British vs American words: Important vocabulary differences

There are hundreds of vocabulary differences between American and British English, including words, slang, and idioms.

In some cases, we both use the same word for different things; would you wear a ‘vest’ under or over your shirt? In most cases, though, we end up with words that are unique to one version or another.

Both of these scenarios can cause great confusion if an American is speaking to a Brit and they both have limited knowledge of the other person’s language differences.

So, let’s take a look at some common differences between British vs American words, so you can be better equipped for communicating internationally.

Differences between British vs American words

First of all, we have some British and American word differences where the same word has a different meaning:

You can see why some of these have the potential to cause great confusion – or even embarrassment!

But now, let’s look at some more examples where we have different words in British and American English to describe the same thing. We have grouped these into categories to make them easier to browse.

American vs British words: Food, drink, and eating

First, we have a table of American and British English words that relate to food, drink, and eating. It’s important to know these if you’re going to be a guest at someone’s house or you want to order food in a different country.

American and British word differences: Driving

Next up, we have driving-related words with different meanings in American and British English.

It’s interesting that there are so many differences in this category because of the period when these words were created.

The era of cars and modern roads began after American English had begun to diverge from British English. However, it was at a time when the two countries were still quite isolated from each other in terms of communication. Nowadays, with the internet bridging the gap, we don’t have so many new differences in vocabulary.

British vs American English words: At home

These vocabulary differences between American and British English are helpful to know if you’re staying at someone’s home or just talking about your life and childhood.

US vs UK words: Out and about

If you’re going to travel to one of these countries, it’s helpful to know the right vocabulary to describe the places you want to visit and the things you want to do there.

Miscellaneous British and American word differences

Finally, here are some more American and British English words that don’t fit into any of the categories above.

You may also want to check some British and American spelling differences. These are not quite as confusing as using completely different words, but they are still important to understand if you want to communicate clearly.

American English vs British English idioms

As well as all the individual British and American word differences, there are idiomatic expressions that are unique to each geographic area.

Some British idioms stem from Cockney Rhyming Slang, and others have fascinating origins of their own. Here are some common British idioms that an American may not understand:

• Odds and ends
• Chuffed to bits
• Have a gander
• Throw a wobbly
• Not my cup of tea

You can learn what these mean and discover more British idioms here.

And what about American phrases that British people don’t understand? Here are some American idioms that are not widely used in the UK:

• A dime a dozen
• Keep it real
• For the birds
• Pass the buck
• A tempest in a teacup

American slang vs British slang words

Slang words can be particularly confusing because they are always evolving and you only hear them in certain contexts (often not in textbooks).

Here are some examples of British vs American slang terms that may sound weird or funny if you’re not familiar with the meaning. If you know any others, why not leave a comment below so we can keep adding to this list?

Some American slang and expressions, especially those derived from baseball, don’t have a British equivalent. Equally, there are plenty of British words that are not used in the US and may only be heard when watching British TV shows or movies.

Regional UK and US vocabulary

The words covered here are generally considered a standard part of the language. However, there are many more regional differences that only exist in certain parts of the UK or the US, or in particular dialects.

You can read about regional vocabulary in the US here, illustrated with a series of fascinating maps. And you can discover some regional British phrases here.

There are also certain words that cause particular division in the UK, such as the humble bread roll having 20 different names across the nation. This can make things confusing for a Brit traveling from one part of the country to another, let alone for a foreigner!

Conclusion

When comparing all the differences between American and British English, vocabulary is the area that has the most significant variation and the greatest potential to get lost in translation. There are not so many differences in British and American grammar, for example.

Therefore, if you’re learning English as a second language or working with an international team, or you plan to travel to a country that speaks a different version of English from you, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with these British and American word differences.

Dive into more of the articles below for more things that differentiate the two languages: