Examples of differences between British and American English you need to know

Do you get confused with American English and British English?

There’s a famous scene in the 1937 film ‘Shall we Dance?’ with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on roller-skates in Central Park having a discussion (as a song) with the different pronunciations of words like:

Either

Neither

Potato

Tomato

Pyjamas

Laughter

After

Havana

Banana

Don’t worry, there are solutions

Luckily today, we have tools at our disposal to turn down the heat on such debates. Did you know when writing in Microsoft Word for example, you can choose to select American or British English to help you identify spelling errors, but sometimes in movies (films), you will hear a word that depending which side of the Atlantic Ocean you are on, may mean something or nothing to the person you are trying to communicate with.

With English schools in the USA in Boston, New York, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles, we use American spellings and words and in the UK schools in London, Cambridge, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester and Dublin Ireland, we use British English.

The reasons for choosing a school are personal; maybe a bucket list destination, perhaps work or romance related, but rest assured, you will be able to understand both versions. There are a couple of hundred words which we have broken down into subject sessions like motoring & travel, sports & leisure, household items, food & drink, baby & child, professions, shop types and regular items which we will share over time, but for today, here are some terms you may need when going clothes shopping.

Clothes Shopping: British Vs American English

Due to the French influence on British English, there are several words, which are spelt differently in British and American English. British English tends to keep the spelling of those words of French origins, whereas American people tend to spell words more closely to the way they sound. This results in the omission of some letters.

Be aware that if you are communicating with British readers, you should use the British spelling and vice-versa. The main thing is though, that you stick to one style or the other throughout. Let’s have a look at some dissimilarities:

1. In British English, most words which usually end in -our have an -or ending in America. These are words such as neighbour vs. neighbor; colour vs. color; behaviour vs. behavior; favourite vs. Favorite.

2. British English words that end in -re often end in -er in American English. Some examples include centre vs. center; theatre vs. theater; litre vs. Liter.

3. American spelling uses a final -ize as opposed to British spelling -ise in many words such as realise vs. realize; recognise vs. recongize; analyse vs. Analyze.

Remember

Remember, both types of English are ‘correct’ – but it’s important to be aware of which one to use when sitting for specific exams. An American exam like TOEFL uses the English (US) system, while a British exam like IELTS or Cambridge ESOL use the English (UK) one.

Read more about the differences between British and American English in this blog post