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English Usage in the UK and USAA light-hearted look at some differences between English as spoken on both sides of the Atlantic. |
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| Definition | UK Word | USA Word |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd July 2019 | 02/07/19 | 7/2/19 |
| the dot at the end of a sentence | full stop | period |
| unit of paper currency | note | bill |
| mathematics | maths | math |
| the season after summer | autumn | fall |
| day when offices are closed | bank holiday | legal holiday |
| small pointed thing used to pin papers onto walls | drawing pin | thumb tack |
| mark made when something is correct or selected | tick | check |
| the name of the final letter of the alphabet | zed | zee |
| angry | pissed off | pissed |
| Definition | UK Word | USA Word |
|---|---|---|
| third piece of a male's suit that goes between the jacket and the shirt | waist coat | vest |
| what women wear over their legs | tights | (panty) hose |
| what men wear over their legs | trousers | pants |
| a type of soft shoe used in sports or for casual wear | trainers, plimsolls | sneakers |
| strap to hold up a man's trousers / pants | braces | suspenders |
| item to hold up stockings | suspenders | garters |
| item of clothing worn in house at night | dressing gown | bathrobe |
| a thin cloth from Arabia | muslin | cheesecloth |
| large bag carried by females | hand bag | purse |
| container carried by females for money | purse | pocket book |
| what you put in a baby's mouth | dummy | pacifier |
| what you put around a baby's bottom | nappy | diaper |
| Definition | UK Word | USA Word |
|---|---|---|
| the area next to a street where pedestrians walk | pavement | sidewalk |
| place to cross a street on foot | pedestrian crossing | crosswalk |
| place from where goods are bought | shop | store |
| place from where medicines are bought | chemist | drug store |
| payment in a restaurant | bill | check |
| place where alcoholic drinks are bought | off licence | liquor store |
| shop / store selling metal goods and tools | ironmonger | hardware store |
| the business part of a city | town centre | downtown |
| law enforcement officer | copper | cop |
| what there was before email | post | |
| code used when sorting mail / post | postcode | zip code |
| telephone call where the person called pays | reverse charge | collect call |
| free telephone call paid by company | free phone | toll free |
| company on the WWW | .co.uk | .com |
| Definition | UK Word | USA Word |
|---|---|---|
| four wheeled private vehicle | car | automobile |
| front of a car / automobile | bonnet | hood |
| rear compartment of a car / automobile | boot | trunk |
| metal plate with number on a vehicle | number plate | license plate |
| long piece of metal used for radio reception | aerial | antenna |
| metal tool for tightening nuts and bolts | spanner | wrench |
| glass in front of a car | windscreen | windshield |
| metal over the wheel to keep mud off | mud guard (wing) | fender |
| multi-lane road for cars | motorway | freeway |
| road passing over another | flyover | overpass |
| heavy goods vehicle | lorry | truck |
| fuel for vehicles | petrol | gasoline |
| place to buy fuel | petrol station | gas station |
| area to stop off a major road | lay-by | pull-off |
| metal container in street for unwanted items | skip | dumpster |
| ticket for one journey | single | one way |
| ticket for two journeys: out and back | return | round trip |
| type of transport run on metal rails | railway | railroad |
| a beam supporting railway / railroad tracks | sleeper | tie |
| Definition | UK Word | USA Word |
|---|---|---|
| what you eat with milk, tea or coffee | biscuit | cookie |
| what you put on bread | jam | jelly |
| a gelatinous dessert | jelly | jell-O |
| crunchy thin-sliced fried potatoes | crisps | chips |
| fried stick-shaped potatoes | chips | french fries |
| a large vessel for juice or water | jug | pitcher |
| sweet things given to children to rot their teeth | sweets | candy |
| rolled up cake with jam / jelly in the middle | Swiss roll | jelly roll |
| a sugary liquid like honey | treacle | molasses |
| flavoured ice on a stick | lolly | popsicle |
| soft long green vegetable | marrow | squash |
| meat passed through a device that breaks it up into little pieces | mince | ground meat |
| cereal made from oats, sugar and milk | porridge | oatmeal |
| Swiss cereal made from oats | muesli | granola |
| fluffy sweet item for children | candy floss | cotton candy |
| Definition | UK Word | USA Word |
|---|---|---|
| arthropod with six legs | insect | bug |
| red insect / bug with black spots | ladybird | ladybug |
| dwelling in a large building | flat | apartment |
| device for obtaining water | tap | faucet |
| container for household waste | rubbish bin | trash can |
| portable battery-operated light source | torch | flashlight |
| the floor of a building that is level with the ground | ground floor | first floor |
| the floor of a building that is one level above the ground | first floor | second floor |
| device for carrying people between floors of a building | lift | elevator |
| place where films / movies can be seen | cinema | movie theater |
| a type of house connected to one other | semi-detached house | duplex |
| Definition | UK Word | USA Word |
|---|---|---|
| a self contained section of television | programme | show |
| game played on chess board | draughts | checkers |
| contest between two teams | match | game |
| game played by two teams with bats and balls | cricket | baseball |
| player who throws a ball at another player holding a bat | bowler | pitcher |
| bar on a pivot for children | see-saw | teeter-totter |
| simple game of O and X | noughts and crosses | tic tac toe |
| a collection of playing cards | pack | deck |
| a portable telephone | mobile | cellular, cell |
| a group of people waiting for their turn | queue | line |
| the dates of the Second World War | 1939 - 1945 | 1941 - 1945 |
| Word | UK Usage | USA Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Asian | person of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi origin | person of Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Philippino origin |
| ass | a donkey | human posterior |
| bathroom | a room containing a bath or shower | a room containing a toilet |
| bill | amount to pay for a service | a piece of paper currency |
| bomb | success | disaster |
| buns | sticky cake | human posterior |
| bum | human posterior | unemployed, down-and-out |
| Caucasian | Person from the Caucus republics: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan | white person |
| chips | What Americans call "French fries" | What the British call "crisps" |
| fag | cigarette | male homosexual |
| fanny | external female sex organs | human posterior |
| football | soccer | gridiron |
| hamper | picnic basket full of food | basket for dirty clothes |
| homely | pleasant | ugly |
| Indian | person from the Indian sub-continent | indigenous American |
| jelly | gelatinous dessert | fruit preserve |
| knickers | worn under trousers or dress by women | trousers that end between the knee and ankle |
| mad | not sane | angry |
| mean | stingy | aggressive |
| momentarily | for a short while | soon |
| pants | worn under trousers | worn over underwear |
| pissed | drunk | angry |
| presently | soon | now |
| public school | fee-paying school | state school |
| queen | the head of state | male homosexual |
| rubber | implement to erase pencil marks | male contraceptive |
| semi | semi-detatched house | tractor-trailer |
| smart | well dressed | clever |
| spunk | slang for male sexual emission | full of "get up and go" |
| suspenders | hold up stockings | hold up trousers / pants |
| tea | drink served hot with milk | drink served cold with lemon |
| thong | casual footwear item | female underwear |
| tramp | unemployed, down-and-out | derogatory term for a female of "easy virtue" |
| vest | a garment worn under a shirt | the third part of a three piece suit worn between the shirt and jacket |
| wash up | wash dishes after a meal | wash face and hands |
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