British VS American English — Vocabulary and Spelling Differences That You Should Know
Chips or crisps? Lift or elevator? Have you ever wondered what are the main differences of vocabulary and spelling between the English used in Britain and the one used in the United States? These countries certainly differ a lot in ways of culture, pronunciation, and even in spelling and vocabulary. If you are learning English, it’s super important to acknowledge these differences and understand them, since both England and America are influential countries in the world. Let’s dive in and take a look at how these two countries differ when it comes to the English language!
Vocabulary
One of the biggest differences we can notice between American and British English is the vocabulary. A lot of times, we see different words in each country being used to describe the same thing: it can be an object, a kind of food, an activity, time expressions and even names of places. But worry not, we are here to help you! Let’s take a look at the diverse words that are used in the USA and in UK to refer to the same thing. If you still have questions about the vocabulary, try searching these words on Google Images, so you can understand them more visually while not needing to translate them to your native language. Enough said: let’s go!
Spelling
Well, man shall not live by vocabulary alone, right?
Besides the difference in vocabulary, British and American English also differ in their spelling, which sometimes can be tricky for English students. But, don’t forget: even though the spelling is different, the pronunciation of these words remain the same.
Also, a precious tip is: when writing a text, always check what type of spelling is required, or if you are free to use the one you prefer. This is important, since some journals, newspapers, and magazines in England only accept British spelling, for example, while some in the USA tend to prefer the American spelling. The secret is always informing yourself about whom you are writing to and the media or way your text is going to be published/seen. Okay, let’s hit it!
-OUR VS -OR
In British English, we normally use the suffix -our in some word, while Americans suppress this “u”. Let’s see some examples:
-TRE VS -TER
When the word is constituted by the letter “t” and the letters “r” and e”, American and British English differ in the order the “r” and “e” are written. In British, we use -tre, and in American we use -ter:
-CE VS -SE
In some words, the British English tends to write using -ce, while American uses -se. Let’s see how this works:
AE/OE VS E
Numerous words, particularly those that come from Latin (such as medical or scientific words), which are written with ae/æ or oe/œ in British English, are written with just “e” in American English. Thus, American English removes the “a” or “o” of the word.
-ISE VS -IZE
There is also a little difference about using “z” or “s” in some words. British English normally uses the -ise structure, while American employs -ize, preferring the “z” letter:
-LYSE VS -LYZE
This spelling difference is really similar to the previous one. British English again tends to use “s” when the word ends with -lyse, and American spelling uses “z” (-lyze):
-LOGUE VS -LOG
Another difference we can find is between words that end with -log. British spelling uses the end structure -logue, and American English suppresses the “ue”, using only -log. Let’s take a look at it?
Besides these differences that we’ve seen in this text, the spelling rules about doubling some letters are also a little different, but this is the matter for another text (I’m sure you guys are going to love it when it comes out).
In conclusion
In brief, the differences in vocabulary and spelling between American and British English show how language can change due to culture and history. These variations, like ‘color’ in American English and ‘colour’ in British English, reflect the rich diversity of the English language. Although these differences are important while studying and learning English, we should also appreciate how English can adapt and unite people worldwide, not just see the differences as a means of distancing.
Always remember: English is a powerful tool for communication, no matter how it’s spelled or spoken.
See you next text!
Text written by Teacher Alanis
Sources:
https://www.dictionary.com/e/british-english-vs-american-english/
