British English vs. American English – The Differences

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.

Due to English being a dynamic and evolving language, there are also divergences in vocabulary where two nouns or adjectives share the same meaning. This unique phenomenon can confuse many native speakers and English learners, which is why we have written articles regarding this vocabulary divergence. The list below will keep getting updated, so check back often to stay informed.

The reason BE and AE differ

English learners in New York might find their accent different from other learners in London. Have you wondered why? Please continue reading.

Differences as a 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 version of the 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 the British rules.

Americans drops entire words

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 someone. 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 versions borrowed words from different languages

The difference between American and British English also results from the adoption of words from different languages. For instance, the British derive the word “coriander” from the French language while Americans picked up the word “cilantro” from the Spanish language. As a leaner of British English and American English, the most 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 of British English vs. American English

There are numerous differences between British English and American English. Both will be thoroughly depicted below, along with examples.

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	Apologize
  Organise	Organize
  Recognise	Recognize
  Analyse	Analyze

• Past tense verbs:

  UK English	US English
  Burnt	Burned
  Smelt	Smelled
  Spilt	Spilled
  Cancelled	Canceled

• Nouns:

  UK English	US English
  Humour	Humor
  Labour	Labor
  Colour	Color
  Flavour	Flavor

• Adjectives:

  UK English	US English
  Favourite	Favorite
  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 differences that exist 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 favor ‘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 opposite in British English.

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.

Abbreviations

There is also a disparity in British English vs. American English when it comes to how to use periods in abbreviations.

What’s important to consider

When comparing British English vs. American English, you will get different grammar and spelling rules, vocabularies 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 eventually, all English speakers understand each other. Both Americans and Brits work together, read each other’s news, and even watch the same movies.