American and British English: What’s the Difference?

George Bernard Shaw (one of the most prominent Irish playwrights) once said that the United Kingdom and the USA are separated by a common language. While American tourists visiting the UK need not worry about a language barrier, British and American English have surprisingly many differences.

If you’re considering expanding your business across the Atlantic, you should understand that there are countless differences between these two versions of English.

Translation from American English to British English

Here are a few things to keep in mind when translating from American English to British English and vice versa.

English spelling

These two versions of English have numerous spelling differences. If you use American spelling for your British marketing content, your readers will likely think you’ve made mistakes. We recommend localizing the spelling of your content according to the local audience. Correct spelling is also crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) in your marketing campaigns.

Here are a few British English spelling rules:

Use the suffix -ise instead of -ize:

• realise;
• organise;
• immunise;
• localise.

Use the suffix -our instead of -or:

• colour;
• flavour;
• neighbour.

Use the suffix -ue:

• dialogue;
• analogue;
• monologue.

Don’t forget the suffix -re instead of -er:

• litre;
• centre;
• theatre.

Politeness

The British avoid bluntness and directness – for this reason, Britons in America may often appear hesitant, as they avoid saying exactly what they mean. On the other hand, Americans in the United Kingdom are sometimes considered rude due to their straightforwardness.

Here are two cases showing how politeness standards differ:

• The Americans would say: He’s been taken into custody;
• The British would say: He’s helping the police with their enquiries.

For the British, it is common to request a service using the word “please”, whereas Americans may find this too formal.

Business terms

In business communication, the British tend to use words like “maybe”, “I believe”, or “perhaps” to avoid sounding demanding, even when the context calls for it. In the U.S. workplace, this type of communication would be seen more as a suggestion than a requirement.

Here are a few common terms that differ in British English:

• USA – pay raise, JK – pay rise;
• USA – flex time, JK – flexi-time;
• USA – custom-made, JK – bespoke;
• “sorry” is often used not as an apology but as an interjection.

Food-related words

If you work in the food industry, it’s worth knowing the differences between the terms used when talking about food.

Examples:

• The British call fried potatoes chips , and the Americans call them french fries , while the Americans use the word chips when talking about potato chips;
• Americans call cookies , the British call them biscuits ;
• tea is what Americans call tea, while for the British it can be the entire ritual of drinking tea – tea with sandwiches, pastries, etc.

Clothing terms

American companies selling clothing may face problems in the United Kingdom due to certain words and phrases.

Here are some examples:

• sweater in America is jumper in the United Kingdom;
• In the US, a jumper would be what the British call a pinafore dress. In the US, a pinafore is called an apron;
• If you mention pants in the UK, your audience will likely think you are talking about underwear. If you mean trousers, use trousers.

Transport terms

In the US, trolley means a trolleybus, while in the UK , trolley means a shopping cart. Most transport terms have different meanings in the two countries.

Examples:

• A truck in the US is called a truck, and in the UK it is called a lorry ;
• an American sedan is a British saloon ;
• The trunk is called trunk and hood in the US, and boot or bonnet in the UK;
• In the US, petrol is called gasoline , and in the UK, petrol ;
• In the US, sidewalks are called pavements , and in the UK, sidewalks ;
• In the US, a highway is called a highway , and in the UK , a motorway ;
• In the US, the metro is called a subway, and in the UK, it is called an underground railway.

Sounds unusual

British English has thousands of words and phrases that may sound unusual to Americans.

Here are examples of British words and their American equivalents:

• UK holidays, USA vacations – vacations;
• UK university, USA college – university;
• UK in hospital, USA in the hospital – in the hospital;
• UK car hire, USA car rental – car rental;
• UK car park, USA parking lot – parking lot;
• UK pushchair, US stroller – baby carriage;
• UK torch, USA flashlight – flashlight;
• UK lift, US elevator .

Idioms

UK English is rich in charming expressions, so if you want your content to sound authentically British, you’ll need to adjust your language. Sometimes all you need to do is change a word or two, such as: you touch wood for good luck instead of knocking on it.

Here are some more interesting examples:

• It fell off the back of a lorry (it was stolen);
• For donkey’s years (for a very long time);
• It’s not cricket (so unfair);
• On the blink (this doesn’t work);
• Gone pear-shaped (failed).

Grammatical differences

When localizing content for the UK market, grammar rules also need to be taken into account.

Examples:

1. Shall and will are used differently in British and American English
2. the British say: I shall be there tomorrow ;
3. Americans say: I will be there tomorrow.

2. Collective Nouns

The usage of this type of noun in British English may differ from American English.

Example:

• the British would say: The band are playing their best song tonight ;
• Americans would say: The band is playing their best song tonight.

Other factors

When localizing content for the UK market, you also need to consider other cultural differences, such as currency, taxes, laws, postal addresses, etc.

For example, let’s look at these British terms:

• postcode, USA – zip code ;
• flat, USA – apartment;
• surname, JAV – last name.

Why is localization important?

There are countless differences between American and British English. While you can easily put your content into Google Translate or Grammarly and change the spelling to British, this will likely miss cultural nuances and leave a lot of inaccuracies. For the best results, we recommend using Skrivanek to take care of your English text.