USA Versus UK English

A worksheet by Viv Quarry (www.vivquarry.com)

In formal written English there are virtually no differences between British and American English and it is often impossible to tell if a document was written in Britain or the United States. However, in spoken English the differences become clear, primarily through accent, and then through the various features listed below:

The differences between British and American English can summarized in the following four categories:

1. Grammatical differences

2. Differences in pronunciation

3. Spelling differences

4. Differences in vocabulary

1. Grammatical differences

• In American English the simple past is often preferred where the present perfect would be used in Britain - particularly when giving news of recent events.

(US) He just went home (UK) He's just gone home.

• Americans use 'have sth' for states and actions, while in British English 'have got sth' is used for states like possession, illness and relationships.

(US) Do you have a problem? (UK) Have you got a problem?

• The past participle of 'got' in American English is 'gotten'. In British English, the past participle is the same as the past form.

(US) She's just gotten a raise . (UK) She's just got a raise.

burn, dream, lean, learn, smell, spell, spill and spoil are regular in American English, but often spelt ending in a 't' in British English in both the past and past participle forms.

(US) burned, dreamed, leaned, learned, smelled, spelled, spilled and spoiled.

(UK) burnt, dreamt, leant, learnt, smelt, spelt, spilt and spoilt

fit, quit and wet are regular in British English, but in American English past and past participle forms are the same as the infinitive.

(US) He fit the new carpet (UK) He fitted the new carpet

Other verbs which are different are:

Infinitive		Past		Past participle

(US) wake		waked		waked

(UK) wake		woke		woken

(US) dive		  dove		dived

(UK) dive		  dived		dived

• 'In informal American English 'already' can be used in questions. British English uses 'yet'.

(US) Have you done it already? (UK) Have you done it yet?

• In informal American English, adverbs are sometimes used without the 'ly' ending.

(US) He looked at me real strange. (UK) He looked at me really strangely.

2. Differences in pronunciation

The differences in pronunciation between Britain and America can only be generalized as there are many different regional accents in both countries. Nevertheless, here are some of the main differences between standard British and American English

• Stressed vowel sounds are usually lengthened in American English.

(US) hello /halaow/ (UK) hello /halow/

• Vowels are often nasalized in American English (air comes out through the nose and mouth at the same time).

(US) mummy /mmaaimmi/ (UK) mummy /mumi/

• The /o/ sound is pronounced more like an /a/ sound in American English, and the /a/ sound is usually pronounced using the back of the mouth in British English and the front of the mouth in American English.

(US) pot /part/ (UK) pot /pot/

(US) can't /cairnt/, fast /fairst/, glass /glairs/, staff /stairf/, after /airfta/, example /egzairmpl/

(UK) can't /carnt/, fast /farst/, glass /glars/, staff /starf/, after /arfta/, example /egzampl/

• In American English 't' in middle position is often pronounced as a 'd'.

(US) writer /rida/ (UK) writer /raita/

• In British English, 'r' is only pronounced before a vowel. In American English it is pronounced in all positions

(US) car /kair/, turn /teurn/, offer /arfur/ (UK) car /ku/, turn /tun/, after /arfta/

• Before 'u' and 'ew', the British pronounce 'n' as /ñ/, d as /dj/ and 't' as /ch/. Americans pronounce them as they are written.

(US) new /nuw/, duke /dewk/, tune /toown/ (UK) new /ñuw/, duke /djewk/, tune /tchoon/

• Words ending in 'tile' are pronounced /tiyl/ in British English and /til/ in American English.

(US) fertile /fertil/, reptile /reptil/, futile /fewtil/ (UK) fertile /fertiyl/, reptile /reptiyl/

• 'Borough' and 'thorough' are pronounced differently.

(US) borough /burow/, thorough /thurow/ (UK) borough /buruh/, thorough /thuruh/

NOTE! THE WORDS BETWEEN SLASHES (IN BOLD) ARE WRITTEN PHONETICALLY AND ARE NOT SPELT CORRECTLY!

3. Spelling differences

• In American English final 'l' is not usually doubled if it is not stressed.

(US) traveler, leveling (UK) traveller, levelling

• Some words end in 'ter' in American English and 'tre' in British English.

(US) theater, center, meter (UK) theatre, centre, metre

• Some words end in 'or' in American English and 'our' in British English.

(US) labor, honor, color (UK) labour, honour, colour

• Some words end in 'og' in America and 'ogue' in Britain.

(US) catalog, dialog, analog (UK) catalogue, dialogue, analogue

• The common suffix for a verb in the USA is ~ize. In Britain, it can be either ~ize or ~ise.

(US) realize (UK) realize or realise

• Some individual words are spelt differently.

3. Vocabulary differences

• Words which have two distinct meanings in Britain and America.

• Words which mean different things in the USA and the UK.

• Some phrasal verbs and prepositions are different in British an American English

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USA v UK English practice exercise

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