British and American English

Some parts of this article use accent marks to indicate stress and pronunciation: for an explanation and table, see English spellings; there is also a key at the foot of this page

Between British English and American English there are numerous differences in the areas of vocabulary, spelling, and phonology. This article compares the forms of British and American speech normally studied by foreigners: the former includes the accent known as Received Pronunciation, or RP; the latter uses Midland American English, which is normally perceived to be the least marked American dialect. Actual speech by educated British and American speakers is more varied, and that of uneducated speakers still more. Grammatical and lexical differences between British and American English are, for the most part, common to all dialects, but there are many regional differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, usage and slang, some subtle, some glaring, some rendering a sentence incomprehensible to a speaker of another variant.

American and British English both diverged from a common ancestor, and the evolution of each language is tied to social and cultural factors in each land. Cultural factors can affect one's understanding and enjoyment of language; consider the effect that slang and double entendre have on humour. A joke is simply not funny if the pun upon which it is based can't be understood because the word, expression or cultural icon upon which it is based does not exist in one's variant of English. Or, a joke may be only partially understood, that is, understood on one level but not on another, as in this exchange from the Britcom Dad's Army:

Fraser: Did ya hear the story of the old empty barn? Mainwaring: Listen, everyone, Fraser's going to tell a story. Fraser: The story of the old empty barn: well, there was nothing in it!

Americans would understand part of the joke, which is that a barn that is empty literally has nothing in it. However, in Commonwealth English, 'there's nothing in it' also means something that is trivial, useless or of no significance.

But it is not only humour that is affected. Items of cultural relevance change the way English is expressed locally. A person can say "I was late, so I Akii-Bua'd (from John Akii-Bua, Ugandan hurdler) and be understood all over East Africa, but receive blank stares in Australia. Even if the meaning is guessed from context, the nuance is not grasped; there is no resonance of understanding. Then again, because of evolutionary divergence; people can believe that they are speaking of the same thing, or that they understand what has been said, and yet be mistaken. Take adjectives such as 'mean' and 'cheap'. Commonwealth speakers still use 'mean' to mean 'parsimonious', Americans understand this usage, but their first use of the word 'mean' is 'unkind'. Americans use 'cheap' to mean 'stingy', but while Commonwealth speakers understand this, there is a danger that when used of a person, it can be interpreted as 'disreputable' 'immoral' (my grandmother was so cheap). The verb 'to table' a matter, as in a conference, is generally taken to mean 'to defer', in American English, but as 'to place on the table', i.e. to bring up for discussion, in Commonwealth English.

English is a flexible and quickly-evolving language; it simply absorbs and includes words and expressions for which there is no current English equivalent; these become part of the regional English. American English has hundreds of loan words acquired from its immigrants: these can eventually find their way into widespread use (spaghetti, mañana), or they can be restricted to the areas in which immigrant populations live. So there can be variances between the English spoken in New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco. Thanks to Asian immigration, a working-class Londoner asks for a cuppa cha and receives the tea he requested. This would probably be understood in Kampala and New Delhi as well, but not necessarily in Boise, Idaho.

Cultural exchange also has an impact on language. For example, it is possible to see a certain amount of Americanization in the British English of the last 50 years. This influence is not entirely one-directional, though, as, for instance, the previously British English 'flat' for 'apartment' has gained in usage among American twenty-somethings. Similarly the American pronunciation of 'aunt' has changed during the last two decades, and it is considered classier to pronounce 'aunt' in the Commonwealth manner, even for speakers who continue to rhyme 'can't' and 'shan't' with 'ant'. Australian English is based on the language of the Commonwealth, but has also blended indigenous, immigrant and American imports.

Applying these same phenomena to the rest of the English-speaking world, it becomes clear that though the "official" differences between Commonwealth and American English can be more or less delineated, the English language can still vary greatly from place to place.

Some of the differences listed here are not absolute. Rather, one usage is just substantially commoner than the other.

