Home
English Grammar
Practical English Usage
Grammatical Terms
English Writing
English speaking
Vocabulary
Business English
TOEFL
IELTS
Interactive Pages
English grammar and vocabulary exercises
Differences between American and British English
Differences in vocabulary
When it comes to vocabulary, American English differ significantly from British English. Sometimes the same word has different meaning. There are also different words with the same meaning. A few examples are given below.
| American English | British English |
| Airplane | Aeroplane |
| Apartment | Flat/ apartment |
| Area code | Dialling code |
| Attorney, lawyer | Barrister, solicitor |
| Busy | Engaged (phone) |
| Cab/taxi | Taxi |
| Can | Tin |
| Candy | Sweets |
| Check/bill | Bill |
| Cookie, cracker | Biscuit |
| Corn | Maize |
| Crib | Cot |
| Crazy | Mad |
| Diaper | Nappy |
| Dumb, stupid | Stupid |
| Elevator | Lift |
| Eraser | Rubber, eraser |
| Fall, autumn | Autumn |
| Faucet, tap | Tap |
| First floor, second floor | Ground floor, first floor |
| Flashlight | Torch |
| French fries | Chips |
| Garbage, trash | Rubbish |
| Garbage can, trashcan | Dustbin, rubbish bin |
| Gas, gasoline | Petrol |
| Highway, freeway | Main road, motorway |
| Hood | Bonnet |
| Intersection | Crossroads |
| Mad | Angry |
| Post | |
| Mean | Nasty |
| Movie, film | Film |
| Pants, trousers | Trousers |
| Pavement | Road surface |
| Pitcher | Jug |
| Potato chips | Crisps |
| Purse | Handbag |
| Raise | Rise (salary) |
| Railroad | Railway |
| Rest room | Public toilet |
| Schedule, timetable | Timetable |
| Sneakers | Trainers (sports shoes) |
| Stand in line | Queue |
| Stingy | Mean |
| Store, shop | Shop |
| Subway | Underground |
| Truck | Van, lorry |
| Trunk | Boot (of a car) |
| Stand in line | Queue |
| Two weeks | Fortnight, two weeks |
| Vacation | Holiday(s) |
| Windshield | Windscreen |
| Zee | Zed |
| Stand in line | Queue |
| Zipper | Zip |
Get the latest updates
View Feed XML