English Usage in the UK and USA
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English Usage in the UK and USA

A light-hearted look at some differences between English as spoken on both sides of the Atlantic.
Spelling and pronunciation differences are not included.

"The British and Americans are divided by a common language"

One Meaning - Two Words

Definition	UK Word	USA Word
11th June 1998	11/06/98	06/11/98
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	mail
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

One Word - Two Meanings

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

English Usage in the UK and USA

A light-hearted look at some differences between English as spoken on both sides of the Atlantic. Spelling and pronunciation differences are not included.

One Meaning - Two Words

One Word - Two Meanings

A light-hearted look at some differences between English as spoken on both sides of the Atlantic.
Spelling and pronunciation differences are not included.