British VS American. 33 Vocabulary Differences

Have you ever wondered how different are  American English and British English? 

Today I’m gonna tell you 33 vocabulary differences 

between American English and British English. They have a huge number of  

words for the same things and today we’re gonna learn them.

Hey guys, I’m Kate, thank  you for joining me today. 

Before we get started talking  about vocabulary differences 

between American English and British English, Please click that subscribe  

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Let’s start with the food and drinks

The first one is A sweet thing made of colored sugar. 

It’s often sold at fairs and festivals. In Britain people call it Candy floss 

in the US American people call it cotton candy.

The second one is drinks that contain dissolved carbon dioxide. 

Americans call them pop drinks or soda and in Great Britain they NEVER  

call it soda or pop, they say Fizzy drinks. 

By the way, I never consume any carbonated drinks because they contain lots of sugar.

Number 3 is 

a kind of bread made of flour that  is partly milled from whole grains.

In the US it’s called whole wheat bread and in Great Britain they usually say Brown bread.

The next one is a type of milk that is about 3.5 percent fat. 

In American English it’s usually called whole milk. In Great Britain it’s full fat milk.

Number 5 is – peppers, 

this is how Americans call it. And British say bell peppers.

The next one is a store  that sells food and products. 

Americans use a grocery store. 

Whereas in Great Britain they  use the supermarket or the shop.

Also the store where you can buy some  alcohol, a bottle of wine or whiskey, 

it’s called ABC STORE in the United States. Alcoholic beverage control states, 

US states controlling the sale  of alcoholic beverages, and 

in the United Kingdom that kind  of stores is called off-licence. 

These are extremely different names.

Number 8 What do you think? 

This is a case of beer in American English. The British call it 24 pack.

This thing is used by  customers at the grocery store, 

where they put the items they wanna buy. In the Us people call it  

shopping cart or just cart. British people say “trolley”. 

Now let’s compare some clothes and footwear Number 10 is a pair of trousers with an  

extra piece of cloth that covers the chest,  

and is held in place by a strap over each shoulder. In American English people use the word overalls. 

And the British say dungarees.

Number eleven. When I go swimming, diving or surfing,  

I put on my…swimsuit

Also Americans say a bathing suit. And one piece is a slang 

word for this type of clothing. British people call it a swimming costume.

Number twelve. There is an interesting word in American English 

to call a type of underwear, with  no sleeves, usually made of cotton, 

that covers the upper part of the body: a wife beater.

When I heard this word for the  first time I was so confused, 

because I understood a literal meaning: a man who beats his wife – a wife beater.

British people call this thing “a vest”.

It often rains in Great Britain and people wear their 

wellies or welly boots,

and when it rains in the US  people put on their rain boots.

Number fourteen. Do you know what  

is this type of open shoes called? In Great Britain they say flip flops,

and in the US they also say flip flops.

The next one is running shoes or sneakers in America,

and trainers in Great Britain. Americans never use trainers.

Number sixteen is a wide road for fast moving traffic. 

In the US it’s highway or interstate, and in British English they NEVER say  

highway or interstate, they say motorway.

The next one is a path with a hard surface on both sides of a road.

In Great Britain people say "pavement". And the Americans say "sidewalk".

Number eighteen is a cover for a bed,  

that is filled with a soft warm material.

In Great Britain it’s called "a duvet", In the US people say "a comforter".

The next one is a set of rooms on one floor of a large building.

In Great Britain people say "a flat", 

And in America everyone calls it "apartment", Americans never say "the flat".

Number twenty is a shop where you can buy medicines. 

In Great Britain it’s a chemist, In the US this is called a drugstore.

When I hear the word "a chemist", I think of a person who studies chemistry, 

or a scientist who works with chemicals. "A drugstore" is more understandable to me.

Number twenty one. Do you know how do Americans call Mc Donalds? 

It depends on the area, but in the most parts of the US

people call it Mickey D’s. In GB people say Mackeys.

The next one is 1 dollar coin – a buck – one buck,  

two bucks, three bucks. And in Great Britain  

they have pounds. A pound is called "a quid".

Number 23. Where would an American go to fill up their car? 

To the gas station, of course, and a Brit would go to a petrol station.

The next one is hair which is cut 

so that it hangs over your forehead. 

British people say "fringe". And Americans use the word "bangs".

Number 25 is a large truck

that is made in two separate sections. In American English it’s called a tractor-trailer, 

and in GB they call it a lorry.

The next word is a party before someone gets married. 

In Great Britain people say a hen do or a stag do, or a hen night.

In America they call it a bachelor party 

for a man who invites only his male friends, 

and a bachelorette party for a woman and her female friends.

The next one is a sofa or a settee in the UK 

and a couch in the United States. In Britain people never use a couch 

when they mean this thing.

Number twenty eight is a large area covered with trees. 

In American English it’s a forest, And the British say the Woods. 

For an American 

the woods sound kind of old-fashioned. They really rarely use this word.

A check or a bill is commonly  used in American English. 

In Britain people say a check. 

But there’s a difference in  meaning in American English: 

A bill is an invoice stating what you have bought and asking for payment. 

A check is a form of payment needed to pay the bill.

Number 30 is small paper tubes filled with tobacco, 

that people smoke: cigarettes, 

smokes or ciggies in American English, And the British also say cigarettes,  

ciggies or fags. They never use smokes.

Please remember that smoking is dangerous.

Americans say bathroom or restroom, which is usually used for public places.

In Great Britain it’s the toilet, and they also often use the slang word the loo.

British people say that a bathroom is a room with a bath and a shower.

This sign means WC "water closet" and is used in many countries, 

but no one really says: "Where is a watercloset?" 

In Great Britain people say “Where is the toilet?” 

Or “Where is the loo?” And in the US people say 

“Where is the bathroom?”. If you ask someone in the US:  

“Where is the toilet?”, it’s gonna sound kind of rude, 

or people would say: “It’s in the bathroom”.

Number 32 is a large building  

where you can leave a car for a period of time. 

It’s a parking garage in the US and a car park in Great Britain.

And the last but not the least one is the last letter in the alphabet. 

Zee in American English, and Zed in British English.

Thank you for watching, guys. I hope this lesson was useful for you and 

now you know vocabulary differences between British and American English. 

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