There Are Many Differences Between US and UK English

There are many differences between British English and American English; I used to do a lesson while teaching about the differences between the two. We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic but we have so many differences in our one common language. We have instances of the same word having very different meanings, differing spellings of the same word as well as completely different words for the same thing.

Here are some examples that spring to mind,

A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK.

A biscuit in the US is a scone or small cake in the UK.

Crisps in the UK, are known as chips, but in the UK we eat a plate of chips that you call fries.

Confused enough yet?

In the UK a pie can be made from either meat or fruit, whereas in the US pies are normally fruit, pot pies being meat.

Other foods for confusion, pudding over here can be many differing descriptions, both hot and cold, generally describing many desserts.

Crisco has not made the journey across to the UK, nor has iced tea. You have to look long and hard to find anywhere that stocks miracle whip either. If you are looking for a zucchini or two, people will stare at you bemused. Over here they are courgettes. If you are cooking we use C or Celsius, not F or Fahrenheit. Most ingredients are measured in grams and kilograms not pounds and ounces.

It is ok to be pissed at someone in the states (angry), in the UK you can be pissed up (drunk), off (fed up, sad, dejected), but not on.

One very obvious difference the side of the road we each choose to drive on. Petrol is gas, gas in the UK is propane. Onto the many irregularities over our cars and driving, where we fill up our cars, in the UK it's a garage, the US it's a gas station, it is being called a filling station more so here now. The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house. A truck is known as a lorry, a fender is a bumper. What in the US is called a hood is known as a bonnet (odd that both terms are types of headwear). Where you store your luggage or shopping is known as the boot, and we also wear boots. The muffler is an exhaust. My wife loves driving in the UK if only for the many roundabouts in the middle of the road. A long drive in the states is probably if you are travelling across many states, over here to many people 200 miles is considered a very long way, I know many Americans who consider that sort of distance to be just down the road.

An elevator is called a lift, and the first floor in the US, we call the ground floor, hence many visitors getting off on the wrong floor of British hotels.

The fall and the many colours it can bring, I used to think fall as in fall over!!I know the season we call autumn; I will admit fall does sound better.

Onto the many words we have in common except for the spelling, colour or color, (as soon as I type in color, my computer is informing me of a typo).

Flavour-flavor

Favourite-favorite

Centre-center

I could continue with this there are countless examples of differences within our one shared language, with so many differences it's no small wonder we understand each other at all.