Britain introduced the English language to the Americas during the 16th century. Over time, the American version of English changed significantly. In the United Kingdom, London-based scholars compiled a dictionary. The United States was not left out either. As a way of expressing cultural differences from her mother country, Noah Webster, a lexicographer changed how the words were spelt in the USA.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- 1 British English vs. American English – In a Nutshell
- 2 British English vs American English: Definition
- 3 Overview of British English vs. American English articles
- 4 The reason why BE and AE differ
- 5 Differences British English vs American English
- 6 What’s important to consider
- 7 British English vs American English - FAQ
British English vs. American English – In a Nutshell
You will find many similarities when comparing British English vs. American English. However, the two have a wide array of differences. This means that using one pronunciation instead in place of the other will guarantee a miscommunication. That said, Brits and Americans communicate and share media without many issues.
British English vs American English: Definition
When differentiating British English vs American English, even Brits are caught out occasionally. The main difference between American and British English is that American spellings are mainly based on how the word is pronounced. On the other hand, British English maintains spelling of words as absorbed from other languages for instance Germany and English.
Overview of British English vs. American English articles
aaeon or aeon
aaesthetic or aesthetic
aluminium or aluminium
anaemia or anaemia
anaesthesia or anaesthesia
annexe or annex
apologise or apologise
appal or appal
armour or armour
behaviour or behaviour
burnt or burnt
cancelled or cancelled
catalogueue or catalogue
center or centre
color or colour
counsellor or counsellor
defence or defence
demeanour or demeanour
dialogueue or dialogue
distil or distil
dreamt or dreamt
endeavour or endeavour
enrol or enrol
favour or favour
favourite or favourite
flavour or flavour
fuelled or fuelled
fulfil or fulfil
glycerinee or glycerine
gramme or gram
gray or grey
grille or grill
honouror honour
humour or humour
instalment or instalment
instil or instil
judgment or judgment
kneeled or knelt
labelled or labelled
labour or labour
learned or learnt
litre or litre
manoeuvre or manoeuvre
maximise or maximise
meter or metre
modelling or modelling
offence or offence
organisation or organisation
pretence or pretence
programme or program
realise or realise
recognise or recognise
skilful or skilful
smelled or smelt
spelt or spelled
theatre or theatre
tonne or ton
travelling or travelling
tyre or tyre
The reason why BE and AE differ
English learners in New York might find their accent different from other learners in London. Wondering why? Read on!
Difference in American spelling came as form of protest
The American dictionary differs from the British dictionary because they were written by different authors with diverse perspectives on language. The UK dictionary was compiled by learners whose goal was to gather all known English words. On the other hand, the main aim of the author of the American dictionary was to show American independence from British rule.
American English drops words completely
Another difference between American and British English is in the way Americans drop words from sentences. For instance, an American will say “I’ll write them” when saying they will write a letter to somaeone. Similarly, when asked to go for shopping, they are likely to say, “I will”. This is contrary to a Brit, as they would include all the essential words. For example, “I’ll write to you” or “I will go”.
Both borrowed words from different languages
The difference between American and British English also results from the adoption of words from different languages. For example, the British derive the word ‘coriander’ from the French language while American derived the word ‘cilantro’ from the Spanish language. As a leaner of British English and American English, the important thing is to remember the country you are studying in and know the origin of their words.
British English can be closely compared to french
France invaded British in the 11th century and made the French language mandatory in universities, schools, courts and even upper classes. After the invasion, the language did not stick around but instead changed into Middle English. Meanwhile Americans had settled across the Atlantic and hence, didn’t take part in the evolvement. As a result, British English has extra linguistic similarities to French in comparison to the American English.
Differences British English vs American English
British English vs American English spelling
British English and American English have some differences in spelling that learners should be keen on. Here are some common examples:
-
Verbs:
UK English US English Apologise apologise Organise organise Recognise recognise Analyse analyse - Past tense verbs:
-
Nouns:
UK English US English Humour humour Labour labour Colour Color Flavour flavour -
Adjectives:
UK English US English Favourite favourite Colourful Colorful Honourable Honorable
Punctuation
Most learners are aware of the grammar and spelling differences when comparing British English vs American English. But are you aware of the punctuation difference between American and British English? Let’s take a look.
Quotation Marks
One key difference between British English and American English is in relation to quotations. It covers two separate issues:
- Whether to favour ‘single’ or “double” quotation marks
- Whether to punctuate outside or inside quotation marks
In American English, you should use double quotation marks on the main quote. Subsequently, you should use single quote marks for a quote found within a quote. It’s the exact opposite in British language.
Example:
- AE:
“heard him shout ‘Duck’ loudly”
- BE:
‘heard him shout “Duck” loudly’
Additionally, American English has punctuation rules that require all periods and commas to be given inside quotation marks. BE however, places punctuation marks within the quotation marks only if it’s part of the original text.
Examples:
- AE:
“He suffered headaches,”
- BE:
‘He suffered headaches’,
The Oxford/Serial Comma
Another difference between British English vs American English is in the use of commas. The Oxford comma is placed afore the last item in a list consisting of three or more things. In American English the oxford comma is used as standard.
- In American English, you would punctuate a sentence as follows:
Mother bought cups, plates, and spoons.
- In British English, you omit the final comma. In an example:
Mother bought cups, plates and spoons.
British English vs American English periods after titles
In American English, you place a period after titles which British English doesn’t require.
Examples:
- AE:
Mr. Hughes walked home.
- BE:
Mr Hughes walked home.
Verb conjunction in British English vs American English
Verb conjunction denotes how verb changes to show a dissimilar tense, mood, number or person.
| American English | British English |
| Treats collective nouns as singular Example: the team is going to lose, the coach decided |
Treats collective nouns as plural Example: the team are going to win, the coach decided |
| Verbs take -ed endings for past participles and simple past tense. Example: learn - learned |
Verbs take -ed endings for past participles and simple past tense but on this case have more exceptions Example: learn - learnt |
Abbreviations
There is also contrast in British English vs American English when it comes to how to use periods in abbreviations.
| American English | British English |
| Abbreviation tittles take a period Example 1: Mister to Mr. Example 2: Honorable to Hon. |
Abbreviations take period only when the abbreviation doesn’t end with the last letter of the abbreviated word Example 1: Mister to Mr Example 2: Honourable to Hon. |
What’s important to consider
When comparing British English vs American English, you will get different grammar and spelling rules, votaxiularies and accents. The important thing is to ensure that you can communicate adequately. Who is your audience? What version of English do they speak? These are two vital questions to consider when making official communication. But in the long run, all English speakers understand each other. Both Americans and Brits work together, read each other news, and even watch the same movies.
British English vs American English - FAQ
The main difference between American and British English is in spelling. The accent is also different and will even vary across the USA. Another key difference between the two versions of English is in the punctuation. For example, in American English, you don’t have to place commas after the second-last item in a list. In American English, you would be required to place the Oxford comma at the end of the second-last item of the list.
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Differences between British English and American English came as a result of American protest to show independence from the British rule. When the USA gained independence, they wanted to feel like they were separated from Britain, and this led to the creation of new spellings and other differences in language. As the years passed the two countries adapted different cultural influences and hence, evolved some words. US English has mostly been influenced by Spanish, while American English has been influenced by French.
Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in the 15th century. Later in the 16th century, British people would settle in the present-day USA region, and they ended up introducing their language to the place. Since then, the language has evolved significantly and has become quite different from British English.
British English and American English are extremely similar and hence they are both equally simple to study. When learning American or British English, your teacher is likely to point out differences between the two versions of the language. You can also use tools like Grammarly or Microsoft Word to determine whether you are using the right version of English.
As noted above, the difference between American and British English is not significant, and hence an American can comfortably communicate with a Brit. Written English is especially easy to understand, regardless of the version the students use. With spoken English, the students may need time to adapt to the different accents.
