My initial post focused on spelling differences. The next set of posts shows common differences in usage. I.e. those cases where different words are used to describe the same thing. The primary purpose of this list is to indicate American usages that would be unfamiliar to speakers of British English. The following indications appear alongside some of the American and Canadian usages.
- * Many American usages are familiar to British English speakers. This asterisk indicates American usages that are comparatively unfamiliar or unknown.
- obs These are American usages that are, according to correspondents, obsolete or obsolescent. American English speakers now use the same words as British English speakers.
- Can These usages are, I believe, confined to
- ? I'm not certain about the meaning of the American usage, further information will be welcome.
- AE American English
- BE British English
- CE Canadian English
| American/Canadian | British | Notes |
| A | ||
| airplane * | aeroplane | |
| alligator pear Obs | avocado | |
| AM | Medium Wave | Radio stations broadcasting using amplitude modulation on frequencies in the range 555-1600 kHz. In Europe (and the |
| antenna | aerial | Electronics. A correspondent has suggested that AE uses "aerial" for rod type antennae such as the "rabbit ears" sometimes used with TV sets. |
| apartment | flat | A flat occupying more than one floor is called a "maisonette" in BE and a "duplex" in |
| apartment house/building | block of flats | See entry for "condominium". |
| appetizer | starter, hors d'oeuvre | "hors d'oeuvre" is rather posh. |
| area code | dialling code | Telephone. The obsolescent BE phrase STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) code may be encountered. |
| arugula | rocket | Edible plant used in salads. |
| asphalt | Tarmac | The BE term is proprietary. A composite of bitumen (a tarry substance) and gravel used for surfacing/paving roads etc. In American usage "tarmac" is used to refer to surface of airport runways etc. A macadamised road is one with a surface of carefully graded stones first devised by John Macadam in the early 19th century. "Tarmacadam" refers to the same form of road construction with a final layer of a tarry substance designed partially to prevent vehicles throwing up dust and small stones and partially to prevent rainwater seeping into the road structure. According to a correspondent oil men use "asphalt" to refer to something found down an oil well. |
| attached home obs | semi-detached house | A pair of dwellings sharing a single common wall. There are, apparently, significant regional |
| attorney | lawyer | See notes on "lawyer". |
| auto, automobile obs | car | The word "auto" is still sometimes seen in notices and road signs. The American usages would sound strange to British ears. |
| automated teller machine (ATM) | cashpoint | A "hole in the wall" machine from which you can get money. |
| B | ||
| baby carriage | pram, perambulator | The word "perambulator" is very pompous. This is a substantial crib or cot-like container kept well clear of the ground on large wheels. |
| backpack/backbag | rucksack | Carrier for camping equipment etc., usually with a metal frame, worn on the back. |
| back-up light * | reversing light | AE prefers "reverse light" according to a correspondent. |
| baked potato | jacket potato | A potato cooked without removing the skin. |
| baking soda | bicarbonate of soda | Sodium bicarbonate (Na2CO3) used in cooking. |
| ball-point pen | Biro | The BE term is proprietary. Invented by the Hungarian Laszlo Jozsef Biro in the 1940's. |
| Band-Aid | sticking plaster | The AE term is proprietary. The word "bandage" referring to an "ad-hoc" wound dressing made of cloth, gauze etc., is common to AE and BE. |
| bandshell | bandstand | British bandstands do not have sound reflecting shields or enclosures and are just fenced, roofed and raised enclosures in public parks. A correspondent suggests that bandshell is a West Coast usage. |
| bangs | fringe | Hair style. In BE a "fringe" is hair hanging straight down beneath the normal hair line and usually trimmed to a straight edge; "bangs" refers to a fringe at the side with sharply swept forward ends. |
| bankroll US | foot the bill | |
| bar | pub, public house | An establishment where drinks can be purchased for consumption on the premises as distinct from an off-licence (BE) or liquor store (AE). In BE a "bar" is either a room within a public house, cafe, club, hotel etc., where drink is sold or the actual counter over which drinks are sold. Public houses often have several rooms with differing standards of furnishing and comfort and prices to match. In order of increasing facilities these are quite commonly called the "public bar", "saloon bar" and "lounge bar" although there are many variations. Public houses, although intended primarily to sell drink, often sell meals nowadays. Many public houses are "tied", which means they are actually owned by a brewery, and the landlord really is just a landlord. "Tied" houses give preference to the owner's brands although recent legislation and consumer pressure has made it much more likely that "guest" beers will be on offer. You may occasionally come across a "beer house" which is a public house only licensed to sell beer and similar drinks but not wines or spirits. See notes on "beer". The AE terms "tavern", "roadhouse" and "saloon" referring to various types of drinking establishment have no direct British equivalent. |
| barrette* | hair slide | |
| baseboard | skirting board | A plank fixed along bottom of wall. In BE a "baseboard" is a board on which something, such as a model railway layout, is built. "cove" is sometimes used with the same meaning in AE/CE but in BE this refers to a curved moulding between wall and ceiling. |
