obscure.[163] sulfate, sulphate sulfur, Sulfur is the international standard in the sciences (IUPAC), and it is supported by sulphur the UK's RSC.[164] During the Middle English period the word was spelt with an f.[148] However, sulphur was preferred by Dr Johnson. It is still used by British and Irish scientists, and it is still actively taught in British and Irish schools. It prevails in

UK

US

telegram, telegramme through throughout towards, toward tyre

telegram through, thru[168] throughout, thruout[169] toward, towards tire

Remarks Canada and Australia, and it is also found in some American place names (e.g. Sulphur, Louisiana and White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia). American English usage guides suggest sulfur for technical usage, and both sulphur and sulfur in common usage and in literature.[165][166] The variation between f and ph spellings is also found in the word's ultimate source: Latin sulfur, sulphur.[167] Telegramme is used sometimes in the UK but never in the US.

vice

vise, vice

The outer portion of a wheel. In Canada as in the US. Tire is the older spelling, but both were used in the 15th and 16th centuries (for a metal tire). Tire became the settled spelling in the 17th century but tyre was revived in the UK in the 19th century for rubber / pneumatic tyres, possibly because it was used in some patent documents,[170] though many continued to use tire for the iron variety. The Times newspaper was still using tire as late as 1905. For the verb meaning "to grow weary" both American and British English use only the tire spelling. The two-jawed workbench tool. Americans and Canadians retain the very old distinction between vise (the tool) and vice (the sin, and also the Latin prefix meaning a "deputy"), both of which are vice in the UK and Australia.[171] Thus, Americans have Vice-Admiral, Vice-President, and Vice-Principal, but never Vise- for any one of these.

vineyard visor woe(ful) yoghurt, yogurt

vineyard, vinyard[172] visor, vizor[173] woe(ful), wo(ful)[174] yogurt, yoghurt

Yoghurt is an also-ran in the US, as is yoghourt in the UK. Although the Oxford Dictionaries have always preferred yogurt, in current British usage yoghurt seems to be prevalent. In Canada, yogurt prevails, despite the Canadian Oxford preferring yogourt, which has the advantage of being bilingual (English and French).[175] In Australia as in the UK. Whatever the spelling is, the word has different pronunciations: in the UK /jt/ or /jot/, only /jort/ in America, Ireland, and Australia. The word comes from the Turkish language word yourt.[176] The voiced velar fricative represented by in the modern Turkish (Latinic) alphabet was traditionally written gh in romanizations of the Ottoman Turkish (Arabic) alphabet used before 1928.

[edit] Compounds and hyphens British English often prefers hyphenated compounds, such as counter-attack, whereas American English discourages the use of hyphens in compounds where there is no compelling reason, so counterattack is much more common.[citation needed] Many dictionaries do not point out such differences. Canadian and Australian usage is mixed, although Commonwealth writers generally hyphenate compounds of the form noun plus phrase (such as editor-in-chief).[177] Commander-in-chief is dominant in all forms of English.

any more or anymore: In sense "any longer", the single-word form is usual in North America and Australia but unusual elsewhere, at least in formal writing.[178] Other senses always have the two-word form; thus Americans distinguish "I couldn't love you anymore [so I left you]" from "I couldn't love you any more [than I already do]". In Hong Kong English, any more is always two words.[179] for ever or forever: Traditional British English usage makes a distinction between for ever, meaning for eternity (or a very long time into the future), as in "If you are waiting for income tax to be abolished you will probably have to wait for ever"; and forever, meaning continually, always, as in "They are forever arguing".[180] In contemporary British usage, however, forever prevails in the "for eternity" sense as well,[181] in spite of several style guides maintaining the distinction.[182] American writers usually use forever regardless of which sense they intend (although forever in the sense of "continually" is comparatively rare in American English, having been displaced by always). near by or nearby: Some British writers make the distinction between the adverbial near by, which is written as two words, as in, "No one was near by"; and the adjectival nearby, which is written as one, as in, "The nearby house".[183] In American English, the one-word spelling is standard for both forms.

[edit] Acronyms and abbreviations Proper names formed as proper acronyms are often rendered in title case by Commonwealth writers, but usually as upper case by Americans: for example, Nasa / NASA or Unicef / UNICEF.[184] This does not apply to most pure initialisms, such as US, IBM, or PRC (the People's Republic of China). However, it is occasionally done for some in the UK, such as Pc (Police Constable).[185] Contractions, where the final letter is present, are often written in British English without full stops/periods (Mr, Mrs, Dr, St, Ave). Abbreviations where the final letter is not present generally do take full stops/periods (such as vol., etc., i.e., ed.); British English shares this convention with the French: Mlle, Mme, Dr, Ste, but M. for Monsieur. In American and Canadian English, abbreviations like St., Ave., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., and Jr., always require periods. Some initials are usually upper case in America but lower case in Britain: liter/litre and its compounds ("2 L or 25 mL" vs "2 l or 25 ml");[186][187] and ante meridiem and post meridiem (10 P.M. or 10 PM vs 10 p.m. or 10 pm).[188][189][190] Both AM/PM and a.m./p.m. are acceptable in American English, though AM/PM is more common. [edit] Punctuation The use of quotation marks, also called inverted commas, is very slightly complicated by the fact that there are two types: single quotation marks (') and double quotation marks ("). As a general rule, British usage has in the past usually preferred single quotation marks for ordinary use, but double quotation marks are now increasingly common; American usage has always preferred double quotation marks.[191] The convention used to be, and in American English still is, to put full stops (periods) and commas inside the quotation marks, irrespective of the sense. British English has moved away from this style while American English has retained it. British style now prefers to punctuate according to the sense, in which punctuation marks only appear inside quotation marks if they were there in the original. Moreover, formal British English practice requires a closing full stop to be put inside the quotation marks if the quoted item is a complete sentence that ends where the main sentence ends, but it is common to see the stop outside the closing quotation marks.[192] [edit] See also

Australian English Canadian English English in the Commonwealth of Nations English orthography Hiberno-English New Zealand English Scottish English South African English

English orthography From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2011) English orthography is the alphabetic spelling system used by the English language. English orthography, like other alphabetic orthographies, uses a set of habits to represent speech sounds in writing. In most other languages, these habits are regular enough so that they may be called rules. In standard English spelling, however, nearly every sound is spelled in more than one way, and most spellings and all letters can be pronounced in more than one way and often in many different ways. This is partly due to the complex history of the English language,[1] but mainly because no systematic spelling reform has been implemented in English, contrary to the situation in most other languages. In general, English spelling does not reflect the sound changes in the pronunciation of the language that have occurred since the late fifteenth century.[2] [edit] Function of the letters Note: In the following discussion, only one or two common pronunciations of American and British English varieties are used in this article for each word cited. Other regional pronunciations may be possible for some words, but indicating all possible regional variants in the article is impractical. [edit] Phonemic representation Further information: Phonemic orthography Like most alphabetic systems, letters in English orthography may represent a particular sound. For example, the word cat /kt/ consists of three letters c, a, and t, in which c represents the sound /k/, a the sound //, and t the sound /t/. Single letters or multiple sequences of letters may provide this function. Thus, the single letter c in the word cat represents the single sound /k/. In the word ship (pronounced /p/), the digraph sh (two letters) represents the sound //. In the word ditch, the three letters tch represent the sound /t/. Less commonly, a single letter can represent multiple sounds lenis in succession. The most common example is the letter x which normally represents the consonant cluster /ks/ (for example, in the word ex-wife, pronounced /kswaf/). The same letter (or sequence of letters) may indicate different sounds when it occurs in different positions within a word. For instance, the digraph gh represents the sound /f/ at the end of some words, such as rough /rf/. At the beginning of syllables (i.e. the syllable onset), the digraph gh represents the sound //, such as in the word ghost (pronounced /ost/). Conversely, the digraph gh never represents the sound /f/ in syllable onsets and almost never represents the sound // in syllable codas (Pittsburgh is an exception). (Incidentally, this shows that ghoti does not follow English spelling rules to sound like fish.) [edit] Word origin See also: Hard and soft C, Hard and soft G, Silent k, and Palatalization Another type of spelling characteristic is related to word origin. For example, when representing a vowel, the letter y in non-word-final positions, represents the sound // in some words borrowed from Greek (reflecting an original

upsilon), whereas the letter usually representing this sound in non-Greek words is the letter i. Thus, the word myth /m/ is of Greek origin, while pith /p/ is a Germanic word. Other examples include ph representing /f/ (which is usually represented by f), and ch representing /k/ (which is usually represented by c or k) the use of these spellings for these sounds often mark words that have been borrowed from Greek. Some researchers such as Brengelman (1970), have suggested that, in addition to this marking of word origin, these spellings indicate a more formal level of style or register in a given text, although Rollins (2004) finds this point to be exaggerated as there would be many exceptions where a word with one of these spellings, such as ph for /f/ (like telephone), could occur in an informal text. [edit] Homophone differentiation Spelling may also be used to distinguish between homophones (words with the same pronunciation but different meanings). For example, the words heir and air are pronounced identically in most dialects (as /r/). However, they are distinguished from each other orthographically by the addition of the letter h. Another example is the pair of homophones plain and plane, where both are pronounced /plen/ but are marked with two different orthographic representations of the vowel /e/.[3] In written language, this may help to resolve potential ambiguities that would arise otherwise (cf. He's breaking the car vs. He's braking the car). Nevertheless, homophones that are unresolved by spelling still exist (for example, the word bay has at least five fundamentally different meanings). Some proponents[who?] of spelling reform view homophones as undesirable and would prefer that they be eliminated. Doing so, however, would increase orthographic ambiguities (such as the break/brake example above) that would need to be resolved via the linguistic context. [edit] Marking sound changes in other letters See also: Silent e Another function of English letters is to provide information about the pronunciation of other letters in the word. Rollins (2004) uses the term "markers" for letters with this function. Letters may mark different types of information. One type of marking is that of a different pronunciation of another letter within the word. An example of this is letter e in the word cottage /ktd/. Here e indicates that the preceding g should represent the sound /d/, rather than the more common value of g in word-final position as the sound //, such as in tag /t/. A particular letter may have more than one pronunciation-marking role. Besides the marking of word-final g as indicating /d/ as in cottage, the letter e often marks an altered pronunciation for preceding vowels. In the pair ban and bane, the a of ban has the value //, whereas the a of bane is marked by the e as having the value /e/. In this context, the e is not pronounced, and is referred to as "silent e". A single letter may even fill multiple pronunciation-marking roles simultaneously. For example, in the word wage the e marks not only the change of the a from // to /e/, but also of the g from // to /d/.

[edit] Multiple functionality A given letter or (letters) may have dual functions. For example, the letter i in the word cinema has a soundrepresenting function (representing the sound //) and a pronunciation-marking function (marking the c as having the value /s/ opposed to the value /k/). [edit] Underlying representation

Like many other alphabetic orthographies, English spelling does not represent non-contrastive phonetic sounds (that is, sub-phonemic sounds). The fact that the letter t is pronounced with aspiration [t] at the beginning of words is never indicated in the spelling, and, indeed, this phonetic detail is probably not noticeable to the average native speaker not trained in phonetics. However, unlike some orthographies, English orthography often represents a very abstract underlying representation (or morphophonemic form) of English words.[4] [T]he postulated underlying forms are systematically related to the conventional orthography ... and are, as is well known, related to the underlying forms of a much earlier historical stage of the language. There has, in other words, been little change in lexical representation since Middle English, and, consequently, we would expect ... that lexical representation would differ very little from dialect to dialect in Modern English ... [and] that conventional orthography is probably fairly close to optimal for all modern English dialects, as well as for the attested dialects of the past several hundred years.[5] In these cases, a given morpheme (i.e. a component of a word) is represented with a single spelling despite the fact that it is pronounced differently (i.e. has different surface representations) in different environments. An example is the past tense suffix -ed, which may be pronounced variously as /t/, /d/, or /d/ (for example, dip /dp/, dipped /dpt/, boom /bum/, boomed /bumd/, loot /lut/, looted /lutd/). Because these different pronunciations of -ed can be predicted by a few phonological rules, only a single spelling is needed in the orthography. Another example involves the vowel differences (with accompanying stress pattern changes) in several related words. For instance, the word photographer is derived from the word photograph by adding the derivational suffix -er. When this suffix is added, the vowel pronunciations change largely owing to the moveable stress: Spelling photograph photographer Pronunciation /fotrf/ or /fotrf/ /ftrfr/

photographical /fotrfkl/ It could be argued that the underlying representation of photo is a single phonological form, such as /fotrf/. Since the (surface) pronunciation of the vowels can be largely predicted by phonological rules according to the different stress patterns, the orthography only needs to have one spelling that corresponds to the underlying form. Other examples of this type include words with the -ity suffix (as in agile vs agility, acid vs acidity, divine vs divinity, sane vs sanity, etc.). (See also: Trisyllabic laxing.) Another example includes words like sign /san/ and bomb /bm/ where the "silent" letters g and b, respectively, seem to be "inert" letters with no functional role. However, there are the related words signature and bombard in which the so-called "silent" letters are pronounced /sntr/ and /bmbrd/, respectively. Here it could be argued that the underlying representation of sign and bomb is |san| and |bmb|, in which the underlying || and |b| are only pronounced in the surface forms when followed by certain suffixes (-ature, -ard). Otherwise, the || and |b| are not realized in the surface pronunciation (e.g. when standing alone, or when followed by suffixes like -ing or -er). In these cases, the orthography indicates the underlying consonants that are present in certain words but are absent in other related words. Other examples include the t in fast /fst/ and fasten /fsn/, and the h in heir /r/ and inherit /nhrt/. Another example includes words like mean /min/ and meant /mnt/. Here the vowel spelling ea is pronounced differently in the two related words. Thus, again the orthography uses only a single spelling that corresponds to the single morphemic form rather than to the surface phonological form. English orthography does not always provide an underlying representation; sometimes it provides an intermediate representation between the underlying form and the surface pronunciation. This is the case with the spelling of the regular plural morpheme, which is written as either -s (as in tick, ticks and mite, mites) or -es (as in box, boxes).

Here the spelling -s is pronounced either /s/ or /z/ (depending on the environment, e.g. ticks /tks/ and pigs /pz/) while -es is usually pronounced /z/ (e.g. boxes /bksz/). Thus, there are two different spellings that correspond to the single underlying representation |z| of the plural suffix and the three surface forms. The spelling indicates the insertion of // before the /z/ in the spelling -es, but does not indicate the devoiced /s/ distinctly from the unaffected /z/ in the spelling -s. The abstract representation of words as indicated by the orthography can be considered advantageous since it makes etymological relationships more apparent to English readers. This makes writing English more complex, but arguably makes reading English more efficient.[6] However, very abstract underlying representations, such as that of Chomsky & Halle (1968) or of underspecification theories, are sometimes considered too abstract to accurately reflect the communicative competence of native speakers. Followers of these arguments believe the less abstract surface forms are more "psychologically real" and thus more useful in terms of pedagogy.[7] [edit] Diacritics Main article: English words with diacritics See also: British and American keyboards and keyboard layouts English includes some words that can be written with accent marks. These words have mostly been imported from other languages, usually French. As imported words become increasingly naturalised, there is an increasing tendency to omit the accent marks, even in formal writing. For example, words such as rle and htel were first seen with accents when they were borrowed into English, but now the accent is almost never used. The words were originally considered French borrowings even accused by some of being foreign phrases used where English alternatives would suffice but today their French origin is largely forgotten. The strongest tendency to retain the accent is in words that are atypical of English morphology and therefore still perceived as slightly foreign. For example, caf and pt both have a pronounced final e, which would otherwise be silent by the normal English pronunciation rules. Further examples of words often retaining diacritics when used in English are: appliqu, attach, blas, bric--brac, brtchen,[8] clich, crme, crpe, faade, fianc(e), flamb, nave, navet, n(e), papier-mch, pass, piata, protg, rsum, risqu, ber-, voil. Italics, with appropriate accents, are generally applied to foreign terms that are uncommonly used in or have not been assimilated into English: for example, adis, coup d'tat, crme brle, pice de rsistance, raison d'tre, ber (bermensch), vis--vis. It was formerly common in English to use a diaeresis mark to indicate a hiatus: for example, coperate, das, relect. The New Yorker and Technology Review magazines still use it for this purpose, even though it is increasingly rare in modern English. Nowadays the diaeresis is normally left out (cooperate), or a hyphen is used (co-operate). It is, however, still common in loanwords such as nave and nol. Written accents are also used occasionally in poetry and scripts for dramatic performances to indicate that a certain normally unstressed syllable in a word should be stressed for dramatic effect, or to keep with the metre of the poetry. This use is frequently seen in archaic and pseudoarchaic writings with the -ed suffix, to indicate that the e should be fully pronounced, as with cursd. [edit] Ligatures In certain older texts (typically British), the use of the ligatures and is common in words such as archology, diarrha, and encyclopdia. Such words have Latin or Greek origin. Nowadays, the ligatures have been generally replaced in British English by the separated digraph ae and oe (encyclopaedia, diarrhoea; but usually economy, ecology) and in American English by e (encyclopedia, diarrhea; but usually paean, amoeba, oedipal, Caesar). In some cases, usage may vary; for instance, both encyclopedia and encyclopaedia are current in the UK. [edit] Irregularities phonic See also: English spelling reform

The English spelling system, compared to the systems used in many other languages, is quite irregular and complex. Although French presents a similar degree of difficulty when encoding (writing), English is more difficult when decoding (reading)[citation needed]. For example, in French the /u/ sound (as in food), can be spelt ou, ous, out and oux (ou, nous, tout, choux) but the pronunciation of those graphemes is always the same. In English, the /u:/ sound can be spelt with oo and with 'u', 'u-e', 'ui', 'ue', 'o', 'oe', 'o-e', 'o-b', 'ou', 'ough' and 'ew' (food, truth, rude, fruit, blue, to, shoe, move, tomb, group, through, flew), but 10 of the 11 alternative graphemes have other pronunciations as well: flood, rub, build, go, toe, drove, comb, out, rough, sew. English has never had any formal regulating authority for spelling, such as the Spanish Real Academia Espaola, Italian Accademia della Crusca or the French Acadmie franaise. [edit] Spelling irregularities Attempts to regularize or reform the language, including spelling reform, have usually met with failure. The only significant exceptions were the reforms of Noah Webster which resulted in many of the differences between British and American spelling, such as center/centre, and dialog/dialogue. (Other differences, such as -ize/-ise in realize/realise etc., came about separately; see American and British English spelling differences for details.) Besides the quirks the English spelling system has inherited from its past, there are other idiosyncrasies in spelling that make it tricky to learn. English contains 2427 (depending on dialect) separate consonant phonemes and, depending on dialect, anywhere from fourteen to twenty vowels. However, there are only 26 letters in the modern English alphabet, so there cannot be a one-to-one correspondence between letters and sounds. Many sounds are spelled using different letters or multiple letters, and for those words whose pronunciation is predictable from the spelling, the sounds denoted by the letters depend on the surrounding letters. For example, the digraph th represents two different sounds (the voiced interdental fricative and the voiceless interdental fricative) (see Pronunciation of English th), and the voiceless alveolar grooved fricative can be represented by the letters s and c. It is, however, not the shortage of letters which makes English spelling irregular. Its irregularities are caused by the use of many different graphemes for some of its sounds, such as the long oo, ee and oe sounds (too, true, shoe, flew, through; sleeve, leave, even, seize, siege; stole, coal, bowl, roll, old, mould), and the use of identical graphemes for spelling different sounds (over, oven, move). Furthermore, English makes no attempt to Anglicise the spellings of most recent loanwords, but preserves the foreign spellings, even when they employ exotic conventions like the Polish cz in Czech or the Old Norse fj in fjord (although fiord was formerly the most common spelling). In fact, instead of loans being respelled to conform to English spelling standards, sometimes the pronunciation changes as a result of pressure from the spelling. One example of this is the word ski, which was adopted from Norwegian in the mid-18th century, although it did not become common until 1900. It used to be pronounced shee, which is similar to the Norwegian pronunciation, but the increasing popularity of the sport after the middle of the 20th century helped the sk pronunciation replace it.[citation needed] There was also a period when the spelling of words was altered in what is now regarded as a misguided attempt to make them conform to what were perceived to be the etymological origins of the words. For example, the letter b was added to debt (originally dette) in an attempt to link it to the Latin debitum, and the letter s in island is a misplaced attempt to link it to Latin insula instead of the Norse word igland, which is the true origin of the English word. The letter p in ptarmigan has no etymological justification whatsoever, only seeking to invoke Greek despite being a Gaelic word. The spelling of English continues to evolve. Many loanwords come from languages where the pronunciation of vowels corresponds to the way they were pronounced in Old English, which is similar to the Italian or Spanish pronunciation of the vowels, and is the value the vowel symbols [a], [e], [i], [o], and [u] have in the International Phonetic Alphabet. As a result, there is a somewhat regular system of pronouncing "foreign" words in English,[citation needed] and some borrowed words have had their spelling changed to conform to this system. For example, Hindu used to be spelled Hindoo, and the name Maria used to be pronounced like the name Mariah, but was changed to conform to this system.

Commercial advertisers have also had an effect on English spelling. In attempts to differentiate their products from others,[citation needed] they introduce new or simplified spellings like lite instead of light, thru instead of through, smokey instead of smoky (for "smokey bacon" flavour crisps), and rucsac instead of rucksack. The spellings of personal names have also been a source of spelling innovations: affectionate versions of women's names that sound the same as men's names have been spelled differently: Nikki and Nicky, Toni and Tony, Jo and Joe. As examples of the idiosyncratic nature of English spelling, the combination ou can be pronounced in at least four different ways: // in famous, /a/ in loud, // in should, /u/ in you; and the vowel sound /i/ in me can be spelt in at least nine different ways: paediatric, me, seat, seem, ceiling, people, machine, siege, phoenix. (These examples assume a more-or-less standard non-regional British English accent. Other accents will vary.) Sometimes everyday speakers of English change a counterintuitive pronunciation simply because it is counterintuitive. Changes like this are not usually seen as "standard", but can become standard if used enough. An example is the word miniscule, which still competes with its original spelling of minuscule, though this might also be because of analogy with the word mini.[citation needed] A further example is the modern pronunciation of tissue. [edit] History Inconsistencies and irregularities in English spelling have gradually increased in number throughout the history of the English language. There are a number of contributing factors. First, gradual changes in pronunciation, such as the Great Vowel Shift, account for a tremendous number of irregularities. Second, relatively recent loan words from other languages generally carry their original spellings, which are often not phonetic in English. The Romanization of languages (e.g., Chinese) using alphabets derived from the Latin alphabet has further complicated this problem, for example when pronouncing Chinese place names. Third, some prescriptivists have had partial success in their attempts to normalize the English language, forcing a change in spelling but not in pronunciation. The regular spelling system of Old English was swept away by the Norman Conquest, and English itself was eclipsed by Norman French for three centuries, eventually emerging with its spelling much influenced by French. English had also borrowed large numbers of words from French, which for reasons of prestige and familiarity kept their French spellings. The spelling of Middle English, such as in the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer, is very irregular and inconsistent, with the same word being spelled differently, sometimes even in the same sentence. However, these were generally much better guides to pronunciation than modern English spelling can honestly claim. For example, the sound //, normally written u, is spelled with an o in son, love, come, etc., due to Norman spelling conventions which prohibited writing u before v, m, n due to the graphical confusion that would result. (v, u, n were identically written with two minims in Norman handwriting; w was written as two u letters; m was written with three minims, hence mm looked like vun, nvu, uvu, etc.) Similarly, spelling conventions also prohibited final v. Hence the identical spellings of the three different vowel sounds in love, grove and prove are due to ambiguity in the Middle English spelling system, not sound change. There was also a series of linguistic sound changes towards the end of this period, including the Great Vowel Shift, which resulted in the i in mine, for example, changing from a pure vowel to a diphthong. These changes for the most part did not detract from the rule-governed nature of the spelling system; but in some cases they introduced confusing inconsistencies, like the well-known example of the many pronunciations of ough (rough, through, though, trough, plough, etc.). Most of these changes happened before the arrival of printing in England. However, the arrival of the printing press merely froze the current system, rather than providing the impetus for a realignment of spelling with pronunciation. Furthermore, it introduced further inconsistencies, partly because of the use of typesetters trained abroad, particularly in the Low Countries. For example, the h in ghost was influenced by Dutch.[9] The addition and deletion of a silent e at the ends of words was also sometimes used to make the right-hand margin line up more neatly.[9] By the time dictionaries were introduced in the mid 17th century, the spelling system of English started to stabilize. By the 19th century, most words had set spellings, though it took some time before they diffused throughout the English-

speaking world. In The Mill on the Floss (1860), English novelist George Eliot satirized the attitude of the English rural gentry of the 1820s towards orthography: Mr. Tulliver did not willingly write a letter, and found the relation between spoken and written language, briefly known as spelling, one of the most puzzling things in this puzzling world. Nevertheless, like all fervid writing, the task was done in less time than usual, and if the spelling differed from Mrs. Glegg's,why, she belonged, like himself, to a generation with whom spelling was a matter of private judgment. The modern English spelling system, with its national variants, spread together with the expansion of public education later in the nineteenth century. [edit] "Ough" words Main article: Ough (combination) The most notorious group of letters in the English language, ough, is commonly pronounced at least ten different ways, six of which are illustrated in the construct, Though the tough cough and hiccough plough him through, which is quoted by Robert A. Heinlein in The Door into Summer to illustrate the difficulties facing automated speech transcription and reading. Ough is in fact a word in its own right; it is an exclamation of disgust similar to ugh.

though: /o/ as in toe; (other examples: dough) tough: /f/ as in cuff; (other examples: rough, enough) cough: /f/ as in off; (other examples: Gough (name, some pronunciations)) hiccough (a now uncommon variant of hiccup): /p/ as in up; (unique) plough: /a/ as in cow; (other examples: sough, drought, bough, and the name Doughty) through: /u/ as in blue; nought: // as in caught. (other examples: ought, sought, thought, brought) lough: /x/ with a rough breathing sound like the ch in loch

Finally, there is the place name Loughborough, where the first ough has the sound as in cuff and the second rhymes with thorough. [edit] Spelling patterns [edit] Spelling to sound correspondences [edit] Vowels In a generative approach to English spelling, Rollins (2004) identifies twenty main orthographic vowels of stressed syllables that are grouped into four main categories: "Lax", "Tense", "Heavy", "Tense-R". (As this classification is based on orthography, not all orthographic "lax" vowels are necessarily phonologically lax.)

General American

Received Pronunciation (British)

Letter Lax Tense Heavy Tense-R Letter Lax Tense Heavy Tense-R

// /e/ man mane

mar

// mare

// /e/ man mane

// mar

// mare

// met

/i/ mete

her

// here

// met

/i/ mete

her

// here

// win

/a/ wine

fir

/a/ fire

// win

/a/ wine

fir

/a/ fire

/o/ mop mope

for, fore

// // mop mope

// for, fore

// ju hug huge

cur

/j/ cure

// /ju/ hug huge

cur

/j/ cure

// u push rude

// sure

// /u/ push rude

// sure

For instance, the letter a can represent the lax vowel //, tense /e/, heavy //, or (often allophonically) [] before |r|. Heavy and tense-r vowels are the respective lax and tense counterparts followed by the letter r. Tense vowels are distinguished from lax vowels with a "silent" e letter that is added at the end of words. Thus, the letter a in hat is lax //, but when the letter e is added in the word hate the letter a is tense /e/. Similarly, heavy and tense-r vowels pattern together: the letters ar in car are heavy /r/, the letters ar followed by silent e in the word care are /r/. The letter u represents two different vowel patterns, one being //, /ju/, //, /j/, the other //, /u/, //. There is no distinction between heavy and tense-r vowels with the letter o, and the letter u in the /-u-/ pattern does not have a heavy vowel member. Besides silent e, another strategy for indicating tense and tense-r vowels, is the addition of another orthographic vowel forming a digraph. In this case, the first vowel is usually the main vowel while the second vowel is the "marking" vowel. For example, the word man has a lax a pronounced //, but with the addition of i (as the digraph ai) in the word main the a is marked as tense and pronounced /e/. These two strategies produce words that are spelled differently but pronounced identically, as in mane (silent e strategy), main (digraph strategy) and Maine (both strategies). The use of two different strategies relates to the function of distinguishing between words that would otherwise be homonyms. Besides the 20 basic vowel spellings, Rollins (2004) has a reduced vowel category (representing the sounds /, /) and a miscellaneous category (representing the sounds /, a, a, a/ and /j/+V, /w/+V, V+V). [edit] Combinations of vowel letters To reduce dialectal difficulties, the sound values given here correspond to the conventions at Wikipedia:IPA for English. This table includes W and Y when they represent vowel sounds; for AR, ER, etc. see the third table. Major value (IPA) // Examples of major value cat, acrobat, banned Minor values (IPA) Examples of minor value

Spelling a before multiple consonants or in

Exceptions[clarification needed] /i/ karaoke /e/ bass, chamber

word-final syllables

// father, grant, after // yacht, moustache[citation

needed]

a...e (stressed) a before single consonant (stressed, non-word-final syllables)

/e/ /e/

violate, grace, ache dating, famous, alien another, about, desperate bazaar encyclopaedia, paediatrician bait, cocaine gaol taut, author jaw, awesome day

// // //

have many, any radical, avid artistically /e/ quaalude // gala, sonata

a (unstressed syllables) // aa ae // /i/

//

aesthetic

ai, ai...e ao au aw(e) ay, aye e before single consonant (stressed, non-word-final syllables) e before multiple consonants or in word-final syllables word-final e

/e/ /e/ // // /e/

//

said, again

/e/ reggae /a/ maestro // plaid // bargain /a/ samurai, shanghaied /e/ aorta

//

sausage, because, /e/ gauge laurel /o/ mauve /i/ quay // says

/a/ /e/ //

kayak, aye ukulele, cafe metal, lemon lethal, axes (plural of axis) but more often silent

/i/

receding, detail

// /i/

get, better be, simile, catastrophe taken, wanted cede, gene beach, eating please bureau bee, feed

/i/

// pretty

e (unstressed syllables) // e...e /i/ ea ea...e eau ee ei, ei...e ei before gh, gn eo eou /i/ /i/ /o/ /i/ /i/ /e/ // /i/

/e/ crepe // /i/ /i/ /ju/ bread, healthy reality area beauty /e/ break, great, steak // cleanse // bureaucracy /e/ matinee, fiancee veil, sheikh, vein atheism height people /a/ heist, gneiss // counterfeit // heifer, leisure // foreign /o/ yeoman // leotard

/e/ deceive, seize, ceiling /i/ eight, reign leopard, jeopardy extraneous, hideous /a/ /i/

eu, eue ew, ewe, iew ey (stressed) ey (unstressed) eye i before single consonant (stressed, non-word-final syllables) i before multiple consonants or in word-final syllables i before -nd, -ld, -gh, gn i (unstressed syllables) word-final i i...e ia ie (monosyllables, word-final) ie (non-word-final) ie...e ieu ii io (stressed) io (unstressed) iou iu o before multiple consonants or in word-final syllables

/ju/ /ju/ /e/ /i/ /a/ /a/

deuce, queue dew, ewe, view grey, obey monkey eye shining, cited // livid, insidious /u/ /i/ dew, new (some dialects) key, geyser /o/ sew

// /a/ // /i/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /i/ /i/ /ju/ /ia/ /a/ /i/ /i/ /i/

bit, hitting wild, kind, sighing, ensign livid, typical ski shine, guide dialling, vial, liable die, tie field, series, siege hygiene lieu, adieu radii riot, diocese idiot tedious, scabious helium, labium

/a/ // // /a/ // /i/

library, pint wind (one meaning) pencil alumni give, medicine India, Arabia

// meringue

business /i/ machine

/a/ /a/ /i/

flies, tries piety, science alien

// sieve // friend

/i/ /ao/

skiing bio

// or // dot

// /o/ /u/ // /u/ /u/ //

won, monkey, front gross, comb // wolf tomb, womb body, topic to, who, two move, lose come, love, done // woman // women

o before single consonant (stressed, /o/ non-word-final syllables) word-final o /o/ o (unstressed syllables) // o...e oa oe /o/ /o/ /o/

omen, potent, total banjo, go eloquent, wanton doze, grove boat toe, foe

// gone /o/ boa // broad

/i/ /u/

amoeba, coelacanth // does shoe, canoe // oedema

/o/ poetry oeu oi, oy oo before k,d oo elsewhere, oo...e /u/ // // /u/ manoeuvre coin, boy look, wood hoop, booze /o/ // // /u/ // /o/ /o/ stoic blood, flood wool soup, you, through touch, trouble, country soul, dough, boulder know, show /w/ reservoir /u/ spook /o/ brooch /o/ zoology // courier, should // cough // camouflage // acknowledge

ou

/a/

out, aloud, bough

ow (stressed) ow (unstressed) u before multiple consonants or in word-final syllables u before single consonant (stressed, non-word-final syllables) u (unstressed syllables) u...e ua ue ui uou uy, uye y before multiple consonants or in word-final syllables y before single consonant (stressed, non-word-final syllables) y (unstressed syllables) -y y...e -ye [edit] Consonants

/a/ /o/ //

cow, sow, allow yellow, rainbow butter, dump

//

put, full, pudding

/u/ // /ju/ or /u/ /u/ /ju/ or /u/ /u/ /u/ /a/ //

luminous, muted, tuba // supply flute, rune truant blue, cue fruit, juice ambiguous, fatuous buy, guyed myth, cryptic /a/ /u/

sugar

// busy, minute // bury

fluent

/we/ s'uede /wi/suite // build, biscuit

hyphen

/a/ // /i/ /a/ /a/

typing sibyl, beryl city, happy type, paralyze bye

//

typical

/a/

sky, why

See also: Digraph (orthography) Notes:

