British English Vs American English

Note: This post is a mere collection and doesn’t treat the differences exhaustively.

          The differences listed here are generalisations. It should certainly not be inferred

          that all AmE or BrE speakers will use the varying language features ascribed to them

          here.

1. Differences

Let’s take a look at a few of the differences between the two varieties.

1.1  Pronunciation

1. the consonant ‘r’

    (a) (i) In British English (RP), this is pronounced when it comes before a vowel sound:

                round /raʊnd/     regard /riga:d/

         (ii) In British English, it’s pronounced when it’s followed by another word beginning

                with a vowel sound:

                her arm /hɜːr a:m/      far away /fa:r  əˈweɪ/

(b) In American English (GA), this is always pronounced with the tongue rising upward

      and curling inward; it’s said that Americans roll their r’s.

word           BrE               AmE                   word            BrE              AmE

abort           /əˈbɔːt/           /əˈbɔːrt/               beard          /bɪəd/            /bɪrd/

arm            /ɑːm/              /ɑːrm/                  beer            /bɪə/              /bɪr/

divorce     /dɪˈvɔːs/          /dɪˈvɔːrs/              here            /hɪə/              /hɪə/             

word          BrE              AmE                    word           BrE              AmE 

poor          /pʊə/             /pʊr/                     appear       /əˈpɪə/           /əˈpɪr/    

sure          /ʃʊə/              /ʃʊr/                      affair         /əˈfeə/           /əˈfer/

tour          /tʊə/              /tʊə/                      bear          /beə/              /ber/

   

2. the letter ‘a’

(a) this is pronounced as /ɑː/ in BrE and /æ/ in AmE:       

     word          BrE               AmE

     ask             /ɑːsk/             /æsk/

     bath           /bɑːθ/            /bæθ/

    a few more words in this group are:

    basket, branch, castle, class, draft, flask, glass, passport, pass, path, staff

    But  ‘wasn’t’ is pronounced as /wʌznt/

3. The letter ‘o’

   (a) This is pronounced as /ɒ/in British English and /ɑː/ in American English

         cod /kɒd/     cop /kɒp/      possible /ˈpɒsəbl/  /ˈpɑːsəbl/

   

         a few more words in this group are:

         abscond, abolish, accommodate, body, bother, not, coffee, economy, gossip, object  

    (b) This is pronounced also as / ɔː / in American English

          chocolate /tʃɔːklət/    dog  /dɔːg/

4. The letters ‘au’

    These are pronounced as /ɒ/ in British English and /ɑː/ in American English

   because /bɪˈkɒz/   /bˈkɑːz/   caught  /kɒt/   /kɑːt/     caution /kɒʃn/     /kɑːʃn/

    A few more words

    law, laundry, launch, caustic, cauliflower

5. The letter ‘u’

    This letter is pronounced as /juː/ in British English and /uː/ in American English

    assume /əˈsjuːm/   /əsuːm/   news  /njuːz/    /nuːz/

    A few more words

   attitude, avenue, resume, consume, gratuity, minute(adj)

6. change of diphthong  the British /əʊ/ to the American English /oʊ/

    go /əʊ/  /goʊ/     no/əʊ/    /oʊ/   crow  /krəʊ/    /kroʊ/ 

    promotion /prəməʊʃn/    /prəmoʊʃn/   romantic  /rəʊmæntɪk/   /roʊmæntɪk/

7. The ‘i’ in ‘ization’ is pronounced differently:

   civilization    }        /aɪ/ in British English and /ɪ/ in American English    

   organization  }

   authorization }

   globalization }

8. The letter ‘t’ coming in the middle can be pronounced as ‘d’ in these words in American

    English:

    better         water     hated      writing   bottom     native    artificial      notice

9. ‘ile’ are pronounced differently: /aɪl/ in British English and  / ^əl/ in American English

    agile    /ˈædʒaɪl/   /ˈædʒ ^əl/  

    fertile      hostile     versatile

    mobile (adj) /moʊb^əl/  and mobile (noun) /moʊbiːl/ in American English 

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1.2 There’s difference in syllable stress:

                                    British                   American

      ballet                      /ˈbæleɪ/                   /bælˈeɪ/  

      brochure                /ˈbrəʊʃə^r/                /broʊˈʃʊ^r/

      garage                   /ˈgærɑːʒ/                 /gərˈɑːʒ/

     vaccine                  /ˈvæksiːn/               /vækˈsiːn/             

     advertisement        /ədˈvɜːtɪsment/      /_ˈædvə^rˈtaɪzmənt/

In American English, the verb is often stressed on the first syllable:

deˈcrease (Br)     ˈdecrease (Am)    reˈsearch (Br)   ˈresearch (Am)

