English - American English Word and Spelling Differences

[Lykaios]

Well, I've been collecting these for months now and the list is getting really big and I thought it might be helpful to other people. I wasn't sure where to post it as there isn't a place for self-written resources so I thought here would be okay, if it's in the wrong place though moving is fine.

Oh, and if anyone has anymore to add of can see any mistakes, please let me know. :) (Edited in and out suggestions from Crocodyle)

EDIT: Now in alphabetical order. :)

British English – American English

Note: For spelling with the ‘our’ endings in English, the suffixes for the American-English spelling are also spelt minus the ‘u’.

Spellings
Aeroplane – airplane
Aluminium – aluminum
Analyse – analyze
Archaeology – archaeology
Armour – armor
Arse – ass
Bath – bathtub
Behaviour – behavior
Bungalow – one-storey house
Centre – center
Cheque – check
Chequers – checkers
Colour – color
Cosy – cozy
Distil – distill
Doughnut – donut
Dreamt – dreamed
Enrol – enroll
Enrolment – enrollment
Equalling – equaling
Favourite – favorite
Fibre – fiber
Flavour – flavor
Fulfil – fulfill
Goal – jail
Got – gotten
Grey – gray
Harbour – harbor
Honour – honor
Humour – humor
Jelly – jell-o
Jeweller – jeweler
Jewellery – jewelry
Kebab – kebob
Kerb – curb
Kidnapped – kidnaped
Kilometre – kilometer
Labour – labor
Ladybird – ladybug
Learnt – leaned
Manoeuvre – Maneuver
Maths – math
Metre – meter
Mould – mold
Moustache – mustache
Mum/mam – Mom
Neighbour – neighbor
Odour – odor
Optician – optometrist
Organise – organize
Plough – plow
Post-box/letterbox – mailbox
Programme – program
Pyjamas – pajamas
Quarrelled – quarreled
Realise – realize
Recognise – recognize
Rumour – rumor
Sabre – saber
Saviour – savior
Savour – savor
Sceptical – skeptical
Signalling – signaling
Skilful – skillful
Snigger – snicker
Speciality – specialty
Spelt – spelled
Stabiliser – stabilizer (bike)
Traveller/ing – traveling/er
Tyre – tire
Whilst – while
Woollen – woolen
Worshipped – worshiped
Yoghurt – yogurt

Words
A&E (Accident and Emergency) – ER (Emergency Room)
Advert – commercial
Aerial – antenna
Aubergine – eggplant
Autumn – fall
Bin – trash can
Biro – ballpoint pen
Biscuit – cookie/cracker
Bogey – booger
Bonnet – hood (car)
Boot – trunk (car)
Bowler – pitcher
Break/playtime/lunchtime – recess
Brolly/umbrella – umbrella
Café – diner
Car park – parking lot
Caravan – trailor
Caretaker – janitor
Carnival – parade
Chemist – drugstore (Pharmacist is used in both)
Chips – fries
Cooker – stove
Cot – crib
Crisps – potato chips
Cubical – stall (In a toilet/bathroom)
Curtains – drapes
Dear/expensive – expensive
Diary – journal (Is also used in England, but is a different type of diary from the norm – travel for instance)
Diversion – detour
Dodgy – sketchy
Drawing pin – thumbtack
Dressing gown – robe
Dual carriageway/motorway – freeway/highway
Dummy – pacifier
Duvet – bedspread
Eggy bread – French toast
Fag – cigarette
Film – movie
Film – movie
Flannel – washcloth
Flat – apartment
Football – soccer
Fortnight – two weeks
Full stop – period
Garden – yard
Holiday – vacation
Ice-lolly – Popsicle
Icing – frosting
Indicators – blinkers
Jam – jelly
Jumper – sweater
Jumper/pullover/jersey – sweater
Knickers – panties
Lead – cable/cord
Lead – leash (for a dog)
Lift – elevator
Lorry – truck
Lounge – living room
Luggage/bags – baggage
Marks/levels – grades
Mate/friend – pal/friend/bud/buddy
Mobile phone – cell phone
Mucking around/skiving/mitching – off task/ ‘goofing off’
Nappies – diapers
Nick – steal
Note – bill (money)
Nought/nil – zero (recently becoming more used in England though)
Paralytic – smashed/wasted (extremely drunk)
Pavement/path – sidewalk
Petrol – gas
Plaster – band-aid
Plimsolls – gym shoes
Post code – zip code
Post/letter – mail
Pram/pushchair – stroller/buggy
Pudding/afters – dessert
Queue – line
Quid – buck (different currency though)
Ring – call
Rubber – eraser
Rubbish – trash
Sacked – fired (job)
Sandwich/butty/sarny - sandwich
Scarper – escape/run away/ disappear
Scone – biscuit
Serviette – napkin
Shop – store
Skip –dumpster
Sofa/settee – couch
Spanner – wrench
Stands/benches – bleachers (Sports)
Suit/dinner jacket – tuxedo
Sweets – candy
Take away – take out/to go
Tap – faucet
Tights – pantyhose
Timber yard – lumberyard
Tin – can
Toilet/loo/bog/WC/the John – Bathroom/restroom
Torch – flashlight
Trainers – sneakers
Tram – streetcar
Trolley – cart
Trousers – pants
Wardrobe/cupboard – closet
Windscreen - windshield

(Word) –British English – American English

Same word – different meaning
(Banger) Sausage (bangers and mash) – scrap car
(Brew) tea – beer
(Coach) bus of better comfort (for longer journeys) – sports teacher
(Flapjacks) scotch pancakes/flapjacks (oatie cake) – flapjacks (pancake/hotcake)
(Mad) eccentric/weird – angry
(Suspenders) braces to hold up trousers – garters, elastic stockings
(Tea) hot drink and also used for lunch/evening meal – hot drink
(Theatre) Where plays are performed on a stage/operating theatre – spelt ‘theater’, cinema/theatre/operating theater
(Tyke) small or annoying child – small animal
(Vest) waistcoat or a shirt worn under other clothes – sleeveless shirt/undershirt/wifebeater

Other
Mrs/Miss/Mr/Master/Dr - Mrs./Miss./Mr./Master./Dr. (etc)
[B](dates) day/month/year - month/day/year

[Phantom]

Do british people say 'spit'?
In the U.S. we call coaches, 'Greyhound busses' or 'Coach Busses' or a 'Charters' because the first charter busses were Coach and Greyhound... Only cultured people call them 'Charters' though...
Now I know why people in the county where I live say 'learnt'. Adams County, Ohio has a large population of cockney immigrant descendants. Therefore we have a natural cockney accent... Weird, huh?
THAT WAS YOUR RANDOMNESS FOR THE DAY!

[Crocolyle]

Looks good

Couple comments:

American spelling:
Americans spell kidnapped as kidnapped.

Also, catalogue, monologue, and dialogue are all acceptable spellings in American English. In fact I've never seen monologue written any other way

These might be regional within the U. S., but:
Instead of one-storey house, we also say "rancher"
Americans actually frequently use curtains and drapes interchangeably (this could be regional).
We say sofa as well as couch, albeit couch is used more commonly
Purse is used more commonly than handbag
Frosting and Icing are interchangeable
Film and movie are interchangeable. Often depends on context... it's weird
We say fridge
Merry-go-round is interchangeable with carousel
Sweets, candy interchangeable
Diary, journal interchangeable (though we usually use diary for girls, journal for guys)
We use tram, but usually it refers to the vehicle that can drive you around a boardwalk at the beach
Jam and Jelly are both used, though I think Americans use Jam to refer to thicker Jelly
For freeway, we more typically say highway
Scones and biscuits are two unique food items to Americans. Scones are sweet and are eaten at breakfast or as a snack and often have bits of fruit in it. Biscuits are a very soft Southern type of dinner roll typically eaten with fried chicken or barbeque and are made of a combination of lard, butter, buttermilk, and white flour. Sometimes cheese and garlic are also included.
In addition to smashed we have other terms like crunk and wasted and shit-faced
I've never heard an American say "fish-and-chip shop." Maybe seafood restaurant... but we don't really have many restaurants where I live that serve primarily fish-and-chips (besides a fastfood chain called Long John Silvers). We have a lot of "crab shanties," "oyster bars" and seafood restaurants...
Cafe and Diner refer to two specific type of restaurants. Cafes are outdoor and serve primarily coffee in addition to sandwiches and maybe sweets and baked goods. Diners typically serve breakfast and hamburgers and a variety of typical American cuisine.
In addition to pal/friend we also have bud or buddy
In addition to "take-out/to-go" we also have "carry-out"
Carnival to Americans refers to a small fair usually at a church, fairgrounds, or school to raise funds for a charity. A parade is a thing with floats and people marching.
I'm not sure about sausage to refer to a scrap car...

We use both definitions for suspenders
I've never heard tyke in reference to a small animal
Flabjacks are usually just another word for pancakes or hotcakes
Americans use vest to refer to a waistcoat or a sleeveless shirt
Our word for a shirt worn under clothes is an undershirt or (for a sleeveless white one) wifebeater.

[Lykaios]

Okay, just to explain this a bit better. This list is also no a strict list, of course some of the English word will be acceptable in America and vise-versa. But some if you said in the other country would earn you funny looks etc.

Mostly these words are from English into American, as I am American and don't have access to a American dictionary.

Looks good

Couple comments:

American spelling:
Americans spell kidnapped as kidnapped.

Also, catalogue, monologue, and dialogue are all acceptable spellings in American English. In fact I've never seen monologue written any other way They are both acceptable but for some reason those are the more common spellings, I've been told, it could be regional though.

These might be regional within the U. S., but:
Instead of one-storey house, we also say "rancher" Ooh, I'll add that. :)
Americans actually frequently use curtains and drapes interchangeably (this could be regional).
We say sofa as well as couch, albeit couch is used more commonly Yeah
Purse is used more commonly than handbag
Frosting and Icing are interchangeable In England though, frosting isn't used much, if at all.
Film and movie are interchangeable. Often depends on context... it's weird
We say fridge
Merry-go-round is interchangeable with carousel
Sweets, candy interchangeable We don't use candy though
Diary, journal interchangeable (though we usually use diary for girls, journal for guys)
We use tram, but usually it refers to the vehicle that can drive you around a boardwalk at the beach
Jam and Jelly are both used, though I think Americans use Jam to refer to thicker Jelly
For freeway, we more typically say highway
Scones and biscuits are two unique food items to Americans. Scones are sweet and are eaten at breakfast or as a snack and often have bits of fruit in it. Biscuits are a very soft Southern type of dinner roll typically eaten with fried chicken or barbeque and are made of a combination of lard, butter, buttermilk, and white flour. Sometimes cheese and garlic are also included. Yup, we had a discussion about that one on TW, My scones are your biscuits, and my biscuits are your cookies. :)
In addition to smashed we have other terms like crunk and wasted and shit-faced
I've never heard an American say "fish-and-chip shop." Maybe seafood restaurant... but we don't really have many restaurants where I live that serve primarily fish-and-chips (besides a fastfood chain called Long John Silvers). We have a lot of "crab shanties," "oyster bars" and seafood restaurants... Yeah, I agree. I didn't think that was right either, thanks. :)
Cafe and Diner refer to two specific type of restaurants. Cafes are outdoor and serve primarily coffee in addition to sandwiches and maybe sweets and baked goods. Diners typically serve breakfast and hamburgers and a variety of typical American cuisine. But in Emngland a cafe is like your cafe and diner put together. :)
In addition to pal/friend we also have bud or buddy
In addition to "take-out/to-go" we also have "carry-out"
Carnival to Americans refers to a small fair usually at a church, fairgrounds, or school to raise funds for a charity. A parade is a thing with floats and people marching. Carnival here is your parade, that's what I mean.
I'm not sure about sausage to refer to a scrap car... Hehe, that one is meant to be banger/sausage - scrap car A banger in britain would be a sausage but in America, a scrap car. Thanks for spotting it. :)