| bathrobe | dressing gown | |
| bathroom | toilet | Especially in a domestic context. In BE a bathroom is a room containing a bath in a private house or hotel. See discussion under "washroom". |
| bathtub | bath | |
| battle stations US | action stations | The US Navy now refers to "general quarters". |
| beater *obs, Can | banger | Decrepit car. AE also has "clunker", "jalopy" (obs?), "hooptie" and "junker". Both BE and AE refer have "lemon" in this context. |
| beer | lager | The drink referred to as "beer" in American usage would not be recognised as such by many British drinkers. In British usage "beer" is a mildly alcoholic beverage served at a temperature that does not freeze your taste buds. "Real Ale" is beer prepared with the minimum of chemicals in a traditional fashion, usually in small local breweries. In BE lager is beer brewed using low temperature fermentation, it is typically lighter and clearer than normal beer and often served chilled. The word "lager" has some negative connotations being associated with drunken youths known as "lager louts". The word "ale" is slightly archaic and now means the same as "beer". The word "stout" describes a strong dark beer brewed with roasted malt or barley and particularly popular in |
| bell pepper * | red pepper, green pepper | Yellow ones are also available. A variety of capsicum. There is some evidence of US regional variations. CE has "red sweet pepper" and is generally as BE. A correspondent has, rather confusingly, suggested that in AE a "red pepper" is hot whereas a "red bell pepper" is mild. |
| beltway, loop | ring road, circular road | A road circling a city. There are various other regional and local North American names. CE as BE. |
| bill | note | In the sense of a piece of paper currency. British currency notes currently in general circulation are £5, £10, £20 and £50. The £5 and £10 notes are frequently called "fivers" and "tenners". The different notes are of different sizes, colours and general appearance which makes things a bit easier for the visually handicapped unlike the paper currency of a certain North American country. |
| billfold Obs | wallet | The AE term is becoming obsolescent and being replaced by "wallet" |
| billion | thousand million | The old British usage in which a billion was a million2 is now largely obsolete and most British speakers would assume the American meaning. Careful users avoid the words altogether and use exponent notation. The usage continued
The American naming seems to work on the principle 103+(number×3) |
| binder clip | bulldog clip | Spring loaded device for holding sheets of paper together. |
| birdcage | no equivalent | Net covering over swimming pool. |
| biscuit | scone | |
| blacktop | Tarmac | See notes on "asphalt". AE usage may be primarily rural to distinguish from "dirt roads". |
| blinders | blinkers | |
| blinkers | indicators | Part of a car. See note on "turn signals". In BE blinkers are used on horses to prevent them being distracted by things going on on either side. |
| blood sausage | black pudding | The AE term "chorizo" has a similar meaning. |
| blush | rosé | light pinkish wine |
| bobby pin * | hair grip, Kirby grip | "Kirby Grip" is proprietary. |
| boneyard obs | scrapyard, junkyard | Place where old machinery etc., gently rots away. "boneyard" is a regional |
| bouillon cube | stock cube | |
| boxcar | no equivalent | A covered railway wagon with a door for loading. British railways use either open trucks, wagons built for specific loads such as oil or, most commonly "container flats" which are flat trucks with no side panels adapted to carry the ubiquitous containers. |
| braid | plait | Hair style. British geographers would refer to "braided streams" and British electronic engineers would refer to "braided conductors". |
| breakdown lane | hard shoulder | Lane at edge of multi-lane limited access road. A correspondent suggests that "breakdown lane" is specific to the North East of the |
| brewpub * | no equivalent | British usage would simply refer to a "pub that brewed its own beer" although the word "microbrewery" is now becoming common in both BE and AE. |
| Brit | Briton | "Britisher" sounds rather Germanic (especially in stereotypical WW2 films). "Briton" is not widely used. We are Englishmen, Scotsmen, Welshmen and Irishmen (and women!) and confusing them causes offence. The correct name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, often abbreviated to the The word "Brit" is rapidly coming into popular usage. The correct adjectives for things from |
| broad jump | long jump | |
| brown bag lunch | packed lunch | Lunch obtained from supermarket or, more usually, made at home and taken to work. In |
| bun | bap, roll | A small round loaf, often used to make hamburgers. In BE buns are often sweet and deliciously sticky and there are many varieties such as the hot cross buns traditionally served on Good Friday. |
| bureau Obs | chest of drawers + | A piece of furniture consisting of a number of wide shallow drawers one above another mainly used for storing clothes and linen. A correspondent has suggested that the |
| burglarize | burgle, steal | "Steal" is now the commoner AE usage. |
| burlap | hessian | coarse fabric used for sacking, bags and, sometimes, wall covering. |
| bus | coach | In British usage for journeys between towns and cities its a coach, always single decker. Within towns and cities it's a bus, often double-decker. |
| busboy | No equivalent | In British restaurants the waiter clears tables. |
| busy signal | engaged tone | Telephone system. |
| butterfly blade | flick knife | |