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 1.3 Spelling

1. –our and –or     

                                           

Br	Br/Am	Am
armour colour favour neighbour	glamour	armor                color favor glamor*1 neighbor

2. –ll- and –l-

Br	Br/Am	Am
jewellery	councillor counsellor (un)equalled install marvellous travelled traveller woollen controller controlled	councilor counselor*1 (un)euqaled*1 instal marvelous jewelry traveled*1 traveler*1 woolen*1

3. –re and –er

Br	Br/Am	Am
centre metre	fibre litre meagre sombre theatre acre	center fiber*1 liter *1 meagre*1 meter somber*1 theater*1

4. –l and –ll

Br	Br/Am	Am
instal skilful	appal distil enrol fulfil install*2 instalment wilful	appall*1 distill*1 enroll*1 fulfill*1 installment skillfull wilfull*1

5. –ae- /-oe- and –e 

Br	Br/Am	Am
anaesthetic foetus haemorrhage manoeuvre	archaeology aeon encyclopaedia*2 encyclopedia*2 aerial	archaeology eon anesthetic fetus hemorrhage maneuver

6. –ence and –ense 

Br	Br/Am	Am
defence licence (n) offence pretence	license (v)	defense license (n) offense pretense

7. –ogue and –og

Br	Br/Am	Am
	analogue catalogue dialogue prologue*2 travelogue*2 rouge	analog catalog*1 dialog prolog travelog

8. –amme and –am

Br	Br/Am	Am
programme	Aerogramme program (computer) telegram kilogram	aerogram program

9. –ou and -o

mould—mold,  moulder—molder,  smoulder—smolder,  shoulder—shoulder

10. other common differences

Br	Br/Am	Am
analyse paralyse storey (building) cheque (money) dependant (n) kerb maths speciality sulphur tyre (wheel) vice	cosy ageing eyeing likeable embed*2 enclose*2 ensure indefinable axe dependent (n) grey plough practise (v) practice (n) sceptical	analyze paralyze cozy aging eying likable story imbed inclose insure undefinable ax check dependent (n) gray plow practice (v) practise (n) curb math skeptical specialty sulfur tire vise

Note: *1 the usual spelling in American English

          *2 the usual spelling in British English

11. verbs ending in ‘-ize’ or ‘-ise’

The ‘ize’ spelling can be used in American, Australian and British English, and is the spelling used in the dictionary. The ‘ise’ spelling is found frequently in British and American English. The following words (which are not all verbs) should always be given the ‘ise’ ending in all varieties of English. Words are groups by pronunciationl

aɪz

advertise, advise (v), arise, clockwise, compromise, despise, devise, disguise, enterprise (n), exercise, otherwise, revise, supervise, surprise, wise

iːz

expertise (n)

aɪs

 concise (adj), precise (adj)

source: Chamber’s Dictionary

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1.4 Vocabulary

The differences you see below are the most common ones.

Kitchen

Br	Am
tap cooker cutlery bin fridge dish rack wash basin flannel washing powder sieve tin-opener lemon-squeezer cooling tray grill roasting tin loaf tin	Faucet stove silverware wastebasket refrigerator plate rack sink wash cloth laundry detergent sifter can-opener juicer cooling rack broil roasting pan loaf pan

2. car

Br	Am
car aerial bonnet windscreen number plate indicator sidelight boot wing wing mirror tyre rear light reversing light silencer exhaust (pipe) speedometer / mileomter accelerator gear stick handbrake petrol overtake	car/auto(mobile) antenna hood windshield license plate blinker / turn signal parking light trunk fender side mirror tire tail-light backup light muffler tail pipe odometer gas pedal gear shift emergency brake gas pass

3. Road

Br	Am
pavement kerb traffic light railway lorry zebra crossing / pedestrian T-junction roundabout tailback toll gate slip road motorway ring road breakdown truck	side walk curb stop light railroad truck cross walk intersection traffic circle traffic jam toll booth ramp interstate beltway tow truck

4. Office

Br	Am
lift caretaker bin wage (pay) packet wastepaper basket notice board drawing pin Sellotape/ sticky tape rubber car park mobile phone	elevator janitor / custodian trash can paycheck waste basket bulletin board thumbtack/ tack scotch tape eraser parking lot cell/ cellular phone

