
The 45 Most Important Differences Between American and British English
My students often ask me about the differences between American and British English.
Every language variety and every dialect can seem a bit unfamiliar, so it all depends on your perspective.
In this article, I’ll help you get started with the differences between the two!
Contents
- Pronunciation Differences Between American and British English
- Grammar Differences Between American and British English
- Vocabulary Differences Between American and British English
- And One More Thing...
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Pronunciation Differences Between American and British English
Even native speakers don’t understand other dialects of English 100%, especially when it comes to slang words.
Still, there are some general differences between the two accents, and it’s good to know them.
Remember, these are just general differences.
There are many differences between accents in the United States, and there are even more differences between various British accents.
1. The letter “r” at the end of a word
This is one of the first differences people notice between different dialects of English.
If there is a letter “r” at the end of a word, it’s usually pronounced in American English. In most dialects of British English, it’s not pronounced.
Some examples are words like “computer,” “clever” and “brother.”
Note that most dialects will generally pronounce r’s at the beginning of a word, like in “red” or my name, “Ryan.”
2. The letter “r” in the middle of a word
The r’s in the middle of a word are usually noticeably softer and harder to hear in British English as well. In American English, they’re a bit clearer.
Some examples include “large,” “work,” “park” and “turn.”
Note that the “r” sound in the middle of some words will always be pronounced, no matter the dialect! This is the case in words like “barrier“ or “parent.”
3. The letter “t” as a double consonant
Another common characteristic of American English is to make different sounds, usually with the letter “t” or two t’s, sound more like a “d.”
In British English, this is less common, and the t’s are usually more clearly pronounced.
In American English, “bitter” sounds basically the same as “bidder,” which is a completely different word. For more examples, listen to the differences in “litter,” “better” and “butter.”
4. The letter “t” after the letter “n”
Another time when American English speakers don’t pronounce t’s is when the “t” follows the letter “n.” A typical example is the word “international.”
If a British person said that, you would probably hear the first “t.” But many Americans would eliminate and it would sound more like “innernational.”
Notice that this is also most common in casual speech. If Americans are speaking formally or trying to speak as clearly as possible, then they might pronounce the t’s clearly, like in the case of “international.”
5. The letter “a” in general
Many vowels also sound different, but the most common difference that people notice is with the letter “a” in some words.
There is a phonetic sound [æ] that’s basically an “a” and an “e” combined into one letter. This sound is very common in American English, but not in British English.
So a word like “dance,” “after” or “mathematics” will sound very different in British and American English. It’s hard to describe the difference, though, so you should listen to them to hear the difference for yourself.
Grammar Differences Between American and British English
In general, there aren’t many grammar differences between British English and American English.
In fact, if English isn’t your native language, there’s a good possibility that you won’t even notice the differences. Instead, you’ll probably notice the pronunciation and vocabulary differences much more.
Still, there are some differences, so if you’re an advanced English speaker, you’ve maybe noticed some of them in this section.
For today, I just want to focus on a few things that my students recognize most frequently.
6. have — have got — got
In general British English conversation, they use the verb phrase “have got,” but American English simply uses “have.”
British English | American English |
---|---|
I have got a car. | I have a car. |
This makes the question formats differ, as well.
British English | American English |
---|---|
Have you got a car? | Do you have a car? |
There’s also a strong tendency in American English to say “I got” to mean “I have.” Generally this is not considered correct grammar.
This probably comes from quickly saying “I’ve got,” and not clearly pronouncing the “‘ve” part. So it becomes “I got,” like in the phrase “I got a car.”
For an American English speaker, this could mean that I have a car right now, or that I got (bought) a car sometime in the past.
7. got — gotten
Most past tense verbs are the same in British and American English, but there are a few exceptions (also see the next section). The most common exception is the past participle of the verb “to get.”
In American English, the past participle of “to get” is usually “gotten,” but in British English, it’s “got.”
British English | American English |
---|---|
get - got - got | get - got - gotten |
So let’s imagine that your coworker Tony called you earlier in the day. Now imagine your boss asks you, “Hey, has Tony called you yet today?” This is how the two responses would look:
British English | American English |
---|---|
I've already got a call from him. | I've already gotten a call from him. |
Note that there is usually the same difference with the verb “to forget.” In American English, it would be forget-forgot-forgotten, but in British, it would be forget-forgot-forgot.