Vocabulary

British	American
abseil	rappel
aeroplane (ãirəp-)	airplane (ãirp-)
afterwards	afterwards, afterward
among, amongst	among
answer-phone (doorbell)	intercom
answer-phone (telephone)	answering machine
anticlockwise	counterclockwise
arse	ass
Asian (race)	East Indian
aubergine	eggplant
autumn	fall, autumn
balaclava, balaclava helmet	knit cap, watch cap
balls-up	foul-up
barman, barmaid	bartender
barrister (courtroom representation)	lawyer
batman	(military) orderly
beauty contest	(beauty) pageant
beetroot	beet
behove	behoove
bill (invoice)	bill, check
biscuit	cookie
blot one's copybook	foul up; mess up; screw up
bonnet (of a car)	hood
bollocking	severe reprimand
boot (of a car)	trunk
bowl away	speed away
bowler hat	derby
braces (attached to trousers)	suspenders
brackets (or round brackets)	parentheses
break (school)	recess
bring up (child)	raise, bring up
bumf, bumph	paperwork
burgle	burglarize
busker	street artist, street performer
cabin (on a boat)	stateroom
cannon (in billiards)	carom
car-park, car park	parking lot
car-sticker	decal
caravan	trailer
carer	caregiver, caretaker
caretaker	janitor
carriage, coach (railway)	car
cat flap	cat door
[to] chaff	[to] joke, [to] tease
charge (noun, law)	count
chemist	drugstore
chips (chipped potatoes)	fries, French fries
cinema	movie theater
claret	Bordeaux (wine)
cockerel, cock	rooster
cock-up	disaster, blunder, confused situation
coffin	coffin, casket (death)
cool-box	cooler
cornflour	cornstarch
corpse	cadaver
cotton (sewing), thread	thread
courgette	zucchini
crisps (potato crisps)	chips (potato chips)
crocodile (of children)	line of schoolchildren walking in pairs
crossroads, junction	intersection
curriculum vitae (CV)	résumé
curtains	drapes, draperies, curtains
dab (noun), dab hand	skillful person
dishcloth, tea towel	dishcloth, dishrag
dodgem	bumper car
dogsbody	drudge, junior officer
draughts (board game)	checkers
drawing room (mostly obsolete: class connotations), sitting room, living room	living room
drink-driving	drunk driving
driving licence	driver's license
dual carriageway	divided highway, freeway, Interstate
dumb	mute
dummy (baby)	pacifier
dustbin	trash can, garbage can
dustman	garbage collector, garbageman
eiderdown	comforter
entitled (introducing title)	titled
estate agent	real estate agent, realtor
estate car, estate wagon	station wagon
exclamation mark	exclamation point
fairy (story/tale)	Mother Goose
fancy dress party	costume party
Father Christmas or Santa (Claus)	Santa Claus
film	movie
fire engine	fire truck
flannel	flattering, deceptive talk
flat	flat, apartment
floating voter	independent
fly	keen, artful, clever, sharp
form (to have)	criminal record (to have)
fortnight, two weeks	two weeks
fortnightly	bi-weekly
football (Association football), soccer	soccer
foyer	lobby
full stop	period
gammon	ham, smoked ham, bacon
ganger	foreman of a gang of workers, particularly on railways
gangway (in a railway carriage or car)	aisle
garden	yard
get a rocket	be bawled out
give way (road sign)	yield
grill	broil
go for a bathe	go for a swim
guard’s van	caboose
hard graft, hard grafting	hard work
headed notepaper—either personal, or for business	letterhead
High Street	Main Street
hire	rent
hoarding	billboard
hock	Rhine wine (white)
holiday	vacation
hotchpotch	hodge-podge
hoover, vacuum, vacuum cleaner	vacuum cleaner
[garden] hose, hosepipe	[garden] hose
ice lolly	popsicle
icebox, freezer	freezer
icing	frosting, icing
Imperial units	English, U.S. customary units
ironmonger, ironmongery	hardware dealer, hardware store, hardware
jobbing	working occasionally at separate short jobs
jobsworth	inflexible employee
knickers	panties
lay-by	turnout, pullout
lift	elevator
lend	loan (as a verb)
lorry	truck
main subject [in education]	major
maize	corn [one type]
make redundant	lay off
marrow	squash
maths	math
motor park	parking area
motorway	Interstate, divided highway, freeway
mud guard	fender [of a bike]
mug (noun)	fool, blockhead
musketry	the practice of small arms (military)
named after	named for
nappy	diaper
newsagent	newsdealer, newsstand
normality	normality, normalcy
note [cash]	bill
nought, zero	cipher, zero
noughts and crosses	tic-tac-toe
off-licence	liquor store
often	often, oftentimes
Oriental (race)	Asian
pack [cards]	deck
pantechnicon	very large truck
pants, underpants	underwear, underpants
paraffin	kerosene
patience [game]	solitaire
pavement	sidewalk
pedestrian crossing	crosswalk, pedestrian crossing
petrol(eum)	gasoline, gas
plaster, sticking plaster	Band-Aid™, adhesive bandage
playground	schoolyard
potty	slightly crazy
primary school	elementary school
propelling pencil	mechanical pencil
public transport	mass transit
queue (noun)	line, waiting line
queue, queue up (verb)	stand in line, wait in line, line up
railway	railroad, railway
rise [pay]	raise
road	road, pavement
roundabout	rotary, traffic circle, roundabout
roundabout	merry-go-round, carousel
rubber	eraser
rubbish	trash, garbage
rug	blanket
rum (adjective)	queer, odd; dangerous, difficult
sacked	fired
saloon [car]	sedan
sapper	engineer [military]
scarper	flee, run away; broadly: leave, depart
second-hand	used
send in one's papers	resign (in the military)
shoot (noun)	hunting rights, blind
shop; be shopped (verb)	betray, inform on; be betrayed, be informed on
shunt (parts of trains)	switch, shunt
silencer [car]	muffler
skip	dumpster
skive	slack off
sleeper (railway)	railroad tie, tie
snog	to kiss and caress amorously
snug	small private room in a bar or pub
snuggery	a small cosy place, a small room
soldier-servant	orderly
solicitor [mainly deskwork; cf barrister]	lawyer
solitaire	peg solitaire
sparking plug	spark plug
speciality (*speshiálity)	specialty (*spéshəlty)
stand (for election)	run (for election, for office)
	stroller
spanner	wrench
St. Martin's summer	Indian summer
stopping train	local (train); commuter train
subsidiary subject, secondary subject [in education]	minor
subaltern	junior officer
subfusc	drab, dusky
subway	pedestrian tunnel
summariser, analyst sport	color commentator, color presenter sports
sums [after "do"]	arithmetic, math
surgery	office hours [doctor's], examination room
swede, turnip [vegetable]	turnip, rutabaga [depending on region]
sweets	candy
sweetshop	candy store
swimming bath	swimming pool
tap [water]	tap, faucet
tarmac(adam)	tar
tea [sometimes]	supper, dinner
tearaway	unruly or reckless young person
(the) telly	TV
tick	check [verb], checkmark [noun]
titbits	tidbits
tiffin	lunch, luncheon
timber	lumber
tin	can
tomato sauce, ketchup	ketchup
torch [with a battery]	flashlight
towards	towards, toward
tower block	high-rise apartment building
traffic jam	gridlock
trainers	sneakers
traveller	salesman, traveling salesman
treacle	molasses
trousers	trousers, pants
tuckshop	confectionery shop or store
twee	quaint
underground (railway)	subway
underline	underscore
undertaker (or funeral director)	mortician
vegetable marrow	squash (various summer varieties)
vest	undershirt
waistcoat (also weskit)	vest
wallet	wallet; billfold
wet	weak, spineless
while, whilst	while
windcheater	windbreaker
windscreen	windshield
wing	fender [of a car]
wood louse	pill bug
year, form [school]	grade
zed	zee

