Easy English

1. THE DIFERENCE BETWEEN AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH
The American English The British English
a
acceptance bank acceptance house
affirmative action program equal opportunities
antenna TV aerial
apartment flat
appetizers starters
appointment book diary
articles of incorporation articles of association
b
backyard back garden
band-aid sticking plaster
banking account bank account
bathing suit swimsuit
bathtub bath
beet beetroot
billing invoicing
binder cover note
booth stand
by auction at auction
c
cabinet cupboard
candy sweets
can opener tin-opener
cash machine cash dispenser
chairman / president managing director
check cheque
checking account current account
closed corporation close company
closet wardrobe
clothespin clothes-peg
cookie biscuit
collect call transferred charge call

2. consumer price index retail price index
couch sofa
credit bureau credit agency
crosswalk pedestrian crossing
cumulative preferred stock cumulative preference share
curb kerb
cutting board breadboard
d
death duty estate duty
dish towel tea towel
dishwashing liquid washing-up liquid
disk jockey disc jockey
drugstore pharmacy / chemist
duplex semi-detached
e
electric teakettle kettle
elevator lift
eraser rubber
examination table examination couch
The American English The British English
exposition exhibition
f
fender mudguard
fire department fire brigade
first floor ground floor
French fries chips
front yard front garden
g
garbage can / trash can dustbin / litter-bin
gas pump petrol pump
golden parachute golden handshake
gray grey
h
hair-dryer hair-drier
hamper laundry basket

3. hanger coat-hanger
health club sports centre
highway road
house organ house journal / magazine
housing starts house starts
i
Inc Ltd, plc
installment plan hire purchase
Internal Revenue Service Inland Revenue
k
kayak canoe
l
labor union trade union
ladybug ladybird
lawyer / attorney solicitor / barrister
life insurance life assurance
line-up / stand in line queue
liter litre
m
mailbox letter-box / postbox
main street high street
market basket average shopping basket
medicine chest bathroom cabinet
meet with meet
messenger courier
movie cinema
n
nightgown night-dress
notebook exercise book
o
operating room operating theatre
one-way fare single fare
p
pants trousers
pantyhose tights
pay-as-you-go pay-as-you-earn

4. period full stop
pin brooch
The American English The British English
pitcher jug
post free freepost
potato chips crisps
preferred stock preferred shares
property tax rates
purse handbag
r
race car driver racing driver
railroad railway
ranch house bungalow
realtor estate agent
resume curriculum vitae
revenue / sales turnover
robe dressing gown
roll reel
rooster cock
round-trip fare return fare
rubber check cheque which bounces
s
salesperson shop assistant
savings bond savings certificate
Scotch tape Sellotape
Secretary of Commerce Minister (of trade)
shopping street mall
side mirror wing mirror
sidewalk pavement
sink wash-basin
sneakers trainers
solid plain
store shop
subway underground

5. t
tag label
teller cashier
to make a reservation to book (a room)
to protest something to protest against something
toll free freephone
trailer caravan
truck lorry
trust monopoly
two weeks fortnight
u
underpants pants
v
vacation holiday
w
wallet purse
windshield windscreen
wrench spanner
y
yogurt yoghurt
z
zero nought
zip code postcode / postal code

6. SPELLING IN AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH
The American English The British English
-er -re
center centre
centimeter centimetre
fiber fibre
kilometer kilometre
liter litre
meter metre
millimeter millimetre
theater theatre
-ize -ise
organize organise
capitalize capitalise
-yze -yse
analyze analyse
-or -our
behavior behaviour
color colour
endeavor endeavour
favorite favourite
flavor flavour
harbor harbour
honor honour
humor humour
labor labour
mold mould
neighbor neighbour
parlor parlour
rumor rumour
vigor vigour

7. -g, -ck -gue, -que
analog analogue
catalog catalogue
check cheque
dialog dialogue
prolog prologue
-led, -ling, -ler -Iled, -Iling, -Iler
canceled cancelled
canceling cancelling
dialed dialled
dialing dialling
enameled enamelled
equaled equalled
equaling equalling
jewelry jewellery
jeweler jeweller
labeled labelled
labeling labelling
The American English The British English
leveled levelled
leveling levelling
libeled libelled
libeling libelling
marvelous marvellous
modeled modelled
modeling modelling
parceled parcelled
parceling parcelling
totaled totalled
totaling totalling
traveled travelled
traveling travelling
traveler traveller
traveler’s check traveller’s cheque

8. fulfill fulfil
skillful skilful
installment instalment
-m -mme
gram gramme
program programme
kilogram kilogramme
milligram milligramme
-se -ce
defense defence
license licence
offense offence
practice practise
-i -y
tire tyre
cider cyder
cipher cypher
siren syren
sirup syrup
Other common differences between the American and British English:
airplane aeroplane
aluminum aluminium
axe ax
inquire enquire
forego forgo
guaranty guarantee
judgment judgement
wagon waggon
pajamas pyjamas
net nett