8. Past tense verbs ending in “-t” and “-ed”
For regular verbs, you form the simple past and past participle forms by adding an “-ed” to the end of the word. Some common examples are:
Infinitive | Past Simple or Past Participle |
---|---|
look | looked |
push | pushed |
pull | pulled |
This is generally true in both American and British English, but there are some regular verbs in British English that form the past tenses by adding “-t” instead of “-ed.” For example:
Verb | British English | American English |
---|---|---|
burn | burnt | burned |
dream | dreamt | dreamed |
learn | learnt | learned |
Note that in British English, there are usually two options. For example, you could say “burnt” or “burned” in British English, but “burnt” is more common.
In American English, you only use the “-ed” past tense form for these verbs.
9. Spelling of “-our” vs “-or”
These words are generally pronounced exactly the same. You’ll only notice these differences if you’re reading or writing English.
A few words are spelled “-our” in British English. In American English, there’s no “u.”
British English | American English |
---|---|
colour | color |
flavour | flavor |
favour | favor |
favourite | favorite |
neighbour | neighbor |
10. Spelling of “-ise” vs “-ize”
Other places the spelling is different is with words like “organise” that are usually spelled with an “-ise” in British English.
In American English, they would be “organize” with a “-ize” instead.
British English | American English |
---|---|
organise | organize |
realise | realize |
recognise | recognize |
sympathise | sympathize |
optimise | optimize |
11. Single vs double consonants
Some words in British English have two consonants in a row, but the same words in American English only have one consonant.
This is often the case with the letter “l.” In British English, often two are used, while in American English there is only one.
British English | American English |
---|---|
travelled | traveled |
cancelled | canceled |
modelled | modeled |
labelled | labeled |
signalled | signaled |
12. Prepositions
As a quick reminder, a preposition is a word that shows the relationship between two nouns. Prepositions can be words like “at,” “in,” “under,” “on,” etc.
Prepositions can be different in British and American English. There are many more examples, but a few common ones that are usually true include:
British English | American English |
---|---|
at the weekend | on the weekend |
different to | different from |
wait on line | wait in line |
Monday to Saturday | Monday through Saturday |
Vocabulary Differences Between American and British English
Vocabulary is the area that causes perhaps the most confusion in communication between native speakers.
I want to focus on the 33 most common ones I’ve noticed in my personal experience as an English teacher and English speaker.
If you’re learning American English but are planning a visit to Great Britain (or vice-versa), then these are some of the differences you’re most likely to notice.
British English | American English | Definitions |
---|---|---|
aeroplane | airplane | an aircraft or flying mode of transportation |
biscuit | cookie | a sweet baked dessert made out of flour and sugar |
chemist | drugstore pharmacy | a place where you can buy medicine or other small household items |
chips | french fries fries | long pieces of fried potatoes |
crisps | chips | fried potatoes, but much smaller, thinner and round |
dustbin | trashcan garbage can | a container where you can put your garbage, trash or waste |
cinema | movie theater | a place where you can watch movies in public |
film | movie | moving images on a screen that tell a story |
fizzy drink | soda pop | carbonated drinks that usually are sweet |
flat | apartment | a small rented home in a larger building |
football | soccer | a sport in which two teams use their feet to score goals with a ball |
holiday | vacation | a trip to a different place as a break from school or work |
jumper | sweater sweatshirt | a piece of clothing with long sleeves that you wear on the top of your body |
lift | elevator | a machine that takes you from one floor of a building to another |
lorry | truck | a large vehicle that can carry cargo |
maths | math | abbreviation for "mathematics" |
mobile phone | cell phone | a small portable phone |
nappy | diaper | a thing babies wear so they don't poop and pee all over the place |
pants | underwear panties | a piece of clothing for your private area |
trousers | pants | a piece of clothing that covers your legs |
pavement | sidewalk | a place where people can walk, between the street and the buildings |
petrol | gasoline | fuel that most cars use |
post | letters that are hand-delivered | |
pram | stroller | a small chair on wheels that you push around to transport a baby |
queue | line | a group of people that form a line to wait for a service or to enter a place |
to ring | to call | to use the telephone to contact someone |
rubber | eraser | a small object that you rub on paper to remove pencil marks or mistakes |
sweet(s) | candy | treats that are made out of sugar |
toilet (general) loo (informal) | bathroom (private) restroom (public) | a room that has at least a toilet |
trainers | sneakers tennis shoes | athletic shoes |
the underground the Tube (London) | the subway | the transportation system of trains in underground tunnels |
wardrobe | closet | a large piece of furniture where you can store your hanging clothes |
z ("zed") | z ("zee") | the last letter of the English alphabet |
So there you go! I hope that you learned something or that you thought something was interesting. Happy speaking and happy travels!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials, as you can see here:
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For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:
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FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.
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