British English vs American English: What are the main differences and which should you use?

When we talk about the English language, we sometimes overlook the fact that there are numerous versions of English used around the world. Here we are going to look at the two most common variants: British English vs American English.

Whether you’re a native speaker addressing an unfamiliar audience, or an English learner trying to understand when to use British vs American English, you’re in the right place to learn more.

The main differences between American and British English occur in vocabulary, pronunciation, and spelling, but there are also some minor distinctions in grammar and punctuation.

Here we will look at each of these areas and explain how they differ in UK English vs US English. We hope this helps you understand more about the two variants of the language so you can choose the most appropriate one and use it confidently.

What are the differences between British and American English?

Pronunciation is the most obvious difference between British English and American English, but there are also notable differences in vocabulary. Understanding these is important if you wish to communicate clearly across both forms of the language.

There are also some differences in grammar, spelling, and punctuation, but these are minor and unlikely to cause miscommunication if you get them wrong (with the exception of dates, which we will explain later).

However, it’s important to note that both British and American English have many regional variations, including different dialects and accents. In fact, there are over 40 British English dialects, and the same again in North America. Combined with other dialects found in countries like India, the Philippines, and Singapore, there are more than 160 English dialects worldwide.

This means that, although we can cover the differences in ‘standard’ American and British English here, there will always be exceptions and further differences between regional dialects.

British English vs American English vocabulary

There are hundreds of word differences between American and British English, and they have the potential to cause confusion or misunderstanding if you are unfamiliar with them.

In many cases, it’s a matter of Americans using one word and Brits using another word for the same thing.

Here are some of the most common examples of differences between British and American vocabulary:

Sometimes, we find that one word refers to two different things depending on where you are. Here are some examples:

These tables represent just a small sample. Find a more comprehensive list in our article about British and American English vocabulary differences.

Words that exist only in British or American English

Occasionally, words are used in one version of the language that just don’t have a satisfactory equivalent in the other.

In the US, for example, many baseball-related sayings are part of everyday language, having taken on American idiomatic meanings. Because baseball is not a popular sport in the UK, terms like ‘left field’ and ‘strike out’ are not used in the same way.

Other terms like ‘jaywalking’ (crossing a road unlawfully) and ‘scuttlebut’ (gossip or rumor) are unfamiliar to most Brits, and certainly not used in regular British English.

Conversely, there are many British idioms that are not heard in the US, as well as a lot of colorful slang language that we won’t repeat here.

Some of the more family-friendly terms found in British English with no American equivalent are ‘faff’ (to dither or waste time – also a noun), ‘grotty’ (disgusting and dirty), and ‘strop’ (a bad mood). There are some more interesting examples in this BBC article.

So if you hear a British person complain “Cleaning this grotty sofa is too much of a faff, it’s put me in a right strop”, now you know what they mean. You might want to study British English to fully understand it though.

The internet and popular culture are helping to bridge this linguistic gap, making American terms more familiar to Brits and vice versa.

British vs American spelling

Differences between British and American spelling fall into a few general categories. We cover all of these in our article dedicated to British vs American English spelling, but here are some of the most common:

-our vs -or

British words ending in -our often drop the ‘u’ in American English. For example:

• Colour / color
• Favour / favor
• Flavour / flavor
• Rumour / rumor
• Savour / savor

Double or single ‘l’

When adding -ed, -ing, -er, -est, and -or suffixes to a word ending in ‘l’, British English sometimes doubles the ‘l’ whereas American English keeps it single:

• Cancelled / canceled (BE/AE)
• Jeweller / jeweler
• Travelling / traveling

And, confusingly, some words that take a double ‘l’ in American English have a single ‘l’ in British English.

• Enrol / enroll (BE/AE)
• Fulfil / fulfill
• Skilful / skillful

-re vs -er

British words ending -re typically end -er in American English. For example:

• Centre / center
• Fibre / fiber
• Litre / liter
• Metre / meter
• Sombre / somber

-ise vs -ize

When a British word ends in -ise, it usually changes to -ize in American English. For example:

• Alphabetise / alphabetize
• Capitalise / capitalize
• Equalise / equalize
• Organise / organize
• Recognise / recognize

Exceptions to this rule include ‘advertise’, ‘compromise’, and ‘despise’, which always keep the -ise suffix.

Also note that the -ize suffix is becoming more common in British English, although the same cannot be said for the -ise suffix in American English.

American vs British English grammar

There are a few areas in which American and British English grammar differ. We cover these in detail in our full guide to British vs American grammar, but you can find a few of the key differences here.

Simple past and present perfect

British English tends to use the present perfect tense to talk about a past action with ‘just’, ‘already’, and ‘yet’. In American English, the simple past tense is often used instead.

For example, “Have you eaten breakfast yet?” (British) could also be said as “Did you eat breakfast yet?” in American English.

Have / have got

‘Have got’ is often used in British English to indicate necessity and possession. For example:

• I have got a new laptop.
• She has got to stop using that kind of language in class.

You’ll often hear this contracted as ‘I’ve got’ and ‘She’s got.’

In American English, ‘have’ is favored in these contexts:

• I have a new laptop.
• She has to stop using that kind of language in class.

‘Have got’ is normally only used in American English to stress a statement or question about necessity.

Past and perfect tense verbs

There are some differences in how verbs are formed in the past and perfect tense. For example:

• Dreamt / dreamed
• Got / gotten
• Proved / proven
• Smelt / smelled
• Woke / waked

Would have

The structure “I wish I would have…” is common (if not technically correct) in American English, but sounds quite jarring for Brits. In British English, ‘would have’ is used to construct conditional statements, such as “I would have gone to the party if I hadn’t felt so tired,” but not with “I wish”.

British and American English pronunciation differences

It’s much easier to explain pronunciation with audio than in writing, so take a look at this great English lesson about key differences in pronunciation when it comes to British English vs American English:

If you want to learn American English, pronunciation and accent are key areas to perfect.

UK vs US English punctuation rules

When writing a quotation, American English requires commas and periods (full stops) to be placed within the quotation marks, whereas British English places them outside:

• She described the theme park as “too noisy,” adding that it reminded her of being “at a busy airport.” (US)
• She described the theme park as “too noisy”, adding that it reminded her of being “at a busy airport”. (UK)

Additionally, when writing a quote within a quote, you must consider where to use single and double quotation marks. In US English, you use double quotation marks for the main quote and single quotation marks for the quote within it. UK English is the other way around:

• “I cringe whenever I hear someone say ‘gotten’ in Britain,” he said. (US)
• ‘I cringe whenever I hear someone say “gotten” in Britain’, he said. (UK)

The Oxford comma is another key difference between US and UK English, but you can read more about this and other nuances in our full guide to British and American punctuation differences.

How to write dates in British and American English

In American English, dates are usually written as month-day-year, whereas in British English the order is day-month-year. So, 01/05/2024 could be May 1st or January 5th, depending on which format is used.

This obviously has great potential for confusion, but you can avoid this by writing the month name instead of representing it numerically.

In this case, there are several ways to write the date in British English, depending on how formal you wish to be. Here are a few options:

• 10 June 2024 (BE, informal)
• 10th June 2024 (BE, informal)
• The 10th of June, 2024 (BE, formal)
• June 10, 2024 (AE)

What are the similarities between British and American English?

After covering all these differences between British and American English, it’s worth noting that there are still many more similarities than differences. The vast majority of words used in the US and the UK are the same, and sentences are structured in more or less the same way.

Where there are spelling differences, it’s usually only a case of a single letter being added or removed – so the word itself is still recognizable.

If it weren’t for all these similarities, it would be much harder to communicate internationally in English!

FAQs