In the tables, the hyphen has two different meanings. A hyphen after the letter indicates that it must be at the beginning of a syllable, e.g. j- in jumper and ajar. A hyphen before the letter indicates that it cannot be at the beginning of a word, e.g. -ck in sick and ticket. More specific rules take precedence over more general ones, e.g. "c- before e, i or y" takes precedence over "c". Where the letter combination is described as "word-final", inflectional suffixes may be added without changing the pronunciation, e.g. catalogues. The dialect used is RP. Isolated foreign borrowings are excluded. This[clarification needed] relies highly on knowledge of where the stress in a word is, but English has no consistent way of showing stress. Spelling Major value (IPA) /b/ Examples of major value bit, rabbit, obtain cellar, city, cyst, face, prince, nicer caesium, coelacanth cat, cross accept, eccentric, occidental account, accrue, occur, yucca chase, chin, attached, chore tack, ticket cnidarian ctenoid victim dive, ladder, jodhpurs ledger fine, off gentle, magic, gyrate, page, college, algae go, great, guest, stagger ghost, ghastly dough, high right, daughter, bought diaphragm, phlegm gnome, gnaw /f/ /x/ or /k/ // or /x/ /p/ /ft/ laugh, enough lough ugh! hiccough draught, laughter /k/ // /h/ chasm, chimera, ached, chord chaise, machine, cached, parachute chutzpah yacht /k/ /t/ /s/ soccer, recce, siccing bocce, breccia, cappuccino flaccid Other values /t/ // /k/ Examples of other values bdellium, debtor, subtle cello, vermicelli special, liquorice Celts, chicer

b, -bb

c before e, i, y, ae, or /s/ oe c elsewhere -cc before e, i or y -cc /k/ /ks/ /k/

ch

/t/

-ck cnctct d, -dd, dh -dg before e, i, or y f, -ff

/k/ /n/ /t/ /kt/ /d/ /d/ /f/

/t/ /d/

victual, indict graduate, gradual (both also /dj/ in RP) Wednesday, handsome of get, give, girl, begin collage, gigue margarine, suggest, exaggerate suggest

/v/ // // /d/ /d/

g before e, i, y, ae, or /d/ oe g, -gg gh-gh -ght -gm gn// // /t/ /m/ /n/

-gn h h- after ex j-

/n/ /h/ /d/

signing, impugned, champagne he, alcohol exhibit, exhaust jump, ajar key, bake, trekking, sheikh knee, knock line, valve, bulk valley mine, hammer climbed, comber, numbing mnemonic hymn, autumn, condemner nice, funny link, plonk, anchor long, kingly, hanger, singer, clingy pill, happy, soup, corpse, script photograph, sapphire pneumonia, pneumatic psyche, psalm, pshaw ptomaine, ptarmigan, receipt Iraq, Iqaluit ray, parrot rhyme, diarrhoea

/n/ /h/ /j/ // /h/

signify, repugnant vehicle, honest, hono(u)r, piranha exhale Hallelujah Jean jalapeno, fajita Marijuana

k, -kk, kh knl, -llm, -mm -mb mn-mn n, -nn -n before /k/ or /ch/ -ng p, -pp (p)ph pnpsptq r-, -rr rh, -rrh -r, -rr, -rrh when followed by a consonant

/k/ /n/ /l/ /l/ /m/ /m/ /n/ /m/ /n/ // // /p/ /f/ /n/ /s/ /t/ /k/ /r/ /r/ in non-rhotic dialects such as RP, /r/ in rhotic dialects such as GA /s/

/j/ /mb/

halve, balk, salmon tortilla imbed, somber, number

/mn/

hymnal, alumni, chimney

// /nd/ /v/ /pn/ /ps/

anger, finger danger, ginger, dingy coup, receipt Stephen apnea psst corps

in non-rhotic dialects such as iron RP,

bar, bare, catarrh

s, -ss -s- between vowel sounds

/z/ // song, ask, message. misled // rose, prison /s/

scissors, dessert, dissolve, Islam sugar, tissue, aggression vision islet, aisle, debris basis

/z/

(see also "se" below) word-final -s morpheme /s/ after a voiceless sound word-final -s morpheme /z/ after a lenis sound sc- before e, i or y schsh t, -tt -tch th v, -vv w wh- before o whwrx-xc before e or i -xc -x yz, -zz /s/ /sk/ // /t/ /t/ // // /v/ /w/ /h/ /w/, (/hw/ in dialects with this phoneme) /r/ /z/ /ks/ /ksk/ /ks/ /j/ /z/

pets, shops

beds, magazines scene, scepter, scissors, scythe school, scheme, schizo shin ten, bitter, cation, chaste, wallet batch, kitchen thin, both, the, bothers vine, savvy sward, swerve, wale who, whole wheel wrong, wrist xylophone excellent, excited excuse /z/ // box, exit (in some dialects) /k/ yes /ts/ zoo, pizzazz exit (in some dialects) luxury anxious faux-pas schizophrenic, pizza rendezvous /u/ /w/ sword, answer, gunwale cwm whopping, whorl /t/ /t/ /th/ thyme eighth outhouse, potherb asthma // /t/ ratio, Martian question, bastion castle, chasten, ballet /sk/ // // /s/ sceptic, scirrhus fascism schedule (also /sk/), schist schism (also /sk/)

[edit] Combinations of consonant and vowel letters Major value Examples of major (IPA) value /(r)/ /d/ aerial, aeroplane damage, bondage Minor values (IPA)

Spelling aer word-final -age

Examples of minor value

Exceptions

suffix ah air(e) al alf alk all alm alt ange aoh, oh ar (before vowel) ar (before consonant) are arr before vowel word-final -ary suffix ayr, ayer, ayor unstressed ci- before a vowel -cqu

// /(r)/ /l/ /f/ (RP) /f/ (GA) /k/ /l/ /l/ /m/ /lt/ (RP) /lt/ (GA) /end/ /o/ /(r)/ /(r)/ /(r)/ /r/ /ri/ /(r)/ // /kw/

blah cairn, millionaire, dairy pal, talcum, algae, alp calf, half walk, chalking, talkative

/l/ /l/ /lk/

bald, falcon alfalfa, malfeasance alkaline, grimalkin wallet, swallow allow, dialled dalmatian, salmonella almanac, almost alto, shalt, saltation altar, although, asphalt /lf/ palfrey /lk/ balkanise /l/ (GA) marshmallow, pallmall /m/ salmon /()lm/ signalman /l/ gestalt (GA) /()lt/ royalty, penalty

call, fallout, smaller /l/ shall, callus, fallow /()l/ calm, almond, palmistry alter, malt, salty, basalt strange, change, danger pharaoh, oh uncaring, wary, various bar, cart cares, glare marry, carrying ordinary, necessary layer, mayor special, gracious acquaint, acquire earth, learn, early hearing, clear waited /si/ /k/ /(r)/ /(r)/ /(r)/ // /lm/ /lm/ /lt/ /lt/

/r/

arid /(r)/ scarce /(r)/ are marring

species lacquer, racquet hearty, hearth yearly, beard bear, pear

ear before consonant /(r)/ ear elsewhere word-final -ed morpheme after /t/ or /d/* word-final -ed morpheme after a voiceless sound* word-final -ed morpheme after a lenis sound* eer /(r)/ /d/

/t/

topped, surfed

/d/

biped, unfed

/d/ /(r)/

climbed, failed, ordered cheering, beer, eerie

/d/

imbed, misled, infrared

eh eir er (stressed, before vowel) er (stressed, before consonant) er (unstressed) ere err before vowel word-final -es morpheme** eur unstressed exbefore a vowel or h unstressed -ften gu- before a gu- before e or i word-final -gue iar (stressed) iar (unstressed) ier ior (stressed)

/e/ /(r)/ /(r)/ /(r)/

eh weird, weir serious, series herd, kerb /(r)/ /r/ /(r)/ heir, their heron, merit Kerr, sergeant

/(r)/ or /(r)/ walker, juggernaut /(r)/ /r/ /z/ /(r)/ /z/ /fn/ /w/ // // /a(r)/ /(r)/ /(r)/ /a(r)/ here errand, merry washes, boxes amateur, voyeur exist, examine, exhaust soften, often bilingual, guano, language guest, guide catalogue, plague, colleague liar, friar, diary familiar, billiards pier, fierce, bulkier /a(r)/ prior exterior, superior behaviour firing, enquiry bird, fir fire, inquire /(r)/ little, table aisle, isle, enisle, lisle tongue, harangue, meringue (dessert) boar, coarse reservoir, memoir blindfold, older, /ld/ bold yolk, folk doll, follow, colletc., /ol/ holler /wa(r)/ choir scaffold, kobold (also /ld/ /e/ dengue(also /i/), distingu, merengue (music/dance) stirrer replier, pliers /(r)/ /(r)/ therefore, werewolf referral /(r)/ were

/ks/

exhale

// /j/ /w/ /ju/ /i(r)/

guard bilingual linguistics argue, redargue, ague, Montague caviar, matriarch

/we/ segue

ior (unstressed), iour /(r)/ ir (before vowel) ir (elsewhere) ire irr before vowel /a(r)/ /(r)/ /a(r)/ /r/ cirrus, mirror

/r/

Sirius /(r)/ menhir

word-final -le after a /l/ consonant -(a)isle word-final -ngue oar oir old olk oll /al/ // /(r)/ /wr/ /old/ /ok/ /l/

roll, stroller, polling, tollway

olm ong oor or (stressed) or (unstressed) ore orr before vowel our (stressed) our (unstressed) owr, ower ququaquar- before consonant word-final -que word-final -re after a consonant ro unstressed scibefore a vowel sci- (stressed) -scle -se (noun) -se (verb)

/lm/ // /(r)/ /(r)/ /(r)/ /(r)/ /r/ /(r)/ /(r)/ /ar/ /kw/ /kw/ /kw(r)/ /k/ /r/ /r/ // /sa/ /sl/ /s/ /z/

olm, dolmen door, mooring ford, boring author more, deplore torrent, sorry tourist, contour colour, neighbour dowry, tower, flowery queen, quick quantity, quad quarter, quart mosque, bisque metre, fibre rod conscience science corpuscle, muscle house, mouse house, raise expansion

/olm/

enrolment, holmium Congress, congregation word, work, worst moral, forage

/om/ holm (oak)

wrong, strong, song // /(r)/ /r/

/o(r)/ /a(r)/ /(r)/

pour hour, our, devour journey, courteous

/r/ courier /r/ courage

/or/ /k/ /kw/

grower, slower liquor, mosquito quango

/ke/

risqu

/kju/ barbeque

/ro/ /si/

roll omniscient (RP)

/j(r)/ iron

/s/ //

chase division, illusion /zi/ physiology, busier, caesium flimsiest /si/ tarsier

unstressed -si before // a vowel unstressed -ssi before a vowel unstressed -sten unstressed -stle unstressed -sure unstressed -ti before a vowel unstressed -ture tw ur (before vowel) ur (before consonant) ure // /sn/ /sl/ /r/ // /tr/ /tw/ /j(r)/ /(r)/ /j(r)/

mission listen, fasten whistle, rustle leisure, treasure nation, ambitious nature, picture twin, between purity, curing curdle cure, pure

/si/ /stn/

potassium, dossier tungsten, Austen, existent

//

equation

/ti/ patio, /ta/ cation

/t/ two

urr before vowel waword-initial worwar- before consonant yr (before vowel) yr (before consonant) yre unstressed -zure

/r/ /w/ /w(r)/ /w(r)/ /ar/ /(r)/ /a(r)/ /r/

hurry, current watch, want, warrior /w/ work, worse warning, warts, dwarf gyration, thyroid myrtle, myrrh pyre, lyre seizure, azure wacky

/r/

myriad, pyramid

* There is no way to tell if it is the morpheme or an integral part of the word. Compare snaked and naked. ** Same as above; compare the two pronunciations of axes. Small text indicates rare words. Loans words: SP for Spanish, FR for French. [edit] Sound to spelling correspondences The following table shows for each sound, the various spelling patterns used to denote it. The symbol "" stands for an intervening consonant. The letter sequences are in order of frequency with the most common first. Some of these patterns are very rare or unique, such as au for the [] sound in laugh (some accents). In some cases, the spellings shown are found in only one known English word (such as "mh" for /m/, or "yrrh" for /r/). Consonants IPA Spelling /p/ p, pp, gh /b/ b, bb /t/ t, tt, ed, pt, th, ct d, dd, ed, dh, t (in some dialects), tt (in /d/ some dialects) // g, gg, gue, gh /k/ /m/ /n/ // /r/ /f/ /v/ // // /s/ /z/ // // Examples pill, happy, hiccough bit, rabbit ten, hitter, topped, pterodactyl, thyme, ctenoid dive, ladder, failed, dharma, waiter, flatter

go, stagger, catalogue, ghost cat, key, tack, chord, account, liquor, acquaint, biscuit, mosque, c, k, ck, ch, cc, qu, cq, cu, que, kk, kh, q trekker, khan, burqa m, mm, mb, mn, mh, gm, chm mine, hammer, climb, hymn, mho, diaphragm, drachm n, nn, kn, gn, pn, nh, cn, mn nice, funny, knee, gnome, pneumonia, piranha, cnidarian, mnemonic ng, n, ngue sing, link, tongue' r, rr, wr, rh, rrh ray, parrot, wrong, rhyme, diarrh(o)ea f, ph, ff, gh, pph, u fine, physical, off, laugh, sapphire, lieutenant (Br) v, vv, f, ph, w (in some dialects) vine, savvy, of, Stephen, Diwali th, chth, phth, tth, fth (in some dialects) thin, chthonic, phthisis, Matthew, twelfth th them, breathe s, c, ss, sc, st, ps, sch (in some dialects), song, city, mess, scene, listen, psychology, schism, flaccid, horse, cc, se, ce, z (in some dialects) juice, citizen s, z, x, zz, ss, ze, c (in some dialects) has, zoo, xylophone, fuzz, scissors, breeze, electricity shin, nation, special, mission, expansion, tissue, machine, sugar, sh, ti, ci, ssi, si, ss, ch, s, sci, ce, sch, sc conscience, ocean, schmooze, crescendo si, s, g, z, j, ti, sh (in some dialects) division, leisure, genre, seizure, jet, equation, Pershing

/t/ /d/ /h/ /j/ /l/ /w/ /hw/ IPA /i/ // /u/ // /e/

ch, t, tch, ti, c, cc, tsch, cz g, j, dg, dge, d, di, gi, ge, gg h, wh, j, ch y, i, j, ll, e l, ll, lh w, u, o, ou, wh (in most dialects) wh (in some dialects) Spelling

chin, nature, batch, bastion (some accents), cello, bocce, putsch, Czech magic, jump, judgment, bridge, graduate, soldier, Belgian, dungeon, exaggerate he, who, fajita, chutzpah yes, onion, hallelujah, tortilla, eoarchean line, hallo, Lhasa we, queen, choir, Ouija board, what wheel Vowels

// /o/ // // // // // // /a/ // /a/ /r/ /r/ /r/

Examples be, beach, bee, cede, Caesar, deceit, machine, field, people, amoeba, e, ea, ee, ee, ae, ei, ie, ie, eo, oe, hygiene, quay, key, ski, city, chamois, Portuguese, geyser (Br), ie...e, ay, ey, i, y, oi, ue, ey, a karaoke i, y, ui, e, ee, ie, o, u, a, ei, ee, ia, ea, bit, myth, build, pretty, been (some accents), sieve, women, busy, i...e, ai, oe damage, counterfeit, carriage, mileage, medicine, bargain, oedema tool, luminous, who, flute, soup, jewel, true, lose, fruit, maneuver oo, u, o, ue, ou, ew, ue, oe, ui, eu, (US), manoeuvre (Br), canoe, through, two, Sioux, lieutenant (US), oeu, oe, ough, wo, ioux, ieu, oup, w coup, cwm oo, u, o, oo...e, or, ou, oul look, full, wolf, gooseberry, worsted, courier, should bass, rate, quaalude, reggae, rain, cocaine, arraign, straight, a, ae, aa, ae, ai, ai...e, aig, aigh, al, ao, Ralph (sometimes in Br) gaol (Br), gauge, pay, ukulele (caf), crepe, au, ay, e (), e...e, ea, eg, ei, ei...e, eig, steak, thegn, veil, beige, reign, eight, matinee (soire), eh, dossier, eigh, ee (e), eh, er, es, et, ey, ez, ie, oeh demesne, ballet, obey, chez, lingerie (US), boehmite another, anthem, awesome, atrium, mountain, callous, foreign, beryl, a, e, o, u, ai, ou, eig, y, ah, ough, ae, oi Messiah, borough (Br), Michael, porpoise o, oe, oa, ow, ou, oe, oo, eau, oh, ew, so, bone, boat, know, soul, foe, brooch, beau, oh, sew, mauve, au, aoh, ough, eo pharaoh, furlough, yeoman e, ea, a, ae, ai, ay, eae, ei, eo, ie, ieu, met, weather, many, aesthetic, said, says, cleanse, heifer, jeopardy, u, ue, oe friend, lieutenant (Br), bury, guess, foetid a, ai, al, au, i hand, plaid, salmon, laugh (some accents), meringue u, o, oe, oe, ou, oo, wo sun, son, come, does, touch, flood, twopennce a, au, aw, ough, augh, o, oa, oo, al, uo, fall, author, jaw, bought, caught, cord, broad, door, walk, u, ao fluorine (Br), sure (some accents), extraordinary[dubious discuss] o, a, eau, ach, au, ou lock, watch, bureaucracy, yacht, sausage, cough a, ah, aa, i ae, ai, aie, aille, ais, ay, aye, ei, eigh, ey, eye, i, ie, ia, ie, ic, ig, igh, is, oi, ui, uy, uye, y, y...e, ye oi, oy, awy, uoy oye, eu ou, ow, ough, au aar, ar, are, arre, ear, er, our, uar father, blah, baa, lingerie (US) maestro, krait, shanghaied, canaille (RP), aisle, kayak, aye, heist, height, geyser (US), eye, mic, fine, diaper, tie, indict, sign, high, isle, choir, guide, buy, guyed, tryst, type, bye foil, toy, lawyer, buoy, gargoyle, Freudian out, now, bough, tau

bazaar, car, are, bizarre, heart, sergeant, our (some accents), guard Aaron, aerial, hair, millionaire, ware, vary, prayer, mayor, bear, aar, aer, air, aire, ar, are, ayer, ayor, ear, heir, stationery (some accents), where, err (variant), parterre, eir, er, ere, err, erre, ey're, e'er they're, e'er ear, beer, weir, theory (US), here, revers, we're, pier, premiere, ear, eer, eir, eor, ere, ers, e're, ier, iere, ir menhir

er, or, ur, ir, yr, our, ear, err, eur, yrrh, ar, oeu, olo u, ue, eu, ue, iew, eau, ieu, ueue, ui, /ju/ ewe, ew /r/ American and British English differences

fern, worst, turn, thirst, myrtle, journey, earth, err, amateur, myrrh, grammar, hors d'oeuvre, colonel music*, use, feud, cue, view, beautiful*, adieu*, queue, nuisance*, ewe, few, * in some dialects, see Yod dropping

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For the Wikipedia editing policy on use of regional variants in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Manual of style#National varieties of English. This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2009) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2009) This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. Please help clarify the article; suggestions may be found on the talk page. (February 2011) This is one of a series of articles about the differences between British English and American English, which, for the purposes of these articles, are defined as follows:

British English (BrE) is the form of English used in the United Kingdom. It includes all English dialects used within the United Kingdom. American English (AmE) is the form of English used in the United States. It includes all English dialects used within the United States.

Written forms of British and American English as found in newspapers and textbooks vary little in their essential features, with only occasional noticeable differences in comparable media[1] (comparing American newspapers with British newspapers, for example). This kind of formal English, particularly written English, is often called "standard English".[2][3] The spoken forms of British English vary considerably, reflecting a long history of dialect development amid isolated populations. Dialects and accents vary not only among the countries of the United Kingdom, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but also within these individual countries. There are also differences in the English spoken by different groups of people in any particular region. Received Pronunciation (RP) has traditionally been regarded as proper English; this is also referred to as "BBC English" or "the Queen's English". The BBC and other broadcasters now intentionally use a mix of presenters with a variety of British accents and dialects, and the concept of "proper English" is now far less prevalent.[4] An unofficial standard for spoken American English has also developed, as a result of mass media and geographic and social mobility, and broadly describes the English typically heard from network newscasters, commonly referred to as non-regional diction, although local newscasters tend toward more parochial forms of speech.[5] Despite this unofficial standard, regional variations of American English have not only persisted but have actually intensified, according to linguist William Labov.[citation needed] Regional dialects in the United States typically reflect the elements of the language of the main immigrant groups in any particular region of the country, especially in terms of pronunciation and vernacular vocabulary. Scholars have mapped at least four major regional variations of spoken American English: Northern, Southern, Midland, and Western.[6] After the American Civil War, the settlement of the western territories by migrants from the east led to dialect mixing and levelling, so that regional dialects are most strongly differentiated in the eastern parts of the country that were settled earlier. Localized dialects also exist with quite distinct variations, such as in Southern Appalachia and New York.

British and American English are the reference norms for English as spoken, written, and taught in the rest of the world. For instance the English-speaking members of the Commonwealth often closely follow British English forms while many new American English forms quickly become familiar outside of the United States. Although most dialects of English used in the former British Empire outside of North America are, to various extents, based on British English, most of the countries concerned have developed their own unique dialects, particularly with respect to pronunciation, idioms and vocabulary. Chief among other English dialects are Canadian English, based on the English of United Empire Loyalists who left the 13 Colonies,[7] and Australian English, which rank third and fourth in number of native speakers.[8][9] [edit] Historical background This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) The English language was first introduced to the Americas by British colonization, beginning in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. Similarly, the language spread to numerous other parts of the world as a result of British trade and colonization elsewhere and the spread of the former British Empire, which, by 1921, held sway over a population of 470570 million people, approximately a quarter of the world's population at that time. Over the past 400 years the form of the language used in the Americasespecially in the United Statesand that used in the United Kingdom have diverged in a few minor ways, leading to the dialects now occasionally referred to as American English and British English. Differences between the two include pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary (lexis), spelling, punctuation, idioms, formatting of dates and numbers, although the differences in written and most spoken grammar structure tend to be much less than those of other aspects of the language in terms of mutual intelligibility. A small number of words have completely different meanings in the two dialects or are even unknown or not used in one of the dialects. One particular contribution towards formalizing these differences came from Noah Webster, who wrote the first American dictionary (published 1828) with the intention of showing that people in the United States spoke a different dialect from Britain, much like a regional accent. This divergence between American English and British English once caused George Bernard Shaw to say that the United States and United Kingdom are "two countries divided by a common language";[10] a similar comment is ascribed to Winston Churchill[citation needed]. Likewise, Oscar Wilde wrote, "We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, the language" (The Canterville Ghost, 1888). Henry Sweet incorrectly predicted in 1877 that within a century American English, Australian English and British English would be mutually unintelligible. It may be the case that increased worldwide communication through radio, television, the Internet and globalization has reduced the tendency to regional variation. This can result either in some variations becoming extinct (for instance, the wireless, superseded by the radio) or in the acceptance of wide variations as "perfectly good English" everywhere. Often at the core of the dialect though, the idiosyncrasies remain. Nevertheless it remains the case that, although spoken American and British English are generally mutually intelligible, there are enough differences to cause occasional misunderstandings or at times embarrassmentfor example some words that are quite innocent in one dialect may be considered vulgar in the other. [edit] Grammar [edit] Nouns [edit] Formal and notional agreement In BrE, collective nouns can take either singular (formal agreement) or plural (notional agreement) verb forms, according to whether the emphasis is on the body as a whole or on the individual members respectively; compare a committee was appointed with the committee were unable to agree.[11][12] The term the Government always takes a plural verb in British civil service convention, perhaps to emphasise the principle of cabinet collective responsibility.[13]

Compare also the following lines of Elvis Costello's song "Oliver's Army": Oliver's Army are on their way / Oliver's Army is here to stay. Some of these nouns, for example staff,[14] actually combine with plural verbs most of the time. In AmE, collective nouns are almost always singular in construction: the committee was unable to agree. However, when a speaker wishes to emphasize that the individuals are acting separately, a plural pronoun may be employed with a singular or plural verb: the team takes their seats or the team take their seats, rather than the team takes its seats. However, such a sentence would most likely be recast as the team members take their seats.[15] Despite exceptions such as usage in The New York Times, the names of sports teams are usually treated as plurals even if the form of the name is singular.[16] The difference occurs for all nouns of multitude, both general terms such as team and company and proper nouns (for example where a place name is used to refer to a sports team). For instance, BrE: The Clash are a well-known band; AmE: The Clash is a well-known band. BrE: Spain are the champions; AmE: Spain is the champion. Proper nouns that are plural in form take a plural verb in both AmE and BrE; for example, The Beatles are a wellknown band; The Saints are the champions, with one major exception: largely for historical reasons, in American English, the United States is is almost universal. [edit] Verbs [edit] Verb morphology See also: English irregular verbs

The past tense and past participle of the verbs learn, spoil, spell, burn, dream, smell, spill, leap, and others, can be either irregular (learnt, spoilt, etc.) or regular (learned, spoiled, etc.). In BrE, both irregular and regular forms are current, but for some words (such as smelt and leapt) there is a strong tendency towards the irregular forms, especially by users of Received Pronunciation. For other words (such as dreamed, leaned, and learned[17]) the regular forms are somewhat more common. In most accents of AmE, the irregular forms are never or rarely used (except for burnt, leapt and dreamt).[18] The t endings may be encountered frequently in older American texts. Usage may vary when the past participles are used as adjectives, as in burnt toast. (The two-syllable form learnd /lrnd/, usually written without the grave, is used as an adjective to mean "educated" or to refer to academic institutions in both BrE and AmE.) Finally, the past tense and past participle of dwell and kneel are more commonly dwelt and knelt in both standards, with dwelled and kneeled as common variants in the US but not in the UK. Lit as the past tense of light is more common than lighted in the UK; the regular form is used more in the US but is nonetheless less common than lit.[19] Conversely, fit as the past tense of fit is more widely used in AmE than BrE, which generally favours fitted.[20] The past tense of spit "expectorate" is spat in BrE, spit or spat in AmE.[21] AmE typically has spat in figurative contexts, for example, "He spat out the name with a sneer", or in the context of expectoration of an object that is not saliva, for example, "He spat out the foul-tasting fish" but spit for "expectorated" when it refers only to the expulsion of saliva. The past participle of saw is normally sawn in BrE and sawed in AmE (as in sawn-off/sawed-off shotgun).[22] The past participle gotten is never used in modern BrE (apart from in the dialects of North-Eastern and Western England), which generally uses got, except in old expressions such as ill-gotten gains. According to the Compact Oxford English Dictionary, "The form gotten is not used in British English but is very common in North American English, though even there it is often regarded as non-standard." The American dictionary Merriam-Webster, however, lists "gotten" as a standard past participle of "get." In AmE gotten emphasizes the action of acquiring and got tends to indicate simple possession (for example, Have you gotten it? versus Have you got it?). Gotten is also typically used in AmE as the past participle for phrasal verbs using get, such as get off, get on, get into, get up, and get around: If you hadn't gotten up so late, you might not have gotten into this mess. Interestingly, AmE, but not BrE, has forgot as a less common alternative to forgotten for the past participle of forget.

In BrE, the past participle proved is strongly preferred to proven; in AmE, proven is now about as common as proved.[23] (Both dialects use proven as an adjective, and in formulas such as not proven).[24] AmE further allows other irregular verbs, such as dive (dove) or sneak (snuck), and often mixes the preterit and past participle forms (springsprang, US also sprungsprung), sometimes forcing verbs such as shrink (shrank shrunk) to have a further form, thus shrunkshrunken. These uses are often considered nonstandard; the AP Stylebook in AmE treats some irregular verbs as colloquialisms, insisting on the regular forms for the past tense of dive, plead and sneak. Dove and snuck are usually considered nonstandard in Britain, although dove exists in some British dialects and snuck is occasionally found in British speech. By extension of the irregular verb pattern, verbs with irregular preterits in some variants of colloquial AmE also have a separate past participle, for example, "to buy": past tense bought spawns boughten. Such formations are highly irregular from speaker to speaker, or even within idiolects. This phenomenon is found chiefly in the northern US and other areas where immigrants of German descent are predominant and may have developed as a result of German influence.[25] Even in areas where the feature predominates, however, it has not gained widespread acceptance as standard usage.

[edit] Use of tenses

Traditionally, BrE uses the present perfect to talk about an event in the recent past and with the words already, just and yet. In American usage these meanings can be expressed with the present perfect (to express a fact[citation needed] ) or the simple past (to imply an expectation[citation needed]). This American style has become widespread only in the past 20 to 30 years; the British style is still in common use as well. Recently the American use of just with simple past has made inroads into BrE, most visibly in advertising slogans and headlines such as "Cable broadband just got faster". o "I've just arrived home." / "I just arrived home." o "I've already eaten." / "I already ate." Similarly AmE occasionally replaces the past perfect with the simple past.[citation needed] In BrE, have got or have can be used for possession and have got to and have to can be used for the modal of necessity. The forms that include got are usually used in informal contexts and the forms without got in contexts that are more formal. In American speech the form without got is used more than in the UK, although the form with got is often used for emphasis. Colloquial AmE informally uses got as a verb for these meaningsfor example, I got two cars, I got to go. In conditional sentences, US spoken usage often substitutes would and would have (usually shortened to [I]'d and would've) for the simple past and for the pluperfect (If you'd leave now, you'd be on time. / If I would have [would've] cooked the pie we could have [could've] had it for lunch). This tends to be avoided in writing because it is often still considered non-standard although such use of would is widespread in spoken US English in all sectors of society. Some reliable sources now label this usage as acceptable US English and no longer label it as colloquial.[26][27] (There are, of course, situations where would is used in British English too in seemingly counterfactual conditions, but these can usually be interpreted as a modal use of would: If you would listen to me once in a while, you might learn something.)[28][29] In cases in which the action in the if clause takes place after that in the main clause, use of would in counterfactual conditions is, however, considered standard and correct usage in even formal UK and US usage: If it would make Bill happy, I'd [I would] give him the money.[28] The subjunctive mood (morphologically identical with the bare infinitive) is regularly used in AmE in mandative clauses (as in They suggested that he apply for the job). In BrE, this usage declined in the 20th century in favour of constructions such as They suggested that he should apply for the job (or even, more ambiguously, They suggested that he applied for the job). However, the mandative subjunctive has always been used in BrE.[30]

[edit] Verbal auxiliaries

Shall (as opposed to will) is more commonly used by the British than by Americans.[31][32] Shan't is almost never used in AmE (almost invariably replaced by won't or am not going to) and is increasingly rare in BrE as

well.[citation needed] American grammar also tends to ignore some traditional distinctions between should and would;[33] however, expressions like I should be happy are rather formal even in BrE.[citation needed] The periphrastic future "be going to" is about twice as frequent in AmE as in BrE.[34]

[edit] Transitivity The following verbs show differences in transitivity between BrE and AmE.

agree: Transitive or intransitive in BrE, usually intransitive in AmE (agree a contract/agree to or on a contract). However, in formal AmE legal writing one often sees constructions such as as may be agreed between the parties (rather than as may be agreed upon between the parties). appeal (as a decision): Usually intransitive in BrE (used with against) and transitive in AmE (appeal against the decision to the Court/appeal the decision to the Court).[35] catch up ("to reach and overtake"): Transitive or intransitive in BrE, strictly intransitive in AmE (to catch sb up/to catch up with sb). A transitive form does exist in AmE, but has a different meaning: to catch sb up means that the subject will help the object catch up, rather the opposite of the BrE transitive meaning. cater ("to provide food and service"): Intransitive in BrE, transitive or intransitive in AmE (to cater for a banquet/to cater a banquet). claim: Sometimes intransitive in BrE (used with for), strictly transitive in AmE. meet: AmE uses intransitively meet followed by with to mean "to have a meeting with", as for business purposes (Yesterday we met with the CEO), and reserves transitive meet for the meanings "to be introduced to" (I want you to meet the CEO; she is such a fine lady), "to come together with (someone, somewhere)" (Meet the CEO at the train station), and "to have a casual encounter with". BrE uses transitive meet also to mean "to have a meeting with"; the construction meet with, which actually dates back to Middle English, appears to be coming back into use in Britain, despite some commentators who preferred to avoid confusion with meet with meaning "receive, undergo" (the proposal was met with disapproval). The construction meet up with (as in to meet up with someone), which originated in the US,[36] has long been standard in both dialects. provide: Strictly monotransitive in BrE, monotransitive or ditransitive in AmE (provide sb with sth/provide sb sth). protest: In sense "oppose", intransitive in BrE, transitive in AmE (The workers protested against the decision/The workers protested the decision). The intransitive protest against in AmE means, "to hold or participate in a demonstration against". The older sense "proclaim" is always transitive (protest one's innocence). write: In BrE, the indirect object of this verb usually requires the preposition to, for example, I'll write to my MP or I'll write to her (although it is not required in some situations, for example when an indirect object pronoun comes before a direct object noun, for example, I'll write her a letter). In AmE, write can be used monotransitively (I'll write my congressman; I'll write him).

[edit] Complementation

The verbs prevent and stop can be found in two different constructions: "prevent/stop someone from doing something" and "prevent/stop someone doing something". The latter is well established in BrE, but not in AmE. Some verbs can take either a to+infinitive construction or a gerund construction (for example, to start to do something/to start doing something). For example, the gerund is more common: [37] o In AmE than BrE, with start, begin,[38] omit,[39] enjoy;[40] [41] o In BrE than AmE, with love, like,[42] intend.[43]

[edit] Presence or absence of syntactic elements This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

Where a statement of intention involves two separate activities, it is acceptable for speakers of AmE to use to go plus bare infinitive. Speakers of BrE would instead use to go and plus bare infinitive. Thus, where a speaker of

AmE may say I'll go take a bath, BrE speakers would say I'll go and have a bath. (Both can also use the form to go to instead to suggest that the action may fail, as in He went to take/have a bath, but the bath was full of children.) Similarly, to come plus bare infinitive is acceptable to speakers of AmE, where speakers of BrE would instead use to come and plus bare infinitive. Thus, where a speaker of AmE may say come see what I bought, BrE speakers would say come and see what I've bought (notice the present perfect: a common British preference). Use of prepositions before days denoted by a single word. Where British people would say She resigned on Thursday, Americans often say She resigned Thursday, but both forms are common in American usage. Occasionally the preposition is also absent when referring to months: I'll be here December (although this usage is generally limited to colloquial speech). In the UK, from is used with single dates and times more often than in the United States. Where British speakers and writers may say the new museum will be open from Tuesday, Americans most likely say the new museum will be open starting Tuesday. (This difference does not apply to phrases of the pattern from A to B, which are used in both BrE and AmE.) A variation or alternative of this is the mostly American the play opens Tuesday and the mostly British the play opens on Tuesday. American legislators and lawyers always use the preposition of between the name of a legislative act and the year it was passed; their British compeers do not. Compare Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

[edit] The definite article This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

A few 'institutional' nouns take no definite article when a certain role is implied: for example, at sea (as a sailor), in prison (as a convict), and at/in college (for students). Among this group, BrE has in hospital (as a patient) and at university (as a student), where AmE requires in the hospital and at the university (though AmE does allow at college and in school). When the implied roles of patient or student do not apply, the definite article is used in both dialects. Likewise, BrE distinguishes in future ("from now on") from in the future ("at some future time"); AmE uses in the future for both senses. AmE omits, and BrE requires, the definite article in a few standard expressions[clarification needed] such as tell (the) time. In BrE, numbered highways usually take the definite article (for example "the M25", "the A14"); in America they usually do not ("I-495", "Route 66"). Upstate New York, Southern California English and Arizona are exceptions, where "the 33", "the 5" or "the 10" are the standard. A similar pattern is followed for named roads (for example, Strand in London is almost always referred to as the Strand), but in America, there are local variations and older American highways tend to follow the British pattern ("the Boston Post Road"). AmE distinguishes in back of [behind] from in the back of; the former is unknown in the UK and liable to misinterpretation as the latter. Both, however, distinguish in front of from in the front of. Dates usually include a definite article in UK spoken English, such as "the eleventh of July", or "July the eleventh"; American speakers most commonly say "July eleventh" or "July eleven".

[edit] Prepositions and adverbs

In the United States, the word through can mean "up to and including" as in Monday through Friday. In the UK (and for many Americans) Monday to Friday, or Monday to Friday inclusive is used instead; Monday through to Friday is also sometimes used. (In some parts of Northern England, mainly Lancashire and Yorkshire, the term while can be used in the same way, as in Monday while Friday, whereas in Ireland[citation needed] Monday till Friday would be more natural.) In the United States on the weekend is used instead of the British equivalent, at the weekend. British sportsmen play in a team; American athletes play on a team. (Both may play for a particular team.) In AmE, the use of the function word out as a preposition in out the door and out the window is standard to mean "out through". For example, in AmE, one jumps "out of a boat" by jumping "out the porthole," and it

would be incorrect in standard AmE to "jump out the boat" or climb "out of the porthole." In BrE, out of is preferred in writing for both meanings, but out is common in speech.[44] Several other uses of out of are peculiarly British (out of all recognition, out of the team; cf. above);[45] all of this notwithstanding, out of is overall more frequent in AmE than in BrE (about four times as frequent, according to Algeo[46]). Near New York City, "on line" (two words) refers to the state of waiting in a line or queue; for example, standing on a sidewalk waiting for a table at a restaurant. Elsewhere in AmE, one waits "in line". Throughout AmE, going "online" (one word) refers to using the Internet. Usage of "queue" among Americans has increased in the last twenty years.[citation needed] In BrE, queue is the universal term and no variants of line are used in relation to waiting in turn. In BrE, people talk of standing in a queue, queuing up, joining the queue, sitting in a queue (for example, when driving) and simply queuing. The word heat meaning "mating season" is used with on in the UK (Regional Variation) and with in in the US. The intransitive verb affiliate can take either with or to in BrE but only with in AmE. The verb enrol(l) usually takes on in BrE and in in AmE (as in "to enrol(l) on/in a course") and the on/in difference is used when enrolled is dropped (as in "I am (enrolled) on the course that studies...."). In AmE, one always speaks of the street on which an address is located, whereas in BrE in can also be used in some contexts. In suggests an address on a city street, so a service station (or a tourist attraction or indeed a village) would always be on a major road, but a department store might be in Oxford Street. Moreover if a particular place on the street is specified then the preposition used is whichever is idiomatic to the place, thus "at the end of Churchill Road." BrE favours the preposition at with weekend ("at (the) weekend(s)"); the constructions on, over and during (the) weekend(s) are found in both varieties but are all more common in AmE than BrE.[47] See also Word derivation and compounds. Adding at to the end of a question requesting a location is common in spoken AmE, for example, "where are you at?", but would be considered superfluous in standard BrE (though not in some dialects). However, some south-western British dialects use to in the same context; for example "where are you to?", to mean "where are you". After talk American can also use the preposition with but British always[citation needed] uses to (that is, I'll talk with Dave / I'll talk to Dave). The American form is sometimes seen as more politically correct in British organizations, inducing the ideal of discussing (with) as opposed to lecturing (to). This is unless talk is being used as a noun; for example: "I'll have a talk with him" in which case this is acceptable in both BrE and AmE. In both dialects, from is the preposition prescribed for use after the word different: American English is different from British English in several respects. However, different than is also commonly heard in the US, and is often considered standard when followed by a clause (American English is different than it used to be), whereas different to is a common alternative in BrE.[48][49] It is common in BrE to say opposite to as an alternative to opposite of when used as a noun, the only form normally found in AmE. The use of opposite as a preposition (opposite the post office) has long been established in both dialects but appears to be more common in British usage. The noun opportunity can be followed by a verb in two different ways: opportunity plus to-infinitive ("the opportunity to do something") or opportunity plus of plus gerund ("the opportunity of doing something"). The first construction is the most common in both dialects but the second has almost disappeared in AmE and is often regarded as a Briticism. Both British and Americans may say (for example) that a river is named after a state, but "named for a state" would rightly be regarded as an Americanism. BrE sometimes uses to with near (we live near to the university); AmE avoids the preposition in most usages dealing with literal, physical proximity (we live near the university), although the to reappears in AmE when near takes the comparative or superlative form, as in she lives nearer/nearest to the deranged axe murderer's house. In BrE, one rings someone on his or her telephone number; in AmE, one calls someone at his or her telephone number. When referring to the constituency of an American legislator, the preposition "from" is usually used: "Senator from New York," whereas British MPs are "for" their constituency: "MP for East Cleveland." In AmE, the phrases aside from and apart from are used about equally; in BrE, apart from is far more common.[50] In AmE, the compound "off of" may be used where BrE almost always uses "off", and "off of" is considered slang. Compare AmE "He jumped off of the box" and BrE "He jumped off the box".

In AmE absent is sometimes used as a preposition to introduce a prepositional phrase[51] (Absent any objections, the proposal was approved.). The equivalent in BrE would be In the absence of any objections, the proposal was approved; this form is also common in AmE.

[edit] Phrasal verbs This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

Influenced by the German "ausfllen", in the US forms are usually but not invariably filled out but in Britain they are usually filled in. However, in reference to individual parts of a form Americans may also use in (fill in the blanks). In AmE the direction fill it all in (referring to the form as a collection of blanks, perhaps) is as common as fill it all out. Britons facing extortionate prices may have no option but to fork out, whereas Americans are more likely to fork (it) over or sometimes up; however, the out usage is found in both dialects. In both countries, thugs will beat up their victim; AmE also allows beat on (as both would for an inanimate object, such as a drum) or beat up on, which are often considered slang. When an outdoor event is postponed or interrupted by rain, it is rained off in the UK and rained out in the US.

[edit] Miscellaneous grammatical differences

In names of American rivers the word river usually comes after the name (for example, Colorado River) whereas for British rivers it comes before (as in the River Thames). Exceptions in BrE include the Fleet River, which is rarely called the River Fleet by Londoners outside official documentation, and also where the river name is an adjective (the Yellow River). Exceptions in the US are the River Rouge and the River Raisin, both in Michigan and named by the French. This convention is mixed in some Commonwealth nations, where both arrangements are often seen. In BrE speech, titles may precede names but not descriptions of offices (President Roosevelt, but Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister and Mr Jones, the team's coach); both normally precede names in AmE (President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Coach Jones). In BrE the word sat is often colloquially used to cover sat, sitting, and seated: I've been sat here waiting for half an hour. The bride's family will be sat on the right-hand side of the church. This construction is not often heard outside the UK. In the 1960s, its use would mark a speaker as coming from the north of England but by the turn of the 21st century this form had spread to the south. Its use often conveys lighthearted informality, when many speakers intentionally use a dialect or colloquial construction they would probably not use in formal written English. This colloquial usage is widely understood by British speakers. Similarly stood can be used instead of standing. To an American and still to many Britons these usages are passive and may imply that the subject had been involuntarily forced to sit or stand or directed to hold that location. In most areas of the United States the word with is also used as an adverb: I'll come with instead of I'll come along, although it is rarely used in writing. Come with is used as an abbreviation of come with me, as in I'm going to the office come with by speakers in Minnesota and parts of the adjoining states. These parts of the United States have high concentrations of both Scandinavian and German American populations. It is similar to South African English, where the expression comes from Dutch, and is used by Afrikaans speakers when speaking English. These contractions are not used by native BrE speakers. The word also is used at the end of a sentence in AmE (just as as well and too are in both dialects) but not so commonly in BrE, although it is encountered in Northern Ireland. Additionally, the sentence-ending as well is more formal in AmE than in BrE. Before some words beginning with a pronounced (not silent) h in an unstressed first syllable, such as hallucination, hilarious, historic(al), horrendous and horrific, some (especially older) British writers prefer to use an over a (an historical event, etc.).[52] An is also preferred before hotel by some writers of BrE (probably reflecting the relatively recent adoption of the word from French, where the h is not pronounced).[53] The use of "an" before words beginning with an unstressed "h" is more common generally in BrE than American.[53] Such usage would now be seen as affected or incorrect in AmE.[54] American writers normally use a in all these cases, although there are occasional uses of an historic(al) in AmE.[55] According to the New Oxford Dictionary

of English, such use is increasingly rare in BrE too.[52] Unlike BrE, AmE typically uses an before herb, since the h in this word is silent for most Americans. [edit] Word derivation and compounds

Directional suffix -ward(s): British forwards, towards, rightwards, etc.; American forward, toward, rightward. In both dialects distribution varies somewhat: afterwards, towards, and backwards are not unusual in America; while in Britain forward is common, and standard in phrasal verbs such as look forward to. The forms with -s may be used as adverbs (or preposition towards) but rarely as adjectives: in Britain as in America, one says "an upward motion". The Oxford English Dictionary in 1897 suggested a semantic distinction for adverbs, with wards having a more definite directional sense than -ward; subsequent authorities such as Fowler have disputed this contention. AmE freely adds the suffix -s to day, night, evening, weekend, Monday, etc. to form adverbs denoting repeated or customary action: I used to stay out evenings; the library is closed Saturdays. This usage has its roots in Old English but many of these constructions are now regarded as American (for example, the OED labels nights "now chiefly N. Amer. colloq."; but to work nights is standard in BrE). In BrE, the agentive -er suffix is commonly attached to football (also cricket; often netball; occasionally basketball). AmE usually uses football player. Where the sport's name is usable as a verb, the suffixation is standard in both dialects: for example, golfer, bowler (in Ten-pin bowling and in Lawn Bowls), and shooter. AmE appears sometimes to use the BrE form in baller as slang for a basketball player, as in the video game NBA Ballers. However, this is derived from slang use of to ball as a verb meaning to play basketball. English writers everywhere occasionally (and from time immemorial) make new compound words from common phrases; for example, health care is now being replaced by healthcare on both sides of the Atlantic. However, AmE has made certain words in this fashion that are still treated as phrases in BrE. In compound nouns of the form <verb><noun>, sometimes AmE favours the bare infinitive where BrE favours the gerund. Examples include (AmE first): jump rope/skipping rope; racecar/racing car; rowboat/rowing boat; sailboat/sailing boat; file cabinet/filing cabinet; dial tone/dialling tone; drainboard/draining board. Generally AmE has a tendency to drop inflectional suffixes, thus favouring clipped forms: compare cookbook v. cookery book; Smith, age 40 v. Smith, aged 40; skim milk v. skimmed milk; dollhouse v. dolls' house; barbershop v. barber's shop.[56] This has recently been extended to appear on professionally printed commercial signage and some boxes themselves (not mere greengrocers' chalkboards): can vegetables and mash potatoes appear in the US. Singular attributives in one country may be plural in the other, and vice versa. For example the UK has a drugs problem while the United States has a drug problem (although the singular usage is also commonly heard in the UK); Americans read the sports section of a newspaper; the British are more likely to read the sport section. However, BrE maths is singular, just as AmE math is: both are abbreviations of mathematics.

[edit] Vocabulary This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards, as spotty, incomplete, disconnected, too long. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. (February 2009) Most of the differences in lexis or vocabulary between British and American English are in connection with concepts originating from the 19th century to the mid 20th century, when new words were coined independently.[citation needed] Almost the entire vocabularies of the car/automobile and railway/railroad industries (see Rail terminology) are different between the UK and US, for example. Other sources of difference are slang or vulgar terms (where frequent new coinage occurs) and idiomatic phrases, including phrasal verbs. The differences most likely to create confusion are those where the same word or phrase is used for two different concepts. Regional variations, even within the US or the UK, can create the same problems. It is not a straightforward matter to classify differences of vocabulary. David Crystal identifies some of the problems of classification on the facing page to his list of American English/British English lexical variation and states "this should be enough to suggest caution when working through an apparently simple list of equivalents".[57]

[edit] Overview of lexical differences Note: A lexicon is not made up of different words but different "units of meaning" (lexical units or lexical items e.g. "fly ball" in baseball), including idioms and figures of speech[citation needed]. This makes it easier to compare the dialects. Though the influence of cross-culture media has done much to familiarize BrE and AmE speakers with each other's regional words and terms, many words are still recognized as part of a single form of English. Though the use of a British word would be acceptable in AmE (and vice versa), most listeners would recognize the word as coming from the other form of English and treat it much the same as a word borrowed from any other language. For instance a British speaker using the word chap or mate to refer to a friend would be heard in much the same way as an American using the Spanish word amigo. [edit] Words and phrases that have their origins in BrE Some speakers of AmE are aware of some BrE terms, although they may not generally use them or may be confused as to whether someone intends the American or British meaning (such as for biscuit). They will be able to guess approximately what some others, such as "driving licence", mean. However, use of many other British words such as naff (slang but commonly used to mean "not very good") are unheard of in American English. [edit] Words and phrases that have their origins in AmE Speakers of BrE are likely to understand most common AmE terms, examples such as "sidewalk", "gas (gasoline/petrol)", "counterclockwise" or "elevator (lift)", without any problem, thanks in part to considerable exposure to American popular culture and literature. Certain terms that are heard less frequently, especially those likely to be absent or rare in American popular culture, e.g. "copacetic (satisfactory)", are unlikely to be understood by most BrE speakers. [edit] Divergence [edit] Words and phrases with different meanings Words such as bill (AmE "paper money," BrE and AmE "invoice") and biscuit (AmE: BrE's "scone", BrE: AmE's "cookie") are used regularly in both AmE and BrE but mean different things in each form[citation needed]. As chronicled by Winston Churchill, the opposite meanings of the verb to table created a misunderstanding during a meeting of the Allied forces;[58] in BrE to table an item on an agenda means to open it up for discussion whereas in AmE, it means to remove it from discussion, or at times, to suspend or delay discussion. The word "football" in BrE refers to Association football, also known as soccer. In AmE, "football" means American football (although "soccer", a contraction of "association (football)", the standard AmE term, is also of British origin, derived from the formalization of different codes of football in the 19th century, and was a fairly unremarkable usage (possibly marked for class) in BrE until relatively recently; it has latterly become falsely perceived as an intrusive Americanism). Similarly the word "hockey" in BrE refers to field hockey; in AmE "hockey" means ice hockey. [edit] Other ambiguity (complex cases) Words with completely different meanings are relatively few; most of the time there are either (1) words with one or more shared meanings and one or more meanings unique to one variety (for example, bathroom and toilet) or (2) words the meanings of which are actually common to both BrE and AmE but that show differences in frequency, connotation or denotation (for example, smart, clever, mad). Some differences in usage and/or meaning can cause confusion or embarrassment. For example the word fanny is a slang word for vulva in BrE but means buttocks in AmEthe AmE phrase fanny pack is bum bag in BrE. In AmE the word fag (short for faggot) is a highly offensive term for a gay male but in BrE it is a normal and well-used term for a

cigarette, for hard work, or for a chore, while a faggot itself is a sort of meatball. In AmE the word pissed means being annoyed whereas in BrE it is a coarse word for being drunk (in both varieties, pissed off means irritated). Similarly, in AmE the word pants is the common word for the BrE trousers, while the majority of BrE speakers would understand pants to mean underwear. Many dialects in the North of England agree with the AmE usage and use pants to refer to trousers; this is often incorrectly considered an Americanism by people from elsewhere in Britain. The word pants is a shortening of the archaic pantaloons, which shares the same source as the French for trousers, pantalon. Sometimes the confusion is more subtle. In AmE the word quite used as a qualifier is generally a reinforcement: for example, "I'm quite hungry" means "I'm very hungry". In BrE quite (which is much more common in conversation) may have this meaning, as in "quite right" or "quite mad", but it more commonly means "somewhat", so that in BrE "I'm quite hungry" can mean "I'm somewhat hungry". This divergence of use can lead to misunderstanding. [edit] Frequency

In the UK the word whilst is historically acceptable as a conjunction (as an alternative to while, especially prevalent in some dialects). In AmE only while is used in both contexts.[citation needed] In the UK generally the term fall meaning "autumn" is obsolete. Although found often from Elizabethan literature to Victorian literature, continued understanding of the word is usually ascribed to its continued use in America.[citation needed] In the UK the term period for a full stop is not used; in AmE the term full stop is rarely, if ever, used for the punctuation mark. For example, Tony Blair said, "Terrorism is wrong, full stop", whereas in AmE, "Terrorism is wrong, period."[59]

[edit] Social and cultural differences Lexical items that reflect separate social and cultural development. [edit] Education [edit] School Main articles: Primary education, Secondary education in the United Kingdom, and Secondary education in the United States The naming of school years in British (except Scotland) and American English British English American English Age range Name Alternative name Syllabus Name Alternative name Preschool (optional) 14 Nursery Playgroup Foundation Stage 1 Primary school Preschool 45 Reception Infants reception Foundation Stage 2 Pre-kindergarten Pre-K 56 Year 1 Infants year 1 Kindergarten Key Stage 1 Elementary school 67 Year 2 Infants year 2 1st grade 78 Year 3 Junior year 3 2nd grade 89 Year 4 Junior year 4 3rd grade Key Stage 2 910 Year 5 Junior year 5 4th grade 1011 Year 6 Junior year 6 5th grade Secondary school / High School Middle school Junior high school [60] 1112 Year 7 First form 6th grade Key Stage 3 1213 Year 8 Second form 7th grade

1314 1415 1516 1617 1718

Year 9

Third form

8th grade

High school Year 10 Fourth form Key Stage 4, GCSE 9th grade Freshman year Year 11 Fifth form 10th grade Sophomore year [61] Sixth form (currently optional, until 2013) Year 12 Lower sixth (AS) 11th grade Junior year Key Stage 5, A level Year 13 Upper sixth (A2) 12th grade Senior year

In the UK the US equivalent of a high school is often referred to as a secondary school regardless of whether it is state funded or private. Secondary education in the United States also includes middle school or junior high school, a two- or three-year transitional school between elementary school and high school. "Middle school" is sometimes used in the UK as a synonym for the younger junior school, covering the second half of the primary curriculumcurrent years 4 to 6 in some areas. A public school has opposite meanings in the two countries. In the US this is a government-owned institution supported by taxpayers. In England and Wales the term strictly refers to an ill-defined group of prestigious private independent schools funded by students' fees, although it is often more loosely used to refer to any independent school. Independent schools are also known as private schools, and the latter is the correct term in Scotland and Northern Ireland for all such fee-funded schools. Strictly, the term public school is not used in Scotland and Northern Ireland in the same sense as in England, but nevertheless Gordonstoun, the Scottish private school which Charles, Prince of Wales attended, is sometimes referred to as a public school. Government-funded schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland are properly referred to as state schoolsbut are sometimes confusingly referred to as public schools (with the same meaning as in the US); whereas in the US, where most public schools are administered by local governments, a state school is typically a college or university run by one of the states. The UK use of the term "public" school is in contrast with "private" education, i.e. to be educated privately with a tutor.[62] Speakers in both the United States and the United Kingdom use several additional terms for specific types of secondary school. A US prep school or preparatory school is an independent school funded by tuition fees; the same term is used in the UK for a private school for pupils under thirteen, designed to prepare them for fee-paying public schools. An American parochial school covers costs through tuition and has affiliation with a religious institution, most often a Catholic church or diocese. (Interestingly, the term "parochial" is almost never used to describe schools run by fundamentalist Protestant groups.) In England, where the state-funded education system grew from parish schools organized by the local established church, the Church of England (C. of E., or C.E.), and many schools, especially primary schools (up to age 11) retain a church connection and are known as church schools, C.E. Schools or C.E. (Aided) Schools. There are also faith schools associated with the Roman Catholic Church and other major faiths, with a mixture of funding arrangements. In the US, a magnet school receives government funding and has special admission requirements: pupils gain admission through superior performance on admission tests. The UK has city academies, which are independent privately sponsored schools run with public funding and which can select up to 10% of pupils by aptitude. Moreover in the UK 36 Local Education Authorities retain selection by ability at 11. They maintain Grammar Schools (State funded secondary schools), which admit pupils according to performance in an examination (known as the 11+) and Comprehensive schools that take pupils of all abilities. Grammar Schools cream from 10% to 23% of those who sit the exam. However, nationally only 6% of pupils attend Grammar Schools.[citation needed] Private schools can also call themselves Grammar Schools. [edit] University In the UK a university student is said to study, to read or informally simply to do a subject. In the recent past the expression 'to read a subject' was more common at the older universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. In the US a student studies or majors in a subject (although concentration or emphasis is also used in some US colleges or universities to refer to the major subject of study). To major in something refers to the student's principal course of study; to study may refer to any class being taken.

BrE: "She read biology at Cambridge." "She studied biology at Cambridge." "She did biology at Cambridge." (informal) AmE: "She majored in biology at Harvard." "She studied biology at Harvard." "She concentrated in biology at Harvard." At university level in BrE, each module is taught by a lecturer or tutor; professor is the job-title of a senior academic. In AmE each class is generally taught by a professor (although some US tertiary educational institutions follow the BrE usage), while the position of lecturer is occasionally given to individuals hired on a temporary basis to teach one or more classes and who may or not have a doctoral degree. The word course in American use typically refers to the study of a restricted topic (for example, a course in Early Medieval England, a course in Integral Calculus) over a limited period of time (such as a semester or term) and is equivalent to a module at a British university. In the UK a course of study is likely to refer to a whole programme of study, which may extend over several years and be made up of any number of modules. [edit] General terms In both the US and the UK, a student takes an exam, but in BrE a student can also be said to sit an exam. The expression he sits for an exam also arises in BrE but only rarely in AmE; American lawyers-to-be sit for their bar exams and American master's and doctoral students may sit for their comprehensive exams, but in nearly all other instances, Americans take their exams. When preparing for an exam students revise (BrE)/review (AmE) what they have studied; the BrE idiom to revise for has the equivalent to review for in AmE. Examinations are supervised by invigilators in the UK and proctors (or (exam) supervisors) in the US (a proctor in the UK is an official responsible for student discipline at the University of Oxford or Cambridge). In the UK a teacher sets an exam while in the US, a teacher writes (prepares) and then gives (administers) an exam. BrE: "I sat my Spanish exam yesterday." "I plan to set a difficult exam for my students, but I don't have it ready yet." AmE: "I took my exams at Yale." "I spent the entire day yesterday writing the exam. I'm almost ready to give it to my students." Another source of confusion is the different usage of the word college. (See a full international discussion of the various meanings at college.) In the US this refers to a post-high school institution that grants either associate's or bachelor's degrees while in the UK it refers to any post-secondary institution that is not a university (including Sixth Form College after the name in secondary education for Years 12 and 13, the 6th form) where intermediary courses such as A Levels or NVQs can be taken and GCSE courses can be retaken. College may sometimes be used in the UK or in Commonwealth countries as part of the name of a secondary or high school (for example, Dubai College). In the case of Oxford, Cambridge, Aberdeen, London, Lancaster, Durham, Kent and York universities, all members are also members of a college which is part of the university, for example, one is a member of Clare College, Cambridge and hence the University.

In both the US and UK college can refer to some division within a university such as the "college of business and economics" though in the UK "faculty" is more often used. Institutions in the US that offer two to four years of posthigh school education often have the word college as part of their name, while those offering more advanced degrees are called a university. (There are exceptions of course: Boston College, Dartmouth College and The College of William & Mary are examples of colleges that offer advanced degrees, while Vincennes University is an unusual example of a "university" that offers only associate degrees in the vast majority of its academic programs.) American students who pursue a bachelor's degree (four years of higher education) or an associate degree (two years of higher education) are college students regardless of whether they attend a college or a university and refer to their educational institutions informally as colleges. A student who pursues a master's degree or a doctorate degree in the arts and sciences is in AmE a graduate student; in BrE a postgraduate student although graduate student is also sometimes used. Students of advanced professional programmes are known by their field (business student, law student, medical student). Some universities also have a residential college system, the details of which may vary but generally involve common living and dining spaces as well as college-organized activities. "Professor" has different meanings in BrE and AmE. In BrE it is the highest academic rank, followed by Reader, Senior Lecturer and Lecturer. In AmE "Professor" refers to academic staff of all ranks, with (Full) Professor (largely equivalent to the UK meaning) followed by Associate Professor and Assistant Professor. "Tuition" has traditionally had separate meaning in each variation. In BrE it is the educational content transferred from teacher to student at a university. In AmE it is the money (the fees) paid to receive that education (BrE: Tuition fees). There is additionally a difference between American and British usage in the word school. In British usage "school" by itself refers only to primary (elementary) and secondary (high) schools and to sixth forms attached to secondary schoolsif one "goes to school", this type of institution is implied. By contrast an American student at a university may talk of "going to school" or "being in school". US law students and medical students almost universally speak in terms of going to "law school" and "med school", respectively. However, the word is used in BrE in the context of higher education to describe a division grouping together several related subjects within a university, for example a "School of European Languages" containing departments for each language and also in the term "art school". It is also the name of some of the constituent colleges of the University of London, for example, School of Oriental and African Studies, London School of Economics. Among high-school and college students in the United States, the words freshman (or the gender-neutral term frosh or first year), sophomore, junior and senior refer to the first, second, third, and fourth years respectively. For first-year students, "frosh" is another gender-neutral term that can be used as a qualifier, for example "Frosh class elections". It is important that the context of either high school or college first be established or else it must be stated direct (that is, She is a high school freshman. He is a college junior.). Many institutes in both countries also use the term first-year as a gender-neutral replacement for freshman, although in the US this is recent usage, formerly referring only to those in the first year as a graduate student. One exception is the University of Virginia; since its founding in 1819 the terms "firstyear", "second-year", "third-year", and "fourth-year" have been used to describe undergraduate university students. At the United States military academies, at least those operated by the federal government direct, a different terminology is used, namely "fourth class", "third class", "second class" and "first class" (the order of numbering being the reverse of the number of years in attendance). In the UK first-year university students are sometimes called freshers early in the academic year; however, there are no specific names for those in other years nor for school pupils. Graduate and professional students in the United States are known by their year of study, such as a "second-year medical student" or a "fifth-year doctoral candidate." Law students are often referred to as "1L", "2L", or "3L" rather than "nth-year law students"; similarly medical students are frequently referred to as "M1", "M2", "M3", or "M4"). While anyone in the US who finishes studying at any educational institution by passing relevant examinations is said to graduate and to be a graduate, in the UK only degree and above level students can graduate. Student itself has a wider meaning in AmE, meaning any person of any age studying at any educational institution, whereas in BrE it tends to be used for people studying at a post-secondary educational institution and the term pupil is widely used for a young person at primary or secondary school. The names of individual institutions can be confusing. There are several "University High Schools" in the United States that are not affiliated with any post-secondary institutions and cannot grant degrees, and there is one public high school,

Central High School of Philadelphia, which does grant bachelor's degrees to the top ten per cent of graduating seniors. British secondary schools occasionally have the word "college" in their names. [edit] Politics In Britain, political candidates stand for election, while in the US, they run for office. There is virtually no crossover between BrE and AmE in the use of these terms. [edit] Transport/Transportation Americans refer to transportation and British people to transport.[63] (Transportation in Britain has traditionally meant the punishment of criminals by deporting them to an overseas penal colony.) In AmE, the word transport is mainly used only as a verb, seldom as a noun or adjective except in reference to certain specialized objects, such as a tape transport or a military transport (e.g., a troop transport, a kind of vehicle, not the act of transporting). Differences in terminology are especially obvious in the context of roads. The British term dual carriageway, in American parlance, would be divided highway. The central reservation on a motorway or dual carriageway in the UK would be the median or center divide on a freeway, expressway, highway or parkway in the US. The one-way lanes that make it possible to enter and leave such roads at an intermediate point without disrupting the flow of traffic are known as slip roads in the UK but US civil engineers call them ramps and further distinguish between on-ramps (for entering) and off-ramps (for leaving). When American engineers speak of slip roads, they are referring to a street that runs alongside the main road (separated by a berm) to allow off-the-highway access to the premises that are there, sometimes also known as a frontage roadin both the US and UK this is also known as a service road. In the UK, the term outside lane refers to the higher-speed overtaking lane (passing lane in the US) closest to the centre of the road while inside lane refers to the lane closer to the edge of the road. In the US outside lane is used only in the context of a turn, in which case it depends in which direction the road is turning (i.e. if the road bends right the left lane is the "outside lane" but if the road bends left it is the right lane). Both also refer to slow and fast lanes (even though all actual traffic speeds may be at or around the legal speed limit). In the UK drink driving is against the law whilst in the US the term is drunk driving. The legal term in the US is driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). The equivalent legal phrase in the UK is drunk in charge of a motor vehicle (DIC) or more commonly driving with excess alcohol.[64] Specific auto parts and transport terms have different names in the two dialects, for example: UK US
[65]

B road rural road bonnet hood[66] boot trunk[66][67] bumper bumper, fender[65] hood convertible top car park parking lot[65] dual carriageway divided highway[66] estate car station wagon[65] flyover overpass[65] gearbox transmission[66] juggernaut 18 wheeler[68] lorry truck[67] articulated lorry trailer truck[65] motorway or M way freeway[68] or highway

pavement roadworks petrol saloon silencer spanner ticking over windscreen anti-clockwise car valeting [edit] Television

sidewalk[68] construction zone gasoline or gas[66] sedan[69] muffler[66] wrench[66][67] idling[68] windshield[66] counter-clockwise[66] auto detailing

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) In American television the episodes of a program (BrE programme) first broadcast in a particular year constitute a season, while the entire run of the programwhich may span several seasonsis called a series. In British television, on the other hand, the word series may apply to the episodes of a programme in one particular year, for example, "The 1998 series of Grange Hill", as well as to the entire run. However, the entire run may sometimes be revered to as a "show". The term telecast, meaning television broadcast, is not used in British English. A television programme would be broadcast, aired or shown. [edit] Levels of buildings This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) There are also variations in floor numbering between the US and UK. In most countries, including the UK, the "first floor" is one above the entrance level while the entrance level is the "ground floor". In the US the ground floor is considered the first floor. In a British lift one would press the "G" or "0" button to return to the ground floor whereas in an American elevator, one would push the "1", "G", or "L" (for Lobby) button to return to the ground floor. The "L" button in a British lift would take you to the lower ground floor (i.e. the floor below ground, the basement), which may also be numbered "1" (minus one). American (AmE) apartment buildings / (BrE) blocks of flats frequently are exceptions to this rule. The ground floor often contains the lobby and parking area for the tenants, while the numbered floors begin one level above and contain only the flats (AmE apartments) themselves. [edit] Units and measurement [edit] Numbers See also: Names of numbers in English When saying or writing out numbers, the British insert an and before the tens and units, as in one hundred and sixtytwo or two thousand and three. In the United States it is considered correct to drop the and, as in one hundred sixty-two or two thousand three. Some American schools teach students to pronounce decimally written fractions (for example, .5) as though they were longhand fractions (five tenths), such as thirteen and seven tenths for 13.7. This formality is often dropped in common

speech and is steadily disappearing in instruction in mathematics and science as well as in international American schools. In the UK, 13.7 would be read thirteen point seven. In counting, it is common in both varieties of English to count in hundreds up to 1,900so 1,200 may be twelve hundred. However, Americans use this pattern for much higher numbers than is the norm in British English, referring to twenty-four hundred where British English would most often use two thousand four hundred. Even below 2,000, Americans are more likely than the British are to read numbers like 1,234 as twelve hundred thirty-four, instead of one thousand two hundred and thirty-four. In the case of years, however, twelve thirty-four would be the norm on both sides of the Atlantic for the year 1234. The year 2000 and years beyond it are read as two thousand, two thousand (and) one and the like by both British and American speakers. For years after 2009, twenty ten, twenty twelve etc. are becoming common. For the house number (or bus number, etc.) 272, British people tend to say two seven two while Americans tend to say two seventy-two. There is also a historical difference between billions, trillions and so forth. Americans use billion to mean one thousand million (1,000,000,000), whereas in the UK, until the latter part of the 20th century, it was used to mean one million million (1,000,000,000,000).[70] In 1974 the British prime minister, Harold Wilson, told the House of Commons that UK government statistics would now use the short scale; followed by the Chancellor, Denis Healey, in 1975, that the treasury would now adopt the US billion version.[citation needed] One thousand million was sometimes described as a milliard, the definition adopted by most other European languages.[citation needed] However, the 'American' version has since been adopted for all published writing and the word milliard is obsolete in English, as are billiard (but not billiards, the game), trilliard and so on.[citation needed] All major British publications and broadcasters, including the BBC, which long used thousand million to avoid ambiguity, now use billion to mean thousand million.[citation needed] Many people have no direct experience of manipulating numbers this large, and many non-American readers may interpret billion as 1012 (even if they are young enough to have been taught otherwise at school); moreover usage of the "long" billion is standard in some non-English speaking countries. For these reasons, defining the word may be advisable when writing for the public. See long and short scales for a more detailed discussion of the evolution of these terms in English and other languages. When referring to the numeral 0, British people would normally use nought, oh, or zero, although nil is common in sports scores. Americans use the term zero most frequently; oh is also often used (though never when the quantity in question is nothing), and occasionally slang terms such as zilch or zip. Phrases such as the team won twozip or the team leads the series twonothing are heard when reporting sports scores. In the case of association footballknown as "football" in Britain and "soccer" in AmericaAmericans will sometimes use "nil" as in Britain, although this usage is mostly confined to soccer journalists and hardcore fans and is not universal among either group. The digit 0, for example, when a phone or account number is being read aloud, is nearly always pronounced oh in both language varieties for the sake of convenience. In the internet age the use of the term oh can cause certain inconveniences when one is referencing an email address, causing confusion as to whether the character in question is a zero or the letter O. When reading numbers in a sequence, such as a telephone or serial number, British people will usually use the terms double followed by the repeated number. Hence 007 is double oh seven. Exceptions are the emergency telephone number 999, which is always nine nine nine and the apocalyptic "Number of the Beast", which is always six six six. In the US 911 (the US emergency telephone number) is usually read nine one one, while 9/11 (in reference to the September 11, 2001 attacks) is usually read nine eleven. [edit] Monetary amounts

Monetary amounts in the range of one to two major currency units are often spoken differently. In AmE one may say a dollar fifty or a pound eighty, whereas in BrE these amounts would be expressed one dollar fifty and one pound eighty. For amounts over a dollar an American will generally either drop denominations or give both dollars and cents, as in two-twenty or two dollars and twenty cents for $2.20. An American would not say two dollars twenty. On the other hand, in BrE, two pounds twenty would be the most common form.

