Business Language Services is based in the UK, so by default we use British English when submitting English-language translations and texts. However, we work for a variety of clients around the world, and are often asked to translate into American English for a US audience. Below are the four main differences between the two variations.
-
Spelling
There are a number of words which are spelt differently in the USA. The table below presents some of the most common differences.
| British English | American English |
| -our, e.g. colour, odour | -or, e.g. color, odor |
| -ise, e.g. publicise | -ize, e.g. publicize |
| -re, e.g. centre, metre | -er, e.g. center, meter |
| -yse, e.g. paralyse | -yze, e.g. paralyze |
| -ae/oe, e.g. paediatrics, coeliac | -e, e.g. pediatrics, celiac |
| -ll, e.g. travelled | -l, e.g. traveled |
| -ogue, e.g. dialogue, analogue | -og, dialog, analog |
-
Vocabulary
There are plenty of words that are simply used differently, or not at all, between the two countries. Below are a few of our favourite examples.
| British English | American English |
| Pants = underwear | Pants = trousers |
| Jelly = wobbly pudding | Jelly = jam |
| Bathroom = room containing a bath | Bathroom = toilets |
| Football = soccer | Football = American football |
| Wrench = sudden, violent pull | Wrench = spanner |
-
Verb use
The distinctions in this category are generally more subtle.
| British English | American English |
| Tendency to use irregular form of past participle, e.g. smelt, spoilt | Tendency to use regular form, e.g. smelled, spoiled |
| Uses past perfect, e.g. He had driven the car. | Uses past simple, e.g. He drove the car. |
| Uses ‘have got’, e.g. I’ve got 2 brothers. | Uses ‘have’, e.g. I have 2 brothers. |
-
Prepositions
In our increasingly globalised world, English is becoming more ‘international’, and many Britons would no longer think twice about hearing or using expressions that a decade ago would have sounded like real Americanisms. However, below are a few that would still raise eyebrows if you got them the wrong way round.
| British English | American English |
| At the weekend | On the weekend |
| Monday to Friday | Monday through Friday |
| Play in a team | Play on a team |
| Enrol on a course | Enrol in a course |
As we’ve shown, there is a multitude of minor – and a few major – differences between British and American English, and it definitely pays to localise your texts to your target audience to avoid miscommunication.
