British versus American Dictionary


British and American English can spell the same word differently, for example: labour/labor, centre/center

And many times, British and American English use different words, like two different languages!

Here is a list of words and expressions to help you. Don't forget, you can click on any word in the two columns to see a definition.


British English                 


American English
accommodations
instant replay
airfoil
airplane
advice columnist
Allen wrench
aluminum
anise
counterclockwise
tractor-trailer
uneven bars
eggplant
cookie sheet
legal holiday
beet(s)
check
cookie; cracker
underground economy
sponge bath
(window) shade
apartment building
coveralls
hood
tube top
trunk
hope chest
lawn bowling
suspenders
headcheese
breakdown van
tow truck
cinder block
bridge loan
fanny pack
cotton candy
parking lot
emergency room
slingshot
median strip
drugstore
French fries
movie theater; the movies
plastic wrap
harbor seal
durable goods
cornstarch
Romaine
crib
crib death
cotton swab
absorbent cotton
(housing) project
zucchini
face card
guardrail
chips; potato chips
alligator clip
bias-ply
quarter note
checking account
hazard pay
defroster
dial tone
rhinestone
heavy cream
checkers
thumbtack
robe; bathrobe
drunk driving
drinks cupboard
liquor cabinet
drinks party
cocktail party
driver’s license
divided highway
dummy (for a baby)
pacifier
drop cloth
garbage can
earth (electrical)
ground
engaged (of a phone)
busy
real estate agent, realtor (trademark)
station wagon
unlisted
parochial school
fiscal year
fire company/department
second floor
fish stick
fitted carpet
wall-to-wall carpeting
washcloth
apartment
flextime
switchblade
overpass
soccer
sidewalk
fringe (hair)
bangs
full board (in hotels)
American plan
full stop (punctuation)
period
yard; lawn
gearing (finance)
leverage
gearshift
goods train
freight train
wax paper/waxed paper
green thumb
grill (noun)
broiler
grill (verb)
broil
first floor
groundskeeper
barrette
hatrack
bachelorette party
installment plan
billboard
stovetop
carryall
vacation
vacationer
homey
(garden) hose
in hospital
in the hospital
hot flash
housing development
sprinkles (for ice cream)
Popsicle (trademark)
confectioners’ sugar
indicator (on a car)
turn signal
inseam
jelly beans
Joe Blow
John Q. Public
rummage sale
jumper cable
sweater
elementary school
doghouse
ladybug
a lettuce
a head of lettuce
grade crossing
elevator
Popsicle (trademark)
crossing guard
loo (toilet)
john
slipcover
truck
bullhorn
flatbed truck
grab bag
luggage van
baggage car
corn
snow pea
truck farm
railroad yard
math
paved road
odometer
minim (music)
half note
cell phone
monkeyshines
expressway; highway
mom/mommy
diaper
pinwale
newscaster
tic-tac-toe
license plate
liquor store; package store
open-pit mining
common stock
oven mitt
wading pool
acetaminophen
parting (in hair)
part
solitaire
sidewalk
pay envelope
crosswalk
clothespin
valance
gas; gasoline
physical therapy
jumper
dark chocolate
all-purpose flour
turtleneck
reverse discrimination
absentee ballot
mailbox
zip code
potato chip
power point
electrical outlet
baby carriage; stroller
snap
pushup
GI
private school
public transportation
punching bag
stroller
utility pole
estimator
quaver (music)
eighth note
line
race car
railroad
court tennis
certified mail
license plate
remould (tyre)
retread
call collect
back-up lights
right triangle
beltway
European plan
roundabout (at a fair)
carousel
roundabout (in road)
traffic circle
rowboat
sailboat
saloon (car)
sedan
sandbox
sandwich cake
layer cake
sanitary napkin
self-rising flour
semibreve (music)
whole note
semitone (music)
half step
stock option
shopping cart
model home
silencer (on a car)
muffler
rump roast
skeleton in the closet
skim milk
jump rope
baseboard
sled
railroad tie
silent partner
slowpoke
chutes and ladders
lawyer
soy/soybean
backsplash
green onion
bachelor party
utility knife
appetizer
public school
tempest in a teapot
supertitle
rutabaga
candy
takeaway (food)
takeout; to go
taxi stand
dish towel
row house
check mark
scalper
pantyhose
lumber
tidbit
candy apple
knock on wood
labor union
industrial park
sneakers
streetcar; cable car
truck stop
shopping cart
twelve-gauge
unlike
subway
thermos bottle
verge (of a road)
shoulder
undershirt
veterinarian
wagon (on a train)
car
vest
walker
closet
Italian ice
clapboard
white coffee
coffee with cream
mineral spirits
wholewheat bread
windbreaker
windshield
wing (of a car)
fender
countertop
cylinder lock
crosswalk
zed (letter Z)
zee
zipper

List also available at www.oxforddictionaries.com


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