It is more common to hear a British-English speaker say one thousand two hundred dollars than a thousand and two hundred dollars, although the latter construct is common in AmE. The term twelve hundred dollars, popular in AmE, is frequently used in BrE but only for exact multiples of 100 up to 1900. Speakers of BrE very rarely hear amounts over 1900 expressed in hundreds, for example twenty-three hundred. In BrE, particularly in television or radio advertisements, integers can be pronounced individually in the expression of amounts. For example, on sale for 399 might be expressed on sale for three nine nine, though the full Three hundred and ninety-nine pounds is at least as common. An American advertiser would almost always say on sale for three ninety-nine.[citation needed] In British English the latter pronunciation implies a value in pence, so three ninety-nine would be understood as 3.99. The BrE slang term quid is roughly equivalent to the AmE buck and is often used for whole (round) pound/dollar amounts, as in fifty-three quid for 53 and forty-seven bucks for $47. A hundred and fifty grand in either dialect could refer to 150,000 or $150,000 depending on context. Quid was formerly also used in Ireland for the punt and today is used for the euro. "Quid" does not (generally) have a plural form but "buck" does (aside from the expression "quids in"meaning having made or won a lot of money). A user of AmE may hand-write the mixed monetary amount $3.24 as $324 or $324 (often seen for extra clarity on a check); BrE users will always write this as 3.24. In all cases there may or may not be a space after the currency symbol, or the currency symbols may be omitted depending on context.[71] In order to make explicit the amount in words on a check, Americans write three and 24100 (using this solidus construction or with a horizontal division line): they do not need to write the word dollars as it is usually already printed on the check. On a cheque UK residents would write three pounds and 24 pence, three pounds 24 or three pounds 24p, since the currency unit is not preprinted. To make unauthorized amendment difficult, it is useful to have an expression terminator even when a whole number of dollars/pounds is in use: thus Americans would write three and 00100 or three and no100 on a three-dollar check (so that it cannot easily be changed to, for example, three million) and UK residents would write three pounds only.[72] The term pound sign in BrE always refers to the currency symbol whereas in AmE pound sign means the number sign, which the British call the hash symbol, #. (From the 1960s to the 1990s the British telephone company, the GPO and its successors Post Office Telecommunications and British Telecom referred to this as gate on telephone keypads.) In spoken BrE the word pound is sometimes colloquially used for the plural as well. For example three pound forty and twenty pound a week are both heard in British English. Some other currencies do not change in the plural; yen and rand being examples. This is in addition to normal adjectival use, as in a twenty-pound-a-week pay-rise. The euro most often takes a regular plural -s in practice despite the EU dictum that it should remain invariable in formal contexts; the invariable usage is more common in Ireland, where it is the official currency. In BrE the use of p instead of pence is common in spoken usage. Each of the following has equal legitimacy: 3 pounds 12 p; 3 pounds and 12 p; 3 pounds 12 pence; 3 pounds and 12 pence; as well as just 8 p or 8 pence. AmE uses words such as nickel, dime, and quarter for small coins. In BrE the usual usage is a 10-pence piece or a 10p piece or simply a 10p, for any coin below 1, but pound coin and two-pound coin. BrE did have specific words for a number of coins before decimalisation. Terms such as half crown, florin, bob and tanner for predecimalization coins are still familiar to older BrE speakers but they are not used for modern coins. In older terms like two-bob bit and threepenny bit, the word bit had common usage before decimalization similar to that of piece today.

[edit] Dates Dates are usually written differently in the short (numerical) form. Christmas Day 2000, for example, is 25/12/00 or 25.12.00 in the UK and 12/25/00 in the US, although the formats 25/12/2000, 25.12.2000, and 12/25/2000 now have more currency than they had before the Year 2000 problem. Occasionally other formats are encountered, such as the ISO 8601 2000-12-25, popular among programmers, scientists and others seeking to avoid ambiguity, and to make alphanumerical order coincide with chronological order. The difference in short-form date order can lead to misunderstanding. For example 06/04/05 could mean either June 4, 2005 (if read as US format), 6 April 2005 (if seen as in UK format) or even 5 April 2006 if taken to be an older ISO 8601-style format where 2-digit years were allowed. A consequence of the different short-form of dates is that in the UK, many people are reluctant to refer to "9/11", although its meaning is instantly understood. On the BBC "September the 11th" is generally used in preference to 9/11. However, 9/11 is commonplace in the British press to refer to the events of September 11, 2001.

When using the word of the month rather than the number to write a date for example, April 21, both that and 21 April are used in the UK,[73] but as a rule only April 21 would be seen in the U.S. British usage often changes the day from an integer to an ordinal, i.e. 21st instead of 21. In speech "of" and "the" are used in the UK, as in "April the 21st" and "the 21st of April". Phrases such as the following are common in Britain but are generally unknown in the US: "A week today", "a week tomorrow", "a week on Tuesday" and "Tuesday week" (this is found in central Texas), "a fortnight on Friday" (the latter referring to two weeks after "next Friday"). In the US the standard construction is "a week from today", "a week from tomorrow", etc. BrE speakers may also say "Thursday last" or "Thursday gone" where AmE would prefer "last Thursday". "I'll see you (on) Thursday coming" or "Let's meet this coming Thursday" in BrE refer to a meeting later this week, while "Not until Thursday next". [edit] Time The 24-hour clock (18:00 or 1800) is considered normal in the UK and Europe in many applications including air, rail and bus timetables; it is largely unused in the US outside of military, police, aviation and medical applications. 15 minutes after the hour is called quarter past in British usage and a quarter after or, less commonly, a quarter past in American usage. 15 minutes before the hour is usually called quarter to in British usage and a quarter of, a quarter to or a quarter 'til in American usage; the form a quarter to is associated with parts of the Northern United States, while a quarter 'til is found chiefly in the Appalachian region.[citation needed] Thirty minutes after the hour is commonly called half past in both BrE and AmE; half after used to be more common in the US. In informal British speech, the preposition is sometimes omitted, so that 5:30 may be referred to as half five. The AmE formations top of the hour and bottom of the hour are not used in BrE. Forms such as eleven forty are common in both dialects. [edit] Weight In British usage, human body weight is typically expressed in stones (equal to 14 pounds). People normally describe themselves as weighing, for example, "11 stone 4" (11 stones and 4 pounds) and not "158 pounds" (the conventional way of expressing the same weight in the United States). Less commonly, people in Britain may also choose to express their weight in terms of kilograms. When used as the unit of measurement the plural form of stone is correctly stone (as in "11 stone"). When describing the units, the correct plural is stones (as in "Please enter your weight in stones and pounds"). [edit] Greetings Main article: Holiday greetings When Christmas is explicitly mentioned in a greeting, the universal phrasing in North America is Merry Christmas. In the UK Happy Christmas is also heard. It is increasingly common for Americans to say Happy Holidays, referring to all winter holidays (Christmas, Yule, New Year's Day, Hanukkah, Diwali, St Lucia Day and Kwanzaa) while avoiding any specific religious reference, though this is rarely, if ever, heard in the UK. Season's Greetings is a common phrase printed in greetings cards in both America and Britain. [edit] Idiosyncratic differences [edit] Figures of speech Both BrE and AmE use the expression "I couldn't care less" to mean the speaker does not care at all. In both areas, saying, "I don't mind" often means, "I'm not annoyed" (for example, by someone's smoking), while "I don't care" often means, "The matter is trivial or boring". However, in answering a question such as "Tea or coffee?", if either alternative is equally acceptable an American may answer, "I don't care" while a British person may answer, "I don't mind". Either sounds odd to the other.

In BrE the phrase I can't be arsed (to do something) is a very recent vulgar equivalent to the British or American I can't be bothered (to do it). To non-BrE speakers this may be confused with the Southern English pronunciation of I can't be asked (to do that thing)[citation needed], which sounds either defiantly rude or nonsensical. Old BrE often uses the exclamation "No fear!" where current AmE has "No way!" An example from Dorothy L. Sayers: Q.: Wilt thou be baptized in this faith? A.: No fear! from Creed or chaos? : And other essays in popular theology[74] This usage may confuse users of AmE, who are likely to interpret and even use "No fear!" as enthusiastic willingness to move forward[citation needed]. [edit] Equivalent idioms A number of English idioms that have essentially the same meaning show lexical differences between the British and the American version; for instance: British English American English not touch something with a bargepole not touch something with a ten-foot pole sweep under the carpet sweep under the rug touch wood knock on wood see the wood for the trees see the forest for the trees throw a spanner (in the works) throw a (monkey) wrench (into a situation) [75] put (or stick) your oar in but it won't make a ha'porth of difference[76] to put your two cents (or two cents' worth) in[77] to put your two penneth (or tuppence worth) in skeleton in the cupboard skeleton in the closet a home from home a home away from home blow one's trumpet blow (or toot) one's horn a drop in the ocean a drop in the bucket[78] flogging a dead horse beating a dead horse haven't (got) a clue don't have a clue or have no clue a new lease of life a new lease on life lie of the land lay of the land to take something with a pinch of salt to take something with a grain of salt a tempest (or storm) in a teacup a tempest in a teapot In some cases, the American variant is also used in BrE, or vice versa. [edit] Writing [edit] Spelling Main article: American and British English spelling differences Before the early 18th century English spelling was not standardized. Different standards became noticeable after the publishing of influential dictionaries. For the most part current BrE spellings follow those of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language (1755). Among the advocates of spelling reform in England, the influences of those who preferred the Norman (or Anglo-French) spellings of certain words proved decisive. In many cases AmE

deviated in the 19th century from mainstream British spelling; on the other hand it has also often retained older forms. Many of the now characteristic AmE spellings were introduced, although often not created, by Noah Webster in his An American Dictionary of the English Language of 1828. Webster was a strong proponent of spelling reform for reasons both philological and nationalistic. Many other spelling changes proposed in the US by Webster himself and by the Simplified Spelling Board in the early 20th century never caught on. Subsequent spelling adjustments in the UK had little effect on present-day US spelling, and vice versa. [edit] Punctuation

Full stops/Periods in abbreviations: Americans tend to write Mr., Mrs., St., Dr.; the British will most often write Mr, Mrs, St, Dr, following the rule that a full stop/period is used only when the last letter of the abbreviation is not the last letter of the complete word. This kind of abbreviation is known as a contraction in the UK. The use of full stops/periods after most abbreviations can also be found in the UK, although publications generally tend to eschew the use of American punctuation. Unit symbols such as kg and Hz are never punctuated. Quoting: Americans begin their quotations with double quotation marks (") and use single quotation marks (') for quotations within quotations. BrE usage varies, with some authoritative sources such as The Economist and The Times recommending the same usage as in the US,[79] whereas other authoritative sources, such as The King's English, recommend single quotation marks.[80] In journals and newspapers, quotation mark double/single use depends on the individual publication's house style. Quotation usage: Americans occasionally place commas and periods inside quotation marks. Specific exceptions are made only for parenthetical citation and cases in which the addition of a period or comma could create confusion, such as the quotation of web addresses or certain types of data strings. In both styles, question marks and exclamation marks are placed inside the quotation marks if they belong to the quotation and outside otherwise. With narration of direct speech, both styles retain punctuation inside the quotation marks, with a full stop changing into a comma if followed by explanatory text, also known as a dialogue tag. Americans tend to apply quotations when signifying doubt of veracity (sarcastically or seriously), to imply another meaning to a word or to imply a cynical take on a paraphrased quotation, without punctuation at all. o Carefree means "free from care or anxiety." (American style) o Carefree means 'free from care or anxiety'. (British style)** o "Hello, John," I said. (both styles) o Did you say, "I'm shot"? No, I said, "Why not?" (Both styles) o To insert an ampersand, hold "shift" and type the number "7." (American grammarperiod inside quotes always. See Gregg English Grammar Manual.) o Yeah, you really "showed" him. (American style) o My "friend" just told the whole school about my "problem." (American style) o She told me that I was "too nice." (American style) The American style was established for typographical reasons, a historical legacy from the use of the handset printing press. It is used by most American newspapers, publishing houses and style guides in the United States and Canada (including the Modern Language Association's MLA Style Manual, the American Psychological Association's APA Publication Manual, the University of Chicago's The Chicago Manual of Style, the American Institute of Physics's AIP Style Manual, the American Medical Association's AMA Manual of Style, the American Political Science Association's APSA Style Manual, the Associated Press' The AP Guide to Punctuation and the Canadian Public Works' The Canadian Style).[81] It also makes the process of copy editing easier, eliminating the need to decide whether a period or comma belongs to the quotation.[citation needed] Hart's Rules and the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors call the British style "new" quoting. It is also similar to the use of quotation marks in many other languages (including Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Catalan, Dutch and German). A few US professional societies whose professions frequently employ various non-word characters, such as chemistry and computer programming, use the British form in their style guides (see ACS Style Guide). According to the Jargon File, American hackers switched to what they later discovered to be the British quotation system because placing a period inside a quotation mark can change the meaning of data strings that are meant to be typed character-for-character.[82] (It may be noted that the current American system places periods and commas inside the quotes in these cases anyway.)

Parentheses/brackets: In British English, "( )" marks are generally referred to as brackets, whereas "[ ]" are called square brackets and "{ }" are called curly brackets. In American English "( )" marks are parentheses (singular parenthesis), "[ ]" are called brackets, and "{ }" can often be called curly braces. In both countries, standard usage is to place punctuation outside the parenthesis:

"I am going to the store (if it is still open)."

In the case of a parenthetical expression which is itself a complete sentence, the final punctuation may be placed inside the parenthesis, particularly if not a period:

"I am going to the store (is it still open?)" "I am going to the store (I hope it's still open!)"

[edit] Titles and headlines This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) Use of capitalization varies. Sometimes the words in titles of publications and newspaper headlines as well as chapter and section headings are capitalized in the same manner as in normal sentences (sentence case). That is, only the first letter of the first word is capitalized, along with proper nouns, etc. However, publishers sometimes require additional words in titles and headlines to have the initial capital, for added emphasis, as it is often perceived as appearing more professional. In AmE this is common in titles but less so in newspaper headlines. The exact rules differ between publishers and are often ambiguous; a typical approach is to capitalize all words other than short articles, prepositions, and conjunctions. This should probably be regarded as a common stylistic difference rather than a linguistic difference, as neither form would be considered incorrect or unusual in either the UK or the US. Many British tabloid newspapers (such as The Sun, The Daily Sport) use fully capitalised headlines for impact as opposed to readability (for example, BERLIN WALL FALLS or BIRD FLU PANIC). On the other hand the broadsheets (such as The Guardian, The Times, and The Independent) usually follow the sentence style of having only the first letter of the first word capitalized. American newspapers commonly use a comma as a shorthand for "and" in headlines. For example, the Washington Post had the headline "A TRUE CONSERVATIVE: For McCain, Bush Has Both Praise, Advice."[83] Differences Between American and British English While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is "correct" however, there are certainly preferences in use. The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English spellings then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour - color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy - or possible. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English. Use of the Present Perfect In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example:

I've lost my key. Can you help me look for it? In American English the following is also possible: I lost my key. Can you help me look for it? In British English the above would be considered incorrect. However, both forms are generally accepted in standard American English. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet. British English: I've just had lunch I've already seen that film Have you finished your homework yet? American English: I just had lunch OR I've just had lunch I've already seen that film OR I already saw that film. Have your finished your homework yet? OR Did you finish your homework yet? Possession There are two forms to express possession in English. Have or Have got Do you have a car? Have you got a car? He hasn't got any friends. He doesn't have any friends. She has a beautiful new home. She's got a beautiful new home. While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasn't got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English while most speakers of American English employ the have (do you have, he doesn't have etc.) The Verb Get The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English. Example He's gotten much better at playing tennis. British English - He's got much better at playing tennis. Vocabulary Probably the major differences between British and American English lies in the choice of vocabulary. Some words mean different things in the two varieties for example: Mean: (American English - angry, bad humored, British English - not generous, tight fisted) Rubber: (American English - condom, British English - tool used to erase pencil markings) There are many more examples (too many for me to list here). If there is a difference in usage, your dictionary will note the different meanings in its definition of the term. Many vocabulary items are also used in one form and not in the other. One of the best examples of this is the terminology used for automobiles.

American English - hood British English - bonnet

American English - trunk British English - boot American English - truck British English - lorry

Once again, your dictionary should list whether the term is used in British English or American English. For a more complete list of the vocabulary differences between British and American English use this British vs. American English vocabulary tool. Prepositions There are also a few differences in preposition use including the following:

American English - on the weekend British English - at the weekend American English - on a team British English - in a team American English - please write me soon British English - please write to me soon

Past Simple/Past Participles The following verbs have two acceptable forms of the past simple/past participle in both American and British English, however, the irregular form is generally more common in British English (the first form of the two) and the regular form is more common to American English.

Burn Burnt OR burned Dream dreamt OR dreamed Lean leant OR leaned Learn learnt OR learned Smell smelt OR smelled Spell spelt OR spelled Spill spilt OR spilled Spoil spoilt OR spoiled

Spelling Here are some general differences between British and American spellings: Words ending in -or (American) -our (British) color, colour, humor, humour, flavor, flavour etc. Words ending in -ize (American) -ise (British) recognize, recognise, patronize, patronise etc. The best way to make sure that you are being consistent in your spelling is to use the spell check on your word processor (if you are using the computer of course) and choose which variety of English you would like. As you can

see, there are really very few differences between standard British English and standard American English. However, the largest difference is probably that of the choice of vocabulary and pronunciation. British English/American English Vocabulary Here are some of the main differences in vocabulary between British and American English. This page is intended as a guide only. Bear in mind that there can be differences in the choice of specific terms depending on dialect and region within both the USA and the UK. British English anti-clockwise articulated lorry autumn barrister bill (restaurant) biscuit block of flats bonnet (clothing) bonnet (car) boot bumper (car) caravan car park chemist's shop chest of drawers chips the cinema clothes peg coffin crisps crossroads cupboard diversion drawing-pin drink-driving American English counter-clockwise trailer truck autumn, fall attorney bill, check cookie apartment building hat hood trunk bumper, fender trailer parking lot drugstore, pharmacy dresser, chest of drawers, bureau fries, French fries the movies clothespin coffin, casket potato chips intersection; crossroads (rural) cupboard (in kitchen); closet (for clothes etc) detour thumbtack drunk driving

driving licence dual carriageway dummy (for baby) dustbin dustman engine estate agent estate car film flat flat tyre flyover gearbox (car) gear-lever Girl Guide ground floor handbag high street holiday hood (car) jam jug juggernaut lift lorry mad main road maize maths motorbike motorway

driver's license divided highway pacifier garbage can, trash can garbage collector engine, motor real estate agent station wagon film, movie apartment, flat, studio flat tire overpass transmission gearshift Girl Scout ground/first floor handbag, purse, shoulder bag main street vacation convertible top jam, preserves jug, pitcher 18-wheeler elevator truck, semi, tractor crazy, insane highway corn math motorcycle freeway, expressway

motorway nappy naughts and crosses pants, underpants pavement pet hate petrol The Plough pocket money post postbox postcode postman pub public toilet railway return (ticket) reverse charge ring road road surface roundabout rubber rubbish rubbish-bin saloon (car) shop silencer (car) single (ticket) solicitor spanner sweets

highway, freeway, expressway, interstate highway, interstate diaper tic-tack-toe underpants, drawers sidewalk pet peeve gas, gasoline Big Dipper allowance mail mailbox zip code mailman, mail carrier, letter carrier bar rest room, public bathroom railroad round-trip collect call beltway, freeway/highway loop pavement, blacktop traffic circle, roundabout eraser garbage, trash garbage can, trashcan sedan shop, store muffler one-way lawyer, attorney wrench candy

taxi tea towel telly (informal), TV

taxi, taxi cab dish towel television, TV

third-party insurance liability insurance timetable tin toll motorway torch trousers tube (train) underground (train) vest waistcoat wallet wellington boots whisky windscreen zip schedule can toll road, turnpike flashlight pants, trousers subway subway undershirt vest wallet, billfold rubber boots, rain boots whiskey, scotch windshield zipper

WORDS WITH DIFFERENT MEANINGS IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

Part 1 Since setting up this site I have become more aware of the differences in language between the U.K. and the U.S.A. whether it be different meanings for the same word or different words for the same thing, so thought it may be fun to start a page listing some of these differences. This page has now been online for several years and I had no idea how much interest it would provoke. I now have a file full of comments, views and definitions. My big problem is how to present all this information in a way which is useful, informative and entertaining. This is still a work in progress. Another thing which has become apparent is the fact that there are no definitive answers; not only do different counties/states use different terminology but there appears to be differences between generations as well. All this makes it very difficult to produce information with which everyone agrees. What has become very evident over the years is just how much language is merging between all the various

countries. Here in the UK we have adopted many, many "Americanisms" into everyday language and, I believe, some British terms are now used in the USA. This is probably due to travel and the wide exchange of TV programmes etc. I think this exchange of TV programmes may also be the cause of a lot of misconceptions. Many people contacting me see to think we still use the type of language which they hear on programmes such as Upstairs, Downstairs, Pride and Prejudice etc., which, of course, is not the case. Then, of course, there are programmes like Eastenders which is set in the East End of London and the language used is from that area (minus all the swearing of course) but people from other parts of the UK not only sound very different but use completely phrases and terms. In short this is a very complex subject. At the foot of this page you will find examples of reaction received from visitors who sometimes differ and sometimes agree with the original offerings and those given by others.

CV (curriculum vitae)

Resume Melissa Archuleta In the US we do say "CV"/"curriculum vitae" as well as "resume," but it has a different meaning. In American usage, resume condenses all one's accomplishments into one page, whereas a CV is a complete account that can be many pages long. Alex

Biscuits

Cookies. Linda Rice kindly points out that "biscuits" in America are unsweetened dinner or breakfast pastries.

Bun (a sweet individual cake, sometimes with dried Muffin (nearest example I think!!!) fruit) Wouldn't it be a cupcake rather than a muffin? Rachy Muffin is correct. A cupcake is like a miniature cake often with frosting. I believe the same cooking mold can be used. Simon Slade Roll or Bap Bun Courtesy of LInda Rice

Bottom/Bum/ (slang)/Posterior/Backside

Glutes

Linda also sent in this one.

Apparently usually used in 'gyms' Butt, Backside or Derriere Submitted by Michelle McLane Headmaster/Headmistress Principal Submitted by Maxine Dorot Flagpole Flagstaff * Both Linda Rice and "Rob" have contacted me saying they had never heard this expression in the U.S.A. - sorry. I have now been informed that both words are used in America. Apparently Flagstaff, AZ gets its name from a rather prominent flagpole/flagstaff that was erected there years ago. Thanks to William Hitch for this information. Silencer (on motor vehicle) Spanner Shoelace Muffler* Wrench Shoestring Apparently another debatable one!!! Cinema Movie-house Here again both Linda and Rob pointed out this is usually known as a movie theater not movie-house Film Movie William Hitch has made the comment that the word "movie" is still used generally, but critics favour (favor) "film". He makes the observation that this may be so they are not laughed at in Cannes! "Movie" and "film" are definitely both used in the US. In my mind "movie" suggests Hollywood and "film" suggests art-house, but it's not hard-and-fast, and I like to use the two words interchangeably to combat snobbery. Alex Postman/Postwoman Ladysfinger Mailman/Mailwoman Okra *Both suggested by John Stevens

Courgette Swede (or yellow turnip)

Zucchini Rutabaga Jack

Wardrobe

Closet To be technical, wardrobes are stand alone and not built into the room, whereas a closet is built into the room. At least in the US. David Walker This made me think and actually here in the UK a free standing piece of furniture in a bedroom is called a "wardrobe" but we tend to say "built-in wardrobe" or even "cupboard" when it is built into the room.

In the Southern part of the US, the word "chiffarobe" or "chifforobe" is still often used instead of wardrobe. It was used in "To Kill a Mockingbird" and in Flannery O'Conner novels. My grandmother always referred to her standing wardrobe furniture as a chiffarobe. The closet was a built-in space. Valencia Scott Colombo Class Grade (pre-college schools) Class (high schools (sometimes); colleges (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) Thanks again to William Hitch Parcel Package Lorry Truck Most of the above were contributed by Swami Narasimhan for which we are most grateful.

Toilet or Lavatory Loo or Bog (slang)* * The English often call the toilet the LOO or, an even more "slangy" term is the BOG. Restroom (or John I believe) Apparently "Bathroom" is more commonly used (thanks to Dr. Bren Ewen for this.)

Both of these are used, loo being the most common. William Hitch advises all the following can be heard in I came across a lot of trouble in America when the USA "toilet, lavatory, john, restroom, washroom, asking directions to the loo. latrine (army), head (navy), bathroom, mens'/ladies' room, outhouse (old country) and crapper (slang) - Sorry! Pav We Brits find this very strange "why disguise what the room is used for? You certainly wouldn't want to "Rest" in British toilets!!!! On the subject of the toilet/rest-room debate on your UK/US differences page, it occurred to me that the word toilet refers to the furniture itself rather than the room it's housed in, but perhaps the reason why we refer to the room specifically as a toilet is that until about 40 years ago the majority of UK homes had separate rooms for the toilet and the bath (my parents live in a bungalow built in 1961, which still has a separate loo). In fact in pre-war Britain, a great many working class homes had the toilet housed outside. I would also suggest that 'bog' is probably considered slightly more vulgar than 'loo' as most people in the UK will happily say 'I need the loo' but not so many will say 'I want the bog'. Adrian Hodges

Flat

Apartment If you say you live in a flat to an American, they are likely to ask "a flat what?" In the US: an apartment can mean either a complex with areas of living for rent or the rented area of living itself. But as far as I know, almost everyone would say "Want to go up to my flat?" or "I have a flat two blocks from here." It's possible that rural Americans haven't heard the term, though I think it's pretty widespread. To be more specific, a flat would imply a standard apartment. A studio is a very specific way of saying a tiny apartment and a penthouse is one on the top floor and is of better quality (usually luxurious [at least in comparison]).

Kim I have to correct that and say that "flat" doesn't mean apartment in the U.S., ever, and we wouldn't say that. We might say come up to my "place" or "apartment" or even "pad" (this usage is from the 70s and would be sort of retro). "Flat" is definitely a British term (even in Canada, which is where I'm living now, and Canada/US/UK English is a whole other thing...). Karin Carlson Garage / Petrol Station/Service Station Gas Station.

A garage is where you get your car repaired/fixed. A "garage" in America is where you park your car at We get fuel from a petrol station. night. Joe Woodhead A garage is also where cars are housed. Trousers Pants Now this one is really confusing! in the U.K. the word 'pants' is only used for "underpants" hence, when an American says he is going to put on a fresh pair of pants before going out, it cracks us up. "Pants" is now being used by our younger generation as a word to describe something they don't like. e.g. The film was 'pants'!. Braces Suspenders

Another confusing one. In the U.K. braces are two pieces of wide elastic which fix to the top of trousers, over the shoulder and then back onto the Suspenders are what ladies' use to hold up stockings, top of the trousers, thus holding them up. although this term was also used for the contraptions men used to use to hold up their socks (so I am told!). As a Yorkshireman if you can borrow his 'suspenders' and It is also a term used in order to straighten teeth (in see what happens! both countries I believe). Simon Slade Suspenders in the US can mean what is already listed as well as the meaning in England, to hold up pants. Suzanne

The word suspenders in the US almost always refers to those stretch bands that hook from back to front used to hold up men's trousers. A woman's stockings (before pantyhose) were held up by elastic garters or a garter belt.

Valencia Scott Colombo

All the above 'quips' (in red) were kindly contributed by Nik Shearer - there is more of his humour (humor) at the bottom of this page. Queue Lift Pavement Clothes Peg Bicarbonate of Soda Rubber Minced beef Line Elevator Sidewalk Clothes Pin Baking Soda Eraser Ground beef Rotary * I think that's only used in New England (where I grew up); most of the US says "traffic circle. Roundabout Alex I'm pretty sure the part about roundabouts/rotaries/traffic circles is wrong. I live in Indiana, and I have never, ever heard anything other than roundabout. Kimberly Perambulator (or Pram) Carriage* Stroller Daniel Ausema

Chips Fries*

If you say CHIPS in Britain people think of quite large bits of cooked potato in the US they are STEAK FRIES (as you get large ones with meat), whereas the type of fries you get in McDonalds are called fries OR chips. Being a Scotsman i would dare call those nonsense little bits of potato 'chips'. Nik Shearer point this one out.

Crisps

Potato Chips Another from Nik

Holiday

Vacation*

* All sent in by Debbie - thanks.

Boot (car)

Trunk

Bonnet (car) Petrol

Hood Gas ** It has been pointed out by J. Bunce, that this is an abbreviation of the word "gasoline" - a word previously used for fuel. Gas in the U.K. and apparently Australia is an air like substance which fills any available space. Some gases can be bottled and used for such things as cooking. Gas can also be used to mean idle chatter. I am told "gas" means "funny" in Ireland Thanks to Effie Makris for these observations.

I've also heard the word "gas" used to mean "funny." It's not unique to Ireland. I do remember watching old movies using the term - usually as a noun. "That story was a gas." It's not in common use now. However, some people think passing gas is funny. Simon Slade Definitely does refer to the third state of matter as well as

to gasoline in the US. Alex

Moulting (e.g. animal losing hair)

Shedding

Sent in by Tamara Davis

For other examples Part 2 ,Part 3 and Part 4 and here!

Kristina Hackenburg has written as follows Wow where are you getting your info? Bun- in the US we have cinnamon buns and sticky buns that are sweet too. Bottom/bum- we most def don't use the word glutes unless we are working out or at a doctors office its a technical term. we say ass, butt, backside, rear end, and we do say bum- its not a word we say alot but its an english word that came here but one of the most common words that people say in music and songs in america is BOOTY. Ive never heard the word flagstaff, just flagpole. we DEFINITELY don't use the word shoestring- we ALWAYS say laces, or shoelaces, and we have heard of the word shoestring, its not odd, but no one says it. I HAVE never heard of the word movie-house. its movie theater why do you think all american commericals end or begin with the phrase - coming soon to a theatre near you. now if we said we went to the theatre, we would mean like, broadway, not a movie.. and another very common use is just movies.. we went to the movies. we were at the movies. As for movie and film. in school i would say film, to a friend i would say movie. do you want to watch this movie- is much more common then do you want to watch this film.. but say, an award for best new film- would

not sound odd at all. class/grade- we say class of 2001, highschool class of 1994, or kindergarden class of 2000. we say what class do you have next referring to a specific subject (like biology).. and we say get to class, (if you are late for school), pick your classes (When in college) and also always, senior class, junior class, sophmore class and the whole freshman class.. now we always say 1st grade- 12th grade too for school before college. and when you get to high school you are a freshman in high school,. sophmore in highschool, junior, senior etc. but we use those terms for college too. also, when saying toilet- sometimes because we teach children to say "little girls room, or little boys roomsometimes in joking, teenagers or adults might say "ive just got to hit the little boys room real fast" oh and we park in the driveway, and we drive on the parkway. trousers/pants- okay, we say pants as in anything that is a full length bottom.. but most commonly americans where denim, and we just call them jeans, and if they aren't jeans, we call them by what they are- khakis, sweat pants, and if they are anything else we will say dress pants, work pants, depending on what we use them for.. dress pants are worn to church, or somewhere nice, work pants (if you are a painter) refer to pants you already ruined, but if you are a lawyer (work pants are dress pants). we dont say trousers.. if we did, i would assume they are khakis. oh and a side note: to pants someone (verb) is to pull there pants down in public. braces/suspenders.. suspenders in the us are not for socks, or stockings, women use garter belts for that with little straps that attach.. but suspenders attach at the belt loop on the outside of slacks/pants/trousers and are held up by your shoulders then attach on the back of your trousers on the belt loops. Braces are for teeth. side walk/pavement - in the US we use either. my mother has yelled plenty at me when i was a child saying "get on the pavement, get out of the street" chips/ chips are hard and packaged in bags they aren't served fresh those are fries. the bigger fries are called steak fries, then we have french fries (which is a common term for any) that are regular sized and then curly fries that come in curly cues. ground floor/first floor- we always say ground floor for the one that is the lowest (usually underground)(but not to be mistaken with the basement) the term ground floor is only used in big buildings, like hospitals that have floors underground that are used not for storage. and first floor for the floor that is the first floor above ground. dummy/pacifier.. we would never say dummy, unless we were referring to someone dumb, and we would never never be allowed to say dummy tit, because its offensive in america to say tit. pacifier is used, and binky, or bink. binky more commonly to other adults, but adults will say to children "wheres your bink?" we say angry just as much as we say mad tights/ panty hose.. ahh this is complicated.. okay tights are thicker that pantyhose, pantyhose are see through, pantyhose are also known as stockings, and tights are also known as stretch pants (but the word stretch pants is frowned apon because its like an old lady thing to say), all are also known as leggings, now if they go to the knee and no higher they are known as knee highs, and if they go to the thigh, they are thigh highs, and if they go above the stomach they are called control tops. we say taxi just as much as we say cab we say shops as in smaller stores

time tables are what we call multipication "do you know your timetables estate agent- is called a realator or real estate agent we say jam just as much as we say jelly we will never call jello jelly a garden grows vegetables or flowers, a yard is just grass we say plug for outlet too. and socket. we never say power point. pub isnt uncommon in the names of bars here. but we dont say we are going to the pub solicitors in the us are people who come door to door to sell things. and there are tons of people with stores that say "no solicitors" on the fronts surgery is what you get when they cut you open. not where you go to get it done a tap is what you put in a keg of beer gravy is a brown sauce used on turkey, but many italian americans still refer to gravy as tomato sauce, and all the generations after them still use it PLEASE UPDATE"

Kim writes as follows:_ It mentions that roundabouts are rare in America. I can count at least five within ten minutes from my house in New Jersey. They aren't at all rare. I've driven to Canada quite a few times and also all over the East coast and LA area in California. Roundabouts, or circles as they call it in my area, can be found all over the continent as far as I know. Also, "in a roundabout way" is a phrase I use and have heard used all my life. Pavement could mean anything paved, depending on the context. Tap and faucet are synonymous here. For example, one wouldn't say faucet water, but tap water. Pissed off is used the same, to be "pissed" means to be drunk but is sometimes a shortened way of saying pissed off. Git, probably from movies and books, has become a word not totally rare. I'm an Anglophile at heart, but I've heard classmates call someone else a git before. It could also be "get out" if you have a lazy way of speaking. Bum, derriere, backside, rear-end, bottom, butt, buttocks, and tush are the most common word to refer to the gluteus maximus. Bum could also be slang for someone homeless or lazy. A tramp is used for a woman who... doesn't respect her body - usually a street walker/hooker/"skank", etc.

