Differences between

American English and

British English
 Main differences between
BrE and AmE:

 Spelling
 Vocabulary

 Grammar

 Pronunciation
Spelling

 British American

 -re -er

 Centre Center
 Metre Meter
 Fibre Fiber
Exception

centre and theatre are sometimes

used in AmE.
British American

our or
behaviour behavior
colour color
flavour flavor
 Exception:

American usage is usually glamour not glamor

British American

-que -ck
cheque check
-ogue -og
catalogue catalog
monologue monolog
British American

-ise,-ize -ize
apologise, apologize apologize
categorise, categorize categorize
-yse -ize
analyse analize
paralyse paralize
British American

-isation -ization
organisation organization
rationalisation rationalization
 Exception:

American usage is advertising not advertizing.

In British English the -l is always doubled after a
single vowel when adding a suffix e.g.

travel → travelled
travel → travelling
travel → traveller
In American English the -l is not doubled e.g.

travel → traveled
travel → traveler
travel → traveling
Vocabulary

American:

• is the most innovative of all Englishes (80% of all

new words in British English come from the
USA).

• is flexible (verbing) and e.g.

American:

• constantly creates new words

• allows no event, person or personality, idea or

concept to pass by without creating a distinct
name e.g. “Tarot card killer” “Beltway sniper”
and “Psycho sniper” (USA Today 02-10-23)
The major differences between British and
American English nouns can be summed up
in several groups, e.g.
1. Almost the same word

British American

bath tub, bathtub

traffic light stop light,
red light
2. exact equivalent words

British American

current account checking account

zip code post code
ring road beltway, loop
4. additional meanings

British American
caravan caravan
‘group of travellers in the desert’
caravan
‘vehicle towed by a car’
trailer
5. one shared meaning, one non-shared meaning

British American
duplex duplex
‘double sided print’
semi detached duplex
‘two houses joined together’
7. additional words

British American
rubbish garbage
trash
8. false friends
British American
entrée/starter starter/first course
main course entree

ground floor first floor

first floor second floor
The fear of the number 13 is called:

triskaidekaphobia

1 in 10 people in the USA and Europe are affected

by this condition.

Sufferers avoid #13 and the 13th of each month.

There is NO 13th Floor!!!
Triskaidekaphobia?
8. false friends

British American
muffins English muffins
American muffins muffins
11. brand names

British American
photocopier Xerox
photocopy (copy) n Xerox
photocopy (copy) v Xerox
12. shared words, more common in one variant

British American

shop store
post mail
flat apartment
 Differences in vocabulary
 Br. E.  Am. E.
 Automn  Fall
 Lorry  Truck
 Sunglasses  Shades
 Lift  Elevator
 Petrol  Gas
 Underground  Subway
 Film  Movie
 Pavement  Sidewalk
 Curtains  Drapes
One important point:

The British tend to use, know or understand a far greater

number of American words than the American know or
understand British terms. This can be explained by:

British exposure to much American TV and many

Hollywood movies.

Americans see relatively few British films or TV

programmes.
Grammar

There are two forms of showing possession

Have you got a car?

Do you have a car?

Both are used in British English, although the

former is preferred.
He hasn't got any friends.
He doesn't have any friends.
She's got a beautiful new home.

She has a beautiful new home.

Americans use the latter almost exclusively.

Past tense

The general tendency in American English is to

use a simple form

Br E I've lost my key. Can you help me…

Am E I've lost my key. Can you help me…

I lost my key. Can you help me…
Br. E. I've already seen that film
Have you finished your homework yet?

Am. E. Alternative
I already saw that film.
Did you finish your homework yet?
Br E Have you ever been to Italy?
Am E Did you ever go to Italy?
Prepositions

Perhaps the greatest difference between the two

forms of English is the use (or absence) of
prepositions.

The preposition to is absent sometimes:

Br please write to me soon

Am please write me soon
Prepositions are becoming increasingly absent in
American English:

Br Prepositions are going out of the

window
Am Prepositions are going out the
window in American English
…or is used differently

British English - at the weekend

American English - on the weekend

different from in British
different than in American

Note: the different from is also used in AE

wait for in British

wait on in American

“can’t you just wait on me a little longer”

from when referring to
prices is replaced by
and up, especially for
figures e.g.

Br Coats from £14-99

Compare:

In Am. E. it sounds:

The truck is in back of the house.

In Br. E. this would be:

The lorry is behind the house.

Br. E. I’ll see you at the weekend

Am. E. I’ll see you over weekend

Br. E. I haven’t seen her for ages

Am. E. I haven’t seen her in ages

Singular and plural

The British overwhelmingly think of groups as

collections of individuals and therefore the subject
verb agreement treats them as plural.

Americans regard groups as a singular entity and

speak and write accordingly e.g.
Br. The government are considering a proposal…

Am. The government is considering a proposal…

Adverbs
There is a trend in all Englishes to leave off the –ly
adverbial ending.

This is more common in American English

e.g. real good rather than really good.