British vs. American English

British and American English

American English or British English

History of the Differences

The British actually introduced the language to the Americas when they reached these lands by sea between the 16th and 17th centuries. At that time, spelling had not yet been standardized. It took the writing of the first dictionaries to set in stone how these words appeared. In the UK, the dictionary was compiled by London-based scholars. Meanwhile, in the United States, the lexicographer was a man named Noah Webster. Allegedly, he changed how the words were spelled to make the American version different from the British as a way of showing cultural independence from its mother country.

In terms of speech, the differences between American and British English actually took place after the first settlers arrived in America. These groups of people spoke using what was called rhotic speech, where the ‘r’ sounds of words are pronounced. Meanwhile, the higher classes in the UK wanted to distinguish the way they spoke from the common masses by softening their pronunciation of the ‘r’ sounds. Since the elite even back then were considered the standard for being fashionable, other people began to copy their speech, until it eventually became the common way of speaking in the south of England.

Spelling differences

British English		American English
	Examples		Examples
-oe-/-ae-	anaemia, diarrhoea, encyclopaedia	-e-	anemia, diarrhea, encyclopedia
-t	burnt, dreamt, leapt	-ed	burned, dreamed, leaped
ence	defence, offence, licence	-ense	defense, offense, license
-ell-	cancelled, jeweller, marvellous	-el-	canceled, jeweler, marvelous
-ise	appetiser, familiarise, organise	-ize	appetizer, familiarize, organize
-l-	enrol, fulfil, skilful	-ll-	enroll, fulfill, skillfull
-ogue	analogue, monologue, catalogue	-og	analog, monolog, catalog *Note that American English also recognizes words spelled with –ogue
-ou	colour, behaviour, mould	-o	color, behavior, mold)
-re	metre, fibre, centre	-er	meter, fiber, center
-y-	tyre	-i-	tire

Vocabulary differences

British English	American English
trousers	pants
flat	apartment
bonnet (the front of the car)	hood
boot (the back of the car)	trunk
lorry	truck
university	college
holiday	vacation
jumper	sweater
crisps	chips
chips	French fries
trainers	sneakers
fizzy drink	soda
postbox	mailbox
biscuit	cookie
chemist	drugstore
shop	store
football	soccer

Grammar differences

Aside from spelling and vocabulary, there are certain grammar differences between British and American English. For instance, in American English, collective nouns are considered singular (e.g. The band is playing). In contrast, collective nouns can be either singular or plural in British English, although the plural form is most often used (e.g. The band are playing).

The British are also more likely to use formal speech, such as ‘shall’, whereas Americans favor the more informal ‘will’ or ‘should’.   

‘Needn’t’, which is commonly used in British English, is rarely, if at all used in American English. In its place is ‘don’t need to’.

In British English, ‘at’ is the preposition in relation to time and place.
American English, ‘on’ is used instead of the time and ‘in’ for the place.

And now, enjoy some 63 differences with pictures

Useful Websites

To Phonetics 

As you can see in below example for the word "care", you can have 2 different pronunciations. There are good tools in the site whereas you can see the phonetics (the written pronunciation, control the speed of spoken words, and choose the speaker from the given options.

American Pronunciation of the word "care"

British Pronunciation of the word "care"

how many syllables

Ever wondered how to know the number of syllables of a word? This site will help you.

How Many syllables in the word "important"?

References

B. (n.d.). Differences between British and American English | British Council Foundation Indonesia. Retrieved from https://www.britishcouncilfoundation.id/en/english/articles/british-and-american-english

.Frost, J. (2017, January 4). British vs. American English: 63 Differences (Infographic). Retrieved from https://www.grammarcheck.net/british-vs-american-english/

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