I've never heard anyone refer to a flagpole as a flagstaff except in old (as in over 200 years) literature. The same goes for shoelaces. (Except for the old literature part) I prefer the word film, but movies is more commonly used. Film is more likely to refer to a work of art, whether it be "arty" or not. Mailmen could also be referred to as a postal worker. Porridge and oatmeal are the same but porridge could also be a similar substance. It's never movie-house. I've never heard that. Cinema is less common, but used. A lounge means the same as a living room, but a living room is not the same as a lounge. A lounge could be anywhere, but a living room is found only in a home. We do say waistcoat for certain types of vests. A cafeteria could also be called a canteen or cafe. To be "sacked" is the most common way of saying fired that I know of. Plug and socket are synonomous with outlet. Dustbins are any bins you can dispose something in, but trashcans are larger and sturdier. Old ladies say pantyhose. Most people would call thin tights stockings and if they aren't see-through, tights. The underground can refer to where the subway train is located. As in, you'd go to the underground to catch the subway. Fall is not the proper term we use. That's more just for little kids, but at least half of the country says fall for autumn. The ground floor is located on the ground. The first floor could be the second floor or the ground floor, depending on what the building is. Most hotels, hospitals, and large buildings call the floor on the ground the ground floor or lobby - the button in the elevator/lift would be a G or an L. Most people say taxi. I think certain regions say cab, but it's not very popular. Although, there would not be any confusion if one did say "I'm catching a cab". Yes, mad means angry. But if I wrote a paper for English and put "mad" instead of "angry", my teacher would be "mad". Mad can also mean insane or "very". Example of very: I'm mad thirsty. Only teenage boys say that, however. I've never heard of a fall hair piece. I'm guessing it's a completely obsolete meaning. We have jam, jelly, and preserves. Jam is thicker than jelly, and preserves are the same as the ones everywhere else. If someone is ill, they'd say they're sick. But ill would be more proper. A queue would be where people line up to wait for something. A line would be a line as in a straight angle or

where people stand. Line is just used most often.

JUNE 2011 Alora has kindly sent the following detailed observations on the subject:Just wanted to add some American information from someone who has lived in several different states all across the country. 1. Roundabouts. There's a joke amongst city planners: "The fastest way to cause an accident is to put in a roundabout." This is because they are rare. Despite living in several different states, I can honestly say I've encountered fewer than 10 unique roundabouts, and for most Americans (apparently outside of New Jersey, according to Kim's statement), that's high. I've met people who have never once encountered a roundabout. I have also heard them called "traffic circles" but "roundabout" is much more common. Unlike what has been listed, I have never heard of a roundabout being called a "rotary." 2. Pavement. I have not heard this term commonly outside of sports ("Hit the pavement!"), but when I have heard it, it always refers to the sidewalk. "Sidewalk" is the word I have heard almost exclusively. 3. Tap vs Faucet. I recall Shaun of the Dead, when Shaun's step-father said, "I ran it under a cold tap." We would never say it this way, but instead, "I ran it under cold water." Faucet is far more common: "Turn on/off the faucet" or "Clean the faucet" are two examples. As Kim said, we refer to it as "tap water" if someone is asking about the type of water (example: "Is that bottled water or tap water?"). From what I've experienced, that's the only use of tap that I can think of. 4. Pissed (Off). When someone says, "I'm pissed" or "I'm pissed off," it means the same thing: that person is angry. 5. Git. This is only used by people who are familiar with some British slang and wish to use it. We don't have this phrase in the States. I've seen a couple people say that it's a lazy way to say "Get out," but that's just "Get" and in, "I've had enough of you, you need to get." There are some folk who are fans of "redneck" words (rural folk who typically don't have proper manners or education) that may misspell the word as "git" instead of "get," but that's due to poor education, not laziness. 6. The Butt. Common terms I've heard: butt, ass, rear, buns, rear-end, junk in the trunk (for large butts), dumper (slang), bottom (usually used for kids), fanny (usually used for kids). Most Americans do not refer to the butt as a bum unless they're familiar with British slang and wish to use it. Also, glutes is something I've only used in reference to exercise: "Squats are a great exercise for your glutes." 7. Flagpole versus Flagstaff. According to someone who posted, a flagstaff is used in one state. From my experience, it's pretty much that one state...I've only ever heard flagpole or pole, but the latter only in this way: "We need to run the flag up the pole." 8. Shoelaces versus Shoestrings. The only time I've ever heard someone use "shoestring" is when describing a certain cut of potato. "Shoestring potatoes" are very thinly cut potatoes that are fried. For shoes, they're just shoelaces. 9. Film versus Movies. Most Americans say, "Would you like to see a movie tonight?" as opposed to "Would you like to see a film tonight?" However, if you asked a person to see a film, they'd know what you mean. As another person said, critics tend to prefer the word "film" when they're reviewing one.

10. Mailman/woman versus Postman/woman. Postman was in use a few decades back and is even used in the song, "Please, Mr. Postman." Typically, the person who delivers the mail to your home is called a mailman or mailwoman, depending on gender. If a person happens to just work for the Post Office, that person is a "postal worker." 11. Porridge versus Oatmeal. Technically speaking, porridge can be oatmeal, but not all porridge is oatmeal so calling porridge the US equivalent of oatmeal is inaccurate. Porridge can be made from various cereal grains, including oats. As a catch-all term, we refer to this as "hot cereal." Some hot cereal brands include B&G foods (maker of Cream of Wheat and Cream of Rice), Quaker (maker of Quaker Oatmeal) and Malt-O-Meal (maker of various malt-o-meal hot cereals, as well as cold cereals). Another hot cereal type dish made in the States is grits, though it's typically served with other food and not consumed as a stand-alone dish. It should also be noted that this is a food served in the southeastern US and not many other places (unless a restaurant specializes in some southern style foods). It should also be noted that Malt-O-Meal is regional as well; I've only ever seen it on the west coast. 12. Cinema versus Movie House. I can honestly say I've never heard of movie house. I mean, I hear it, I understand what it means, but it sounds very antiquated and I can safely say I've never heard another American say it. I've typically heard of it referred to as "the movies" if you're planning on going there, as in, "Do you want to go to the movies tonight?" If referring to it as a place, then "theater" (not to be confused with "theatre") or "movie theater" is used, as in, "They're giving away free popcorn at the theater tonight!" 13. Lounge versus Living Room. A living room may also be called a den or family room (homes with multiple living rooms typically designate one as a "living room" and another as a "family room") and may include a television or a place to entertain friends. A lounge may also be used to entertain friends and may also include a television, but may be located outside of the home. Some people refer to the area around their pool as the "lounge area" or a deck as a "lounge area." A lounge may be located in a home (called "the lounge room" or "the lounge") and many times includes activities such as billiards, possibly a stocked bar, video games and/or a television. A lounge room may contain more alcohol and activities than an outdoor lounge. 14. Cafeteria. A cafeteria in the States is typically used as a place where school children eat while at school. "The kids are at lunch, they're eating the in cafeteria." Cafeteria food is considered sub par and typically unhealthy, though some schools are improving their menu, thankfully. For restaurants where a guest takes a tray and plate in front of a few different meal options they can pick from, this is referred to as "cafeteria-style" or "a cafeteria-style restaurant" as that's how cafeterias are run. Kim pointed out that some use "canteen," which is true but typically only true if you were in the military (depending on branch...for example, a canteen is only a canteen in the Army. It's called a galley in the Navy or a chow hall in the Marines) or work at a veteran's hospital. A cafe is far different from a cafeteria, as a cafe typically only serves various coffee drinks along with some pastries and possibly sandwiches or salads. 15. Sacked. This may refer to as getting fired from a job (most common) or getting tackled (less common in regular speech outside of discussing American football). 16. Plug, Socket, Outlet. Unlike Kim said, they are not synonymous. Outlet and socket are synonymous, but a plug goes into an outlet/socket. 17. Dustbin versus Trashcan. Dustbin is used regionally, I found this the most on the east coast. Everywhere else I've been calls it a "trashcan" or "garbage can" or "garbage," as in "Throw that trash in the garbage." 18. Pantyhose versus Stockings. As Kim said, pantyhose has fallen out of use for the most part, though if you said it someone would know what you mean. Stockings are more common. There are various styles and they're often denoted by style: thigh-high stockings, for example, are stockings that stop at the thigh. 19. The Underground. Being from New Jersey, which has subways, the underground refers to a place to catch

the subway. Most of the US does not have subways, so the underground is only referred to if a town happens to have a historical city below the ground. Portland, Oregon is one such city, so if you ask where the underground is, you'll be shown to a place where you can tour it. Most cities do not have an underground, so if you ask for the underground, most people won't know what you're talking about and some may ask if that's some type of new dance club. 20. Fall versus Autumn. These are the same thing when describing the season between summer and winter. I have typically heard Fall. 21. Ground Floor. This is the level of the building that is located on the ground, no matter what the actual floor of the building is. Most commonly, the ground floor and first floor are the same thing, with floors beneath the ground floor being basement level floors most typically named with a number to denote how far from the ground floor it is. Example: B1 is the first basement floor and is right below the ground floor, but B4 is a basement floor four floors below the ground floor. The ground floor may also be referred to as the "level" floor, but typically using "level" is only common for parking garages. For example, if you parked your car on the first parking garage floor, you're on Level 1. If you parked it five floors up, you're on Level 5. 22. Taxi versus Cab. These are rather interchangeable and every American should know what they mean. 23. Mad. The only time Americans encounter "mad" for "crazy" is in older books or period movies. If someone said, "He must be mad," then that means the person must be angry. The use of mad typically gives way to using "angry" as one ages. Kids say they're mad, adults say they're angry, furious, upset, pissed or pissed off. 24. Jam versus Jelly versus Preserves. Each of these has their own meaning but most people don't know the difference. Jelly has fruit only in the form of fruit juice, which makes it a firmer spread. Jam's fruit comes in the form of fruit pulp or crushed fruit. Preserves are chunks of fruit in a syrup or jelly. Most people use Jam and Jelly interchangeably. 25. Jelly versus Jello/Gelatin. An American will never say "Jelly" when they want Jello or a gelatin snack. Jello and all other gelatin snacks/desserts made in the US are made from a protein (gelatin) in animal bones/skin. In many Asian countries, this gelling action comes from agar agar. Jello is a brand name but most people refer to any brand's gelatin snack as Jello. 26. Ill versus Sick. Sick is more commonly used but anyone would understand if you said, "I can't come to work today, I'm ill." Sick is more common to the point that days missed due to illness are dubbed "sick days." Ill and sick are also used to mean "awesome" in some hip hop culture. 27. Queue versus Line. The use of queue is very uncommon in the States to the point that if I were to ask how many were in the queue, most people wouldn't understand what I'm talking about. We refer to standing and waiting in succession as a line. Queue is starting to gain more popularity with companies that put you on hold when you call, saying that, "You are number X in the queue." 28. Bun. We have sweet buns, also called sticky buns. If the bun is not sweet, then it's something to put food into, like a hamburger bun or a hot dog bun. 29. Roll/Bap. I have to absolutely disagree with Linda. We refer to baps as rolls, dinner rolls or bread rolls, never as buns. 30. Swede versus Rutabega. We do use Rutabega in the States but it is a regional term. Other parts of the country use Turnip instead. Without looking it up previously, those who learned Turnip won't know what a Rutabega is and vice versa. 31. Wardrobe versus Closet. In the States, a Wardrobe is a free-standing piece of furniture for putting one's clothing into. Wardrobe is also used to refer to someone's clothing in its entirety. Example: "She has a lot of

black in her wardrobe." 32. Toilet. To explain the question of why Americans disguise the toilet as something else, like a restroom, I believe it's because we associate "toilet" with stuff like urine, feces and vomit. Also, when one goes to a bathroom/restroom/whatever, that person may just want to freshen up her make-up or see if his hair looks good and not actually wish to use the toilet at all. 33. Flat versus Apartment. I'm going to have to say that Kim's use of flat is 100% regional. I've never in my life heard an American use "flat" when s/he was referring to his/her apartment. Some Americans may refer to their apartment as: "my home," "my place," or even "my house" out of habit for when they used to invite people to a house. In the States, "flat" is an adjective, not a noun. 34. Garage. As was mentioned, a garage in the UK is where your car gets fixed but in the US it's where your car is parked. This isn't always true for the US, as many people park their cars outside their garages and use their garages as storage units or even an additional bedroom. In the US, if someone's car is being repaired, we may say any of the following: "It's at the repair shop," "It's being repaired," "It's in the shop," "It's being worked on," "My car is being serviced." 35. Trousers versus Pants. I would say that we in the States use "pants" instead of "trousers," with undergarments referred to as "underwear," (used by anyone) "underpants" (typically used for boys), or "panties" (for women and girls). Long underwear, also called long johns, thermals or thermal underwear, are used underneath the outer layer of clothing in cold climates to add an extra layer of warmth. Despite having "underwear" in the name, most people wear their regular underwear underneath thermal underwear, so the layering is done: underwear, long underwear, pants/long-sleeved shirt, jacket and possibly snow pants (depending on how cold it is...snow pants are the final layer of clothes for the bottom half of the person...they're like a water resistant jacket for the legs). That said, if someone said, "I spilled coffee on my trousers," then someone would understand what that meant. We often refer to the pants by the style: jeans, khakis (for khakicolored pants), dress pants (for occasions one should dress up for), work pants (depends on the type of work someone does), etc.. 36. Holiday versus Vacation. Americans do use the word holiday, but it refers to a special day, such as Christmas or Easter. In the UK, one says, "I am going on holiday" whereas in the US, one says, "I am going on vacation." Some jobs also offer "vacation time," which you earn while you work. Every X hours worked equates to Y hours of vacation time. Vacation time is used when one needs a vacation or whenever someone doesn't want to come into work on a given day. Vacation time is paid time off, so if you earn two weeks of vacation time, that means you don't have to show up to work for two weeks and you still get paid for two weeks worth of work. This is typically only offered to people who have jobs that required a university degree to get; it is hardly standard practice and most Americans do not ever see vacation time during their working lives. 37. Gas. Someone said that "Gas in the U.K. and apparently Australia is an air like substance which fills any available space." First, this is technically wrong since gas isn't an air-like substance on account that air is a gas...not the other way around. A gas is a state of matter and this is also true in the US, but only for people who have jobs that revolve around gaseous states of matter. For the layman, gas is short for gasoline or may also refer to a gas leak. This is when a gaseous substance of some sort, such as propane, is leaking into the air. For those with certain types of stoves (also known as "cooking ranges"), incorrectly turning off the stove may leak gas into the home. This is typically noted with a question to another person, "Do you smell gas?" It is implied in that situation that it is some type of home gas, like propane, as opposed to gasoline. The US also uses the word petroleum, but typically only when referring to petroleum-based products. Example: "Don't use paraffin wax, that's made from petroleum." To touch on the gas = funny comment, it was an old saying in the US from a few decades back to say, "It's a gas!" when something was fun to do. 38. Elastoplast versus Bandaid. This one is correctly translated, but I wanted to touch on the use of plaster in lieu of elastoplast and how that translates to American English. Plaster is used when making casts, molds

(moulds), or when doing work around the home patching holes in the wall. In the UK we use the term 'in plaster' when referring to a hard cast (made with Plaster of Paris) placed on limbs with broken bones. e.g. "Her leg is in plaster following the accident." We sometimes say "Her leg is in a cast." 39. Pub versus Bar. In the US, we have a few ways to refer to an establishment that serves alcohol as their main revenue: bar, pub, tavern or "dive bar." All of them are the same, with "dive bar" typically being a dirtier place. Sometimes these are denoted with the type. Examples include: Irish pub, biker bar, or gay bar. Bar is far more common than pub or tavern, but if someone says, "Would you like to go to the local tavern/pub to grab a drink?" then any American will know what this means. Food is typically served no matter where you go; even a dive bar has "typical" bar food like fries, hamburgers and chips. Some places only sell small bagged snacks (I saw on Shaun of the Dead that they referred to them as "nibbles"), such as bagged chips, bagged pretzels or bagged nuts/peanuts. 40. To Be Made Redundant and Sacked. To add to the US side of the list: getting sacked (we also use this), getting canned (as in, thrown in the trash can because you are no longer needed/wanted), getting pink slipped (being released from a job used to be filled out on a pink form, aka a pink slip [piece] of paper), getting fired. If a person is quitting their job, a slang way to say this is, "I put in my two weeks." For formality, many jobs require (or heavily recommend) giving the company a written notice to the company to notify them that you are quitting the job. The standard time is two weeks, which allows the company to start looking for someone to fill your position. If you leave the job abruptly, then you can say, "I quit today, didn't even put in my two weeks." This is typically considered bad behavior and is only done by people who have a hard time controlling their anger. The reason this is a bad idea is when that person looks for a new job, the potential employer may contact previous employers who won't like that they "walked off the job" like that. 41. Solicitor versus Lawyer/Attorney. A lawyer and an attorney are technically two different things, though most people wouldn't recognize that. An attorney is a person who is asked to act on behalf of another. A good example is when someone knows that he will be going into surgery followed by a long recovery, he may appoint another person to act on his behalf when it comes to paying bills or signing papers. That person is his attorney and does not have to have any legal training, but it is wise to pick a person that does. A lawyer is a person who is allowed to practice law in a courtroom situation. An attorney that practices law is an "attorney at law." For example, in the US system of justice, a person who is arrested and cannot afford a lawyer will be appointed a lawyer for free on his/her behalf. In this case, the appointed lawyer is an attorney at law because s/he is acting on behalf of the criminal and was appointed to do so. 42. Tailback versus Traffic Jam. These are correct, although someone said that a "tailback" is a position on an American football team. In case anyone cares, this position is almost always referred to as a "halfback." 43. Trainers. The US equivalent is listed as "sneakers." This is not true. The US equivalent to a trainer shoe is a running shoe or athletic shoe. A sneaker is a similarly designed shoe that provides no support for running or other sports and is only worn for fashion and comfort. 44. Bangers versus Sausages. I disagree with the US distinction that a banger is a larger sausage. Sausages come in a variety of sizes and are denoted by sausage type, such as brat (short for bratwurst) or kielbasa. Sausages made from game meats, like deer sausage or caribou sausages, also tend to be thick like bangers. The only small sausages I can even think of are breakfast sausages...all other sausages are thick like bangers. 45. White Sauce versus Gravy. It should be noted that any thick sauce made from flour or corn starch + cooking fat is considered "gravy" in the US. Our gravies may be brown or white. The white gravy we typically have is served with biscuits and sausage as "sausage gravy" and is typically found in the south or in diners (apparently called cafes or "greasy spoons" in the UK).

46. Moulting versus Shedding. The US does use molting...but it's only for birds. Birds molt, mammals shed.

I'd just like to say, I'm Scottish and we use the word 'movie' as much as any American. 'Film' is what we tend to use in critical essays and all of that, but we use both of them as equally as each other. We also use parcel/package equallymy family tend to say package. We also use the word suspenders for braces for trouser/tops. Most people I know call them suspenders. We only use the word queue if we're waiting for something, e.g. in a supermarket at the checkout. We use 'line' when we're told to 'line up' outside of class etc. We also call lifts elevators. I tend to call them elevators. And 'minced beef', we just call it mince. For 'pram' we also use the word 'buggy'. We use vacation and holiday equally. Moulting and shedding are both used also. But that's just what I've heard/used.

TWO NATIONS DIVIDED BY A COMMON LANGUAGE BY MS. PAULA BRIGGS The following contribution, recently received from Paula Briggs, has been reproduced verbatim (with just a couple of observations from me) I have been looking at the area of your site where you discuss the differences in language between the US and the UK. Two genuine events come to mind. A friend stayed over in Texas a few years ago at the home of a clergyman and his wife. Feeling the need for a cigarette after the long flight she chose the unfortunate wording "I could really murder a fag!" Her hosts were horrified, particularly as she had flown over to assist the church in its charity work in a local prison!

I think the phrase "I could murder" as a substitution for "I would like" is probably most common in the North West of England though I have heard "I could murder a cuppa" in many parts of the UK. (I think this is used pretty widely throughout the UK)

Around twenty years ago, an aging and slightly deaf friend of my parents stood in the middle of a rather quiet and exclusive restaurant in Chester and invited my mother in her booming Washington State accent to "park her fanny" in a nearby seat. This certainly turned a few heads! When it was explained to her what the word meant in English, she blushed deep red and said that it was considered a rather polite word in the US.

On this seemingly popular topic of the gluteus maximus, "derriere", being French, is common to both languages. We would use bum, rear-end, bot, bottom or botty (the latter to small children) commonly. Tush is used but very rarely and in very particular sayings such as "shake your tush" (to dance) or "move your tush" (move out of the way - used informally to friends or family - never to a stranger). I think what our US counterparts would refer to as a bum, we would call a tramp and what they would refer to as a tramp, our grandparents would probably have called a strumpet or fluzy. Bum, derriere, backside, rear-end, bottom, butt, buttocks, and tush are the most common word to refer to the gluteus maximus. Bum could also be slang for someone homeless or lazy. A tramp is used for a woman who... doesn't respect her body - usually a street walker/hooker/"skank", etc. Kim

"Ass" has been adopted to some degree and is generally considered more polite than the vulgar "arse", though it would still not be the correct word to use when speaking to a local vicar or a great aunt. As in the US, its meaning is made far more extreme and derogatory by adding "hole" to the end of either variant.

I may be mistaken, but I believe "gotten" is actually an old English word. It follows similar rules to bite and smite (you got, bit or smote, or you have (or were or have been) gotten, bitten or smitten) and prima facie, I would guess its roots were German. Can anyone enlighten me on this issue?

In response to some of Scott Jamieson's observations: Git: It is heard in some parts of the USA, but here it's a verb, a corruption of "get," and it means "get out," a strong command to leave immediately. Recently, "get out" has also been adopted as a slang term to mean "I can't believe it!" (e.g. "You're taking me to Hawaii? Get out!"). In this context, we would probably say "Get Away" in the UK and this spawned a series of TV advertisements for a major holiday company as to get away also means to go on holiday (or vacation) as in "Did you manage to get away this year?" Git is rarely heard in the UK outside certain parts of London. I doubt many British people actually know what it means (no matter how often we might watch Eastenders). It is very often preceded with the word "old", in which context it can be either highly derogatory or mildly affectionate, depending on the context. Using "daft or "silly" in front of an insult often softens the effect, even if the offensive language itself is quite strong. Therefore, "old git" could be an insult but "daft old git" could actually be an expression of gentle admonishment, tinged with endearment. Git, probably from movies and books, has become a word not totally rare. I'm an Anglophile at heart, but I've heard classmates call someone else a git before. It could also be "get out" if you have a lazy way of speaking. Kim

Roundabout vs. Rotary: ????? I only know the term roundabout as a particular kind of intersection, with an island in the middle. These are quite rare in America, but we do have them. I only know the term rotary as an adjective, describing

something with a mechanical part that revolves (e.g. a rotary engine). Or, we have here a Rotary Club, which is a business/fraternal organization. As far as I am aware, a roundabout in the UK would usually be a gyratory intersection as described above but also a carousel or a piece of children's playground equipment that can be spun round. I have never heard of a rotary as a noun, only as an adjective as in the 'rotary engine' example, though we do have the Rotary Club over here too. Roundabout, as an adjective can mean "approximately" ("it was roundabout half past seven") or it can mean indirect ("he took a very roundabout route to get here" or "he reached the conclusion in a very roundabout way"). I am guessing this is a regional colloquial expression. It mentions that roundabouts are rare in America. I can count at least five within ten minutes from my house in New Jersey. They aren't at all rare. I've driven to Canada quite a few times and also all over the East coast and LA area in California. Roundabouts, or circles as they call it in my area, can be found all over the continent as far as I know. Also, "in a roundabout way" is a phrase I use and have heard used all my life. Kim

I was reading through your website on English and American English discrepancies and I had a note to add about rotaries. I live in New England, Massachusetts to be precise. The traffic circles as my GPS calls them are called rotaries here, even officially. Rotary Ahead can be seen on traffic signs in the vicinity. Michael Francis Joseph Prendergast

A few extra words for discussion The pavement in the USA seems to refer to the road surface. In the UK, it refers to the sidewalk. Pavement could mean anything paved, depending on the context. Kim Whereas the term tap is generally used in England for a faucet, I believe the latter is sometimes used in parts of Scotland. Tap and faucet are synonymous here. For example, one wouldn't say faucet water, but tap water. Kim A "not for the family" one: An American colleague at work recently observed that to say someone was pissed in the USA meant that they were angry or annoyed but in the UK it seemed to mean they were very happy (it is actually a vulgar expression for being completely drunk). (in the UK we would say "pissed off" to mean being angry or annoyed). Pissed off is used the same, to be "pissed" means to be drunk but is sometimes a shortened way of saying pissed off. Kim

When I was growing up (1950's, 60's) in Manchester, England, it was quite usual to refer to trousers as pants. Paul Crosby

Stubby holder = koozie in many regions of the US. Paul Robinson DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICAN AND BRITISH WORDS PART 2 I am indebted to Dr. Beren S. Ewen for providing a lot more words which are different in the U.K. and America - the comments in green are my own. BRITISH Ground Floor First Floor Contributed by Chris Johnson Autumn dummy* * Nik Shearer advises this is known as a "dummy tit" in Scotland and Newfoundland underground angry tights pacifier Fall AMERICAN

subway mad pantyhose In the US, tights and pantyhose are different things: pantyhose are sheer, whereas tights are thicker. Alex

taxi mad dustbin single ticket shop ill timetable

cab crazy garbage can one-way ticket store sick schedule All the above contributed by Elma Pavlikova

ring (telephone)

call

biscuit

cookie Sent in by Thomas Highden - thanks

jumper nappy caravan chemist Elastoplast In England I've never heard someone call a plaster (bandaid) an elastoplast, I think that's the full name for it whereas plaster is the more commonly used version. Chloe Osman

sweater diaper trailer or motor home pharmacist

bandaid I think this must be an 'age' thing. When I was a child plasters were often referred to as Elastoplast as this was the main (if not only) make of plasters available: I assume this is why they are known as Bandaids in other parts of the world. Over the years many other makes have evolved and, as you so rightly say, most people now call them 'plasters' here in the UK. estate agent jacket potato jam jelly lead mac or mackintosh marrow peckish football no true counterpart garden realtor baked potato jelly jello leash raincoat squash hungry soccer football yard A garden is specifically the part with a lot of plants, whereas a yard could be just grass. Alex postal cost/post code power point/plug/socket zip code electrical outlet/outlet

pram (short for perambulator)

baby carriage stroller Daniel Ausema

pub (short for Public House)

bar A pub serves food, whereas a bar might or might not. (I would say a pub is a type of bar in US English.) Alex

to be made redundant sacked/ get your P45

laid off, lose your job get fired, get a pink slip or become unemployed

refectory (not used much these days - canteen is usually used especially in workplace) rucksack Sellotape sideboards (this has really come about due our poor pronunciation as a "sideboard" is a piece of furniture usually found in the dining room of a house) sleeping policeman (I say nothing!) smalls snooker

cafeteria

backpack scotch tape

sideburns

speed bump underwear

billiards or more commonly pool (I am not sure I agree with this one as in the U.K. these are three entirely different games. Pool and billiards are also different games in the US: in pool you try to get the balls into holes, whereas in billiards there are no holes. I've never heard of snooker in the US. Alex

lawyer/attorney William Hitch advises that general public tend to call them lawyers but they call themselves attorneys. (here again I am not sure about this one and in the U.K. solicitiors, lawyers and barristers have different roles)

solicitor

sultanas A surgery

raisins (in the U.K. we have sultanas, raisins and currants) doctors office stuck in a traffic jam. A tailback is a position in a US football team (Now that could cause a raised eyebrow!) faucet can flashlight tractor trailer sneakers molasses undershirt vest living room fatter, thicker version of a sausage

sitting in a tailback

tap tin torch articulated lorry trainers treacle vest waistcoat lounge

banger

In the UK we also use the term "old banger" when talking about a clapped out car. hamburger bun cotton candy plastic wrap We also say "Saran wrap" as well as "plastic wrap." Alex

bap candyfloss clingfilm

pork scratchings

pork rinds

porridge tomato sauce/ketchup

oatmeal catsup or ketchup gravy (in the U.K. gravy is usually brown as it originated from meat juices whilst cooking).

white sauce

Language Differences - Part 3

I really had no idea how much interest this subject would generate. Just recently Scott Jamieson sent me some observations which are both informative and amusing so I thought I would reproduce them verbatim with a few observations of my own (in red) to put the Brits point of view "Here in America, a "rubber" is a condom. What you call a rubber, we call an eraser. If a student were to ask his teacher for a rubber... well, you get the idea. Git: It is heard in some parts of the USA, but here it's a verb, a corruption of "get," and it means "get out," a strong command to leave immediately. Recently, "get out" has also been adopted as a slang term to mean "I can't believe it!" (e.g. "You're taking me to Hawaii? Get out!") The use of "fanny" to refer to someone's bottom is not limited to girls. Everyone has a fanny. It is also a girl's name, though it's not used a lot these days, for obvious reasons. Many years ago, Glenn Miller recorded a song called "Annie's Cousin Fanny." It was full of double entendres, and the last line was, "You may know some Fannys that are quite divine, but you never saw a Fanny half as pretty as mine!" "Ass" in America is indeed (very vulgar) slang for buttocks, but here it also means a kind of donkey. Very often a dirty joke in America will rely on the juxtaposition of the two meanings. What we call a living room you call a lounge? In many theaters the men's and women's lounges are the lavatories. Garbage and trash are both used in the USA, but there is a distinction to be made: garbage is unusable and can only be disposed of; trash is something you are finished with but that could conceivably be of use to someone else. Hence the expression, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Autumn and Fall are both used here. In addition, a fall is a term for a lady's wig. A fall doesn't cover the entire scalp. It may, for instance, be a faux ponytail. This use of fall isn't heard much anymore, but it was quite common in the '60s and '70s. We would call this a hair piece. If what you call jam is what we call jelly, what do you call what we call jam? To us, jam is similar to jelly, but whereas jelly is clear, jam has chunks of preserved fruit in it. In fact, if it has a lot of fruit in it, we call it preserves. This also applies in the U.K. - jam or preserves (the latter being considered slightly posher) usually contain pieces of fruit whereas clear jam is known as jelly. However, when we speak of jelly it usually refers to a fruit flavoured dessert made with gelatine and water and left to set. This used to be very popular at childrens' birthday parties. Pub vs. Bar: Pub has come into use in America, meaning an especially nice bar. Many pubs make their own beers and ales. Bars generally serve only the major brands. Pubs emphasize food as well as drink. In bars, food is an afterthought. Pub is short for Public House in the U.K. where alcoholic drinks can be purchased and there is usually a Pub in every village. Bars are the counters inside the Pubs at which the drinks are purchased. The term Bar is now also used to describe a room within the Public House or a place where drinks can be obtained in a town centre environment.

