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In other words
Differences between british and american english
Not all English dialects use the same style, especially when it comes to spelling and punctuation.
Also, depending on which part of the world you’re in, the same word sometimes has different meanings and—to make it even more confusing—different words can have the same meaning!
I’ve created a handy booklet on the differences between British and American English for you to download and save in your resource library.
Whether you’re writing a thesis, a research paper, or fiction book, it’ll come in handy at some point!
In this article, I list several examples of the different spellings, punctuation styles, and word meanings in British and American English.
Need a quick reference for later? You’re welcome to download my booklet and save it in your resource library:
Ready to dive in?
Let’s go!
Spelling
BRITISH ENGLISH
AMERICAN ENGLISH
-
-ise spellings in most styles (organisation, emphasise)
Exception: New Oxford Dictionary style uses -ize spellings (organization, emphasize) - ageing
- analyse, paralyse
- catalogue
- centre, litre, theatre
- colour, flavour, honour, labour, neighbour, mould
- cosy
- defence, licence (noun), offence
- grey
- haematoma
- jewellery
- plough
- travelling
-
-ize spellings
(organization, emphasize)
- aging
- analyze, paralyze
- catalog
- center, liter, theater
- color, flavor, honor, labor, neighbor, mold
- cozy
- defense, license (noun and verb), offense
- gray
- hematoma
- jewelry
- plow
- traveling
-
-ise spellings in most styles (organisation, emphasise)
Exception: New Oxford Dictionary style uses -ize spellings (organization, emphasize) - ageing
- analyse, paralyse
- catalogue
- centre, litre, theatre
- colour, flavour, honour, labour, neighbour, mould
- cosy
- defence, licence (noun), offence
- grey
- haematoma
- jewellery
- plough
- travelling
-
-ize spellings
(organization, emphasize)
- aging
- analyze, paralyze
- catalog
- center, liter, theater
- color, flavor, honor, labor, neighbor, mold
- cozy
- defense, license (noun and verb), offense
- gray
- hematoma
- jewelry
- plow
- traveling
Punctuation, numbers, and dates
BRITISH ENGLISH
AMERICAN ENGLISH
- Titles
- Dates
- Percentages
-
Quotation marks
- En dashes and em dashes
- Mr, Dr (without point)
- 1 January 2020
- 25 per cent
- Use single quotation marks for quotes and double quotation marks for quotes within quotes. A full stop or comma is usually outside the closing quote mark.
- Use en dashes to insert a thought – like this – into a sentence. Make sure to include a space before and after the en dash.
- Mr., Dr. (with point)
- January 1, 2020
- 25 percent
- Use double quotation marks for quotes and single quotation marks for quotes within quotes. A full stop or comma is inside the closing quote mark.
- Use em dashes to insert a thought—like this—into a sentence. Note that there is no space before or after the em dash.
- Titles
- Dates
- Percentages
-
Quotation marks
- En dashes and em dashes
- Mr, Dr (without point)
- 1 January 2020
- 25 per cent
- Use single quotation marks for quotes and double quotation marks for quotes within quotes. Full stop or comma is usually outside the closing quote mark.
- Use en dashes to insert a thought – like this – into a sentence. Make sure to include a space before and after the en dash.
- Mr., Dr. (with point)
- January 1, 2020
- 25 percent
- Use double quotation marks for quotes and single quotation marks for quotes within quotes. Full stop or comma is inside the closing quote mark.
- Use em dashes to insert a thought—like this—into a sentence. Note that there is no space before or after the em dash.
Same word, different meaning
WORD/TERM
BRITISH ENGLISH
AMERICAN ENGLISH
-
chips/crisps
- momentarily
- pants
- what Americans call “French fries”, Brits call “chips”
- lasting a moment
- underwear
- what Brits call “crisps”, Americans call “chips”
- in a moment
- trousers
Different words, same meaning
BRITISH ENGLISH
AMERICAN ENGLISH
- autumn
- curtains
- hall of residence
- on holiday
- jumper
- lift
- lorry
- nappy
- pavement
- petrol
- postcode
- primary school
- rubber
- shop
- shopping centre
- state school
- sweets
- trade union
- trainers
- tube (London Underground)
- trolley
- fall
- drapes
- dorm
- on vacation
- sweater
- elevator
- truck
- diaper
- sidewalk
- gas
- zip code
- elementary school
- eraser
- store
- mall
- public school
- candy
- labor union
- sneakers
- subway
- shopping cart
If you’d like to know more about British English or need to look up a particular UK spelling, check out the New Oxford Dictionary and New Hart’s Rules.
Useful references for American English are the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
Need someone to ensure that your document is written consistently in British or American English?
Whether it’s the proper use of en dashes/em dashes, different spellings, or the correct meaning of a word, I can help.
Christina Stinn is a professional translator, proofreader, and editor with a background in ecological research and experience in publishing peer-reviewed articles in academic journals. She is a Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and has a M.Sc. degree in International Nature Conservation. So far her work has included fiction and non-fiction books, academic journal articles, and marketing materials in English and German. She loves working with clients who strive to bring their writing to the next level and enjoys taking part in their journey. Find out more
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