5. bank

Br	Am
cheque counterfoil current account note	check stub checking account bill

6. miscellaneous

Br	Am
shop shop assistant biscuit flat ground floor lift board and lodging timetable film       luggage     long-sighted (eye)              short-sighted (eye) ECG nappy cot pram anti-clockwise unit trust trade union theme park torch minute hand hour hand chemist chemist’s lavatory jug cotton buds draughts trousers (under)pants / underwear vest (under  a shirt) waistcoat pullover quilt murder	store salesclerk cookie apartment first floor elevator room and board schedule movie baggage far-sighted near-sighted EKG diaper crib baby carriage counter clockwise mutual fund labor union amusement park flash light big hand (clock) small hand (clock) druggist drug store bathroom pitcher cotton swabs checkers pants underpants /underwear undershirt vest sweater duvet homicide

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1.5 Grammar

AmE - Do you have any siblings?
BrE - Have you got any brothers or sisters?

AmE - It is important that she be told.
BrE - It is important that she is told.

AmE - The jury has not yet reached its decsion.
BrE - The jury have not yet reached their decision.

AmE - Go get your book.
BrE - Go and fetch your book.

AmE - He dove into the water.
BrE - He dived into the water.

AmE - You must come visit me real soon.
BrE - You must come and visit me really soon.

AmE- Jake has gotten real fat.

BrE – Jakc has got real fat

AmE –Carrie spelled the word correctly.

BrE –Carrie spelt the word correctly

AmE-I think I lost my camera.

BrE –I think I’ve lost my camera.

AmE-The shop is open Monday through Saturday.

BrE –The shop is open from Monday to Saturday.

AmE-We should leave by ten of eight.

BrE –We should leave by ten to eight.

AmE-It’s quarter after seven.

BrE –It’s quarter past seven.

AmE-She’s always leaving her clothes around.

BrE --She’s always leaving her clothes about.

AmE-The group has shown little interest in this project.

BrE -- The group have/ has shown little interest in this project.

1.6 Usage

This was a trick question because in fact all of the sentences are more likely to be said or written by an American than a Briton! Here they are again with their English equivalents:

AmE - I'll try and visit you on the weekend.
BrE - I'll try to visit you at the weekend.

AmE - Please write me when you arrive.
BrE - Please write to me when you arrive.

AmE - Call me as soon as you get there.
BrE - Ring me (phone me) as soon as you get there.

AmE - Most everyone has a telephone and a refrigerator these days.
BrE - Almost everyone has a telephone and a fridge these days.

AmE - If you make a mistake, you'll just have to do it over.
BrE - If you make a mistake, you'll just have to do it again.

AmE - He was born 3/27/1981.
BrE - He was born on 27/3/1981.

AmE - The soccer team won two to nothing (2-0).
BrE - The soccer team won two-nil (2-0).

AmE - She arrived at twenty of two.
BrE - She arrived at twenty to two.

AmE - The secretary said, "Mr. Clinton will see you soon."
BrE - The secretary said: "Mr Clinton will see you soon."

The difference in the last two sentences is in the punctuation.

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1.7 A few more differences

British and American English can use certain prepositions differently as in these examples (Brit vs. Amer):

At the weekend vs. On the weekend
In a team vs. On a team
Talk to John vs. Talk with John
Different to vs. Different than
Where are you? vs. Where are you at? (informal)

There are also some small differences between idioms in the two varieties (Brit vs. Amer):

A storm in a teacup vs. A tempest in a teapot
Flogging a dead horse vs. Beating a dead horse
Touch wood vs. Knock on wood
Sweep under the carpet vs. sweep under the rug

AMERICANISMS IN BRITISH ENGLISH

Over the last few decades, British English has come under increasing influence from American English. This is because the majority of television programmes, films and music are exported to the UK from the States and people pick up words and expressions they are commonly exposed to, thus bringing them into general usage. Conservatives argue this is damaging British English, while liberals say it is a natural process of language evolution and change. Whichever side you are on, the fact remains that American is the dominant form of English in the world and has the greatest influence on its other varieties through the mass media and popular culture.

1.8 Examples of Americanisms in modern British English:

Can I get a… (Brit. Can I have a…)
Two times (Brit. Twice)
On the weekend (Brit. At the weekend)
I’m good (Brit. I’m fine/well)
Period (Brit. Full stop)
Write me (Brit. Write to me, write me an email)
Take a shower (Brit. Have a shower)

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