Musical terms

• Most of the English-speaking world has quavers, crotchets, minims, semibreves and breves; American English calls these eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, whole notes and double whole notes respectively.
• What the British call bars Americans call measures.
• The principal violinist in an orchestra is called the leader in Britain, the concert master in America.

Religion

• British Anglican = American Episcopalian
• more roughly,
  • British Liberal Judaism = American Reform Judaism
  • British Reform Judaism = American Conservative Judaism
  • Orthodox Judaism, however, is roughly the same
• In America it is standard practice to call a clergyman Reverend Smith, for example. This is not unknown in Britain, but is regarded as incorrect. One should say Reverend John Smith, or Reverend Mr (or whatever) Smith.

Politics

In Britain one talks of right-wing and left-wing, while Americans say conservative and liberal. Note, however, that American politics is overall more right-wing/conservative than British.

Americans regularly say someone has won a plurality in an election. This usage is almost unknown in Britain, where it would tend to mean they got more than one vote. The corresponding term in Britain is majority, or where more clarity is required simple majority or relative majority. In America, majority is not used in this sense, always meaning what in Britain is called an absolute or overall majority.

British politicians are elected to represent constituencies in the House of Commons, or wards in local councils. Americans generally represent districts.

American usage has a term "logrolling" to refer to an agreement among politicians to support each other's pet proposals ("You help me roll my log and I'll help you roll yours"). There is no corresponding British idiom, only the broader term "horse-trading".

Law

Most differences in English legal terminology are not British versus American, but rather between the English common law tradition followed in most of the English-speaking world, and the legal systems of Louisiana, Quebec, Scotland and South Africa, which had their roots in Roman law, though they have adopted many aspects of common law.

However, most of the United States, and Canada, have distinctions between different "degrees" of murder. Typically, "first-degree murder" (or "murder one" in police shorthand) is planned in advance, while "second-degree murder" is committed on the spur of the moment. There are variations in this, and some states have a "third-degree" category too. In English law there is no formal subdivision of murder in this way (though such distinctions may be taken into account in sentencing), and "degree" is used in a completely different sense: the "principal in the first degree" in a crime (including murder) is the person who actually commits it; "principals in the second degree" are present on the scene and support the commission of the crime.

A sheriff is a ceremonial officer in England, a judge in Scotland, and a law enforcement officer in the USA.

Ethnic groups

In America, "African" (as in "African-American") is synonymous with "Black". In Britain it is restricted to fairly recent migrants from Africa, and is not applied to descendants of those transported to the Americas in past centuries.

"Asian" tends to mean East Asian in America, South Asian in Britain.