Gravy vs. White Sauce: I'm not sure this is quite correct on your web site. Most gravy here is brown, and all of it is made from meat drippings. What we call a white sauce is a cream sauce with no meat or drippings in it. Movie Theater, Movie House: The most often used term is movie theater. Movie house is an older term usually associated with silent films, but is now currently used to refer to a movie theater that is a bit more elite. Movie theaters show "major releases." Movie houses show art films, foreign films, and independent films. We use the word cinema to the art and history of filmmaking. A college student might study cinema. Alex comments "I don't agree about "movie theater" -- I would use that word to refer to an art-house theater as well as one that showed blockbusters." Mailman/Mailwoman: Mailman was the preferred term for generations, before women's rights made it obsolete. Mailperson and mailwoman were tried out for awhile, but they sounded silly (What is a male woman, anyway?). The official term is now "letter carrier," at least that's what the Post Office calls them. We call them Postmen (unless the ladies are listening of course!) Roudabout vs. Rotary: ????? I only know the term roundabout as a particular kind of intersection, with an island in the middle. These are quite rare in America, but we do have them. I only know the term rotary as an adjective, describing something with a mechanical part that revolves (e.g. a rotary engine). Or, we have here a Rotary Club, which is a business/fraternal organization. Moulting vs. Shedding: When we refer to mammals, we say shedding. We do use moulting (molting) to refer to birds and the seasonal loss of their feathers. Fag, or faggot, does indeed mean a homosexual man, but please point out to your readers that is quite derogatory. The preferred term in polite company is "gay man." There is some confusion right now as to whether a homosexual woman is also "gay." Many consider the term inclusive of both sexes, but many others distinguish between "gay" and "lesbian." It's still being thrashed out. Shoestring vs. shoelace: Both are used interchangeably, in America, with one exception. To do something "on a shoestring" means to accomplish it with a very small budget. No one would say, "They're doing it on a shoelace." In Britain we would never use the word shoestring when referring shoes, we would always say "shoelaces", however, we do use the term "on a shoestring" as described above and not "on a shoelace". Restroom and bathroom are the two most commonly used terms for what you Brits call a lavatory or toilet (to us, a "toilet" is that useful porcelain device you find IN the bathroom!). The two terms are not interchangeable, though! You'll find a bathroom in someone's home, and restrooms in a restaurant or other business establishment. It would sound a bit strange for a guest in your home to ask where the "restroom" is. Oddly enough, the real estate term "half bath" refers to a room that has only a toilet and a sink -- no bath! Hope you find something of value in the above. I've never had the chance to visit the UK myself, but my mother did, once. She was a guest in someone's home. Her hostess asked what she planned to wear to a restaurant one evening, and when she replied, "I don't know, maybe a pants suit," the host turned several shades of red! I would like to thank Scott for his time and trouble in sending in the above. * The English often call the toilet the LOO or, an even more "slangy" term is the BOG. Both of these are used, loo being the most common. I came across a lot of trouble in America when asking directions to the loo. Pav

You mentioned ground floor is first floor in America; they seem to be used interchangeably for the most part. But, when a building is constructed in a hill side or with alternating levels (my aunt's house has the main building and an addition that is off set a half floor, you either go up or down crossing the house) they are differentiated. The floor with the main or formal entry being the first floor and if the other possible floor is lower its the groundfloor. Pantyhose and tights are both used where I live but they vary in meaning. They are both a form of stockings, usually tight and running from the toes to the waist (though there are variations like knee length or toe less). Pantyhose refers to more sheer delicate stockings usually made of nylon or nylon blends while tights are thicker, often opaque, and actually provide some warmth. I hear both taxi and cab when speaking about taxicabs. I have never heard anyone call out "cab" they always yell "TAXI". Mad can refer to crazy in the US but it is contextual. Sick and ill are usually interchangeable ill being the more formal of the 2 words. The exception is the slang uses of sick to refer to a act that seems insane, gross, or disgusting like mutilating animals for fun, or to indicate boredom or frustration with a task (like I'm sick and tired of sitting in traffic all day). I don't guarantee it applies to the entire US. Christie, Lancaster PA Alex adds - "sick" can also be used slangily to mean "really awesome" -- I've particularly heard it used by metalheads to refer to extremely virtuosic guitar solos. "That was sick, dude."

I would say American Football in Britain. Another one for you would be Queue (British) Line up North America. I say North America as I am now living in Canada and Canadians (Not all Canadians) like to be known as living in North America. What we Brits refer to as America should be the United States and then when Canada is included it then becomes North America. Anne Christie I feel I should point out that there's quite a bit of variation in what is or isn't used from one part of the US to the next. While probably more linguistically unified than the UK in some respects, especially given that English is the only language many American families have spoken for generations, the various regions have definite differences. For instance, in North Carolina the primary term for a "roundabout" is "traffic circle", and I'd personally never heard one called a "rotary" until I found this site. Likewise, a "garage" is not only an enclosed space where one parks one's car, but can also be where one takes it for repairs and is often included in business names (e.g., Al's Garage). Conversely, a "gas station" is where one buys gasoline and while often attached to an automobile repair shop, will generally still be referred to as a "gas station" unless taking one's vehicle there for the express purposes of repairs. In my experience, however, businesses (including, but not limited to, garages) are most commonly referred to by their proper names or shortened versions thereof to avoid confusion. Postman, mailman, and postal worker are all used, sometimes without regard for the individual's gender, though postman is an older term falling into disuse, mailman is specific to a mail carrier who actually delivers mail to its final destination, and postal worker is a more general term that can be applied to any postal service employee.

Also, for clarification, in the Southeast "sidewalk" is used to indicate a pedestrian area adjacent to a road. However, the word "pavement", though generally used to refer to the surface of a paved road, can refer to the surface of the sidewalk, since sidewalks are also paved. So, if someone "eats pavement" (slang) they have a face-first encounter with paving material, but it could be either in the road itself or on the sidewalk. Oh, and in my experience the terms "shoestring" and "shoelace" are utterly interchangeable in the Carolinas, with the appropriate verbs following similar usage. One might "tie" one's shoes or "lace [them] up", though the latter usage does tend to imply a more thorough job involving more than securing of more than just the free ends. Hope that helps! Carlton Anderson The taxis in London are called 'black cabs', so I guess the word cab is also a British English word and not only an American English word. Pascal Aerssens

British say a "battery is flat" where Americans (at least Southerners) saythe "battery is dead". Also the British pronounce it "battry" except when it's "assault & battery", at least that's what I've been told. Don Slaymaker

Bob Rodes - I was looking over your very entertaining pages of differing British and American words and word uses. As an American who lived in England as a child for three years, I find myself with a few contributions of my own to make. 1. I played snooker fairly often as a teenager in America. Most pool halls that cater to good players will have a snooker table. 2. 3. I recall the word plimsolls for sneakers. I dont remember trainers, but I was there a while ago. I always have said flagpole instead of flagstaff too.

Here are a few words that I didnt see. British first, American second. BRITISH Dog-end Sweets Sweets Cigarette butt Candy Dessert Pen (A pen is generally a ball-point pen, fountain pens are usually called such. Biro was considered scruffy when I was at school in England, but this was some time ago.) AMERICAN

Biro

Rubbish Bit Knickers Pants Odd Socks Hole (tooth) Smart Shandy Bathing Costume

Trash or Garbage (Garbage is organic waste, trash is general refuse) Piece (bit of paper, piece of paper, for example). Panties Underpants or undies (undies can also refer to womens undergarments) Mismatching Socks Cavity Sharp Americans would never dream of mixing beer and 7up, let alone drinking it. Bathing suit, swimsuit Lunch (Americans typically eat the big meal in the evening, except some people have Sunday dinner in the afternoon)

Dinner Tea ****

**** Tea is obviously a drink but in the UK we would also refer to a light meal usually taken in mid afternoon or early evening as "tea". Dinner Afternoon tea was much more widely taken in earlier years. Lunch is taken in the middle of the day with evening meals being called Dinner or Supper: although some people still call a hot meal taken in the middle of the day as "dinner". Mash Run about Mashed potato Run around Merry-go-round (traffic roundabouts are a transplant from Britain that are increasingly found in residential neighborhoods) Company (a firm generally is a small, unincorporated group of professionals such as lawyers or accountants) Lawyer, Attorney (or Trial Lawyer, Trial Attorney: the American Bar doesnt officially distinguish between the role of barrister and solicitor)

Roundabout

Firm

Barrister

Solicitor Pictures

Lawyer, Attorney

Movies (a bit old-fashioned now; generally people speak of going to a movie rather than going to the I think in the UK we are more likely to say going to the pictures movies. I dont know if Brits ever go to a picture or or cinema - although I am very much out of touch with the not.) younger generation! Half five Bangers Bangers Sausages This is a slang term for sausages! Paper round Scads Lots, as in quite a few I must admit I have never heard this term. Polystyrene Styrofoam Paper route Half past five Firecrackers

Fit Lollies

Hot (good-looking) Gummies Valerie

Steven Hourihan asks T he small table we sometimes have in our living room is called a 'coffee table' (even though tea is more popular) and I was wondering if they have them in Australia and America (or New Zealand and Canada for that matter) and whether they say 'living room' for the main downstairs room in the house where the sofa and tv are?

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICAN AND BRITISH WORDS PART 2 I am indebted to Dr. Beren S. Ewen for providing a lot more words which are different in the U.K. and America the comments in green are my own. BRITISH AMERICAN

Ground Floor

First Floor Contributed by Chris Johnson

Autumn dummy* * Nik Shearer advises this is known as a "dummy tit" in Scotland and Newfoundland underground angry tights

Fall

pacifier

subway mad pantyhose In the US, tights and pantyhose are different things: pantyhose are sheer, whereas tights are thicker. Alex

taxi mad dustbin single ticket shop ill timetable

cab crazy garbage can one-way ticket store sick schedule All the above contributed by Elma Pavlikova

ring (telephone) biscuit

call cookie Sent in by Thomas Highden - thanks

jumper nappy caravan chemist Elastoplast

sweater diaper trailer or motor home pharmacist bandaid

In England I've never heard someone call a plaster

(bandaid) an elastoplast, I think that's the full name for it whereas plaster is the more commonly used version. Chloe Osman I think this must be an 'age' thing. When I was a child plasters were often referred to as Elastoplast as this was the main (if not only) make of plasters available: I assume this is why they are known as Bandaids in other parts of the world. Over the years many other makes have evolved and, as you so rightly say, most people now call them 'plasters' here in the UK. estate agent jacket potato jam jelly lead mac or mackintosh marrow peckish football no true counterpart garden realtor baked potato jelly jello leash raincoat squash hungry soccer football yard A garden is specifically the part with a lot of plants, whereas a yard could be just grass. Alex postal cost/post code power point/plug/socket pram (short for perambulator) zip code electrical outlet/outlet baby carriage stroller Daniel Ausema pub (short for Public House) bar A pub serves food, whereas a bar might or might not. (I would say a pub is a type of bar in US English.) Alex

to be made redundant sacked/ get your P45

laid off, lose your job get fired, get a pink slip or become unemployed

refectory (not used much these days - canteen is usually used especially in workplace) rucksack Sellotape sideboards (this has really come about due our poor pronunciation as a "sideboard" is a piece of furniture usually found in the dining room of a house) sleeping policeman (I say nothing!) smalls snooker

cafeteria

backpack scotch tape

sideburns

speed bump underwear

billiards or more commonly pool (I am not sure I agree with this one as in the U.K. these are three entirely different games. Pool and billiards are also different games in the US: in pool you try to get the balls into holes, whereas in billiards there are no holes. I've never heard of snooker in the US. Alex

lawyer/attorney William Hitch advises that general public tend to call them lawyers but they call themselves attorneys. (here again I am not sure about this one and in the U.K. solicitiors, lawyers and barristers have different roles)

solicitor

sultanas A surgery

raisins (in the U.K. we have sultanas, raisins and currants) doctors office

sitting in a tailback

stuck in a traffic jam. A tailback is a position in a US football team (Now that could cause a raised eyebrow!) faucet can flashlight tractor trailer sneakers molasses undershirt vest living room fatter, thicker version of a sausage

tap tin torch articulated lorry trainers treacle vest waistcoat lounge

banger

In the UK we also use the term "old banger" when talking about a clapped out car. hamburger bun cotton candy plastic wrap We also say "Saran wrap" as well as "plastic wrap." Alex

bap candyfloss clingfilm

pork scratchings porridge tomato sauce/ketchup

pork rinds oatmeal catsup or ketchup gravy (in the U.K. gravy is usually brown as it originated from meat juices whilst cooking).

white sauce

LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES

When I set up the first page on the subject of language differences I had no idea just how much interest it would evoke. This has resulted in me receiving a great many contributions on the subject but, this in itself, has given me somewhat of

a problem. I have been trying to think of a way to present all that information in an entertaining and yet easy to use format, however, to date, I have not been able to crack the problem. It is far too complex a subject just to create lists and it has also become apparent that there are wide ranging opinions. In view of all this I have decided to publish visitors' responses on pages in the hope that others will find them of interest. Dave has written A Lift in the USA is the thing in a service station/garage (car repair place) that is hydraulic and "lifts" the car in the air to work under. Garage is a car/truck repair place that does not sell petrol/gasoline. I have never heard a flagpole called a flagstaff in the US, I'm on the west coast its always a flagpole. A spanner is also a wrench just an open end type in the US, a box end is called a wrench or box end wrench. Its a shoelace here in the US too, never heard it called a shoe string. Class in the US (referring to school) is a hour long in one subject. also called a period. "gym class" "English class" etc. Parcel in the US is a letter or pouch envelope. Package is a box being sent. Lavatory is used in the US for institutions, schools, etc. Restroom is used in general public places, and bathroom is used in homes. Flat in the US is a small one story apartment also called a studio apartment. Apartments are larger and consist of one story or more, two story apt. are also a town house/home. Trousers is used in the US and is normally a suit pant or old persons pants, pretty much what the other person said. Minced beef is much finer ground than hamburger in the US.

USA, "Madam", is a formal generic variation of Mrs. (Mistress), used to address a married woman, or a woman who is no longer available for marriage. "Madam" is contracted to Ma'am, in which the apostrophe stands for the missing letter, "d". The use of Ma'am, or Madam, or Madame pertaining to the owner or manager of a house of ill repute finds its origin in the fact that the, "Madame", was not for hire. The specific formal usage of, "Ma'am", pertains only to a married female whose name is not known. Otherwise, "Mrs." (Misses) <surname>, is used. In the USA, "Miss", is a formal and proper salutation for an unmarried virgin seeking a husband. In The USA, an informal, business, or intentionally ambiguous female salutation, primarily used among middle class feminists, is, "Ms." (Miz), a mixture of, "Misses" and "Miss", meaning either Mrs. or Miss. The lower classes, and upper class either use Miss or Mrs., but the middle class has adopted Ms., especially in business relationships involving feminists, lesbians, female judges, female lawyers, or female doctors.

The vast majority of US citizens, both male and female, prefer the traditional salutations, Miss and Mrs.. In the USA, the word, "boot", means a sort of rugged or stylish, calf height or higher footwear, especially with a raised heel. In UK, the word boot refers to the USA meaning, but in UK the rear storage compartment of an automobile is called the, "boot" also. The lid, or top hinged part is called a, "boot lid". In Wisconsin, USA, a public drinking fountain is called a, "bubbler". Across the Wisconsin border, in Illinois, USA, it is called a, "drinking fountain". If a Wisconsinite travels 10 miles into Illinois, and asks for the location a bubbler, the people have no idea what he's talking about. Among middle class Caucasian USA, "shoot the breeze", means "to make light conversation", especially to consume excess time. The lower class uses, "jaw", referring to the movement of the lower jaw when speaking. Examples are, "We were just shooting the breeze." and "I was jawing with them truckers." (semi haulers). Among African American inner city ghetto dwellers, the term, "you straight?", or "we straight?", means, "Do you feel your were treated equitably?" or "Is everything between us equitable?", especially as a courtesy gesture from a drug dealer to a client. Also among African Americans, "horn", is a term used to define a device to hold "crack" (free base) cocaine for smoking. If a suburban dweller abuses crack cocaine, and seeks the drug in an urban African American community, and the person doesn't know what a horn is, the drug dealers know they can dispense small quantities for a given price, and the suburbanite won't know he's being cheated. Lower class USA slang for inflicting a wound with a firearm is, "Cap his ass", originating in the name of toys from the 1970s, made to resemble a real firearm, that used tiny packets of gun powder to make a sound like a real firearm, albeit a much softer sound. In the United States, between 1940 and 1960, grade school aged boys frequently carried firearms with them to school, because public schools offered classes to hone skill in the use of firearms. There were no recorded firearm related injuries attributable to this practice, but to foreigners to the USA, the concept of 12 year old boys being encouraged to bring rifles to school is unusual. "Ripped off", in USA slang means, "cheated" in some way. But it does not refer to "infidelity" between lovers or spouses, which is called, "cheating" also. "He cheated on me!", means he had intimate relations with another girl during a time he was supposed to be my exclusive lover, which is implicit in Western style marriage. "Beat up", is USA slang for being on the receiving end of battery, or assault without use of weapons. "He got beat up!"

MasonCide

Hey, I just wanted to include some of the language differences. I'm from CA, but I'm pretty sure most of these are general. Keeper/Goalie: Whenever Brits talk about soccer, they say keeper. That's never used in America, it's always goalie or goal keeper. Some American Words: Hella: This is used pretty much only in California, and in different ways. "Those are hella (a hell of a lot of) hot dogs!" "I had a hella (hell of) good time last night." "You're hella (very/really) funny!"

Snogging: I've read this in Harry Potter, in America we would say "making out" or "frenching" like french kissing. Slag: We say skank or "ho". Ho and whore are not the same. Ho is much less offensive and usually used in a joking manner, whore is a more serious insult synonymous with hooker. Hooker, whore and call girl are people who are paid to have sexual intercourse with men. Skank, ho, tramp, or slut are usually used to describe girls who fool around or dress scantily and can even be used in a joking manner or semi-affectionately. A homeless person who lives on the street is a tramp, beggar, or hobo. Hobo is also used for extreme rednecks. A redneck is an uneducated, extremely conservative person (politically) who is usually middle class or blue collar. It is applied more to men than women when used as a noun, but can be used to describe anything. Kissing cousins, big trucks, guns, homophobia, unintelligence, overuse of the American flag, questionable dental hygiene, beating children, bad manners and fried food are all things that are very redneck. Calling something redneck is not a good thing-it is insulting usually used to highlight the ignorance or discrimination of someone or something. A town, a family, an object, a store, a law, a style of dress- all of these things can be called redneck. Californians do not call San Francisco Frisco, nor do we call California Cali. We use NorCal and SoCal-because there is a difference. San Francisco is called 'The City' by those who live near it, and the area around it is 'The Bay Area'. Los Angeles is L.A. Hapa/Hapanese: Someone who is half Asian, first used for those that are half Japanese. F.O.B.: Fresh off Boat asian-someone who has adopted very little or few American customs and is still almost comically traditional or uninformed about American culture. Vamanos: Let's go! This is often used when asking people to come in California- we do have a large Spanish population. Douche/Douchebag: First used to describe someone who dressed or acted ridiculously, it now means the same thing as ass or asshole and is mainly applied to males. Sketch: Something questionable-on the verge of being ghetto. Usually used to describe a place or situation. Manwhore: A less flattering word for playboy. Garage: A garage is what you have at your house where you park your car. A Parking Garage is a building in the city used solely for parking cars. If your car is broken, we usually say "it's getting fixed" or "it's in the shop". Emo/Scene: Not usually flattering, these words are used for kids with 'punk' like hair and manners who try too hard to be hardcore. They ARE different from punks and goths-those words are not nearly used as often, but usually have a more respectful tone. Indie/Hipsters: Usually these people shop at Urban Outfitters or American Apparel- they're not interested in being mainstream. Their dress is very bohemian and reminiscent of hippies. They listen to bands no one has heard of and are passively in favor of gay rights, animal rights, and other very liberal political sentiments but not politically active.

A lot of these terms are things the younger generation uses, hope this helps! Chiara

I'm from California. I have to correct the person that said the term "pants" is used by the younger generations as an adjective. As someone from the younger generation (17), I promise that no one would say "That film was pants." If they did, they would get laughed at. I think it really needs to be stressed on this website that the term fag or faggot should NEVER be used in the US, especially when referring to a gay person. It is the MOST offensive term used to describe a gay person. It would be the equivalent of calling a black person a nigger. It is only used by homophobic bigots. I have never heard flagstaff refer to anything other than the city in Arizona. It is always flagpole. Grade can either refer to the specific year someone is in at school (i.e. 1st grade, 2nd grade, etc.) or it can refer to a letter grade used to determine how well you perform in school (i.e. A, B, C, D, or F). Class can refer to your year at school or a lesson in a particular subject (i.e "He's in my class"/the class of 2011 or "I just went to English class.") What the UK calls college, we call high school. In high school, the grade levels are freshmen (9th grade), sophomore (10th grade), junior (11th grade), and senior (12th grade). In the US, college refers to university. This can become confusing because many colleges will have the term university in their title (i.e. Yale University). Having the term university in the title does not in any way indicate the prestige of the school. For example, Harvard is called Harvard College, not Harvard University, and is one of the most prestigious schools in America. Fanny is a polite way to say butt. At least in my generation, when someone is drunk, they might say they are hammered, smashed, or wasted. Pissed and pissed off both mean angry, but pissed is used more commonly. In the US, homely does mean ugly. It refers to someone being so plain that they are ugly. We use the term homey to refer to something cozy or unpretentious. This is not to be confused with "homie," which is an outdated, ghetto slang term used to refer to a friend (i.e. "He is my homie"). I have only every heard Mickey Mouse when referring to the animated Disney character. "I have the s****" would also refer to having diarrhea in the US. Gas can refer to gasoline or passing wind. (i.e. "I filled my car up with gas" or "I have gas"/ "I just passed gas"). On the west coast, we would never say shoestring. Restroom can be used in all contexts, including in homes, and is often considered to be more polite than bathroom. People my age don't say they are going to "chill out" when referring to relaxing, but it is common to hear someone use the shortened version, saying they are going to "chill." Chill can also be used as an adjective when referring to someone who is calm or laid back (i.e. He is a really chill guy, or He is really chill). When we say "chill out," we are usually telling someone who is being annoying or is getting frustrated to calm down. For example, if your mom starts yelling at you, you might tell her to "chill out," or take a chill pill. This would be considered rude. On the west coast we say "soda." Pop and soda-pop are used in the Midwest, but everyone would understand what they are referring to. If you ask for lemonade you are going to get a drink made by mixing lemon juice, sugar, and water. We put ice in all of our cold drinks. In the UK, I think you guys say "take the piss" when making fun of someone. We say "I'm messing with you," or "I'm just kidding," or "I'm just messing around." If you were to say that you were "taking a piss," that would mean that you are urinating.

I don't know if these phrases are only used in the US, but if we are really hungry we might say "I could eat a horse." If we just ate and are full, we might say "I'm stuffed.". If the car behind you gets really close to the back of your car for an extended period of time, they are "tailgating" you. This is usually a display of anger toward you, often times warning you to go faster. We also "tailgate" which is a party before a sports game where people barbecue and drink. This is most common before football games. "Pregaming" refers to getting drunk or drinking before going to an event or party. Danielle

As far as the 'pop', 'soda', 'lemonade' thing goes, in the east coast, 'pop' is used. I traveled South to Texas and while in a restaurant, I asked what kind of pop they have. "Excuse me?" the waitress said. "Pop..." I said. "Excuse me?!!"Waitress "Pop!.."-Me (Then I thought) "Oh, soda!"- Me "Oh!, well, we have (whatever she said)". I have personally never heard someone say 'coke', referring to all pop/soda beverages. Some American terms that may or may not be different from U.K. and Australia: Toilet Paper French Fry Potato chip Busy signal (I heard it's called an engaged tone somewhere) - Here in the UK we say 'engaged' Can/ Tin can Sweater Cookie Biscuit (bread) Hood (Neighborhood) Bum (Homeless Person) Sneakers (Shoes) Pissed and pissed off are used interchangeably Coaster (Circular cork mat used under a glass/can/bottle) *In the South, people are polite and respectful; they say Ma'am and Sir. Usually, up North (or just the East Coast) people don't usually address people. You basically skip that part of the sentence , i.e.: South- "Yes Ma'am/ Sir" North- "Yes" (Or more common) "Yeah" (Or if you're truly lazy), "Mmhm" Oh, I don't understand why we can't be as polite! (Of course, this doesn't apply to EVERYONE in the U.S. People are different, and that can be a good OR bad thing...) Sophi

I'd just like to expand on the -ise/-ize distinction, which is far more complicated than a simple UK/US divergence. Originally, -ize was used in British English too, for words with Greek roots. But not for words like advise, despise,... And let's not forget that nobody bothered too much about spelling consistently in the bad old days. But, when people started publishing dictionaries:

Noah Webster in the US standardized on the -ize form (phonetic)

The Oxford University Press (publishers of the OED: Oxford English Dictionary) also preferred -ize for words of Greek origin, for phonetic and etymological reasons The Cambridge University Press (publishers of the CED... you guessed it) preferred -ise and it's become predominant in the British press. One advantage is that you don't have to worry about all the exceptions to the ize rule. Essentially, the logic is that it makes sense for words that came to us via French, which modified the z to s. Others object to this logic because many of the words were imported to English before the French made the switch...

However, for me, the most fascinating aspect is that while most people think that the -ize form is an American innovation, it is in fact the older form of the language that is persisting. Another example of the "colony" maintaining older grammatical forms: the subjunctive is far more widely used in the US than in the UK. I only became conscious of this after moving to France (over 30 years ago). The French are very aware of a similar divergence between French French and Canadian French: the language of the ex-colony tends to advance faster as far as vocabulary is concerned but to lag behind on grammar. Les Brown

I live in England, London, and 'pissed' can now either mean angry or drunk. It depends on the situation, really. Elena LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES When I started these pages I had no idea just how much interest they would evoke. I do have quite a back-log of information awaiting publication but I am having difficulty finding a way to present it in both and entertaining and yet usable format. In the meantime, I have just received the following from a visitor:Bun- Really, this usually refers to particular kinds of bread, based mainly upon shape and consistency, and which always seems to come in some form smaller than a typical loaf. It implies a size intended to be eaten completely in a single meal. Oftentimes it is intended as just enough to make a single sandwich of some kind, and there are particular kinds for certain kinds of sandwiches, such as hot dog or hamburger buns (although strictly speaking, people almost never refer to these popular meals as sandwiches, even though that is what in effect they are). Of course, as others have pointed out, the word is also applied to particular sweet confections as well. We also use the word "roll" to describe small bread buns served with dinner or a more formal lunch. (And speaking of which, most people say "dinner" when what they are talking about is "supper," with the only exception you normally hear being Thanksgiving (a Thursday in late November) or Christmas dinner, which are typically served during in the afternoon. When my father was a boy Italian families also habitually had such a dinner weekly on Sunday afternoons, but I don't know to what extent the custom has been preserved.) Biscuit- In America this is a particular class of bread (like buns or rolls) eaten with meals, including breakfast. It is not a pastry, as reported on the web page. It is associated with less formal dining than dinner rolls, but nonetheless may put in an appearance at Thanksgiving. As such, it is never sweet, except to the extent one puts jam or jelly on it at breakfast. Usually, people just use butter, as they would with other kinds of bread rolls. Incidentally, when people use the word "butter" here, they are normally using margarine, not real butter. Relatively few people still seem to use real butter (although when I was in the Navy, we always had real butter, because of the influence of the Washington

politicians coming from those states where the dairy industry was important.) Also, sometimes very small sandwiches are made with biscuits, generally as a breakfast food. Finally, what the British call a biscuit we call a cookie. Bottom/bum- There are a host of synonyms for that particular part of the anatomy (some of them regional) although, sadly, most you don't hear very much anymore. The choice of which to use was and remains generally dependent upon the context, including how delicate the speaker wished to be in discussing this arguably sensitive physical feature. Here's a list: butt, bottom, behind, booty (only about 20 or 30 years old, at most), buns (also dates from the 1970's, and adopted because of it's resemblance to some of the previously-mentioned bread products), fanny, derierre, keister, carcass, can, posterior, rear end, rear, tusche, tuchas (from the Yiddish), "Ass" was always regarded as vulgar and rude (essentially, it is treated as a swear-word, except on television nowadays, where they are constantly trying to be "edgy"on theory that it attracts viewers). "Butt" was also considered somewhat crass but not as bad so that it could be employed as a euphemism for "ass" in situations where swearing was prohibited but where the crass connotation was desired - for example, on television or in the movies before swearing became prevalent there, and where the producers were trying to simulate an environment where one would expect swearing to be employed, such as in military, crime, or sports contexts. Words like can, carcass, and keister were similarly used. We have also pretty much adopted "bum" as more polite word for the sitting down place, though you don't hear it used very often. "Buns" is (or was, anyway) not infrequently used by women when admiring the same on a male. flagstaff/flagpole. Flagstaff is more of a military or naval term. I can't think when I have ever heard it used in a purely civilian context, apart from the name of the city in Arizona. shoestring/laces, or shoelaces. Interestingly, "shoestring" only seems to be used to describe something tenuous, generally some operation or task being carried out in spite of an acute shortage of the usual resources needed to do it. cinema/movie theater When most Americans go out to see a movie at a movie theater, they just say they are "going to the movies", or "going to go see a movie", and then they employ the word "theater" to describe the particular location they are going to. For example -- Him: "Let's go to the movies. I want to see Indiana Jones." Her: "I want to go see a movie, too. What theater is it playing at?" If, on the other hand, we say we are "going to the theater," that means a live stage performance. As for movie and film, we use both words, but movie is much more common, "film" generally being reserved for situations where you are engaging in a serious discussion of a movie. toilet- there are a lot of expressions for this. First, the word "toilet" can refer to either the receptacle itself or the facility generally where it is located, though the way most people use the word is to indicate the receptacle only. As for the receptacle itself, on an architectural plan you will see it identified by the initials W.C., for water closet, but you won't hear it anywhere else. This refers to the commode (the plumber's term), itself, not the room containing it. Similarly, only architects typically use the term "lavatory," to denote a room containing a W.C. and a sink, but no bath. Most Americans refer to the same as "the bathroom", whether it has a bath or not. We also commonly, though not exclusively, say "restroom", if it is in a place other than a home or its equivalent, such as a hospital room or hotel room (unless a visitor feels uncomfortable and is trying to be too polite). Restroom can be further changed into "men's room" and "ladies' room" and occasionally you might still hear someone say "the gents'" in reference to the fact that men's room doors used to often have a sign on them that said "Gentlemen."

Some places will use the term "powder room;" once upon a time, when people dressed more formally for dinner, the ladies' room at a posh restaurant might go by that name. On architectural plans for residences you may also see that term used in place of "lavatory" as discussed above, for the same reason that they may denominate the covered place where you park your car as a "porte coche" instead of a "carport." And as previously noted, sometimes because we sometimes teach children to say "little girls room", or "little boys room," in joking, teenagers or adults might say "I've just got to hit the little boys room real fast." If you are trying to be cute, this can be further permutated into all sorts of other expressions; when I was 18 and had just returned from my first submarine patrol with the United States Naval Reserve, I would tell my girlfriend I needed to use the "little submariners' room." Another expression people teach young children is "potty," and I once had a very dainty blonde girlfriend who still used that expression in an effort to be delicate when she was in her mid-thirties. Occasionally you might hear someone simply asking for the "facilities." The term "can" is a cruder expression that was used pretty much exclusively by men, though you don't here it much anymore. In military circles, the Navy and Marines Corps still use "head" aboard ship or on base while the army uses "latrine" (I don't know what the Marines call it in the field or what Air Force calls it anyplace, but not being very impressed with that branch I would be willing to bet on "potty"). On submarines we used to call the commodes themselves by the delicately endearing term, "shitters." trousers/pants- You almost never hear the term trousers used in the U.S. anymore, except possibly on occasion in a men's wear specialty store. You also used to hear the word "slacks" to identify at least some long pants not part of a suit, but it seems to have gone out of fashion. Basically, for long pants we just say "pants." As a previous writer noted, some kinds of pants are indicated simply by talking about the type, such as jeans or khakis. When these terms are used it is assumed that long pants are intended. For short pants we simply say "shorts," or "jeans shorts," "khaki shorts," etc. We also have "cuttoffs," which describes shorts which have the appearance of having been made by truncating a pair of long pants without bothering to hem the legs, so that they are left with a ragged appearance. Almost always those are made from jeans. side walk/pavement - Unlike others, I can't think where I've ever heard anyone call the sidewalk anything but, unless it was when I was very young and I just don't remember anymore.

chips - What the British would call "chips" we would call "fries," or "French fries." We also have them in more than one shape, a long, skinny type being the most common. We use the term "chips" to describe very thin, crispy sort of wafers made from very, very thinly sliced potatoes, corn meal, or sometimes other things which imaginative processed food manufacturers can come up with.

In the UK these "crispy wafers" are called "crisps". ground floor/first floor- In the States we normally use these two terms synonymously. Occasionally you'll see an office building or similar large structure where for some reason (usually entrances at different levels) the architect denominated both a ground floor and a first floor above that, which usually causes confusion until you are made aware of it and get used to it. taxi cab - When I was a little kid I used to call these by both names - "taxi-cab." Nowadays pretty much everybody I know calls them just cabs, yet the word taxi is hardly extinct, and shows up other places implying door-to-door delivery, such as "take-out taxi" to describe the delivery of meals to your door. shops and stores - In the U.S. people normally say "store" where it seems the British more commonly use "shop." When we use "shop" in reference to retail it is usually for particular kinds of generally small specialty store, such as gift shops, greeting card shops, optical shops, or a tailor's shop. In this regard, the word is more typically associated with a place where work is done, rather than just merchandise being sold, so that you get various repair shops (mechanic's, auto/car repair, auto body, brakes, mufflers, shoes, televisions, computer repair, clocks & watches, etc.).

You also still some people describe a vehicle being repaired as "in the shop" (although you could just as easily hear them say that it is "at the mechanic, " "at the dealer" (where the dealership which sells such cars also has a "service department" to repair them) or even "at the garage" (which is another name for a car repair shop, as well as a room in which to park your car) as well as of course, "at Joe's [Fred's, Dave's, Ray's, Auto Doc, etc.]" The word "shop" is also used sometimes to describe repair or maintenance facilities within businesses, and it used to be a slang term in the Navy for certain support facilities aboard ship. People will also sometimes have places in their homes to pursue their hobbies which might be referred to as workshops, woodworking shops, and the like. The term workshop is also widely used in business or professional circles to describe a seminar of some kind. estate agent- is called a realtor or real estate agent We say jam just as much as we say jelly (and we also have marmalade, too) Garden/yard - The part of one's home the British refer to as "the garden" Americans call "the yard." When Americans use the word garden, it is in reference to a particular place (often within a yard) dedicated to growing vegetables or flowers.

