USA English / UK English 'Dictionary'

"We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language"

- Oscar Wilde, The Canterville Ghost (1887)

"England and America are two countries separated by the same language"

- George Bernard Shaw (or possibly Winston Churchill, opinion differs)

 

 

(Note: this is an ever growing list the longer we live here in the United States, I'm adding to it almost daily).

I've put the American word first, followed by the UK English translation or an explanation.

 

House and Home

Comforter = Duvet (though rather interestingly, you can put a white comforter inside a 'duvet cover')

Nightstand = Bedside Cabinet

Loveseat = 2 seated settee/sofa

Sofa = 3 seated settee

Yard = Garden

Trash/Garbage = Rubbish

Trash can = Waste bin

Plastic wrap = Cling film

Pail = Bucket

 

School/Office

Binder = Folder

Eraser = Rubber

Trash can = Bin

 

Shopping

Shopping cart = Shopping trolley (or simply cart = trolley)

Store = Shop

Ground Floor = 1st Floor

Lobby = Ground Floor

Elevator = Lift

 

Clothing

Pants = Trousers

Intimates = Underwear

Jumper = can be either a pair of dungarees or more commonly a pinafore dress

Sweater = what we Brits call a jumper

Undershirt = Vest

Tennis shoes/Sneakers = Trainers

Pantyhose = flesh coloured tights, in the US 'tights' refers to only to thick coloured tights particularly worn by Robin Hood and Errol Flynn ;)

 

Food

Biscuit = a plain scone, often eaten with sawmill gravy

Cookie = what we Brits call a biscuit!

Sawmill gravy (also just called gravy) = a sort of Béchamel sauce but with tiny bits of meat in it (here's how to make it from the Food Network)

Canadian Bacon = a thin pressed ham

Eggplant = Aubergine

Garbanzo beans = Chickpeas

Cilantro = Coriander leaf (in the USA, coriander refers to the seeds only)

Rutabaga = Swede

Zucchini = Courgette

Scallion = Spring Onion

Napa Cabbage = Chinese Leaf

Jello = Jelly

Jelly = Jam

Powdered sugar = Icing sugar

 

TV and Film

Season = Series

Movie Theater = Cinema

 

Driving and Vehicles

Pavement = the actual road or tarmac

Sidewalk = Pavement

Yellow light = Amber light (on traffic lights)

Stop lights = Traffic lights

Semi = Lorry

Truck = SUV with 4 seats

Pick-up truck = SUV with 2 seats

Mini-van = an MPV or People Carrier

Travel Trailer = Caravan

Windshield = Windscreen

GPS = Sat Nav

 

Medical

Emergency Room = A&E (Accident and Emergency)

Acetaminophen (generic name) usually seen as the brand name Tylenol = Paracetamol (generic name)

Drugstore = Chemists 

Sunscreen = Suncream

 

British words or phrases that Americans just don't understand

Getting 'told off' (when a parent or teacher reprimands you)

Something being 'in bits' or 'bits and pieces'

'Can't be bothered' (not wanting to do something because it doesn't interest you or you're tired)

'The other day' (Americans don't understand this concept at all, they always refer to the specific time, so 'yesterday' or 'last week' or '2 days ago' - they don't have a phrase they use for a short time ago in the past)

'Brilliant' not a word used in a America. It is used by Brits to express that something is excellent. And 'bloody brilliant' is even better (the word 'bloody' as a swear word again is not in use at all in the US). 

 

Symbols

# in Amercia this is a 'pound sign', but it can also be known as a hash

. in America this is a 'period', in the UK it's a 'full stop'

 

Numbers

Much confusion arises over numbers. If you have a number eg. 6950, Americans will say this is "69 hundred 50", Brits will say this is "6 thousand 9 hundred AND 50". It has taken me nearly 2 years to remember that when Americans say something hundred it's actually what I think as something thousand. We Brits like to add an 'AND' somewhere within the big numbers, so 2305 would be "2 THOUSAND 3 HUNDRED AND 5" (I think Americans would simply say "23 hundred 5". This difference was 'great fun' when we were moving house and caused lots of confusion.

Nought - say this for 0 if you really want to confuse an American, they have no idea what nought is, and instead use the word zero.