Usage

Lexis and idiom

• The expression I guess, meaning 'I think', common in American English, is not used in British English.
• In British, one goes 'to hospital' or 'to university'; in American, one goes 'to the hospital' or 'to the university'. However, one goes 'to college' in both.
• Toss and flip: in British English, one tosses a coin, but in American, it is usually flipped.
• In British, an ass (rarely used nowadays) is a donkey or a fool; in American it is used instead of 'arse'.
• In British, mad means crazy; in American angry.
• In British, to wash up, or to do the washing up, is to do the dishes; in American however it is to wash oneself, where British English would say to wash one's face or have a wash.
• What Americans call public schools are in Britain 'state schools', because 'public school' is the British term for a non-profit-making independent school, of which Eton is the most famous example.
• Uptown and downtown are not widely used outside America. In British English, the former is rendered variously as 'in the suburbs' or 'on the outskirts', 'suburban' or 'residential', whichever is most appropriate. 'Down town' (two words) means to or in the city or town centre.
• American English usually omits the and in numerals: 'two thousand eight', where BrE has 'two thousand and eight'.
• British English has UK and US, American English U.S. and U.K.
• A frying-pan can also be called a fry-pan or a skillet in American English.
• The situation regarding the use of trapezium and trapezoid, whether referring to geometrical shapes or to bones, is complicated, and may be a question of idiolect.
• In British, sport is used as an uncountable noun where Americans talk of 'sports'. In contrast, British has 'maths' and American math.
• In British, the first floor is the first floor up, that is, above the ground floor, which is at street level. In American 'ground floor' may occasionally be used that way, but is more often figurative ('I got in on the ground floor', that is, at the beginning); it is the first floor that is at street level.
• British English introduces a motion by tabling it; American postpones discussion by tabling it (that is, shelving it).
• In British, bacteria is the plural of 'bacterium'; in American, 'bacterias' of 'bacteria'.
• Anymore can be one word in American, and mean 'nowadays', even with a positive verb, in some varieties of AmE.
• The River Nile in British English is the Nile River in American, and likewise with other rivers.
• Likely is very often used in informal American to mean 'probably', whereas in British it only means 'probable', as in 'a likely story'.
• In sports results, American often puts the preposition to between the scores: 'they won three to two'; British does not do this (though it does so in reporting votes).
• Where British, in describing an unsatisfactory state of affairs, says, for example, "it could do with a polish", American says "it could use...".
• The British describe a needless fuss as a storm in a teacup, which modifies to a tempest in a teapot in American.
• In American, a thing or person can be named for another; in British, it is named after.
• In American, to say someone is called something means that is a pet name or nickname; in British it can alternatively be their real name.
• American doghouse is British kennel, though the phrase in the doghouse (meaning "in disgrace") is common to both.
• In addition to its philosophical sense of intellect or divine reason, nous can be used in colloquial British English to mean savvy or gumption.
• American English has a word unfamiliar in British (except to lawyers), ouster, meaning removal, of a person from a job or position.
• British candidates stand for election; Americans run.
• Americans talk of dating (someone). In Britain the usual idiom is going out with someone/together, with the word dating used in more abstract ways such as internet dating.
• American usage retains the original distinction between a shop, where work is done on the premises, and a store, where goods are simply stored for sale. British usage calls both of these shops. Americans, however, go shopping like Britons, not *storing.
• In British usage an art gallery is a place people go to view art. Americans usually call this an art museum, or just a museum. In Britain a museum is a place where some other interest dominates, though for example a museum of archaeology may contain works of art. American usage reserves the term art gallery for a place people go to buy art. This would be called in Britain a private or commercial gallery.
• In the official English title system, esquire is the next rank below knight, and there are detailed rules to define who is entitled to it. In practice it was progressively extended as a courtesy to all respectable men, and then gradually declined in use. In America it is used by lawyers, male or female.
• A vet in American English is a veteran of armed combat; in British, it is a veterinary surgeon.
• British English does not use through instead of from...to between numerical and time expressions, while American allows both: "2010 through 2015", "Sunday through Wednesday", "numbers 1 through 3" are not British English.
• In British English, alternate means every other one (the first, the third, the fifth...) but in American it is the usual form for what BrE calls alternative, i.e. another, a different, a second option or thing.
• Americans tend to say a couple something, but in Britain it is always a couple of something.
• Traditionally, a prep(aratory) school covers ages 8–13 in England, 14–18 in America.
• In American, ticked off means annoyed or irritated, and sounds like a euphemism for "pissed off"; in British it means reprimanded: "the teacher ticked them off for bullying".
• American vicious cycles are British vicious circles.

Grammar

• American English generally prefers the singular for collective nouns: 'the government is considering' where British has 'the government are...' Thus, while 'the United States is topping the medals table', 'England are losing another Test Match'.
• Where a verb has both regular and irregular past forms, American English prefers the regular, and British the irregular: for example, for 'spell' BrE prefers past tense and past participle 'spelt'; AmE the regular 'spelled'.
• Some subjunctive verb forms are required in AmE but not in BrE. British speakers say things like "I suggest that he is fired" or "She asked that you rang her back". For Americans or Canadians, these must be "I suggest that he be fired" and "She asked that you ring her back". To American ears, this is an error about as severe as "I seen George yesterday", but it is perfectly normal even for well-educated BrE speakers.

The date

There are no hard and fast rules, but Americans tend to put the month before the day, so where Britons will more often say 'the thirtieth of July', an American might prefer 'July the thirtieth'; although omitting the article, as in 'July thirtieth' is distinctly American. And so in writing, British English tends toward '30 July 2009', American towards 'July 30, 2009', the numbers separated by a comma.

Wikipedia has helped to popularise the notion that there is a strict difference between the two idioms here, but this seems to be for its own, conflict-resolving, convenience: for example, the expression 'The Fourth of July' is as American as is the importance of the date.

Weights

Traditionally, British usage gives people's weights in stones, while American usage gives them in pounds. The plural form 'stones' is not used after a number: 'weighing ten stone'.

Spelling

There are a number of spelling differences, some systemic (most notably in suffixes), and others in individual words.

Suffixes

The most striking differences between the spelling of American English and British English are in these suffixes. (The accents, which are not used in English, show stress and pronunciation: see English spellings for a table and English phonemes for a comparison with the International Phonetic Alphabet; there is also a key at the foot of this page.)

British	-	American	-
-ence	defénce	-ense	defénse
	lîcence noun		lîcense
	offénce		offénse
-l + l + suffix	dîalling	-l + suffix	dîaling
	trávelled		tráveled
	màrvellous		màrvelous
-l	fulfíl	-ll	fulfíll
	enrôl		enrôll
	instål		inståll
	instíl		instíll
-ógue	cátalogue	-óg	cátalog
	dîalogue		dîalog
-our	clámour	-or	clámor
	còlour		còlor
	fâvour		fâvor
	flâvour		flâvor
	hàrbour		hàrbor
	hónour		hónor
	lâbour		lâbor
	ráncour		ráncor
	(Many words, however, have -or in both: dóctor, asséssor, sqùalor.)
-pp + suffix	kídnápping	-p + suffix	kídnáping
	wörshípped		wörshíped
-re	céntre	-er	cénter
	mêtre length		mêter all
	manoeûvre		maneûver (also minus the o)
	ôchre (ch as /k/)		ôcher (ch as /k/)
	scéptre		scépter
	thêatre		thêater
	(But in both: mêter machine, âcre *âker, eûchre *yûker)
-tt + suffix	carburétted	-t + suffix	carburéted

Also, British advîser and protéster are advîsor and protéstor in American.

Final s

Some British words ending in s tend to drop it in American: BrE towårds, àfterwards, fŏrwards, máths; AmE towård, áfterward, fŏrward, máth.

-ise and -ize

It is normal to see spellings with -ize, such as rêalize, in American English, and those with -ise in British English, but -ize has been for centuries the standard spelling of Oxford University Press ("Oxford spelling", in contrast to Cambridge UP which uses either form at the option of the author) and there is some evidence to suggest that -ise predominated in the UK only after 1945. The -ise spelling reflects the French from which these words were borrowed, though many originally came from Greek, which uses a zeta, -ιζειν (-izein), via Latin. For examples, see English spellings/Catalogs/Retro E.

The following do not have z in any correct modern form of English: ádvertise, comprîse, cómpromise, despîse, disguîse, éxercise, excîse, prîse lever, surmîse and surprîse. (For AmE -ŷze and BrE -ŷse, see below.)

ae and oe become e

In Latin and Greek words where British has ae or oe, American English usually has a solitary e: aesthétic is esthétic and foêtus fêtus. This can result in differing acronyms, such as American GERD vs. British GORD for gástro-(o)esóphageal rêflux disêase.

This does not apply at the end of a word: thus -ae as Latin plural of -a is the same in both, though it is much less likely to be used at all in America, where foreign plurals generally are much more frequently avoided.

Other spellings

Other individual spelling variations are:

British	American
ádze	ádz
âgeing	âging
alumínium (-yəm)	alûminum
artefact	ártifact
áxe	áx
behôve	behoôve
callipers	calipers
cárat	kárat
chéque money	chéck all meanings
chéquered	chéckered
clarinéttist	clarinétist
connéxion, connéction	connéction only (cf. compléxion in both)
côsy	côzy
defénce	defénse, dêfense (the latter pronunciation is for sport only, but always the different spelling)
diaéresis (both *dî-érisis)	diéresis
dísc, dísk, see below
dispatch, despatch	dispatch only
dràught cold, net, liquids, game, horse	dráft all meanings
ër	üh
ërm	üm
fíllet	fílet
furŏrê	fûrŏr
grèy	grây
jeŵellery	jeŵelry
júdgement, júdgment	júdgment only
kërb road, cürb decrease	cürb both meanings
kílomêtre	kilómeter
largésse only	largésse, largéss *larzhéss
líquoríce	lícoríce (both *líckerish)
miaòw	meòw
môuld	môld
moustàche	mústáche
múm mother	móm
ómelette	ómelet
paêd- child	péd-
per cént	percént
phôney	phôny
plòugh	plòw
práctíse verb (British English noun is práctíce)	práctíce: American English uses only práctíce, reflecting the pronunciation (not -îze/-îse).
prôgramme arts	prógram
pyjàmas	pajàmas
refléxion, refléction	refléction only (cf. compléxion in both)
roûble	rûble
scéptical	sképtical
skílful	skíllful
stǒrey building	stǒry building = stǒry book
súlphur, súlphate, súlphide	súlfur, súlfate, súlfide
sẁap = swóp	swàp
tŷre car	tîre car, tired
vîce	vîce = vîse (the latter only for grip)
wílful	wíllful

Words ending in -ŷse in British (ánalyse, páralyse, dîalyse, eléctrolyse) have -ŷze in American (ánalyze, páralyze, dîalyze, eléctrolyze).

The spelling dísk is preferred in American, which mainly confines the -c spelling to musical recordings, while British prefers dísc, except for computer disks, which are often spelt thus. [1]

The spelling pédlar is commoner in Britain, péddler in American, though neither is universal.

Also: dôve is an American alternative to dîved as past tense of dîve, with the same spelling as the bird dòve; matinée (pronounced mátinèe) can have a written é accent in British English but no accent in American English.

Initial capital letters

Champâgne *shám-pâin and Cointreau *quàn-trô have initial capitals in American English, as they are proprietary names; in British they both normally begin with a lower-case letter.

Pronunciation

The pronunciations discussed here are standard British (also called Received Pronunciation), which is associated with London and the Home Counties, and General American, heard in much of the United States and Canada.

Postvocalic r

Most strikingly, ‘postvocalic’ r, that is to say r after a vowel and in the same syllable, is silent in British English but pronounced in American English, in words like fàrm, càrve, cürve, swërve, fïrst, nŏrth, cŏrd, bïrth, ëarth. So càrd, *càd in BrE, contrasts with cád, and chàrted (-íd in most pronunciations, but -əd in some Commonwealth English) with chàrtered (-rd in AmE, but -əd in BrE).