Pub isn't uncommon in the names of bars here, because among certain things British that appeal to many Americans our understanding of the concept of the pub is one. However, such establishments generally don't operate like a classic British pub. The notion of an American bar that closes at 10 or 11 p.m.*** (2200 or 2300) is laughable most places (other than in hotels or airports). It is also unlikely that the whole family would go or that you would see children in one (on the other hand, there are innumerable restaurants which feature a bar prominently as part of the amenities and they cater especially to families as well others).

*** Licensing hours have changed in the UK; Pubs and bars can now apply to stay open 24/7. Moreover, we don't say we are going to the pub. More likely we would say that we are "going out," or "going out for drinks" (or "going out for a drink," though this usage is probably passe) or that we were going to a particular bar, i.e., "I'm going to the Richmond Arms (Black Lab, Boar's Head, Baker Street Pub, Gingerman, Earnie's, The Aquarium, Fuzzy's etc.). If we are going out to a dance club rather than just a bar, we'd say we were going out to a club. Pram - We call this a "baby carriage" or, in it's more modern form, a "stroller". Roundabout - this must go by more than one name in the States, depending on where you are. Everyplace I have ever seen them (including Camp Lejuene, North Carolina and Houston, Texas) they were called traffic circles. Car terminology: What the British call the "hood" on a convertible car we call the "top." We then use the word "boot" to name the little cover that goes over the top when it is down. I have heard that the British now use the term "truck" in addition (if not actually in preference to) "lorry". Solicitors in the US are people who come door to door to sell things (nowadays primarily to businesses, rather than homes), or call you on the telephone, and there are tons of people with stores that say "no solicitors" on the fronts. Lawyers in America are called either lawyers or attorneys, with the terms being 100% synonymous. We do not have nor draw any distinction between solicitors and barristers. This is notwithstanding the fact that for some reason there is a position in the federal government in Washington called the Solicitor General, which is a different position from the Attorney General.

gravy is a brown sauce made from meat used on turkey (and mashed potatoes and chicken-fried steak and various other things), but many Italian-Americans still refer to gravy as tomato sauce, and all the generations after them still use it. Resume/ CV - In my experience as a lawyer, physicians, scientists, some engineers, and similar professionals may have CV's. Most people, including lawyers, do not. Contributor - C. A. Palumbo - A 47-year-old male who has lived in various parts of the United States ranging from California to Florida to Virginia to Texas with a very wide ranging vocabulary.

I'm engaged to an American "gal" from South Carolina and we often make fun of each other's different uses of various words. One that springs to mind is their word for an articulated lorry which, in the south certainly, they call a semi (pronounced sem-i). Another word is barbecue, in the south the activity of barbecuing is called a cookout and the word barbecue relates to the food that has been prepared at the cookout. Also they will often oven roast what they call a Boston Butt (actually pork shoulder) then shred this with a pair of forks (in a similar way to Chinese crispy duck is shredded in the UK) This will then be put into a pot with a barbecue sauce and served in a burger bun and called "barbecue"! David Budgen LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES

Malcolm Bale has sent in the following interesting information on the use of verbs. "Auxiliary verbs are used differently in the UK and in USA. Americans would answer the question 'Have you got a pen? with 'Yes, I do'; Britishers say 'Yes, I have' (unless, of course, the question is worded 'Do you have a pen?' !) There are also differences with the past tenses of the verb 'to wake'. Americans say 'waked' and sometimes 'had woked'; in the UK the preferred equivalents are 'woke' and 'woken'."

Amy adds I don't know where that Malcom Bale person is from, but "waked" and "had woked" are most certainly NOT the preferred past tense of "to wake". "Waked" and "had woked" would generally only be heard from rural dialects, small children still learning grammar, Black/African-American dialects, and maybe Hispanics. "Woke" and "woken" are still the preferred words in the US.

and Alex comments I have never heard anyone in the US say "had woked" -- are you sure about that? I've heard "waked," but I think "woke" and "woken" are more common over here too.

In commonwealth countries- Get down; in US- always get out In India- We say Happy Independence Day; in US- Happy 4th of July Ajay

Linda Weber saw my phrase "now it's down to you" on the CD Rom page and pointed out that in America they say "now it's up to you", this started me thinking as we also say "it's up to you". Why then did I put "it's down to you"? I tried to work out when we use each expression. As I couldn't come up with an answer I looked them up in the dictionary up to = incumbent on e.g. it is up to you to say down to = be attributable to or be the responsibility of I still don't know the answer - it would appear both fit the bill.

I found your site whilst looking or another Americanism and was interested in the discussion about up to you and down to you. I think that the difference is that 'up to you' is a hands off thing whereby you allow the person to make up their own mind without any interference whereas 'down to you' implies some kind of blame or responsibility for some consequence of an action that has been taken and can be laid at the door of an individual. Thats how Ive always interpreted it from the context of the dialogue when in bookworm mode. Pauline

Jeff Walkington writes as follows:I spent 6 weeks living in the UK for work this past summer and got a hell of a kick out of the difference in lingo. I brought back some of it to share with my fellow Americans, my favorite being the use of "cheers" for everything from "thank you" to "good bye". I use it all the time and it drives my friends nuts, when we are out, because the wait staff usually have no clue why I would be saying "cheers" to them. Cheers in the States is used only in drinking situations, similar to a toast or a prost.

Tony Smith, who was born in Leamington Spa which is approximately 10 miles south of Coventry in the U.K. has kindly sent in the following observations:"As a child I only ever heard "I guess" (as in "I guess he was angry") in American films/TV programmes and I assumed it was an "Americanism". However, as I grew up and found work in Coventry I heard the phrase more and more and began to realise that it was probably of British origin (albeit localised). Some of the people using the phrase were of an older generation and not at all keen on the influences that our American cousins seemed to be having on the language.

Another one I believe may have originated here is "swell", meaning "good" - although I have nothing to support this at all.* For the sake of fairness I should add that I am aware of the very large contribution made from the U.S. to the English language (re. Bill Bryson et al) and one of my favourites is "gotten" which I think should be used more. Some of my colleagues would recoil in horror!" * Marion Funnell comments as follows:"The term "swell" comes from the 17th century "A Swell" which was a term used for a young man of high fashion. It was also used to describe those "Gents" who enjoyed the membership of an exclusive London club......you had to be a good guy to get in, so I think it stems from that."

Am I to understand you have no interest in Canadian English, which -- though frequently similar -- nevertheless differs from American English?

I have just happened onto your site and am finding it interesting. I am astonished at the varying opinions of what is said or not said in the United States, which as a Canadian, I would never call "America", being from North America myself. Indeed, some of us are offended by that use, feeling as if someone has appropriated more than half our continent and that we are being completely overlooked. Of course, not having our English on your site is only adding to that "complex"! It makes clear how regional language can be, doesn't it? Language is also strongly influenced by the ancestry of a place. For example, I am of Irish extraction, living in a French province where some of our language has never been altered, especially for those of us who spend more time among the French population. I say salt and pepper "castors" [I've never looked up the spelling before and find myself in a quandary. I have always believed this term to come from the little silver dish that contained salt and had a little spoon to cast the salt over your food. If someone sells they are a "vendor", so following the same logic, I thought it could be "castor"; however, there appear to be many who spell it "caster", which I suppose is fine too.], yet my siblings, having more English-speaking friends, have converted to using "shakers." And again, I always say "I haven't a clue." and get teased for it in the U.S., but when visiting Britain, I'm asked if I am Irish. Some, however, attribute that more to the fact that I lilt when I speak. Then, there are the French expressions that have infiltrated our Quebec English setting it apart from the rest of the country. Words and phrases like: Terrasse - outdoor terrace; dep - corner store thanks to the French "dpanneur"; gallery - balcony guichet - ATM machine Other difference include primary school - instead of "grade school" for the first 6 or 7 years of their schooling; soft drinks not "pop" or "sodas"; stage - not apprenticeship all-dressed pizza - a pizza with everything (delux)

Anyway, I am a translator and lover of words and am enjoying your site, but would find it more egalitarian if we humble Canucks were included. I know we have the reputation for being very polite and self-effacing, however, some of our language has been known to be quite colourful. (Yep! If we follow what we were taught, then we align our English spelling with the British, however, if we allow ourselves to be influenced by what we see, hear and read around us, then our language very quickly resembles that of our neighbours south. And the younger we are, the less we have heard of this dichotomy and the more everything is Americanized!) Do hope you consider adding in Canadians' two cents worth soon. Linda Davis

There are also differences in language within countries, here are some contributions from Canada (courtesy of Mrs. R. Lehman) The metal pieces put on the bottom of shoes to prevent them wearing out are called BLAKEYS in British Columbia, CLICKERS in Alberta and Saskatchewan and TAPS in Manitoba and Newfoundland. Doughnuts - In British Columbia a jam filled doughnut is called a JELLY or JELLIED DOUGHNUT; in Alberta and Saskatchewan BISMARKS; and in Manitoba - JAM BUSTER. Baby's pacifier (or dummy) is called a SUCKEE in British Columbia and Saskatchewan but in Newfoundland it is known as a DUMB TIT (I won't tell you what this would mean in the UK!) Nik Shearer advises this is known as a "dummy tit" in Scotland. GARBAGE in Canada is know as TRASH in the U.S.A. and RUBBISH in the U.K.

In India they use the word SHIFT when moving from one apartment to another, whereas in the U.K. and America the term used would be MOVE. Thanks to Alpesh Khushalchand Shukia for this one. Nik Shearer informs me that the term "flitting" is used when moving house - as in "I'm flitting". I am sure in the South of England this would be confused with the term "moonlight flit" which means leaving without paying your bills.!!!

In the U.S. a 'fag' is a gay man and I heard a story once of an English bloke in the US politely asking a burly bloke at a bar if he "had any fags"*** - he very nearly got punched! ***Nik shearer rightly points out that, in order to explain the above sentence, I should have mentioned that, in the U.K. the word "fag" is also the slang word for a cigarette!!

Another great phrase is "keep your pecker up", very British and more or less means "be positive/keep your head up". In the US it is down right rude as 'pecker' refers to the male anatomy. I recall a story of a British Edition of a particular

newspaper forwarding a telegram to a journalist through its US Edition with those words on it - it was rejected on the grounds that the telegram was obscene ( a long while ago but it highlights the difference!).

Date - British is day/month/year whereas in the USA it is month/day/year. This can be particularly annoying on websites when you come across a download site that has files dated 10/01/01 and you don't know if it's the 10th of January or the 1st of October and can't tell if it's a recent file or not.

There are also many spelling differences e.g. optimise, customise, analyse etc. American English replaces the "s" with a "z". Flavour, colour, humour, armour etc. have the "U" dropped in American English and Tyres are Tires in the US. (This has created a lot of problems for me on this site - I am British so spell words one way whilst a number of my contributors are American so they spell it another. Hence the mix of spellings throughout the site.)

A cheque is 'check' in US which makes it confusing if you want to check a check for mistakes.

A car tyre is spelt "tire" so you could quite easily 'tire of fixing the tire". My thanks to Nik Shearer for taking the time and trouble to send in all the above.-

An American asking for "Sprouts" would probably mean "Bean sprouts" whereas in the U.K. this would mean "Brussel sprouts" (which is a small green leaved vegetable). Thank you Richard Hamilton.

Durex in the U.K. is a make of "condom", whereas, I believe in Australia this is a self adhesive tape - NOW THAT COULD GET YOU INTO TROUBLE!!!! Lisa advises - "Durex is not adhesive tape in Australia, its a condom brand (probably the best known one) same as in the UK!" Again I stand corrected as it would appear Durex adhesive tape is no longer available in Australia.

In the U.S. if something is "Mickey Mouse" it is flimsy, not good quality or just hurriedly put together. In Australia if someone says they will "Mickey Mouse" it for you they mean they will make it perfect. American businessmen tend to use the term "bird" as an airplane. As in 'I just got off the bird this morning'. In Britain "bird" means a girl - another one to get you into trouble! "Knocked up" in the U.S. means pregnant whereas in the U.K. this means to wake someone up by knocking on the door. (We do now use this term to mean 'pregnant').

XXXX in Australia is a brand of beer in the U.S. it is a brand of condom - whoops that slippery slope again. Thanks to Karen for sending in these examples! and to Cassie for the correction.

John Conolley reckons that comparative philology should include the study of rude terms and has sent in a few to get the ball rolling. In the U.S., "fanny" means a girl's backside. I gather it means something rather different in England. (as this is a family site I would rather not elaborate on this one!) The word "bollocks" is not used in the U.S. It's merely "balls." "Git" is not used, except far up in the hills, where dog breeders might use it to refer to a dog. (In the UK this term is used to refer to someone considered to be stupid - rightly or wrongly!) "Pillock," which I've heard on British TV shows isn't used in the U.S., and I don't even know what it means (here again its a term used meaning "idiot" or "fool") "Knickers" is rare in the U.S., and would mean the old-fashioned boy's trousers (excuse me, I almost typed "pants") that are cut off and tied (buttoned?)halfway between the ankles and the knees. (In the U.K. this is a word for ladies undergarments more modernly known as pants.) "Bloody" is sometimes used in the U.S. by accretion from the British, but no American knows what it really means, or why the British consider it a dirty word. (more information on the history of swear words can be found at http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbloody.html I'm aware that the word "kaks" is used in some parts of England for trousers, but few Americans have ever heard it. (As far as I am aware not widely used in the U.K. either, not in the South East anyway!) Apparently "keks" is a very common British word in the North of the country. In Sweden "Keks" means biscuits. "Strides" is also used in Sweden for trousers (as in Australia!). Thanks to Simon Francis for this information. And the best one of all, of course, is "arse," which lost its "r" by being filtered through New England English, to become "ass," which evidently strikes the British as odd. (An "ass" in the U.K. is a sort of Donkey although in some British dialects it could have a different meaning!)

The next contribution is a little risque but no offence intended. In Australia the phrase "I have the s****" means "I'm annoyed, angry/mad/cross", however, in the U.K. this would mean "I have diarrhoea!". Thanks to Effie Makris for this one

It has been pointed out by J. Bunce that the term "gas" used in American English for fuel is, in fact, an abbreviation of the word "gasoline".

I remember once when talking to an American colleague I mentioned my boss was "abroad" and could not understand the laughter at the other end of the phone line. After a little thought I realised he had thought I was referring to my male superior as "a broad!!!".

British to American (Top) (Bottom)

Accumulator (automotive) = battery, car battery Alsatian (dog) = German shepherd Articulated lorry = tractor-trailer (truck), a "semi" Ass = donkey; U.S. ass = G.B. "arse," i.e. one's backside (in addition to normal "donkey") Athletics (an ... meet) = track and field Backlog = log-jam, pile-up (of business orders, for example). U.S. backlog = comfortable reserve of orders difference between the two is in opposite interpretation or connotation of same basic situation. Bank holiday = holiday Bap = bun, hamburger bun, hamburger roll Mrs. Beeton = Fanny Farmer (standard cooking, household reference book) Bespoke = custom-tailored, tailor-made Big Dipper = roller coaster (at a "Fun-Fair" = "Amusement Park" Bilberry = blueberry "Bird" = "chick" Biro = Papermate (ball-point pen trade name which equals "generic" name) Biscuit = cookie (U.S. "biscuit" is a baked bread, "bap," "scone" Blancmange = vanilla pudding Block, block of flats = apartment building (U.S. term "block" [city block] unknown as such in British English, though usually understandable. "Bomb" (theater terminology) = a "hit," a great success. U.S. "bomb" = G.B. failure, critical disaster, i.e. the two are exact opposites in sentences like "The play was a bomb!" Boiler suit = overalls Bonnet (automotive) = hood (of a car...) Boot (automotive) = trunk (of a car...) Bottom drawer = hope chest Bowler (hat) = derby (special connotations & different pronunc.) Braces = suspenders; U.S. suspenders = G.B. garters, stocking fasteners Brambleberry = blackberry Bottom of the street = end of the street Box (TV) = Tube (both slang, colloquial terms)

Lumber room = spare room, storage room (in a home) Mackintosh = raincoat, overcoat, trenchcoat Mains = ordinary built-in home electrical network (no special word as equivalent in U.S.) Market garden = truck farm Marrow (vegetable) = squash, gourd Mason = stoneworker; U.S. mason can be stone- or brickworker Marriage lines = marriage certificate Mean = stingy, tight with money; U.S. "mean" normally means nasty, spiteful, ill-meaning in action toward another Mess kit = formal military dress for ceremonial dining; U.S. mess kit = army or boy scout utensils for cooking or eating a meal on the trail. Minced meat = hamburger meat, ground beef; U.S. mincemeat = sweet, spicy ground meat/fruit/nut combination used for making pies, especially around Thanksgiving/Christmas Mineral water = any carbonated soft drink; U.S. mineral water = bottled natural water (containing normal minerals) from spring or health spa, Perrier water, etc. Mistress = teacher in girls' school; U.S. mistress = lover (extramarital) Mob = gang, group (neutral); U.S. mob = angry crowd; "the mob" = Mafia Motorist, motoring = driver, driving Music Hall = vaudeville (generic entertainment type/place name) Nappy = diaper (for infants not toilet-trained) A Neat drink = a straight drink, i.e. "give me a straight whiskey" = whiskey without water or other additives Nervy = nervous, jumpy; U.S. nervy = bold, impertinent, i.e. nearly the opposite of the British usage Night club = private membership club; U.S. nightclubs are public (commercial) entertainment places Number plate = license plate (on automobiles) Off-license = liquor store Old boy (girl) = alumni, alumnus, alumna [of a

Bull = "mickey mouse" (unnecessary military drill); U.S. bull = G.B. cock Bum = ass, rectum; U.S. bum = G.B. tramp, derelict Bun in the oven = pregnant, eating for two Call box = (tele)phone booth Camp bed = cot; U.S. cot = G.B. baby bed Car park = parking lot Caretaker (for a building) = janitor (not same as "vahtimestari") Carriage (railway) = railroad car, subway car Carrier bag = shopping bag Caucus = permanent group in a political party; U.S. caucus = G.B. ad hoc planning meeting of a group in a political party Central reservation = median strip (between halves of a divided highway) Charge sheet = police record Chemist (drugstore) = druggist Chips = french fries; U.S. chips often = dried buffalo, cow dung (other cases, i.e. poker chips, wood chips, the same) Chucker-out = bouncer (doorman or "enforcer" in a bar/restaurant "In the City" = "on Wall Street" (in main financial district) City editor = financial editor; U.S. city editor = G.B. "community news editor" Cloakroom = toilet; U.S. cloakroom = clothes closet, garment storage area Coach = intercity bus Combinations = union suit (colloquial for long underwear) Comforter = scarf; U.S. comforter = heavy quilt, blanket Compre = Master of ceremonies, M.C. (of TV game show, etc.) Constable = (police) officer "To cop" = "to get" something unpleasant, i.e. "to cop a 15-pound fine." U.S. "to cop" = to plead guilty to a lesser charge in order to avoid prosecution & probable conviction on a more serious charge ("to cop a plea" = "pleabargaining") Corn = all grain crops; U.S. corn = G.B. "maize" only. Costermonger = pushcart seller (Sent to) Coventry = ostracized Crisps = potato chips Cupboard = closet; U.S. closet = G.B. w.c., or toilet Davenport = antique folding writing desk; U.S. davenport = large sofa, often which folds out into a bed at night.

school] Pantechnicon = moving van Panda car = police patrol car, police cruiser Patience (card game) = Solitaire Pecker (keep your pecker up) = keep your chin up; U.S. pecker = penis Pram (peramulator) = baby carriage, baby buggy, stroller, walker Petrol = gasoline, gas (to go in automobiles, airplane, etc.) Pie = meat pie; U.S. pie is always a fruit or fruit-derived pie, unless "a meat pie" is specifically indicated Pillar-box = mailbox, post office box, letter box, letter drop Pissed (he was really...) = drunk; U.S. "pissed = angry, upset Pitch (soccer) = field (football) [GB "football" = US "soccer"] Plimsolls = sneakers, tennis shoes, gym shoes Point = electric outlet, railroad switch (depending on context) Polka dots = chocolate chips (food product for baking) Prawn = shrimp Prom, prom concert = music concerts where most of the audience is standing; U.S. prom = dance, semi-formal, especially at end of year in high schools, colleges Rates = local, municipal property taxes Redundant = laid off (from a job); U.S. redundant = superfluous (no connotation of connection with jobs at all) Return ticket = round-trip ticket Ringway = circular road (around a city), bypass Rise = raise in salary To Roger = to "screw," have sex with; to exploit, take advantage of, to use Roll neck (pullover) = turtleneck (sweater). Roundabout = traffic circle Rubber = eraser; U.S. rubber = condom, prophylactic device Saloon = "sedan" car (automobile); US saloon = western-style bar Saloon bar = one section of an English pub Sanitary towel = sanitary napkin, feminine hygienic item A good screw = a good salary; U.S. "good screw" equals good "fuck" or good sexual experience To Screw = to cajole, persuade, extract money from; U.S. "to screw" = to have sex with, fornicate

Deposit account = savings account Dinner jacket = tuxedo ("black tie" formal dress) Dormitory = bedroom; U.S. dormitory = G.B. residence hall Dresser = kitchen sideboard; U.S. dresser = bedroom drawers, vanity "Duck" = "goose egg" (a zero on the scoreboard of a sports match) Dumb = mute; U.S. dumb usually means "stupid" rather than "mute," which is a secondary meaning in U.S. usage. Dustbin = garbage can, ashcan (exterior wastedisposal unit) Dynamo (automotive) = generator (within automobile engine) Earth wire = ground wire (in electricity, electronics) Elastic band = rubber band To Enjoin = to compel, to legally force; U.S. enjoin = to legally forbid i.e. same term in same general contextual usage has precisely the opposite meaning Ex-serviceman = veteran; U.S. veteran = G.B. old ex-serviceman; (U.S. term has no special age connotation, only that the person have had prior military experience sometime) Fag = (a) cigarette; (b) public-school underclass "servant"; U.S. fag = low-slang term for male homosexual. Fanny = vagina (vulgar usage); U.S. fanny = light euphemism for "backside," either male or female. First floor = second floor, etc. (Britain walks in ground floor, goes up 1 set of stairs to first floor; U.S. ground floor and first floor are the same. Fish slice = pancake turner, spatula (kitchen tool); U.S. spatula = G.B. tongue depressor (medical instrument) Fitted carpet = wall-to-wall carpeting Flan = pie, fruit pie Flannel = washcloth; U.S. flannel = heavy warm cotton fabric; "flannels" would be long underwear made from such heavy warm fabric. Flat = apartment; U.S. flat = tenement flat = poor-standard slum apartment. Flick knife = switch-blade knife, a switchblade Flyover = overpass (as in a bridge over a road); U.S. flyover = airplane passing over a certain place, as in military parade "flyovers"; verb is "to overfly." Form (school) = grade [i.e. first form = first

Season ticket = commuter (train, bus) weekly or monthly ticket; U.S. season ticket is admission ticket to all home games in one season of a particular sports team To Second to = to temporarily loan staff to another job or unit Sellotape = Scotch tape (both brand names now used as "generics" "Semi" = duplex, duplex house; U.S. "semi" = tractor-trailer truck rig Seminary = Roman Catholic seminary only; U.S. Seminary can be ANY religion, i.e. Lutheran, Methodist seminaries Sherbet = powdered, fruit-flavored candy; U.S. sherbet = G.B. sorbet (pronounced "soorbay") Shorthand-typist = stenographer To shy = to throw something (he shied a rock at the stray dog...) Sideboards = sideburns (in a hairstyle) Single = one-way ticket; U.S. "single" in context would mean "only one" as opposed to "several" tickets To Snog = to neck (i.e. kissing, hugging, etc., esp teenagers) Spinster = any unmarried woman; U.S. spinster is always OLD unmarried woman Standard lamp = floor lamp (as opposed to table or wall lamp) S.T.D. (subscriber trunk dialling) = direct distance dialling [on the telephone, as opposed to dialling through operator] Steps = ladder; U.S. "steps" always would mean staircase, built- in stairway or staircase To stream (pupils in a school) = to track (streaming = tracking) Stroke (punctuation) = diagonal, slash To Stuff = to fornicate, have sex with; U.S. "I'm stuffed..." = to be comfortably, pleasantly full of food, satiated Sub-editor = copy reader or rewrite person, in journalism Subs = dues, as in union dues, etc. Subway = underground walking passage, underpass, pedestrian tunnel; U.S. subway = G.B. "underground," i.e. underground railway system for public transportation Superannuation scheme = retirement pension plan Supply teacher = substitute teacher Supertax = surtax Surgery = a doctor's office, office hours, reception time; U.S. "surgery" refers to "surgeon" operating on a patient Suspenders = garters, for socks or stockings

grade in school] Garden = yard; U.S. garden = vegetable garden, fljower garden, i.e. area of special cultivation. U.S. yard = G.B. paved area (lorry yards) Goods (car, train) = freight; U.S. goods = supplies, commercial stock Grind = sexual intercourse; U.S. grind = slang for "hard (routine) work." Haberdasher = notions seller; U.S. haberdasher = men's clothing seller To Hack = to (deliberately) kick; U.S. to hack = to chop, cut viciously. High street = Main street To Hire = to rent (in most cases); U.S. to hire = to employ Hire-purchase = (the "never-never") = installment plan Hoarding = billboard (large advertising sign alongside road) Hold up = traffic jam; U.S. holdup = robbery at gunpoint. Homely = home-loving, domestic, pleasant; U.S. homely = plain- looking (female), therefore often "left" at home. To Hoover = to vacuum (carpets, etc.) "Hoover" in the U.S. is a brand name only, never used as a verb. Inland = internal, domestic (Inland Revenue = Internal Revenue) Inverted commas = quotation marks (GB = 'xx'; USA = "xx") Inquiry agent = private detective Jelly = Jello (deriving from brand name Jell-O, gelatin dessert) "On the job" = having sexual intercourse; U.s. "on the job" = while working, learning, i.e. "on the job training." Joint = pot roast; U.S. "joint" = marijuana cigarette Juggernaut lorry = a very large truck, an overlong truck, a "double semi" truck Jumble sale = rummage sale Jumper = light pullover (sweater); U.S. jumper = type of knee- length woman's dress worn over blouse or sweater Kirby grips = bobby pins (to fasten long hair ...) A Knock-up = (tennis) to warm up, to volley a few, to practice-volley To Knock up = to awaken, call early in the morning; U.S. "to knock up" is colloquial for "to impregnate" Lacquer = hairspray; U.S. lacquer = wood varnish, shellac (high-gloss), i.e. protective

only; U.S. suspenders = G.B. braces, for holding up trousers Sweet = dessert, or piece of candy Sweetshop = candy store To Table (parliamentary procedure, conference terminology) = to put on agenda for immediate handling; U.S. "to table" = to put aside [indefinitely], to delay further handling Tannoy = public address (p.a.) amplification system Teat = baby bottle nipple; US teat = GB nipple = breast nipple Terrace house = row house, garden apartment, town house Are you Through? (telephone) = are you connected; U.S. "are you through"? = are you finished, completed, with your call To tick = to check, place check mark beside Tights = hose, panty hoseh, nylons, nylon stockings; U.S. tights = leotards, skin-tight exercise suit, knit stocking pants Tinkle = telephone call [give me a tinkle sometime]; U.S. "tinkle" = children's talk for "to urinate" Tip = garbage dump; U.S. tip = hint, advice, clue Torch = flashlight; U.S. torch = burning, flaming light or weapon Touchline = sideline (in sports, such as on soccer pitch, etc.) Tower block = high-rise apartment building Trade union = labor union (but usually organized by "trades" in England, by "industry" in the U.S. US "Auto Workers' Union" would be represented by different "trades" in GB) Tram = streetcar, trolley car Transport cafe = truck stop (roadside cafeteria, restaurant, popular with truck [lorry] drivers Traveller = travelling salesman Treacle = molasses Trousers = pants; U.S. pants = G.B. underwear shorts Trunk call = long-distance call (on a telephone) Turn it up (colloquial) = stop it, cut it out! U.S. "turn it up" = increase the volume Undercarrige = landing gear (aircraft) Underdone = rare (extent to which you wish your meat cooked) Underground= subway (cf "subway") Vest = undershirt; U.S. Vest = G.B. waistcoat Windscreen (automotive) = windshield Wing (automotive) = fender, bumper (pre-70s designs...)

decorative wood coating Ladder = (in women's stockings" = a runner, a run Lay-by = (beside a road) = a pull-off, a rest area. Left-luggage office = check room, baggage check (room) Level crossing = railroad crossing. Lift = elevator Lip balm = chapstick Logic-chopping = splitting hairs, hair-splitting Long jump (in athletics) = broad jump (in track and field) Lorry = truck Loud-hailer = bullhorn, amplified megaphone Lucky dip = grab bag (children's party game or activity ...)

White spirit = turpentine, paint thinner; U.S. "white lightning" (spirits) = potent homedistilled backwoods alcohol! Wholemeal = whole-wheat (bread, flour, etc.) Yankee/Yank = any American in general, U.S. Yankee = Northeast erner ONLY, i.e. specific regional, historical definition Zebra crossing = crosswalk, pedestrian crossing (Ped Xing) "Zed" = "Zee" (pronunciation of last letter in alphabet)

American to British (Top) (Bottom)

Bathroom = toilet, w.c. (G.B. bathroom will have bath, washbasin or shower only) Billboard = hoarding Biscuit = scone; G.B. biscuit = U.S. cookie Billy club = truncheon Blank = empty form, i.e. telegraph blank Block (city block) = city block bounded by streets on 4 sides, distance between 2 streets or crossings in same direction Block-busting = "penetration" of a residential area by an ethnic or minority group unwelcome by original residents, who often then sell and leave Blotter = police official daily record of happenings in local precinct office Blowout = puncture (flat tire on car, bicycle, etc.) Blue book = local social register of high-status families Blue Cross/Blue Shield = two different large health-insurance companies Blue laws = restrictive community "moral" laws dating from Puritan times, such as prohibition of liquor sales on Sunday, limits on public entertainment on Sundays, etc. Bomb (theater) = a failure; G.B. bomb (theatre) = great success Boner = gaffe, mistake, faux pas Boot camp = military basic training period/location Boondocks = backwoods Bourbon = corn- (maize-) derived whiskey

Graham cracker = wholemeal biscuit Grandstand play = done to impress the audience in the grandstands rather than as a requirement of the game, "showy" action Ground rules= specific local rules for particular event or action, sports or otherwise Half & Half = dairy mixture of half cream, half milk (to put in coffee, for use in baking, etc.) Handball = game played by hitting a small, hard ball with bare hand against a wall in room similar to a squash court European "handball" is not 'known' in the U.S. Hard-on = male sexual erection High school = secondary school, senior (upper) secondary school Home free (colloquial) = home & dry Homely = plain-featured, -looking; GB homely = domestic, pleasant Horny = randy Housing project = housing development, housing estate Huddle = planning, tactics conference, especially in American football, but also metaphorically in other situations Hung jury = jury that is divided, cannot reach a verdict Jello = jelly; U.S. "jelly" = G.B. "jam"; U.S. "jam" = G.B. "thick [GB] jelly with fruit embedded" Kerosene = paraffin, U.S. paraffin = GB paraffin wax Longshoreman = docker, dock worker

Box car = good waggon (U.S. spelling "wagon") Bronx cheer = raspberry (critical noise ...) Brownie = small, "heavy," rich-chocolate baked biscuit; also young Girl scout Brunch = mid-morning meal (combination of "breakfast & lunch") Bush league = baseball "minor" training leagues; also connotes "amateurism," unprofessionalism, etc. Caboose = last waggon on a goods train Candy = sweets Car fare = money for transportation fares Carry-out (food) = take-away (food) Catch (to play catch [baseball]) = "playing tag" (US "playing tag" is children's game where one tries to run and "catch" or touch ("tag") one of the other children playing) "Catch up with him" = "Catch him up" Checkers = draughts (the game, played on checker/chess board) Checking account = current account (banking) Comfort station = public convenience Cone = cornet ("ice cream" cones--British "ice cream" also quite a different commodity) Cord (electrical) = flex, lead, wire Corn = maize; G.B. corn = all types of grain, unless specified Cotton candy = candy floss Certified Public Accountant (CPA) = Chartered Pub. Account. (CPA) Cube sugar = lump sugar Diaper = nappy Dishpan = washing-up bowl Distaff = female Double header = two sports games played as a single event; also used metaphorically Draft (military) = conscription into the armed forces Druggist = chemist (in commercial drugstore or pharmacy) Editorial = leading article (in a newspaper, periodical) Eggnog = egg flip (special Christmas drink in U.S. only) Engineer = railroad engine-driver Enjoin = to forbid from doing; GB enjoin = to compel to do Eraser = rubber; G.B. rubber is U.S. condom "Fairy" = male homosexual, or highly effiminate-acting male Field hockey = hockey; U.S. hockey (by itself) = ice hockey Filling station = petrol station Flashlight = torch

Lox = smoked salmon, especially American Jewish usage Martini = gin & vermouth (combined) cocktail (does not refer to "Vermouth" brand name) Mean = nasty Mobile home = (trailer) house on wheels, can be moved behind truck, auto Mononucleosis, "Mono" = glandular fever Nervy = impudent, impertinent, with a lot of nerve (cf. GB Nervy) Night crawler = fishing worm Oatmeal = porridge Ordinance = by-law (law at local city, municipal level) Overpass = flyover Pacifier = dummy (what baby uses to suck on when not eating) Parakeet = budgerigar Parka = anorak Patrol wagon, Paddy wagon = black maria Pegged pants = tapered trousers To pinch-hit for = to substitute for in a particular tactical situation (batting in Am baseball, or metaphorically) Plexiglass = Perspex glass (brand names used as generics) Potato chips = potato crisps Quarterback = Am. football team leader, also to direct, manage, in other situations Railroad = railway; U.S. railway = tracks, roadbed which trains run ON; U.S. "railroad" refers to the enterprise, i.e. the Union Pacific Railroad Raise = rise; U.S. "rise" is slang for male erection, or, "to get a sensation from ..." Realtor = estate (real estate) agent Retroactive = retrospective Roomer = lodger Roster = rota Rubber = condom; GB rubber = US eraser Rube Goldberg = Heath Robinson (stereotyped creators of wacky, bizarre "inventions" in USA, GB) Sedan = saloon car Shellac = high-gloss varnish Slingshot = catapult; U.S. "catapult" = G.B. "sling" Special Delivery = Express (postal) Mail Station wagon = estate car Thumbtack = drawing pin (small, flat-headed tack used on bulletin boards or to attach papers to wooden surfaces; U.S. "drawing pin" a long, narrow, sharp pin used in sewing, clothing design, always with soft fabrics or

Football = U.S. (American) football, not "soccer" Formula = baby's prepared liquid food, replaces breast milk "Freebee" = anything given away free Freeway = motorway Freight car = goods waggon (on a train) Gangway! = exclamation to "clear a path!"; G.B. gangway = U.S. aisle (in a theater, etc.), U.S. gangway [naval term] = entrance "bridge" from shore onto a ship Glee club = club or group for choral singing Glue factory = knacker's yard "Gofer" [to GO out FOR something ... ] = "dogsbody" Goldbrick(er) = loaf(er) Good Humor Man = ice cream peddler in residential areas

paper) Thread = cotton; U.S. cotton = plant, fiber, material only Trash = rubbish Trashcan = dustbin; trashman = dustman Turtleneck = polo neck (sweaters or pullovers) Vaudeville = Music hall (type of entertainment, style of theater) Wash up = to wash oneSELF, not the dishes; G.B. to wash up = to do the dishes Wax paper = greaseproof paper Yard = garden; U.S. garden = vegetable or flower garden (cultivated area); GB yard = US paved area, not grassy lawn) ZIP code = postal code Zucchini (squash) = courgette (marrow)

There are some well-known spelling differences between British English and American English. Many of these spelling differences result from French influence on English. British English has a tendency to keep the spelling of many words of French origin. Americans try to spell words more closely to the way they sound phonetically and they tend to omit some letters. The general spelling differences between British and American English are listed below. British -our vs. American -or difference armour behaviour colour favourite flavour harbour honour humour labour neighbour rumour saviour armor behavior color favorite flavor harbor honor humor labor neighbor rumor savior British -re vs. American -er difference amphitheatre centimetre centre fibre kilometre litre lustre louvre manoeuvre metre spectre theatre amphitheater centimeter center fiber kilometer liter luster louver maneuver meter specter theater British -ae/-oe/-oeu vs. American -e/-o/-eu difference archaeology gynaecology leukaemia manoeuvre mediaeval mementoes oestrogen orthopaedic paediatric archeology gynecology leukemia maneuver medieval mementos estrogen orthopedic pediatric

palaeontology paleontology toxaemia toxemia

British -se vs. American -ze difference* analyse apologise appetiser catalyse civilise, civilisation colonise, colonisation criticise emphasise organise analyze apologize appetizer catalyze civilize, civilization colonize, colonization criticize emphasize organize

British -l vs. American -ll difference enrolment fulfil instalment skilful enrollment fulfill installment skillful

British -ogue vs. American -og difference analogue catalogue dialogue monologue analog catalog dialog monolog

British -ll vs. American -l difference counsellor fuelled travelling parallelled quarrelling counselor fueled traveling paralleled quarreling

British ence vs. American -ense difference defence* licence (noun) license (verb) offence* pretence defense license (both noun and verb) offense pretense

popularise, popularize, popularisation popularization prise realise recognise prize realize recognize

!Remember: In British English, verbs that end in -l preceded by a vowel usually double the final -l when a suffix -ed/-ing is added. In American English the final -l is doubled only when the last syllable is stressed.

