George Bernard Shaw once said:
"The British and Americans are two nations divided by a common language"
A light-hearted look at some differences between English as spoken on both sides of the Atlantic. Spelling and pronunciation differences are not included.
Definition |
UK Word |
USA Word |
|
Dates eg. 23th June 1999 |
23/06/99 |
06/23/99 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Portable battery-operated light source |
Tourch |
Flash Light |
|
Container for household waste |
Rubbish bin |
Trash can |
|
Device for obtaining water |
Tap |
Faucet |
|
Sweet things given to children to rot their teeth |
Sweets |
Candy |
|
crunchy thin-sliced fried potatoes |
Crisps |
Chips |
Word |
UK Meaning |
USA Meaning |
|
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 unit of paper currency |
|
Buns |
Sticky cake |
Human posterior |
|
Bum |
Human posterior |
Unemployed, down-and-out |
|
Chips |
What Americans call "French fries" |
What the British call "crisps" |
|
Fag |
Cigarette |
Male homosexual |
|
Football |
Soccer |
Gridiron |
|
Jelly |
Gelatinous Dessert |
Fruit preserve |
|
Pants |
Worn under trousers |
Worn over underwear |
|
Presently |
Soon |
Now |
|
Public school |
Fee-paying school |
State school |
|
Semi |
Semi-detatched house |
Tractor-trailer |
|
Smart |
Well dressed |
Clever |
|
Suspenders |
Hold up stockings |
Hold up trousers / pants |
|
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 |