For some speakers of both, postvocalic r is heard finally before a vowel in the next word: Mŷ càr ísn't réady (*rízzent) and an invisible 'r' can sometimes be heard between words: relâtions betwêen Chîna(r)and Rússia; this however is less common in British English than it used to be.

In American English an r between two vowels can have an effect on the first vowel: márry can sound to British ears like Mãry; the e in véry can sound like a stressed schwa.

British English has -ór- before a vowel but American English always has -ŏr-: British English órifice, órigin, fóreign, Flórida, American English ŏrifice, ŏrigin, fŏreign, Flŏrida. So móral can in American English sound to British ears almost like one syllable: *mŏrrl.

British English úr is American English ür: British English coúrage, cúrrency American English coürage, cürrency, and British English òr is similarly altered: British English wòrry, American wörry.

à versus á

British English à is very often in American English a long á: cán’t, lást, fást, hálf, ráther, láther. But not in fàther, Coloràdo, Chicàgo (Sh-), pajàmas (British English pyjàmas) nor before r: fàrm, stàrve nor before -lm: càlm, pàlm, bàlm.

In some place names where British English has á, à is preferred by many AmE speakers: Milàn, Vietnàm, Ugànda, Srì Lànka, Caràcas and Ànkara, where BrE has Milán, etc. This extends also to commercial names like BrE Níssán, AmE Nìssàn, and includes other imported words, e.g. the Spanish AmE tàco, BrE táco.

Many British journalists say Baráck or even bárrack for Baràck Obàma.

-ary, -ory and -ony

The suffix -ary has a silent a in traditional British English, but in American English it sounds like an é: díctionãry, vocábulãry (*dícshənérry, vəcábyəlérry as opposed to BrE *dícshənry, vəcábyəlry, much like strong and weak forms). Thus AmE sécondãry rhymes with Lóndondérry. A similar example is Rôsemary, pronounced with a schwa a in BrE, but as if two words, Rôse Mãry, in American. In the equivalent adverbs, the ã sound is clearly pronounced in both varieties: momentãrily, necessãrily (*momentérrily, *necessérrily).

Featuring as it does so much in popular culure, the American English sound has become increasingly common in British English, especially in broadcasting, with American pronunciations of some common words, such as nécessary, sécretary and mílitary, often being heard instead of the more typically British *nécəssry, *sécrətry, *mílətry, even though the same speakers when using other words with this ending – the likes of córonary, hónorary and heréditary – will not normally depart from the British *córonry, etc. Not untypically, a BrE-speaking presenter on the BBC in 2010 tailored her pronunciation to the office, referring to 'The Foreign *Sécrətry and the *Sécrətérry of State...' Similarly in British English labóratory and American láboratŏry, one o is stressed, rendering the other redundant: British English *labóratry, American English *lábratŏry. Other American pronunciations are cátegŏry, perémptŏry, stâtionéry and mónastéry; and also céremôny, álimôny and ácrimôny where British English has silence or schwa for o or e.

However, both varieties have a schwa or no sound for the a when the preceding syllable is the stressed one: suppleméntary (*súpləméntəry), compliméntary (*compləméntəry), but there is a difference where there is an o: AmE perémptŏry, BrE *perémptəry.

Differing e sound

British lêver (pronounced like lêaver from leave) is American léver; also in inflected forms: BrE lêverage/AmE léverage. The exact reverse happens with AmE lêisure/BrE léisure.

Similarly, evolûtion, ecológical, equiláteral, methane and pederasty have é- in American, ê- in British.

Short o

The [ɒ] (ó) vowel in British English hót does not exist for the vast majority of American English speakers, as it developed following the establishment of colonies in the New World (Australians do use it, since Australia was colonised later). American English may employ a variety of vowels in this position, depending on the phonological context and the speaker's regional background - [ɔ], [ɑ] or others in roughly the same area of the mouth, low and towards the back. They also make distinctions through the use of r, which for British English speakers are homophonous: cŏurt and cåught both use [ɔː], whereas American English speakers pronounce the r in the former: [kɔɹt] and [kɔt], for example. So also, American hót sounds like British heàrt, American póssible like British pàssable.

See the section on post-vocalic r above, for the behavior of short ó before r.

Short u and its o grapheme

The [ʌ] (ú) vowel in British English hút does not exist in American English: a stressed schwa is used instead, as it is also when the spelling is o, as in òther.

wh-

In words beginning wh- (apart from who, which is pronounced *hoô in both varieties) the h is ignored in British English but sounded before the w in American English, so that whén and whístle are pronounced *hwén and *hwíssle. (This is also the pronunciation in Scotland.)

-ile

The suffix -île in British English is usually schwa in American English so that vólatîle is pronounced *vólatle, stérîle *stérral, and frágîle *frájle. míssîle projectile is like míssal prayers and hóstile enemy sounds like hóstel shelter.

-duce

The suffix -dûce, as in redûce, indûce, prodûce verb and próduce noun is -dyoôss or -joôss in British English but can also be -doôss in American English.

