C7.1 British vs. American English Differences

English consists of British English and American English. While there are many differences, they are mostly minor and generally do not affect understanding the meaning of a word or phrase.

If you are visiting the UK for the first time, you will find that floor numbering is different—especially when pressing elevator buttons. The buttons in UK elevators differ from those in China and also from those in the US. These differences are part of the distinctions between British English and American English.

As shown in the picture below, the left side shows the first, second, and third floors in American English, while the right side shows the first, second, and third floors in British English. Note that in British English, the first floor at ground level is called the Ground floor—different from the "first floor" we are familiar with in China. In other words, the "First floor" in British English corresponds to the "Second floor" in American English, and the "Second floor" in American English is the "Third floor" in British English.

You must be wondering why there are both British English and American English!

It’s said that one of the reasons dates back to a conscious decision during the compilation of the first English dictionaries in the 19th century. Compilers of American English dictionaries simplified some words and adjusted others based on their own perspectives, distinguishing American English from British English and establishing slightly different linguistic forms.

In particular, an American named Noah Webster believed at the time that the letter "u" was unnecessary, redundant, and somewhat outdated. To make American English more unique, give it a distinct style, and create a language of its own, Webster removed the redundant "u" from words in his dictionary and replaced "re" with "er". For example, "center" in American English corresponds to "centre" in British English, and "theater" matches "theatre", among others.

Over time, some English usages have gradually changed with usage habits. For instance, "needn’t" is commonly used in British English but rarely in American English—Americans tend to use "don’t need to" instead.

Both British English and American English are correct; their spellings and usages are all acceptable. Generally speaking, British English is the standard dialect for both spoken and written English in the UK. While both are usable, it’s important not to mix them in essays or written exams, as this may result in marks being deducted. In other words, if you use British spelling throughout, avoid switching to American spelling.

So, what are the specific differences between American English and British English?

1. Pronunciation Differences

In fact, any language may have different accents in different regions, meaning slight pronunciation variations—but these rarely hinder English communication. Key features of British pronunciation include pronouncing "TH" as "F" and omitting "H" at the start of words (e.g., using "oliday" instead of "holiday"). Londoners also use a specially crafted form of rhyming slang. Americans usually pronounce every "r" in a word, while Britons often only pronounce the first "r".

2. Spelling Differences

中文	英式英语 British    English	美式英语 American    English	拼写规则
颜色	colour	color	our →  or
荣誉	honour	honor	our   →  or
劳动	labour	labor	our   →  or
中心	centre	center	re   →  er
剧院	theatre	theater	re   →  er
米/公尺	metre	meter	re   →  er
旅行	travelling	traveling	ll    →  l
顾问	counsellor	counselor	ll    →  l
辩护	defence	defense	ence →  ense
执照	licence	license	ence →  ense
目录	catalogue	catalog	ogue →  og
对话	dialogue	dialog	ogue →  og
识别	recognise	recognize	ise →  ize
组织	organise	organize	ise →  ize
分析	analyse	analyze	yse →  yze
实践(名词)	practice	practice	ce/ se 统一
实践(动词)	practise	practice	ce/ se 统一
百科全书	encyclopaedia	encyclopedia	ae    →  e
儿科	paediatric	pediatric	ae    →  e
飞机	aeroplane	airplane	aero  → air
支票	cheque	check	que   →  ck
灰色	grey	gray	ey → ay

 

3、Vocabulary Differences

	British    English 英式英语	American    English 美式英语	例句
交通出行
汽油	petrol	gas / gasoline	I need to fill up with petrol/gas.
高速公路	motorway	highway/freeway	Take the motorway/highway to   London.
后备箱	boot	trunk	Put the luggage in the boot/trunk.
引擎盖	bonnet	hood	Check the oil under the bonnet/hood.
卡车	lorry	truck	A long lorry/truck passed   by.
地铁	underground / tube	subway	We took the tube/subway to   the city center.
人行道	pavement	sidewalk	Don't cycle on the pavement/sidewalk.
斑马线	zebra crossing	crosswalk	Cross at the zebra   crossing/crosswalk.
日常生活
公寓	flat	apartment	I rent a flat/apartment in   the city.
电梯	lift	elevator	Take the lift/elevator to   the 5th floor.
一楼	ground floor	first floor	英式的一楼是美式的二楼
垃圾	rubbish	trash / garbage	Throw it in the rubbish/trash bin.
垃圾桶	rubbish bin	trash can	Please   throw the empty bottle in the trash can/ rubbish bin
水龙头	tap	faucet	The tap/faucet is   dripping.
手电筒	torch	flashlight	You'll need a torch/flashlight at   night.
排队	queue	line	We had to queue/line up for   tickets.
假期	holiday	vacation	We're on holiday/vacation.
食物餐饮
薯条	chips	French fries	I'd like fish and chips/French   fries.
薯片	crisps	chips	A bag of crisps/chips.
饼干	biscuit	cookie	Would you like a biscuit/cookie?
糖果	sweets	candy	Eating too many sweets/candy is   bad for your teeth.
开胃菜	starter	appetizer	For starter/appetizer, I'll   have the soup.
外卖	takeaway	takeout	Let's get a takeaway/takeout tonight.
茄子	aubergine	eggplant	I   bought a fresh eggplant/ aubergine
西葫芦	courgette	zucchini	I'm   growing zucchini/courgettes in my garden
服装穿搭
裤子	trousers	pants	He wore   blue pants/ trousers. Pants英式=内裤；美式=裤子
内裤	pants/ underpants	underwear	He   bought new underwear/ underpants
套头衫	jumper	sweater	She was wearing a blue jumper/sweater.
运动鞋	trainers	sneakers	I bought a new pair of trainers/sneakers.
背心	waistcoat	vest	It's just a plain white vest/ waistcoat.   Vest英式 = 汗衫/内衣；美式=穿在西装外的马甲
尿布	nappy	diaper	The baby needs a clean nappy/diaper.
其他常用
电影	film	movie	Have you seen this film/movie?
电影院	cinema	movie theater	Let's go to the cinema/movies.
足球	football	soccer	He loves playing football/soccer.
简历	CV	resume	Please send us your CV/resume
橡皮	rubber	eraser	Can I borrow your rubber/eraser? 在美式英语中，rubber 口语上一般意思是避孕套。
时间表	Timetable	Schedule	Check the train timetable/ Schedule
创可贴	plaster	Band Aid	She put   a plaster/ Band Aid on the cut. Band Aid 是品牌名，已被广泛使用。

