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Differences between American and British English words

American English is the form of English used in the United States. It includes all English dialects used within the United States of America. British English is the form of English used in the United Kingdom. It includes all English dialects used within the United Kingdom. Differences between American and British English include pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, idioms and formatting of dates and numbers. The English language was introduced to the Americans through British colonization in the early 17th century and it spread to many parts of the world because of the strength of the British empire. Over the years, English spoken in the United States and in Britain started diverging from each other in various aspects. This led to two dialects in the form of the American English and the British English.

But here is a table with several words in the British English and their corresponding American English words that can be useful to know during your travel to the United Kingdom:

British English

American English
Biscuits Cookies
CV (curriculum vitae) Resume
Car park Parking lot
Chemist’s shop Drugstore, pharmacy
Film Movie
Caravan Trailer
Wardrobe Closet
Parcel Package
Lorry Truck
Flat Apartment
Petrol Station Gas Station
Trousers Pants
Queue Line
Lift Elevator
Rubber Eraser
Mobile Cellphone
Crisps Potato Chips
Holiday Vacation
Ill Sick
Jumper/pullover Sweater
Luggage Baggage
Main road Highway
Motorbike Motorcycle
Motorway highway, freeway, expressway, interstate highway, interstate
Pavement Sidewalk
Postman Mailman/mail carrier
Postcode Zip code
Pub Bar
Rubber Eraser
Rubbish bin Garbage can, trashcan
Toilet Restroom
Queue Line
Railway Railroad
Shop Store
Timetable Schedule
Taxi Cab
Torch Flashlight
Underground railroad/underground railway Subway
Vest Undershirt
Waistcoat vest
Zip Zipper
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Categories: Articles, London

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