From the Big Ben to the Big Apple
10 Differences Between American And British English
Published on December 16, 2023
Image: Nick Fewings
Picture in your mind a conversation between a New Yorker, someone raised in the American Midwest, and someone from the Deep South. You can probably imagine a rich tapestry of accents, regional variations, and idiomatic expressions. All within the borders of the United States. Now, the Atlantic Ocean is vast. Over time, American English and its counterpart from across the pond have grown apart, sometimes evolving in completely different ways. From pronunciation and vocabulary to spelling, here are 10 differences between American and British English.
Colorful flavor
Image: Diana Polekhina
Most of the words that end in -our in British English are spelled -or in American English. You'll find examples in words like flavor, armor, and color. These are words of Latin origin that have found their way into English either directly or through some intermediary, particularly French.
For some time, both variations were widely accepted. However, when the time came to make a final decision, Americans decided to stick closer to the original Latin spelling of the words, while the British favored a more French-influenced spelling, keeping the extra u.
Toward a brighter future
Image: Jon Tyson
In Old English, the suffix -weard was used to specify direction, and it's the origin of words such as toward, forward, backward, etc. However, in a quirk of language that has stumped linguists for years, for every -ward word there is a -wards counterpart with the same meaning.
There's no consensus regarding where the extra s came from, but -wards has been the preferred British spelling since at least the 20th century, while most American writers agree that it's unetymological.
Zed v. Zee
Image: Diomari Madulara
British speakers call zed what Americans call zee. It seems that Americans chose the latter pronunciation because of its similarity to bee, cee, dee, etc. But, when it comes to the letter z, the differences run deeper than just naming conventions.
Most verbs that end in -ize in American English are spelled -ise in British English. In a similar fashion to the -or/-our words, both spellings were once accepted until American 20th-century dictionaries standardized the -ize spelling. Apparently, the British then decided to keep the -ise termination as a matter of national identity.
A central issue
Image: Jad Limcaco
In words like center, fiber, and theater, British writers prefer to use the -re termination, again influenced by their French neighbors. In these cases, Americans showed their practicality and chose a spelling that better reflects the way these words are pronounced with an American accent.
As we saw in previous entries, it wasn't until very recently that these norms were formalized. The pattern of favoring the -er termination in American English solidified itself with the 19th-century publication of Webster's Dictionary.
Fish and chips
Image: Gilly
We step out of the realm of spelling quirks and dive into the world of diverging vocabulary with a well-known classic: Open a bag of Lay's in the UK and they'll call them crisps. However, ask for chips and they'll serve you fries.
To add to the confusion, some British speakers accept the term fries, but consider fries and British chips to be different products, based on the thickness of the cut. In any case, we would rather put the matter to rest and agree that any and all fried potato varieties are delicious, whatever you choose to call them.
A flat flat
Image: Hernan Lucio
Generally speaking, flat is a British term, while apartment is an American term. They both refer to a housing unit that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story.
However, for some speakers, there's further distinction: the word apartment is reserved for more luxurious units, sometimes occupying more than one floor; while flat applies to more economical apartments, exclusively arranged on a single level–hence the name.
Absolute pants
Image: Robert Gramner
Another classic example when it comes to the differences between British and American English, this one could cause some embarrassment if it catches you off guard. In the UK, the word pants refers to underwear, particularly boxer shorts. For pants, they use the word trousers.
Pants is the shortened form of pantaloons, which itself derives from Pantaloon, the name of a stock character in Italian theater. Pantaloon had skinny legs and wore long pants to cover them. Trousers, on the other hand, comes from trews, a form of traditional men's garment from the Scottish Highlands.
Football
Image: Rémi Müller
The source of endless battles among English speakers, football means two completely different things for American and British audiences. The debate around the nature of true football is heated, and it involves quite a bit of national pride. As a matter of fact, both sports are related: They share a common ancestor, and football is their last name.
Soccer is derived from association, and association football is the full name of the sport. In the UK, it's called just football. It's extremely popular worldwide and, since 2009, the UEFA Champion's League men's final has been the most watched sports event in the world.
Outside the United States, most English-speaking countries refer to the sport played during Super Bowl Sunday as American football. The term gridiron football is also sometimes used, albeit seldomly, based on the characteristic marks on the playing field.
Autumn leaves fall
Image: Matt
Both autumn and fall are used to refer to the season between summer and winter in which leaves fall and pumpkin spice lattes blossom. However, autumn is much preferred for British speakers, while Americans usually refer to it as fall.
Both terms are quite common and, even if it's just from hearing it in movies, most people in the UK will understand if you use the word fall to talk about the season, even if it takes a few tries.
Full stop, period
Image: Jan Kahánek
This might come as a surprise, but British and American speakers have different terms for that little dot that marks the end of a sentence. The period, as it's called in America, is referred to as a full stop across the pond. It's one of those unexpected differences between these two branches of English, and one that can actually hinder fluid communication if you are not aware of it.
Even if it's not immediately understood as the name of the punctuation mark, the word period, as an interjection meaning "that's all," is slowly winning territory in British everyday language.