 

4、Preposition Differences

中文	美式英语 American    English	英式英语 British    English	例句对比
时间（周末）	on the   weekend	at the   weekend	美：What are you doing on the   weekend? 英：What are you doing at the   weekend?
时间（一段时间）	through Friday	till/to Friday	美：I'll be away through Friday.   (直到周五结束) 英：I'll be away till Friday.   (直到周五)
地点（在团队里）	on a   team	in a   team	美：She's on the soccer   team. 英：She's in the football   team.
地点（在街上）	on the   street	in the   street	美：I saw him on Main   Street. 英：I saw him in the High   Street. 美式也用 "in the street" 指"在马路中央"。
地点（写信给）	write to someone	write someone (省略to)	美：I'll write to you   soon. 英：I'll write you soon. 美式两种都可，但 "write to" 更正式。
时间（周一至五）	Monday through Friday	Monday to Friday	美：The office is open Monday through Friday. 英：The office is open Monday to Friday.
其他（与…不同）	different from   (also "than")	different from/to	美：You look different from your   sister. 英：You look different to your   sister. 美式 "different than" 也很常见。
其他（填表）	fill out a form	fill in a form	美：Please fill out this   application. 英：Please fill in this   application.
其他（见面）	meet with someone	meet someone	美：Let's meet with the   clients. 英：Let's meet the clients.

 

5、Simple Past Tense and Present Perfect Tense

	美式英语 American    English	英式英语 British    English
拥有/关联	I lost my key.	I've lost my key.	英式：钥匙丢了，现在还没找到，影响了现在（进不去门）。 美式：常用一般过去时描述这个事实。
经历	Did you eat yet?	Have you eaten yet?	英式："你吃过了吗？" 关心的是你现在是否饿。 美式："你（刚才）吃了吗？" "Did you eat?" 非常普遍。
刚刚发生	He just arrived.	He has just arrived.	英式：必须与 "have" 连用。 美式："just" 常与一般过去时连用。
副词 "already"/"yet"	I already saw that   movie.   Did you finish yet?	I have already seen that   movie.   Have you finished yet?	英式：这些副词通常与现在完成时连用。 美式：常与一般过去时连用。

 

6、The past participle of "get"

	美式英语American English	英式英语British English
	gotten (常用)	got (几乎唯一形式)
表示"获得/得到"	I've gotten a new car. (我得到了一辆新车。)	I've got a new car.(我得到了一辆新车。)
表示"拥有"	I've got a new car. (我有一辆新车。)	I've got a new car.(我有一辆新车。)
表示"变得/成为"	It has gotten much   colder. (天气变得冷多了。)	It has got much colder. (天气变得冷多了。) 但更常用：It has   become much colder.
表示"必须"	I've got to go now. (我必须走了。)	I've got to go now. (我必须走了。)

 

7、Collective Nouns: Singular or Plural?

名词类型	中文	美式英语 (视为单数)	英式英语 (常视为复数)
集合名词	团队	The team is playing   well.	The team are playing   well.
	公司	Apple has released a new   phone.	Apple have released a   new phone.
	政府	The government is debating   the law.	The government are debating   the law.
	家庭	My family is large. (指整体)	My family are lovely. (指家人们)
机构名称	乐队/组合	Coldplay is on tour.	Coldplay are on tour.
	运动队	England is a strong   team. (指队伍实体)	England are winning the   match. (指场上队员)

 

8、Regular Verbs or Irregular Verbs?

动词原形	中文	美式英语	英式英语
learn	学习	learned	learned / learnt	美式只用 ed 结尾。英式 ed 和 t 结尾通用，但 t 结尾更传统常见。
burn	燃烧	burned	burned / burnt	同上。
dream	做梦	dreamed	dreamed / dreamt	同上。
spell	拼写	spelled	spelled / spelt	同上。
spill	溅出	spilled	spilled / spilt	同上。
smell	闻	smelled	smelled / smelt	同上。
dive	跳水	dived / dove	dived	这是少数美式英语更不规则的例子。美式英语中 dove 非常普遍。英式英语几乎只用 dived。
get	得到	gotten (作为过去分词)	got	这是最著名的区别之一。美式英语用 gotten 表示"得到"或"变得"，用 got 表示"拥有"。英式英语在所有情况下都用 got。
quit / fit	退出 / 适合	quit, fit	quitted, fitted	美式英语倾向于使用不规则形式（与原形同形）。英式英语则使用规则的 ed 结尾。

 

In short, as the most widely used second language in the world, English is flexible and versatile. Many countries speak English, so there are numerous accents, and English also evolves over time and with changing circumstances.

Both British English and American English are suitable for communication—you just need to pay attention when writing. Modern versions of Word can automatically detect whether you’re using British or American English. If you want to write in British English, select "English (United Kingdom)"; otherwise, choose "English (United States)" for American English. These options represent British English and American English respectively, as shown in the picture below: