Differences between UK and US English


Spelling variations in UK and US English


Pattern of variation

Examples of UK spelling

Examples of US spelling

- ce/se





-er/re



-our/or





-l/ll




-ogue/og


-ise/ize

-isation/ization






-yse/yze



-ae/e


miscellanous

advice (noun), advise (verb)

practice(noun), practise (verb)

licence (noun), license (verb)

defence, offence, pretence


centre, fibre, litre, metre, lustre

(BUT meter – measuring device)


behaviour, endeavour, rumour,

colour, odour,

labour, honour,

favourable


fulfil, distil, enrol, enrolment, instal(l), instalment

skilful, wilful


analogue, catalogue, dialogue


emphasise, minimise, globalise, colonise, organise, standardise

globalisation, colonisation, organisation

standardization, civilisation

(The -ize/ization version can also be found in some UK texts.)


analyse, catalyse, paralyse



encyclopaedia, mediaeval


aluminium, anaesthetic, grey, haemorrhage,  mould, oesophagus, plough, (research, TV) programme,
storey (of building), (car) tyre, inflexion (also inflection)

advise (noun + verb)

practice (noun + verb)

license (noun + verb)

defense, offense, pretense


center, fiber, liter, meter, luster



behavior, endeavor, rumor,

color, odor,

labor, honor,

favorable


fulfill, distill, enroll, enrollment, install, installment

skillful, willful



analog, catalog, dialog


emphasize, minimize, globalize, colonize, organize, standardize

globalization, colonization, organization

standardization, civilization




analyze, catalyze, paralyze

(BUT analysis, catalysis, paralysis)


encyclopedia, medieval


aluminum, anesthetic, gray, hemorrhage, mold, esophagus, plow, program, story, tire, inflection



Adapted from:

McCarthy, M. O’Dell, F. (2012). Academic Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge: CUP.

Yang, J. T. (1995). An Outline of Scientific Writing: For Researchers with English as a Foreign
Language. Singapore: World Scientific.


British and North American academic context vocabulary

-          numerous differences between UK (+ Ireland) and US (+ Canada) English

-          great amount of mixing – mutual familiarity with usages

-          American vocabulary is influencing and being imported into British, Irish and
international English more and more (more into Irish than British)

-          most differences concern especially words that are part of the so-called basic
vocabulary (that is words used in both non-academic and academic contexts)


Examples of words and phrases that are commonly used in North American English academic contexts
and their British/Irish equivalents


North American

British/Irish

Comment

co-worker

workmate


doctor’s office

surgery


downtown

city centre, town centre


district attorney

public prosecutor


elementary school

primary school

“1./2. stupeň”:

AmE: lower/upper elementary school

BrE: lower/upper primary school

elevator

lift


eraser

rubber


fall

autumn


gas

petrol


faucet

tap


freeway

motorway


high school

secondary school


intersection

crossroads


kindergarten

nursery


operating room

operating theatre

hospital

mail

post


mall

shopping centre

Mall is used more and more in BrE.

mass transit

public transport


movie

film


movie theatre

cinema


normalcy

normality


parenthesis

brackets

In AmE, the word brackets refers to [ ]. In AmE, parenthesis are ( ).

penitentiary

prison


period

full stop


petroleum

crude oil

oil when it comes out of the ground

prenatal

ante-natal

“before birth”

railroad

railway


resumé

curriculum vitae (or CV)


sales clerk

shop assistant


sales tax

VAT (value added tax)

tax added to goods and services at the point of purchase

schedule

timetable


senior

pensioner, senior citizen


store

shop


subway

underground (railway)

A subway in BrE is an underground tunnel or passageway for pedestrians to cross the road.

takeout

takeaway

meals, food

trash, garbage

rubbish, refuse (more formal)


truck

lorry, truck


two weeks

forthnight


vacation

holiday

Vacation is used in BrE universities to mean the period when no teaching takes place. In AmE,
holiday refers to a national day of observance, for example New Year’s Day.

zip code (USA), postal code (Canada)

postcode



Adapted from:

McCarthy, M. O’Dell, F. (2012). Academic Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge: CUP.