-age

In three words from French with the suffix -age, where British English has an anglicised version, American English prefers to keep the French model, so á in the first syllable cedes its stress to the suffix (this is not to be confused with the cockney—and nowadays BBC—pronunciation of, for example, gárage as *garridge):

British	American
bárràge (-àzh)	barràge (*bəràzh)
gáràge (-àzh)	garàge (*gəràzh)
mássàge (-àzh)	massàge (*məssàzh)

-t- and -d- between vowels

In American English -t- and -d- between vowels, of which the first vowel is stressed, are voiced and sound like -d-, though actually the sound is a [ɾ] (a 'tap' or 'flap', i.e. a very rapid contact just behind the top front teeth): lâter *lâ[ɾ]er, bútter *bú[ɾ]er, líttle *lí[ɾ]le, shoôting *shoô[ɾ]ing; British English speakers keep these as -t- or -d-. In American English twénty, the -t- blends with the -n- and disappears altogether. The 'flap' often appears as the Scottish English pronunciation of /r/. British English speakers often partially or completely 'glottalise' -t- where American English speakers produce a flap. This glottal stop [ʔ] is common in London English, for example: *bú[ʔ]er for bútter. It also often replaces /t/ at the end of a syllable: *ca[ʔ] for cát. The glottal stop, which is formed by the vocal cords briefly coming together to restrict airflow, is not a phoneme of English and so speakers will usually identify it as a variant of -t-.

-euse

This ending, -ëüz in BrE after the original French, has two pronunciations in American English: in words such as AmE masseûse (pronounced with a hard s), the final e can be sounded: masseûsê, chanteûsê *massoôss(y), *shantoôss(y). British English has only the French-style massëuse, chantëuse, rhyming with the masculine plural forms massëurs, chantëurs *más-sërz, *shàn-tërz.

-ative

When preceded by an unstressed syllable, this ending has a secondary stress on the â in American, which is schwa in British, so American authŏritâtive is British authóritative, with a schwa, -tət-, and likewise British méditative is American méditâtive.

-rsion

Words with this ending, such as vërsion and excürsion, have the 'sh' sound in British and the 'zh' sound in American.

Other pronunciations

This table lists further examples of pronunciation differences. See the spelling section above for a table of items, such as kílomêtre/kilómeter, that are also spelt differently. The equals sign, =, means that the following word has the same pronunciation.

British	American
accòmplice	accómplice
accòmplish	accómplish
addréss	áddress
ádult	adúlt
advërtísement	ádvertîsement (cf. ádvertise in both)
aesthétic (ís-)	aesthétic, esthétic (és-)
Ál-Qàêda (-Kŷda, or stress on ê)	Ál-Qâeda
ámateur (eur as schwa: *ámətə)	ámateur also; or various more phonetic variants, typically ámateûr (*ámatyûer)
Ámazon (o as schwa)	Ámazón
ámbergrìs	ámbergrís
amén (àh-)	amén (ây-)
amênity	amênity or aménity
ancíllary	áncillãry
ántì-	ántî-
ápparâtus	apparátus
áristocrat	arístocrat
ásthma (*ássma)	*ázma
àunt	áunt uncle (= ánt insect)
authóritative	authŏritâtive
ávalànche (-lànsh)	ávalánche
Baghdád	Bághdad
báton	batón
Bërnard	Bernàrd (exception:)
bêta	bèta
Bïrmíngham (-íngəm)	Bïrmínghám (-íng-hám)
bòrough (*búrə)	börôugh town (= AmE bürrow ground)
brôchure (*brôsher)	brochûre (*brô-shûre)
buŏy sea = bŏy child	bûoy *bôoêe
càdre (-der)	càdrè
cándidate (-ət)	cándidâte
capíllary (kəp-)	cápillãry
Caribbêan (*Cárri-bêən)	Caríbbêan (*Cər-íbbêən)
Cécil (*Séssle)	Cêcil (*Sêazle)
cérebral	cerêbral
chágrín (sh-)	chagrìn (*shəgrêen)
chámois (*shámwà)	chámois (*shámmy)
charàde (sh-)	charâde (sh-)
cicàda	cicâda
cigarétte	cígarette
clìchè *clêeshây (in both, the French accent may be written: cliché)	clichè *clishây, where the American is closer to the French
cómplex	compléx (adjective: noun is as British)
cómbatant	combátant
cómrâde	cómráde
córrugate	cörrugate
coyôtê	*kŷôat
dâta	also dáta
Dâvíes (= Dâvis)	Dâvìês (-êez)
débris (*débrêe or dâybrêe)	*dəbrêe; the French accent may be written: débris
dépôt (*déppo)	dêpôt (*dêepo)
derby (à)	dërby
detérrence, -nt	detërrence, -nt
dôcîle	dócile (*dóssle)
dýnasty	dŷnasty
Edinburgh (-brə)	(-bórô)
eîther	êither
entreprenëur	entrepreneûr (both ón-)
êra	éra (= British English érror; or *ãira)
erâse (-z)	erâse (-ss)
ërr	érr (= American English ãir)
évidently	evidéntly
explêtive	éxpletive
fâkír	*fəkír
fålcon	fálcon
fígure (*fígə)	can be *fígyùr
fíllet rhymes with bíllet, t pronounced	*filây (after French)
gàla	gâla
génuíne	génuîne
gêyser water (= gêezer man)	geŷser
grimâce	grímace
Hamás	Hamàs
hárass	haráss
hegémony (híg-)	hégemôny (héj-)
hërb	*ërb
hygiênic	hygiénic (both ŷ)
húrricane (a as schwa: -kən)	hürricâne
ídyll idyllic	îdyll (= îdle lazy = îdol god)
improvisâtion (o as schwa, -əvî-)	improvisâtion (-óví-)
inquîry = enquîry	ínquiry = enquiry (*ínkwəry)
îodìne	îodîne
îron (*îən)	*îrən or *îərn
jágûar (*jágyûə)	jáguàr (*jágwàr)
Kósovo	Kôsovo
labóratory	láboratŏry
Lébanon (-ən)	Lébanón
léisure	lêisure
lieuténant (léft-)	(lût-)
márathon (-thən, o as schwa)	márathón
massëuse (based on French)	masseûse
Maurice (= Mórris)	Maurìce (*Mərêece, French-style)
mãyor town (= mãre horse)	mâyor
médicine (*médsən)	*médísən
mêthane	méthane
mìgraine	mîgraine
moôg	*môag (can be capital M in both)
Móscôw	can be Móscòw
múltì-	múltî-
Mùslim	Múslim
nåusea (-zìə)	(-shə)
neîther	nêither
nónchalant (ch as sh)	*nonshalàn
óccult	occúlt
offénce	óffense (sport only, but always)
páprika	paprìka
partisán (-zán)	pàrtisan (-zən)
pâtent	pátent
pátronize, -ise	pâtronize, -ise
penchant (*pànshàn)	pénchant
përfume	perfûme
phálanx	phâlanx
pipétte (pí-)	pipétte (pî-)
prêdecessor	prédecessor
prémier government	premíer (= premíere)
prémiére performance	premíere (= premíer)
prívacy	prîvacy (but prîvate in both)
prôcess	prócess
prôgress noun	prógress noun: progréss verb in both
Pûerto Rìco (Pŏr-)	Puérto Rìco (Pwãir-)
qùadruplet (second u as schwa)	quadrûplet (similarly with quínt- etc.)
râbid	rábid
récŏrd noun (rhyming with cŏrd)	récord (o as schwa: -kərd)
renâissànce	rénaissànce
resëarch	rêsëarch
resŏurce	rêsource
réspîte	réspíte
rodèo	rôdêo
roûte journey (= roôt plant)	ròute (= ròut victory)
sálon	salón
sándwich (-ídge)	(-ích)
scenàrio	scenãrio, scenário
schédule (shé-)	(ské-)
sêagúll	sêagull (-əl)
shóne	shône (= shôwn)
simultâneous (sí-)	(sî-)
sôlder	*sódder
spínach (-ídge)	(-ích)
snoôker	snoòker
stâtus	státus
stràta	strâta (= British English strâighter)
stràtum	strâtum
thòrough (*thúrə)	thörôugh (*thürrôw)
tomàto	tomâto (cf. potâto in both, ‘potàto’ being an invention of Cole Porter)
tŏurnament	toürnament
tŏurniquet (-nikây)	toürniquet (-nikít)
Tunísia (*Tyû-nízìə, Chû-)	Tunìsia (*Tû-nêezhə)
ván Gógh (*Góff = Góugh)	ván Gôgh (= gô come)
valìse (-z)	valìse (-s)
vàse (*vàhz)	vâse (*vâce, rhyming with báse, or *vâze, rhyming with hâze)
vërmouth	vermoûth
vërsion (-sh-)	vërsion (-zh-)
vítamin	vîtamin
wåltz (-lss)	wåltz as spelt
ẁrath (= Róth)	wráth
yógurt	yôgurt
Z (zéd)	Z (zêe)

Punctuation

Inverted commas

In British English, a punctuation mark (usually a comma) goes before closing inverted commas (or a closing inverted comma, if single quotation marks are being used) to indicate dialogue, but is otherwise put, if needed, after the quotation marks. American English does not make this distinction, and punctuation always precedes closing quotation marks:

American English: The pen tip material is still called "iridium," although there is seldom any iridium in it. (Comma before closing inverted commas.)

British English: The pen tip material is still called "iridium", although there is seldom any iridium in it. (Comma after closing inverted commas.)

Both British and American: "Today we're looking at iridium," the teacher announced. (In quoted speech and dialogue, comma before closing inverted commas.)

Capital letters after a colon

In British English, a capital letter is used after a colon at the beginning of a quotation, but not otherwise. In American, a capital is used to begin a complete sentence after a colon, but not otherwise.

Hamlet: To be or not to be, that is the question. (Quotation, complete sentence, both British and American.)

"Today: iridium," the teacher announced. (Neither quotation nor sentence, both British and American.)

A conclusion was reached: it would not happen. (Complete sentence after colon, not a quotation, British.)

A conclusion was reached: It would not happen. (Complete sentence after colon, not a quotation, American.)

Names

In America it has long been standard practice for a married woman to combine her husband's surname with her own previous one, e.g. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In Britain, apart from Scottish legal documents, this was rare until very recently.

Notes

• The accents show stress and pronunciation (see English spellings): A: sát, mâde, pàrk, cāst (cást/càst), åll, ãir; E: ére, êar, vèin, fërn; I: sít, mîne, skì, bïrd; O: sóng, môde, lòve, wörd, ŏr; OO: moôn, foòt; U: sún, mûse, fùll, pürr; W: neŵ, ẁant; Y: gým, mŷ, keỳ, mÿrrh.