Differences between UK and US English Overview and examples

Differences between UK and US English America was initially set up by people who emigrated from the UK and Europe after 1600. UK English and US English are therefore very similar. However, there are quite a lot of minor differences in the way the two languages have evolved. Can you think of any?

Spelling There are a few main ways in which the spelling of words in US English differs to UK English: UK US Rule Colour/Favour Color/Favor US has no U in British -OUR words Centre Center US has ER in British –RE endings Travelling Traveling US has a single L for many continuous verbs Realise Realize US has Z instead of S for British –SE endings Grey Gray Individual spellings may differ too

The alphabet The alphabet is the same in both languages, apart from the pronunciation of the name of the final letter “Z”: UK pronunciation US pronunciation Zed Zee

Vocabulary The vocabulary of UK and US English has many differences, however there is a lot of crossover due to the spread of language due to modern factors such as movies, literature and social networking. Here are some of the famous ones: UK English US English Lift Elevator Flat Apartment The underground The subway Pants/Knickers Underwear/Panties Trousers Pants

Pronunciation The languages of UK and US English sound quite different in terms of pronunciation. This is probably the most notable difference between the two languages. Here are some common examples: UK English US English Silent r - Jumper-”Jumpa” Stronger r sound - Jumper-”Jumperrr” Shorter vowel sounds - Ham ”Ham” Longer vowel sounds – Ham ”Haarm”” The t sound is more like a t in UK - ”Computu” The t sound is more like a d in US - ”Compudar”

Idioms One of the very interesting ways the two languages have evolved separately is in the use of idioms (and phrasal verbs). Both languages share a vast array of idioms, but because some originated in a different culture, some may not be so well known in the other: UK English US English Do a U-turn Flip a bitch! (“U-Turn” would be OK too) Watch a movie Go see a movie

I’m confused, which one should I use?! A common fear is mixing up the languages, and worrying about using the wrong form of the language in the wrong situation. Do not worry…most native speakers you are likely to meet will understand both forms of the language and it will not cause a problem. Generally US English is in everyday use more now due to it being the default language of Hollywood and the internet/technology (such as Microsoft Word, Facebook etc.) which have been pioneered by innovative American companies.