*But note: defensive, offensive

*Additional notes: :: British English uses both "-ise" and "-ize" forms but tends to prefer -ise (-isation) form. :: Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either "-ize" or "-ise" at the end are always spelled with -ize in American English. :: Verbs in British English that end in "-yse" (e.g. analyse) are always spelled "-yze" in American English (analyze). British -dge/-gue vs. American -dg/-gu) judgement arguement judgment argument British -gramme vs. American -gram difference programme (noun) (TV/radio programme or programme of events - plans, conferences, a theatre programme etc.) programme (verb) (to instruct) British -que vs. American -k/ck difference banque cheque (money) bank check program (programme) (computer program) gram (gramme) kilogram (kilogramme)

program

program (-mm-) program gram kilogram

Grammar, Spelling & Enrichment in 1 Tool. Works on all applications. Click here

Miscellaneous spelling differences British ageing aluminium encyclopaedia kerb (edge of roadway or pavement) curb (verb means "restrain") draught (current of air) grey sulphur or sulfur jewellery marvellous American aging aluminum encyclopedia curb (both noun and verb) draft gray sulfur jewelery marvelous mould mum, mummy (mom, mam) omelette practise (verb), practising, practice (noun) pyjamas plough tyre sceptic woollen British mold mom, mommy omelet practice (both noun and verb), practicing pajamas plow tire skeptic woolen American

It is useful to learn both British and American English forms, but a good recommendation is to aim for consistency in your spelling.

British and American English

Introduction Spelling Pronunciation Vocabulary Grammar Usage Conclusion

Introduction Those people who complain about the difficulties of learning German, don't know how lucky they really are - they only have one language to master. Admittedly, there are regional differences of dialect in German-speaking countries, but the non-native speaker who has learned Hochdeutsch (high or standard German) should have no problems in making himself understood by citizens of Germany, Austria or Switzerland. The difficulty for the non-native learner of English

on the other hand is that there is no standard English form. He is confronted with two English dialects to learn: British English and American English (leaving aside Australian, Indian, South African English etc.) And despite the many cross-cultural influences, it seems that the vocabularies, spellings and pronunciations of these two dialects are diverging year by year. To be consistent in his use of English and, more importantly, to be understood , the non-native speaker needs to know which words have distinct meanings and pronunciations depending on whether they are used by a Briton or an American. This is necessary not only for sake of communication, but also to avoid embarrassment. For example, if a Londoner tells a resident of New York that she has left her child's dummy in the pram and its nappy in the boot, she will merely be greeted with a look of bewilderment. If the New Yorker then tells the London woman that she has nice pants, he may well wonder why she doesn't seem to take his remark as a compliment. [In America dummies and nappies are called pacifiers and diapers; prams and boots are called baby carriages and trunks. For Americans pants are trousers but for Britons pants are what you wear under your trousers.] What follows are brief examples of the major areas of difference between the two languages, together with some quiz questions: Top Spelling differences In general, where there are differences between British English (BE) and American English (AE) spelling, it can be said that American English has the more economical and phonetic spelling. Unnecessary letters are left out and words are spelled how they sound. An obvious example is the omission in AE of the letter u in words such as color, neighbor, honor etc. Compare also the AE words traveling, jewelry and program with their BE counterparts travelling, jewellery and programme. However, this rule does not always apply. For example, you would expect skilful to be the AE spelling and skillful the BE spelling, but unfortunately you would be wrong! Quiz 1 In the following table, which words are spelled in American English and which in British English? Can you give the alternative spelling in each case? Example: AE - mustache : BE - moustache airplane cheque theatre tyre defense woolen pajamas gaol Go to answers Top Pronunciation differences There are of course great regional differences in pronunciation within both countries, but the following is a list of words which are pronounced differently by most Americans and most British. The difference lies either in using different vowel sounds or by stressing the word in a different place. Quiz 2 Can you say the following words both how an American and how a Briton would say them? vase route ballet address (noun) ate

buoy tomato advertisement garage Go to answers Vocabulary differences

leisure

As a percentage of the total English vocabulary the number of words which are used only in one or the other country is very small, but the problem for learners of English is that these words are among the most common in the language. There are many words that are used almost exclusively by Americans which are understood by most Britons, and vice versa. But there are others which can cause difficulty. For example, most Britons know that Americans call biscuits cookies and flats apartments, but not so many know what an alumnus or a fender is. Similarly, Americans know that what they call their yard is called a garden in Britain and that trucks are lorries, but common British English words like plimsolls or oflicence may mean nothing to them. Quiz 3 From the lists below, choose the pair of words that have the same meaning and identify them as American English or British English. Example: AE - cookie = BE - biscuit closet queue vacation fall bonnet sweets thumb tack lift bill caravan flashlight subway postman baggage movie drapes underground luggage elevator cupboard hood mailman torch check line curtains film candy gas autumn petrol drawing pin holiday trailer Go to answers Top Grammar British English and American English grammar are mostly in agreement; there are however some interesting variations. For example there are differences in certain verb forms. In AE the past tense of fit is fit; in BE it is fitted. Americans say I've gotten to know her well; Britons I've got to know her well. In BE the present perfect tense is used for situations in which AE would typically use the past simple. For example using the words just or already, Britons would be more likely to say: I've just seen him or I've already done it whereas in AE it would be common to hear I just saw him or I already did it. As another example, Americans are much more likely to be technically correct in the agreement of collective noun and verb form than Britons. So in standard AE it would be: The team is playing well this season whereas in BE it is common and acceptable to say The team are playing well. Similar differences can be seen in the use of words like government, committee etc.: The government is .. (AE), The government are .. (BE). Quiz 4 The following sentences are typically AE. What would the typical Briton say?

Do you have any siblings? It is important that she be told.

The jury has not yet reached its decision. Go fetch your book. He dove into the water. You must come visit me real soon.

Go to answers Top Usage There are countless other small and interesting differences between AE and BE, which come under the heading of usage. Take the useful expression used in AE through, meaning up to and including. E.g., The exhibition is showing March through June. The equivalent expression in BE is from March to June, but this is ambiguous. Does the exhibition close at the end of May or the end of June? To avoid any misunderstanding, it is necessary to say something like The exhibition is showing from March to the end of June. As another example: for Americans the number billion has 9 zeros (a thousand million); for most Britons it has 12 zeros (a million million). Zero itself is a much more common word in AE than in BE, where nought is more widespread. Americans are likely to say the number 453 as four hundred fifty three, whereas in Britain it would almost always be said four hundred and fifty three. And so on! Quiz 5 Are the following sentences more likely to be said (or written) by an American or a Briton?

I'll try and visit you on the weekend. Please write me when you arrive. Call me as soon as you get there. Most everyone has a telephone and a refrigerator these days. If you make a mistake, you'll just have to do it over. He was born 3/27/1981. The soccer team won two to nothing (2-0). She arrived at twenty of two. The secretary said, "Mr. Clinton will see you soon."

Go to answers Top Conclusion It is clear that the poor non-native speaker has an almost impossible task to keep the two languages separated. The best he can do is to acquire a good reference book. Two books that I can recommend on this topic are:

Practical English Usage, M. Swan (1995) , Oxford University Press The Right Word at the Right Time (A guide to the English language and how to use it) (1985) Readers Digest

Top

Answers Quiz 1 - Spelling

In the following table the red spellings are American English and the blue spellings are British English: airplane - aeroplane check - cheque theater - theatre defense - defence woolen - woollen tire - tyre pajamas - pyjamas jail - gaol* * Jail is more common in BE too nowadays, although gaol is still perfectly acceptable (and pronounced the same as jail!) Quiz 2 - Pronunciation Americans and Britons agree in most cases on where a word in stressed. For example, everyone says pencil and relax, cinema and consider, but the following words from the table are stressed differently in the two dialects:

ballet - BE : ballet - AE address - BE : address * - AE garage - BE : garage - AE advertisement - BE : advertisement - AE

The differences in pronunciation of the other words lie in the vowel sounds, not in differently-stressed syllables. They are therefore more difficult to illustrate in writing without recourse to phonetic script, which few people know. Their proununciations are illustrated therefore by reference to common words with the same sound

vase: vars as in cars (BE) : vace as in face (AE) route: root as in shoot (BE) : rout * as in shout (AE) buoy: boy as in toy (BE) : booey as in the French name Louis (AE) ate: et as in let (BE) : ate as in late (AE) tomato: tomarto (BE) : tomayto * (AE) leisure as in pleasure (BE) : leesure (lee as in she) (AE)

* Some Americans pronounce these words as Britons do. Quiz 3 - Vocabulary The AE words are shown in red, the BE words in blue: : closet - cupboard : vacation - holiday : fall - autumn : thumb tack - drawing pin : flashlight - torch : subway underground : baggage - luggage : movie - film : drapes - curtains : elevator - lift : hood - bonnet : mailman - postman : check - bill * : line - queue : candy - sweets : gas - petrol : trailer - caravan : * In England you ask the waiter for the bill at the end of your meal. In America you ask for the check. A bill in AE is a synonym for a banknote. Quiz 4 - Grammar

AE - Do you have any siblings? BE - Have you got any brothers or sisters? AE - It is important that she be told. * BE - It is important that she is told. AE - The jury has not yet reached its decsion. BE - The jury have not yet reached their decision. AE - Go get your book. BE - Go and fetch your book.

AE - He dove into the water. BE - He dived into the water. AE - You must come visit me real soon. BE - You must come and visit me really soon.

* AE is much more likely to use a subjunctive form than BE. Quiz 5 - Usage This was a trick question because in fact all of the sentences are more likely to be said or written by an American than a Briton! Here they are again with their English equivalents:

AE - I'll try and visit you on the weekend. BE - I'll try to visit you at the weekend. AE - Please write me when you arrive. BE - Please write to me when you arrive. AE - Call me as soon as you get there. BE - Ring me (phone me) as soon as you get there. AE - Most everyone has a telephone and a refrigerator these days. BE - Almost everyone has a telephone and a fridge these days. AE - If you make a mistake, you'll just have to do it over. BE - If you make a mistake, you'll just have to do it again. AE - He was born 3/27/1981. BE - He was born on 27/3/1981. AE - The soccer team won two to nothing (2-0). BE - The soccer team won two-nil (2-0). AE - She arrived at twenty of two. BE - She arrived at twenty to two. AE - The secretary said, "Mr. Clinton will see you soon." BE - The secretary said: "Mr Clinton will see you soon." The difference in the last two sentences is in the punctuation.

"In general, where there are differences between British English (BE) and American English (AE) spelling, it can be said that American English has the more economical and phonetic spelling."

The difference between British English and American English

The list below highlights the difference between British English and American English. Apart from the spelling differences - you can see those by clicking on the USA - UK differences at the left hand side of this page - there are a number of differences in vocabulary listed below. I suggest you look them over because you never know when you may run into an American after studying British

English, or when you may run into a Brit after having studied American English. Having been to England a number of times now myself, I can assure you that the differences between American and British vocabulary are just enough to cause a few laughs. Well, maybe a few... misunderstandings. ;-) What's important to remember? That both British English and American English are accepted on the examinations as long as you consistently use either one or the other. In other words, don't mix!

BRITISH ENGLISH Buildings in General block of flats first floor flat ground floor lift Household Furniture camp bed chest of drawers cot cupboard curtains dresser (for plates, dishes) roller blind standard lamp In the Kitchen baking tray bread bin clothes peg cooker cutlery flex hoover (to hoover) liquidizer / blender napkin / serviette

AMERICAN ENGLISH Buildings in General apartment building second floor apartment first floor elevator Household Furniture cot dresser crib closet drapes hutch shade floor lamp In the Kitchen cookie sheet bread box clothes pin stove silverware electric cord vacuum cleaner (to vacuum) blender napkin

tap tea towel tin opener wash up washing up liquid waste bin worktop Fruits and vegetables aubergine beetroot spring onion courgette marrow runner bean Meat minced meat Snacks biscuits chips crisps sweets sweetshop Automobile / Car accelerator aerial bonnet boot

faucet dish towel can opener do the dishes dish washing liquid waste basket counter Fruits and vegetables eggplant beet green onion zucchini squash string bean Meat ground meat (hamburger) Snacks cookies French fries chips candies candy store Automobile / Car gas pedal antenna hood trunk

gear level handbrake indicator switch mudguard petrol cap puncture rear light side-light windscreen wing wing mirror Motor Vehicles coach estate car lorry sallon Near Roads car park crossroads cycle path diversion flyover lay by middle lane motorway pavement pedestrian / zebra crossing

gear shift emergency break turn signal / blinker splash guard (mud flaps ) gas cap blow-out (flat) tail-light parking-light windshield fender rearview mirror Motor Vehicles bus station wagon truck sedan Near Roads parking lot intersection bicycle route detour overpass rest area center lane freeway / highway sidewalk crosswalk

roundabout sleeping policeman slip road subway underground Driving change up into gear overtake reverse down Shops / Stores bookshop chemists chemist fishmongers greengrocers grocers jewellers newsagents off-licence stationers Clothes anorak braces dinner jacket dressing gown polo neck jumper suspenders tights

traffic circle speed bump on ramp underpass subway Driving shift into gear pass back down Shops / Stores bookstore drugstore / pharmacy fishstore fruit and vegetable stand grocery store jewelry store news dealer liquor store stationary / office supply Clothes parka suspenders tuxedo robe turtleneck sweater garters pantyhose

trousers turn-ups vest waistcoat Shoes court shoes thongs football boots plimsolls trainers wellington boots Travel buffet car engine driver hire / rent a car luggage trolley railway carriage railway station return ticket single ticket Telephonee dialing / STD code directory enquiries its engaged / busy reverse the charges Miscellaneous autumn

pants cuffed pants undershirt vest Shoes pumps flip flops soccer shoes sneakers sneakers / tennis shoes rubber boots Travel caf car engineer rent a car (hire a person) baggage cart railroad car railroad station round-trip ticket one way ticket Telephone area code information its busy call collect Miscellaneous fall

bank note candyfloss carrycot fortnight / two weeks high street hire purchase holiday interval nappy petrol petrol / filling station polling day caretaker postbox / letterbox postman postcode queue rubber rubbish secondary school sellotape skipping rope term university wardrobe (TV) aerial dustbin

bill cotton candy porta crib two weeks main street installment plan vacation intermission diaper gas gas station election day janitor mailbox mailman zip code line eraser garbage high school Scotch tape jump rope semester university / college closet (TV) antenna garbage / trash can

Tag Cloud
Us Rent a cars bank mortgage rates

What is the American and British English difference? The American and British English difference is relatively small. For those who have been studying British English, the following will help familiarize (American spelling) you with some of the main differences. Please note that there is no language known as "American." American English is properly understood to be a dialect of the English Language. With this in mind, let's look at what makes up the American and British English difference. The following list shows general spelling differences between American and British English. From the familiar re of centre or theatre in British English to the ize of American English spelling of words like apologize or realize, these spelling differences, once learned, should not be a problem to those at the proficiency level of the language. After all, the American and British English difference doesn't prevent usfrom understanding one another. Unless, or course, you happen to be British or American and find yourself speaking to the other. ; -) I recommend you learn one form and stick with it. After all, both forms are accepted in all examinations as long as you are consistent.

BRITISH ENGLISH adviser analyse apologise/apologize axe behaviour catalogue centre cheque colour councillor

AMERICAN ENGLISH advisor analyze apologize axe/ax behavior catalog/catalogue center check color councilor

counsellor defence dialogue favour favourite enrol fulfil grey honour humour instal jeweller jewellery kerb (edge of pavement) labelled labour liqueur licence litre marvellous metre neighbour organize/organise plough practise (verb) practice (noun) programme

counselor defense dialog/dialogue favor favorite enroll fulfill gray honor humor install jeweler jewelery curb labeled labor liquor license liter marvelous meter neighbor organize plow practice (verb and noun)

program

pyjamas quarrelled realise/realize signalled skilful theatre through travelled, -lling tyre (on a wheel)

pajamas quarreled realize signaled skillful theater through, thru traveled, -ling tire

Apart from differences in spelling, there are certain words used by the British that are quite foreign to many Americans. In like manner, many American words are certain to cause the British to raise an eyebrow or two. That said, we can still (for the most part) understand one another. What are the differences between British English and American English? Woodlands Junior School is in the south-east corner of England Print off worksheet (copysheet) for this page There are many British words which are different from American words. For example:

A lorry is a slimmer truck. A lift is an elevator. A fortnight is two weeks. A chemist is a person who works in a drugstore. A dual carriageway is a freeway.

Lisa and Sofia Efthymiou, an American mum and daughter, have listed below a few of the differences between British and American words. Visit also our Glossary of British Words and our blog post "Translating British English " We have arranged the words in categories to make viewing easier for school work. British and American Vocabulary Clothes Parts of a Car

At School On the Road Buildings / Shops Let's Eat! British and American Spellings

In and around the House People Sport A- Z British to American

Visit also our Glossary of British Words and our blog post "Translating British English "

Learn about England and the other countries in Britain from the children who live in ther Follow this link to report typos, bad links or general mistakes Differences between British English and American English Woodlands Junior School is in the south-east corner of England Clothes In the UK, we would be embarrassed if people saw our pants. why? British English Trousers American English Pants

Pants / Underwear / Knickers Underwear / panties briefs/underpants shorts/jockey shorts

Jumper / Pullover / Sweater / Sweater Jersey Pinafore Dress Vest Waistcoat Wellington Boots / Wellies Mac (slang for Macintosh) Plimsolls Trainers Braces Suspenders Dressing Gown Nappy Jumper Undershirt Vest Galoshes Rain Coat Gym Shoes Sneakers Suspenders Holds up stockings Robe Diaper

Pinny / Apron Polo Neck Dressing Gown Swimming costume / Cozzy Dungarees dressing-gown bootlace/shoelace bowler/hard hat At School

Apron Turtle Neck Bath Robe Bathing Suit Overalls bathrobe shoestring derby

"Stop mucking around and get on with your work," shouted the teacher to two students who were off task. British English Friend / Mate Rubber Maths Public School State School Holiday Packed lunch School dinner Staff Room Plimsolls "Mucking Around" / Off Task Play Time / Break Time Open Day / Open Evening Marking Scheme Drawing pins Headmaster/mistress Headteacher Caretaker/porter Friend Eraser Math Private School Public School Vacation Sack lunch/bag lunch Hot Lunch Teachers Lounge Gym Shoes Off Task / Fooling Around / "Goofing Off" Recess Open House Grading Scheme pushpins or thumbtacks Principal Janitor On the Road American English

In the UK, we drive slowly over sleeping policemen. Are we afraid of waking them up? British English Dual carriageway Sleeping Policeman / speed bump Car park Car Journey / drive Zebra Crossing / Pedestrian Crossing Lollipop Man or Lady Motorway Motorway Traffic Jam / Tailback Lorry Articulated Lorry Estate car Petrol Pavement Petrol Station Skip Diversion Lay-by Cul-de-sac Roundabout (road) Fly-over Fire Engine Phone Box Overtake (vehicle) Convoy Caravan American English Divided highway Speed bump Parking Lot Road Trip Cross Walk Crossing Guard Freeway/throughway Super highway Traffic Jam Truck Tractor Trailer / Trailer Truck Station wagon Gas / Gasoline Sidewalk Gas Station Dumpster Detour Pull-off Dead end Traffic circle Overpass Fire Truck Telephone Booth Pass Caravan Trailer Parts of a Car

British English Bonnet Windscreen Boot

American English Hood Windshield Trunk

Reversing lights Back-up lights Number plate Gear lever Exhaust pipe License plate Gear shift Tail pipe / Muffler

Buildings / Shops British English Semi-Detached House Block of flats Block of flats First floor American English Duplex Apartment house Apartment building Second floor

Terrace (row of houses joined) Town House Chemist Surgery Cafe / Caff (not 24 hrs) Ironmonger Bungalow Newsagent Off license/wine merchant Bureau de change Bill Food Are you Peckish? (Are you Hungry?) What's for afters? Have you had your pudding yet? Are you feeling peckish (hungry)? That food looks very scrummy (delicious) Drug Store / Druggist Doctor's office Diner Hardware store House (one story) Ranch House News dealer/news stand Liquor store Currency exchange Check (restaurant)

British English Scone Fairy Cake Courgette Sweets Sausage / Banger Crisps Chips (French Fries in McDonald's) Starter Puddings / Afters / Dessert / Sweets Jacket Potato / Baked Potato Jam Jelly (a dessert in the UK) Aubergine Sandwich / Butty / Sarny Ice lolly Bill (at restaurant) Grill (oven grill) Food / Grub / Nosh Rasher Eggy bread (fried) Runner beans broad bean Soldiers (We dip soldiers in our soft boiled eggs) bap Take-away biscuit (sweet) corn flour desiccated (coconut) Biscuit

American English

Cup Cake Zucchini Candy Sausage Chips French Fries Appetizer Dessert Baked Potato Jelly or Jam Jell-o (flavoured gelatin) Eggplant Sandwich Popsicle check Broil (oven broil) Food A slice of bacon French Toast Green beans lima bean Finger sized slices of toast.

hamburger bun Take out cookie corn starch shredded

icing sugar icing sugar kipper marrow semolina sorbet Swiss roll black treacle black or white?(coffee) candyfloss

powdered sugar confectioners sugar smoked herring squash cream of wheat sherbet jelly roll molasses with or without? cotton candy

Flapjacks in England are oats mixed with honey and/or golden syrup and baked then cut into slices. sometimes raisins are added to the mixture. British and American Spelling Woodlands Junior School is in the south-east corner of England American words are spelt (spelled) phonetically, as they are sound. British spelling is closest to the Middle English form of the word, where as the American spelling is closest to its Latin ancestor. The spelling of 'Mum' and 'Mummy' Mom and Mommy are old-English words, words that are stilled used in Birmingham and most parts of the West Midlands. It is said that when people from the West Midlands went to America many years ago they took the spelling with them, hence Americans use Mom and Mommy. In the West Midlands the words Mum and Mummy are frowned upon as they look and sound wrong, local schools teach the spelling of Mom and Mommy and the kids still come home with handmade cards with Mom and Mommy Spelling on. In the North East (in Tyne and Wear) they say and write Mam and Mammy. Spellings British English colour humour favourite theatre kilometre mum, mam or mom * cosy color humor favorite theater kilometer mom cozy American English

realise dialogue traveller cheque jewellery tyre

realize dialog traveler check jewelry tire In and around the House I watch the telly whilst lying on the settee.

Whilst is used in British English. It is another word for while British English The Toilet / Loo / The John / Bog / WC / Visiting the little boys (little girl's room). American English Bathroom / Restroom

Bathroom - the room where the bath is. If you asked us for the bathroom we will think you want to have a bath! Tap Garden Cupboard Wardrobe Curtains Net curtains Bin / Dust Bin Telephone / Blower / Phone Television / Box / Telly/ TV Cooker e.g. gas cooker, electric cooker Couch / Sofa / Settee Hand Basin / Sink Run the bath Bath Bath (v.) Wireless / Radio Clothes peg Sitting room Faucet Backyard / Yard Closet Closet Drapes Sheers/under drapes Trash Can Telephone TV / Television Range or Stove Sofa Sink Fill the tub Bath tub Bathe Radio Clothes pin Living room

Living room Lounge Drawing room Sofa

Living room Living room Living room Davenport/couch People British English American English Girl Boy Man / Guy Cop Postal Worker / Mailman / Mail Carrier Garbage Man Friend / Buddy Teller Crossing Guard Conductor Lawyer/attorney Janitor Crazy Person Mom, Mommy, Mother, Ma Sport British English Football Rounders Bat (table tennis) American English Soccer Baseball Paddle (ping pong) Other Words British English American English

Girl / Lass Boy / Lad Man / Bloke / Chap/ Gentleman / Guy / Policeman / Bobby/ Copper Postman Dustman Friend / Pal / Chum/ Mate / Buddy Cashier Lollypop Man Guard (railway) Solicitor Caretaker/porter Nutter Mum / Mummy / Mom, Mother

Torch Plaster Autumn Bank Holiday Lift Queue There's a queue. Quid (slang for pound) Trodden on I'm knackered Kip / sleep Nick Starkers / naked Come round Off you go It's gone off Lady bird British English American English A aerial (radio/TV) antenna American football football anorak parka articulated lorry trailer truck/semi trailer aubergine eggplant autumn fall B bank holiday legal holiday bank note bill bap hamburger bun bat (ping pong) paddle bath bathtub bath (v.) bathe bathroom bathroom/restroom/washroom big dipper roller coaster bill check (restaurant) bill/account account billion = million million billion = thousand million biscuit (sweet) cookie black or white?(coffee) with or without? blackleg/scab scab black treacle molasses blind (window) shade block of flats apartment house block of flats apartment building blue jeans dungarees/jeans bomb (success) bomb (disaster) bonnet (car) hood book (v.) make reservation boot (car) trunk bootlace/shoelace shoestring bowler/hard hat derby braces suspenders break (school)

Flashlight Band-Aid Fall National Holiday Elevator Stand in a Line There's a line. Bucks Stepped on I'm Beat sleep steal Naked Come over Go ahead It's spoiled Lady bug recess briefs/underpants shorts/jockey shorts broad bean lima bean bureau de change currency exchange butter muslin/cheese cloth cheese cloth C candyfloss cotton candy caravan trailer caretaker/porter janitor car park parking lot catapult slingshot cattle grid Texas gate centre (city/business) downtown central reservation median strip/divider chairman (business) president chemist druggist chemists shop pharmacy/drugstore chest of drawers dresser/bureau chips French fries cinema movie house/theater class/form (school) grade cloakroom check room cloakroom attendant hat check girl clothes peg clothes pin conscription draft contraceptive/condom rubber convoy caravan cooker stove corn flour corn starch corporation/local authority city/municipal government cot/crib crib cotton thread cotton reel spool cotton wool cotton batting courgette zucchini court shoe

pump cream cracker soda cracker crisps chips/potato chips cul-de-sac dead end cupboard closet curtains drapes D desiccated (coconut) shredded director (company) manager directory enquiries information assistance directory enquiries directory assistance district precinct diversion detour drain (indoors) sewer pipe draper drygoods store draught excluder weather stripping draughts checkers drawing pin thumb tack dressing-gown bathrobe dual carriageway divided highway dummy pacifier dungarees overalls dustbin/bin garbage can/trash can dynamo generator E eiderdown comforter state agent realtor estate car station wagon F fair (fun) carnival filling station / petrol station gas station film movie first floor second floor fish slice spatula/egg lifter fitted carpet wall to wall carpet flannel wash cloth flat apartment flex electric cord/wire fly-over overpass football/soccer soccer fortnight two weeks foyer lobby/foyer full stop (punctuation) period funny bone crazy bone G gallery (theatre) balcony gangway aisle gaol jail garden yard gear lever gear shift giddy dizzy give a bell(to phone) give a buzz goods truck (railway) freight truck goose pimples goose bumps gramophone/record player phonograph/record player greenfingers green thumb grill (v.) broil guard (railway) conductor gym shoes/plimsolls sneakers/tennis shoes tennis shoes/trainers sneakers/tennis shoes H hair grip/kirby grip bobbie pin handbag purse/pocket book hardware housewares headmaster/mistress principal hire purchase installment plan holiday vacation homely (=pleasant) homely (=ugly) hoover (n.) vacuum cleaner hoover

(v.) vacuum housing estate sub-division I ice/sorbet sherbet iced lolly popsicle icing sugar powdered sugar icing sugar confectioners sugar identification parade line-up immersion heater(electric) water heater interval intermission ironmonger hardware store J jab (injection) shot joint (meat) roast jug pitcher jumper/sweater/pullover sweater/pullover K kiosk/box (telephone) telephone booth kipper smoked herring knickers (girls) underwear/panties knock up (tennis) warm up knock up (call from sleep) in American slang this means to get a woman pregnant L label tag larder pantry lavatory/toilet/w.c./loo john/bathroom/washroom lay-by pull-off leader (leading article in newspaper) editorial leader(1st violin in orchestra) concert master left luggage office baggage room let lease/rent level crossing (railway) grade crossing lift elevator limited (company) incorporated lodger roomer lorry truck lost property lost and found M mackintosh raincoat made to measure custom made managing director/MD general manager marrow squash methylated spirits denatured alcohol mileometer odometer motorway freeway/throughway motorway super highway N nappy diaper neat (drink) straight net curtains sheers/under drapes newsagent news dealer/news stand nought zero noughts and crosses tic-tac-toe number plate license plate O off license/wine merchant liquor store oven cloth/gloves pot holder/oven mitt overtake (vehicle) pass P pack (of cards) deck packed lunch sack lunch/bag lunch panel beater body shop pants (boys underwear) shorts/underwear

paraffin kerosene parcel package pavement/footpath sidewalk personal call person-to-person call petrol gas/gasoline pillar box/letter box mail box plaster/elastoplast bandaid point/power point/socket outlet/socket post mail postal code zip code postman mailman/postman postponement raincheck pram baby carriage/baby buggy prison penitentiary public convenience bathroom/restroom/washroom public school private school pudding dessert purse change purse pushchair stroller put down/entered(goods) bought/charged put through (telephone) connect Q queue (n.) line queue (v.) stand in line/line up R rasher (bacon) slice reception (hotel) front desk receptionist desk clerk return ticket

round trip ticket reverse charges call collect reversing lights back up lights ring up/phone call/phone roof/hood (car) top roundabout (road) traffic circle rubber eraser rubbish garbage/trash S saloon car sedan scribbling pad/block scratch pad sellotape scotch tape semi-detached duplex semolina cream of wheat shattered exhausted shop assistant sales clerk/sales girl sideboard buffet sideboards (hair) sideburns silencer (car) muffler single ticket one way ticket sitting room living room living room living room lounge living room drawing room living room skipping rope jump rope skirting board baseboard sledge/toboggan sled smalls (washing) underwear sofa davenport/couch solicitor lawyer/attorney sorbet sherbet spanner

monkey wrench spirits (drink) liquor spring onion scallion/green onion staff (academic) faculty stalls (theatre) orchestra seats stand (for public office) run standard lamp floor lamp state school public school sellotape adhesive tape stone (fruit) pit sultana raisin surgery(doctors/dentists) office surgical spirit rubbing alcohol suspender belt garter belt suspenders garters swede turnip/rutabaga sweet corn corn sweet shop/confectioner candy store sweets/chocolate candy Swiss roll jelly roll T tadpole pollywog tap faucet teat (babys bottle) nipple tea trolley tea cart telegram wire telephone box phone booth term academic (3 in a year) semester(2 in a year) tights pantyhose time-table schedule tin can tip (n. and v.) dump torch flashlight traffic lights stop lights traffic lights traffic signals traffic lights stop signals trousers pants/slacks truncheon (police) night stick trunk call/long distance long distance call tube/underground subway turnover sales/revenue turn-ups (trousers) cuffs (pants) U undergraduates: undergraduates: - 1st year freshman - 2nd year - sophomore - 3rd year - junior - 4th year - senior