We use both definitions for suspenders English don't though
I've never heard tyke in reference to a small animal
Flabjacks are usually just another word for pancakes or hotcakes But in England they are oatie cakes. :)
Americans use vest to refer to a waistcoat or a sleeveless shirt
Our word for a shirt worn under clothes is an undershirt or (for a sleeveless white one) wifebeater.


Thanks for your suggestions, I'll add them in tomorrow and delete the wrong ones.

This is quite confusing to understand, I get very confused wth it. The first word is English and the second is the American equivalent/meaning, so some of them will be confusing.

Some that are both used in one country, one may not be used in the other. Or are regional because America is so big compared to this island. :P

I hope I've explained this better, I might make it alphbetial or somethig so it's easier. But that will have to wait until tomorrow as I'm tired.

[Crocolyle]

With the biscuit thing, in England do you use scones to describe both what we call scones and what we can biscuits? In America, scones refer specifically to sweet cakish things we eat with hot tea and coffee, rather than the savory cakish Southern dinner rolls we eat with fried chicken, seafood, and BBQ.

[Lykaios]

Are you on TW? They have pictures to describe a scone and a biscuit - English version or a biscuit and a cookie - American.

http://www.teenagewriters.com/forum/showpost.php?p=362769&postcount=17

The top picture is what I call a biscuit and the second is a scone. :)

Oh, and I have edited your ones in except for 'rancher' as I can't find the bungalow one . . . :P And got rid of the wrong ones.

[Midnight_Moon]

You forgot Theater (American) - Theatre (English)

[Crocolyle]

@ Lykaios: that's pretty crazy.

I'm glad I was able to help!

@Midnight: I think both might be acceptable in American English.

[Lykaios]

Crocodyle - Thanks for the help. :) What do you call the pictures? Just curious.

Midnight - They are both already on there. :)

[Crocolyle]

Cookie and biscuit respectively.

What would you call these?
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b370/gammaraypartyhat/P1010003-1.jpg
(I'd call them scones)

[Shaun]

Just a note: Croc, you don't see the "ogue" stuff very often, but I've seen it in literature and it bugged the hell out of me. The author put "Epilog" instead ot "Epilogue" and it really looks horrible. Everyone should just stick with the ogue versions of these words.

[Lykaios]

Cookie and biscuit respectively.

What would you call these?
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b370/gammaraypartyhat/P1010003-1.jpg
(I'd call them scones)
I call those, fat biscuits, they look strange though, but yummy all the same.

Scones are round and like cakes and you eat them with jam and clotted cream where I live. :)

I Googled 'English scones' and 'American scones' and the pictures are really different.

The lack of 'ue' on those words drives me crazy too. It looks so wrong . . .

[Crocolyle]

Just a note: Croc, you don't see the "ogue" stuff very often, but I've seen it in literature and it bugged the hell out of me. The author put "Epilog" instead ot "Epilogue" and it really looks horrible. Everyone should just stick with the ogue versions of these words.

I can imagine. It never looks right. Except catalog looks O. K. but other than that.

@ Lykaios:

We (or at least I) put jam and clotted cream on what Americans call scones. And let me tell you, it's fantastic.

[FayGee]

I can imagine. It never looks right. Except catalog looks O. K. but other than that.

@ Lykaios:

We (or at least I) put jam and clotted cream on what Americans call scones. And let me tell you, it's fantastic.

yeah it is!