{"id":175828,"date":"2024-02-05T06:58:57","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T11:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/differences-between-american-and-british-english\/"},"modified":"2025-02-28T14:27:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T19:27:45","slug":"differences-between-american-and-british-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/differences-between-american-and-british-english\/","title":{"rendered":"Differences Between American vs. British English"},"content":{"rendered":"

My students often ask me about how to tell American and British English apart. Well,\u00a0the differences in American and British English mainly lie in pronunciation, grammar, spelling and vocabulary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, the American accent<\/a> in California<\/a> will be somewhat different from the one used in New York<\/a>, and similarly, a Cockney accent<\/a> will not sound the same as a Yorkshire accent<\/a> in spoken British English<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this article, we’re going to concentrate on the general<\/em> differences between British and American English.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

American vs British English Pronunciation Differences<\/h2>\n

The most obvious difference between American and British English (at least, in the spoken version) would have to be the pronunciation.<\/p>\n

Below are the general <\/em>differences between the two. As mentioned earlier, there can be even more differences depending on the subdialect.<\/p>\n

The “r” at the end of many words<\/h3>\n

In general, if there’s 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<\/em> pronounced.<\/p>\n

Compare these words, for example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
computer <\/a>\n <\/td> computer <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
clever <\/a>\n <\/td> clever <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
brother <\/a>\n <\/td> brother <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

However, most dialects will generally pronounce r’s at the beginning of a word, like in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
red <\/a>\n <\/td> red <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ryan <\/a>\n <\/td> Ryan <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The “r” in the middle of many words<\/h3>\n

Similarly, the r’s in the middle of a word are often noticeably softer and harder to hear in British English. In American English, they’re a bit clearer.<\/p>\n

Some examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
large <\/a>\n <\/td> large <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
work <\/a>\n <\/td> work <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
park <\/a>\n <\/td> park <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
turn <\/a>\n <\/td> turn <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
barrier <\/a>\n <\/td> barrier <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
parent <\/a>\n <\/td> parent <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The letter “t” as a double consonant<\/h3>\n

Another common characteristic of American English is two t’s in a row sounding more like a “d.”<\/p>\n

In British English, this is less common, and the t’s are usually more clearly pronounced.<\/p>\n

Check these out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
bitter <\/a>\n <\/td> bitter <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
litter <\/a>\n <\/td> litter <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
better <\/a>\n <\/td> better <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
butter <\/a>\n <\/td> butter <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The letter “t” after the letter “n”<\/h3>\n

Another time when American English speakers don’t pronounce t’s is when the “t” follows the letter “n.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, a British person would say international<\/em>, while an American would say international<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Notice how the first “t” is pronounced in the British version, while the American version sounds more like “innernational.”<\/p>\n

This difference is even more obvious in casual speech<\/a>. If Americans are speaking formally, they might pronounce the t’s more clearly.<\/p>\n

The letter “a” in general<\/h3>\n

Many vowels also sound different, but the most common difference between American and British English is with the letter “a” in some words.<\/p>\n

For example, there’s a phonetic sound [\u00e6] that’s basically an “a” and an “e” combined into one letter. This sound is more common in American English than British English.<\/p>\n

Listen to these words and hear the differences for yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
dance <\/a>\n <\/td> dance <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
after <\/a>\n <\/td> after <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
mathematics <\/a>\n <\/td> mathematics <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Grammar Differences Between American and British English<\/h2>\n

In general, there aren’t many grammar differences between American and British English. These differences are subtle, though, so if you want to become fluent in either dialect, it’s important that you master the little things that set the two apart.<\/p>\n

Have \u2014 have got \u2014 got<\/h3>\n

In general British English conversation, they use the verb phrase “have got,” but American English simply uses “have.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
I have<\/strong> a car. <\/a>\n <\/td> I have got<\/strong> a car. <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

This makes the question formats<\/a> differ, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Do you have<\/strong> a car? <\/a>\n <\/td> Have you got<\/strong> a car? <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 “I got a car sometime in the past.”<\/p>\n

Got \u2014 gotten<\/h3>\n

Most past tense<\/a> verbs are the same in British and American English, but there are a few exceptions. The most common exception is the past participle of the verb “to get.”<\/p>\n

In American English, the past participle of “to get” is usually “gotten.” In British English, it’s “got.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
get <\/a>\n
\n got <\/a>\n
\n gotten <\/a>\n <\/td>		 get <\/a>\n
\n got <\/a>\n
\n got <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
I've already gotten<\/strong> a call from him. <\/a>\n <\/td> I've already got<\/strong> a call from him. <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The verb “to forget” has a similar difference, as you can see here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
forget <\/a>\n
\n forgot <\/a>\n
\n forgotten <\/a>\n <\/td>		 forget <\/a>\n
\n forgot <\/a>\n
\n forgot <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Past tense verbs ending in “-t” and “-ed”\u00a0<\/h3>\n

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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Infinitive<\/th>Past Simple or Past Participle<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
look<\/td>looked<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
push<\/td>pushed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
pull<\/td>pulled<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

This is generally true in both American and British English. However, there are some regular verbs in British English that form the past tenses by adding “-t” instead of “-ed.” For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Verb<\/th>American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
burn<\/td> burned<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/td> burnt<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
dream<\/td> dreamed<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/td> dreamt<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
learn<\/td> learned<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/td> learnt<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

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.<\/p>\n

In American English, you only use the “-ed” past tense form for these verbs.<\/p>\n

Prepositions<\/h3>\n

As a quick reminder, a preposition is a word that shows the relationship between two nouns. Prepositions can be words like\u00a0“at,” “in,” “under,” “on,” etc.<\/p>\n

Prepositions can be different in British and American English. There are many more examples<\/a>, but a few common ones include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
American English<\/th>British English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
on<\/strong> the weekend <\/a>\n <\/td> at<\/strong> the weekend <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
different from<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/td> different\u00a0to<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wait in<\/strong> line <\/a>\n <\/td> wait\u00a0on<\/strong> line <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Monday through<\/strong> Saturday <\/a>\n <\/td> Monday\u00a0to<\/strong> Saturday <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Aside from the above, you can find many more examples of grammatical differences by listening to media from Britain and America. Use the FluentU program<\/a> to make the most of your studies, since it gives you the transcript and definitions right in the video as you watch.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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