Differences between US and UK English
-
Dogukan Duman
- August 25, 2023
Your English style should always be consistent throughout the process of writing your research paper, essay, or dissertation. Even though there are more than 160 different English dialects worldwide, American English and British English are known as the most commonly used styles.
- Make sure that you are using the assigned English style that your department determines. If there is no specific request, choose the dialect that you are most comfortable with.
- Microsoft Word can help you using the correct English style throughout your paper. Just follow Review > Language to correct your paper in the right dialect automatically.
History of the difference
American and British English almost completely have similar rules, but there are also vital differences that distinguish them from each other. Let’s take a look at these differences.
Following their independence, Americans fought hard to break their ties with the British. As a result of this effort, pioneered by the famous lexicographer Noah Webster, American English and British English grew apart. Today, there are many differences in spelling, vocabulary, and grammar between the two styles.
Spelling differences
Known as the father of American English, Noah Webster believed that British English was developed under the influence of France. He wanted to transform it to make the words spelled the way they sounded.
One of the most known differences between the two styles, as an example of Webster’s accomplishment, is the letter “u” that can be found in words such as “favorite.” Americans deemed the “u” as an unnecessary element and removed the excess letter from their words.
However, spelling differences in both styles are limited to one or two letters. Here is a table for further information.
| American English | British English |
|---|---|
|
-or (e.g. color, honor, behavior)
|
-our (e.g. colour, honour, behaviour)
|
|
-ize -yze (e.g. materialize, standardize)
|
-ise -yse (e.g. materialise, standardise)
|
|
-er (e.g. theater, center)
|
-re (e.g. theatre, centre)
|
|
-e (e.g. diarrhea, encyclopedia)
|
-oe and -ae (e.g. diarrhoea, encyclopaedia)
|
|
-ense (e.g. offense, license)
|
-ence (e.g. offence, licence)
|
|
-og (e.g. dialog, monolog, analog)
|
-ogue (e.g. dialogue, monologue, analogue)
|
- Although it is not common, the British may use -xion instead of -ction (e.g., connexion instead of connection)
- Americans usually drop -e in word modifications while the British keep it. (e.g., age to aging in American English, and age to ageing in British English)
Here are some commonly used words in academic writing and their different spellings in both styles.
| American English | British English |
|---|---|
|
acknowledgment
|
acknowledgement
|
|
aging |
ageing
|
|
analyse |
analyze
|
|
artifact |
artefact
|
|
behavior |
behaviour
|
|
categorize |
categorise
|
|
capitalize |
capitalise
|
|
channeled |
chanelled
|
|
characterize
|
characterise
|
|
colonize |
colonise
|
|
cooperation |
co-operation
|
|
counselor |
counsellor
|
|
enroll |
enrol
|
|
fiber |
fibre
|
|
fulfill |
fulfil
|
|
globalize |
globalise
|
|
hypothesize
|
hypothesise
|
|
inquire
|
enquire
|
|
legalize |
legalise
|
|
maneuver |
manoeuvre
|
|
mold |
mould
|
|
plow |
plough
|
|
sulfur |
sulphur
|
Grammar differences
There are some small yet significant grammatical differences between American English and British English as well. Word selection for transitions, usage of phrasal verbs, passive voice preferences, and even capitalization rules may differ in extreme cases.
Prepositions (American vs. British English)
-
Through/to
While American English allows using “through” in “Monday through Friday,” the British only uses “to” instead of “through” for the same phrase (see common phrases in writing).
-
On the weekend/at the weekend
Collective nouns
Collective nouns are used to refer to a group of people (e.g., family, government). It is possible to treat these nouns as singular or plural, and the two styles differ in this case as well. While British English often acknowledges collective nouns plural, American English tends to treat them singular. Here are two examples:
| American English | British English |
|---|---|
|
The team is not happy with the result.
|
The team are not happy with the result.
|
Punctuation
There are two differences in punctuation: single and double quotation marks and differences in placing punctuation marks in quotations.
| American English | British English |
|---|---|
|
Use double quotation marks. But use single quotation marks for quotations within quotations.
For example: “He tried to hurt me when he said ‘I don’t care.’"
|
Use single quotation marks. But use double quotation marks for quotations within quotations.
For example: ‘He tried to hurt me when he said “I don’t care”’.
|
|
Place the punctuation mark within the quotation marks.
For example: She said, “I loved it!”
|
Place the punctuation mark outside the quotation marks.
For example: ‘I loved it’, she said.
|
Verb conjugation
The difference strikes in past verb forms (verb tenses) in American and British English.
-
-ed endings:
In American English, verbs usually take -ed endings in past verb forms (e.g. learn to learn, spell to spell, compel to compelled). However, although verbs take -ed endings in British English, there are more exceptions than in American English.
Important
While compel to compelled is the same, spell turns to spellt, and learn turns to learnt.Vocabulary
Although many words are similar in both American and British English, there are some that refer to the same thing yet have a different name. Below is a list of vocabulary differences.
| American English | British English |
|---|---|
|
soccer
|
football
|
|
pants |
trousers |
|
apartment |
flat
|
|
truck |
lorry |
|
vacation |
holiday |
|
sweater |
jumper
|
|
French fries |
chips |
|
mailbox |
postbox |
|
drugstore |
chemist |
|
store |
shop |
|
college |
university |
|
cookie |
biscuit |
|
elevator |
lift |
|
main street |
high street |
|
parking lot |
car park |
Abbreviations and formatting
For American English:
Title abbreviations will take a period (e.g., Doctor to Dr., Association to Assn., Avenue to Ave.)
For British English:
Title abbreviations only take a period if the last letter of the abbreviation is not the last letter of the entire word. (e.g., Doctor to Dr, Association to Assn, but Avenue to Ave.)
Regardless of your format, you should still be careful in your date format to be consistent.
Important
While British English often follows the DD-MM-YYYY format, American English usually follows the MM-DD-YYYY format.Importance of consistency
There are many small yet distinct differences between American and British English, and it is best not to mix different styles in different types of paper. So, always follow the same format throughout your paper!
- The counselor categorised the candidates before the interview. (American English/British English)
- The counselor categorized the candidates before the interview. (American English)
- The counsellor categorised the candidates before the interview. (British English) Use the same spelling for all variations of a word.
- The least favorable team became the most favorite after the victory. (American English)
- The least favourable team became the most favourite after the victory. (British English)
