British English and American English have significantly different vocabulary and usage. There are different words for the same concept, or the same word has different meanings. More than a thousand words have different meanings or
usages in British and American English. Here are some of the more common words used differently:
|
British English
 |
American English
 |
Bulgarian
 |
| autumn |
fall ("autumn" is used, but only informal or poetic language) |
|
| aerial (radio/TV) |
antenna |
|
- angry
- mad |
- mad
- crazy |
- ,
- , |
| banger, sausage |
sausage |
, ; |
| barrister/solicitor |
attorney, lawyer |
|
| bath |
bathtub, tub |
|
| bill (restaurant) |
check |
( ) |
| biscuit |
cookie, cracker |
|
| block of flats |
apartment house/building |
|
| booking |
reservation |
|
| boot |
trunk (of a car) |
|
| bonnet |
hood (of a car) |
( ) |
| braces (to hold up trousers) |
suspenders (mens) |
|
| car |
automobile, car |
|
| car park |
parking lot |
|
| caravan |
trailer |
( ), |
| chap |
guy, man, boy |
. , |
| chemist's |
drugstore |
|
| chemist |
pharmacist |
, |
| chest of drawers |
dresser/bureau |
|
| chips |
(French) fries |
( ) |
| cigarette |
cigarette or cigaret |
|
| cinema |
movie theater |
|
| city centre |
downtown |
, |
| class, form |
- grade (school levels 1st - 12th)
- class (top 4 levels 9th - 12th = freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) |
( ) |
| clothes peg |
clothespin |
|
| crisps |
potato chips |
( ) |
| crossroads |
intersection |
, |
| cooker |
stove |
|
| cupboard |
closet |
(closet - . ) |
| curtains |
drapes |
, |
| curriculum vitae, CV |
resume |
|
| diary (personal account) |
journal, diary |
|
| dressing gown |
robe |
|
| driving licence (c for noun, s for verb) |
driver's license (s for noun or verb) |
|
| dummy (for babies) |
pacifier |
|
| bath gown |
bath robe |
|
| engine |
motor |
; |
| estate agent |
realtor |
|
| film |
movie |
|
| fizzy drink |
pop, soda, coke |
|
| flat ('apartment' is sometimes used in formal written documents) |
apartment |
|
| flyover |
overpass |
|
| floor |
storey |
|
| football |
soccer |
|
| fortnight |
two weeks |
|
| foyer |
lobby/foyer |
( .) |
| full stop (punctuation) |
period |
. |
| fringe |
bangs |
|
| garden |
yard |
|
| gas |
fossil fuel in gaseous state used to heat & cook |
( ) |
| gaol, prison, jail |
prison, jail, penitentiary, pokey |
, |
| grill |
broil |
|
| ground floor |
first floor |
|
| gear-lever |
gear shift |
|
| handbag |
purse |
() |
| hand brake |
parking brake, emergency brake |
|
| headmaster, headmistress, head teacher |
principal |
( , ) |
| high school, secondary school, comprehensive school |
high school (junior high, senior high) |
, |
| holiday |
vacation |
, |
| hire (hire a car) |
rent (rent a car) |
( ) |
| hoover (noun and verb) |
vacuum (noun and verb) vacuum cleaner (noun) |
|
|
|
| jab (injection) |
shot |
|
| jelly |
Jell-O, gelatin |
, |
| jam |
jelly |
, |
| jumper |
sweater |
|
| ladybird |
ladybug |
|
| luggage |
baggage, luggage |
|
| lift |
elevator |
|
| lorry |
truck |
|
| maize |
corn |
|
| mackintosh, raincoat |
raincoat |
|
| managing director |
chief executive officer (CEO) |
|
| marks |
grades |
, (.) |
| motorway |
freeway |
, |
| mince |
chopped beef |
, |
| mobile phone |
cell(ular) phone |
|
| nappy |
diaper |
|
| pavement |
sidewalk |
|
- petrol
- filling station |
- gas, gasoline
- gas station |
-
- |
| plimsolls, trainers, pumps |
sneakers |
; |
| postal code |
zip code |
|
| postman |
mailman |
|
| pram (perambulator) |
baby carriage/(baby) buggy |
|
| property |
real estate |
|
| pocket money |
allowance |
|
- public school (in England, an expensive type of private school)
- state school (or council school) |
- private school
- public school |
-
- () |
| primary school |
elementary school |
/ |
| pudding/dessert |
dessert |
|
| reception (hotel) |
front desk |
|
| receptionist |
desk clerk |
|
| ring up/phone |
call/phone |
/ |
| row |
argument |
, |
| rubber |
eraser (rubber means condom in the US) |
, |
| rubbish |
garbage (or trash) |
; , |
| rucksack |
backpack/backbag |
|
| serviette |
napkin |
|
| stockholder |
shareholder |
|
| sweets |
candy |
|
| queue |
line |
( , .) |
| shop |
store |
|
| starter, entree |
appetizer |
, |
| single ticket |
one-way ticket |
|
| surname (British preferred) |
last name (American preferred) |
|
| surgery |
doctor's/dentist's office (surgery means operating room in the US) |
/
(surgery ) |
| tap |
faucet |
; ; |
| taxi |
cab, taxi |
|
| term |
semester (or quarter) |
, |
| tights |
pantihose |
|
| timetable |
schedule |
, |
| tin |
can |
, |
| toilet, lavatory, W.C., loo |
bathroom, restroom, washroom, john |
, |
| torch |
flashlight |
|
| trousers |
pants |
|
| tube, underground |
subway |
, |
| vest |
undershirt |
, |
| waistcoat |
vest |
|
| wallet |
wallet, billfold |
( ) |
| wedding ring |
wedding band/ring |
, |
| windscreen |
windshield |
( ) |
| zebra crossing |
pedestrian crossing |
|
| zip |
zipper |
|
| zed |
the letter zee (Z) |
Z |
|
