The Differences Between British and American English

Whether you prefer to learn British English or American English, it is useful to be aware of their differences. There are three main areas of difference:

  • vocabulary

  • pronunciation

  • spelling

 
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Vocabulary

If we take the example of children, consider these variations in vocabulary:

  • pram / stroller

  • dummy / pacifier

  • nappy / diaper

  • cot / crib

  • sweets / candy

 

Now let's look at food:

  • chips / fries

  • crisps / chips

  • aubergine / eggplant

  • biscuit / cookie

  • courgette / zucchini

  • peppers / bell peppers

  • ice lolly / popsicle

  • jam / jelly

  • jelly vs jello

  • prawns vs shrimp

Next let's look at some examples of differences in pronunciation:

  • Tomato: In American English the 'a' is pronounced like it's name i.e. tom-EY-to, unlike the British way, which sounds like tom-AH-to.

  • Herb/herbal: In Britain, the 'h' is pronounced, but it is dropped in America, where it sounds more like ‘erb’/‘erbal’.

  • Zebra: Pronounced 'zeebra' in America and 'zehbra' in the UK.

  • Vitamin: Pronounced 'v-AHY-ta-min' in America and 'v-IT-amin' in the UK. 

The letter 't' in the middle of a word can be pronounced like a 'd' in American English. For example, better, water, hated, writing, bottom, native, artificial, notice.

American English is mostly rhotic and British English is non-rhotic.

Some words are pronounced the same but spelt differently.

  • Words with an '-our' ending in the UK have an '-or' ending in America. For example: colour/color, flavour/flavor, humour/humor, neighbour/neighbor etc.

  • Words with an '-re' ending in the UK have an '-er' ending in America. For example: centre/center, litre/liter, theatre/theater, metre/meter.

  • Some words with an '-ogue' ending in the UK can have an '-og' ending in America. For example: dialogue/dialog, catalogue/catalog, monologue/monolog.

  • Some double l words have a single ‘l’ in America. For example: travelling/traveling, jewellery/jewelery, equalled/equaled, modelling/modeling.

  • Words with an '-ise' ending in the UK have an '-ize' ending in America. For example: authorise/authorize, organise/organize, recognise/recognize, emphasise/emphasize.

  • There are various other words which are spelt differently, such as: tyre/tire, mould/mold, programme/program, cheque/check, acknowledgement/acknowledgment, ageing/aging, judgement/judgment, cosy/cozy, grey/gray, pyjamas/pajamas and spelt/spelled.

Lots of popular films and television programmes are American. If you are specifically looking for some British English ones to help you with your listening practice, why not try these television series:

  • Doctor Who

  • Sherlock

  • Downton Abbey

  • The Crown

  • The Great British Bake Off

  • Black Mirror

  • Outnumbered (comedy)

  • The IT Crowd (comedy)

  • The Thick of It (political comedy)

  • Absolutely Fabulous (comedy)

 
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Here are some film suggestions:

  • Harry Potter

  • Four Weddings and a Funeral

  • The King's Speech

  • Atonement

  • Notting Hill

  • Love Actually

  • Billy Elliot

 
 

Please leave your suggestions for British English television series or films in the comments section below.

I hope this was useful. If you think your friends would like it, please send this to them or share it on Facebook. Thank you.

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Good luck with your English!

English Language, British CultureSarah Waddington1 Comment