This article outlines the differences between American English, the form of the English language spoken in the United States, and Commonwealth English (often called British English). For the purposes of this article: American English is the form of English used by people in the United States and, as a lingua franca or second language, by people in many parts of the world. American English does not include Canadian English; although Canadian pronunciation and vocabulary is very similar to that o ...

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American and British English differences - Pronunciation American and British English differences - Grammar
American and British English differences - Singular and plural for nouns American and British English differences - Use of tenses American and British English differences - Verb morphology American and British English differences - Presence or absence of syntactic elements American and British English differences - Different prepositions in certain contexts American and British English differences - Miscellaneous grammatical differences
American and British English differences - Word derivation and compounds American and British English differences - Lexis
American and British English differences - General trends American and British English differences - Words used only in British English American and British English differences - Words used only in American English American and British English differences - Words with differing meanings American and British English differences - Words which have become archaic in one dialect American and British English differences - Numbers American and British English differences - Levels of buildings American and British English differences - Figures of speech American and British English differences - Business American and British English differences - Education American and British English differences - Transport American and British English differences - Greetings
American and British English differences - Writing
American and British English differences - Spelling American and British English differences - Punctuation American and British English differences - Titles and headlines American and British English differences - Dates
American and British English differences - Keyboards
American and British English differences - Other varieties American and British English differences - Other linguistic topics

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American and British English differences, American and British English differences - Pronunciation, American and British English differences - Grammar, American and British English differences - Singular and plural for nouns, American and British English differences - Use of tenses, American and British English differences - Verb morphology, American and British English differences - Presence or absence of syntactic elements, American and British English differences - Different prepositions in certain contexts, American and British English differences - Miscellaneous grammatical differences, American and British English differences - Word derivation and compounds, American and British English differences - Lexis, American and British English differences - General trends, American and British English differences - Words used only in British English, American and British English differences - Words used only in American English, American and British English differences - Words with differing meanings, American and British English differences - Words which have become archaic in one dialect, American and British English differences - Numbers, American and British English differences - Levels of buildings, American and British English differences - Figures of speech, American and British English differences - Business, American and British English differences - Education, American and British English differences - Transport, American and British English differences - Greetings, American and British English differences - Writing, American and British English differences - Spelling, American and British English differences - Punctuation, American and British English differences - Titles and headlines, American and British English differences - Dates, American and British English differences - Keyboards, American and British English differences - Other varieties, American and British English differences - Other linguistic topics

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Most of the differences are in connection with concepts originating from the nineteenth century to the mid twentieth century, where new words were coined independently; almost the entire vocabularies of the car/automobile and railway/railroad industries (see Rail terminology) are different between Britain and America, for example. Other sources of difference are slang or vulgar terms, where frequent new coinage occurs, and idiomatic phrases, including phrasal verbs. The differences most likely to create confusion are those where the same word or phrase is used for two different concepts. Regional varia ...

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American and British English differences, American and British English differences - Pronunciation, American and British English differences - Grammar, American and British English differences - Singular and plural for nouns, American and British English differences - Use of tenses, American and British English differences - Verb morphology, American and British English differences - Presence or absence of syntactic elements, American and British English differences - Different prepositions in certain contexts, American and British English differences - Miscellaneous grammatical differences, American and British English differences - Word derivation and compounds, American and British English differences - Lexis, American and British English differences - General trends, American and British English differences - Words used only in British English, American and British English differences - Words used only in American English, American and British English differences - Words with differing meanings, American and British English differences - Words which have become archaic in one dialect, American and British English differences - Numbers, American and British English differences - Levels of buildings, American and British English differences - Figures of speech, American and British English differences - Business, American and British English differences - Education, American and British English differences - Transport, American and British English differences - Greetings, American and British English differences - Writing, American and British English differences - Spelling, American and British English differences - Punctuation, American and British English differences - Titles and headlines, American and British English differences - Dates, American and British English differences - Keyboards, American and British English differences - Other varieties, American and British English differences - Other linguistic topics

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The differences in the spellings of British English and American English are as follows: Many of the differences were introduced into the United States by Noah Webster's dictionary; he was a strong proponent of spelling reform for a variety of reasons, both nationalistic and philosophical. There were many advocates of spelling reform in England as well, but the influences of those who preferred the Norman (or French) spellings of certain words proved decisive. Some of the changes in American spelling were largely phonemi ...

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American and British English spelling differences - Spelling and pronunciation American and British English spelling differences - Latin-derived spellings
American and British English spelling differences - -our / -or American and British English spelling differences - -re / -er American and British English spelling differences - -ce / -se American and British English spelling differences - -xion / -ction
American and British English spelling differences - Greek-derived spellings
American and British English spelling differences - -ise / -ize American and British English spelling differences - -ogue / -og American and British English spelling differences - Simplification of ae æ and oe œ
American and British English spelling differences - Common suffixes American and British English spelling differences - Miscellaneous spelling differences

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American and British English pronunciation differences - French stress. For many loanwords from French where AmE has final-syllable stress, BrE stresses an earlier syllable. Such words include: BrE first-syllable stress: adultA2,B2, ballet, baton, beret, bidet, blasé, brevet, brochureB2, buffet, caféA2, chagrin, chaletA2, chauffeurB2, chiffon, c ...

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American and British English pronunciation differences, American and British English pronunciation differences - Accent, American and British English pronunciation differences - Stress, American and British English pronunciation differences - French stress, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ate and -atory, American and British English pronunciation differences - Miscellaneous stress, American and British English pronunciation differences - Affixes, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ary -ery -ory -bury -berry -mony, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ile, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ine, American and British English pronunciation differences - Weak forms, American and British English pronunciation differences - Miscellaneous pronunciation differences, American and British English pronunciation differences - Single differences, American and British English pronunciation differences - Multiple differences

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Main article: American and British English differences American English has both spelling and grammatical differences from British English (or Commonwealth English), some of which were made as part of an attempt to rationalize the English spelling used by British English at the time. Unlike many 20th century language reforms (for example, Turkey's alphabet shift, Norway's spelling reform) the American spelli ...

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American English, American English - History, American English - Phonology, American English - Differences in British English and American English, American English - English words that arose in the U.S., American English - English words obsolete outside the U.S., American English - Regional differences

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American English (AmE) is the dialect of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. It is estimated that approximately two thirds of native speakers of English live in the United States.[1] American English is also sometimes called United States English or U.S. English. American English - History. English was inherited from British colonization. The first wave of English-speak ...

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American English - History American English - Phonology American English - Differences in British English and American English American English - English words that arose in the U.S. American English - English words obsolete outside the U.S. American English - Regional differences

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British English (BrE) is a term used to differentiate the form of the English language used in the United Kingdom from other forms of the English language used elsewhere. It includes all the varieties of English used within Britain, including England, but also Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. It is perhaps important to understand that there is no formal definition of British English other than English as used in Great Britain. As with many other aspects of British culture, the language is governed by convent ...

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British English - -ise versus -ize

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Difference may refer to: Difference in arithmetic: see Subtraction Difference in set theory: see complement and symmetric difference Difference in computing: see Delta encoding Difference on a coat of arms: see Heraldry See also. Comparison Similarity (mathematics) Similarity (psychology) Equality (objects) Equality Other ...

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American and British English pronunciation differences - -ary -ery -ory -bury -berry -mony. Where the syllable preceding -ary,-ery or -ory is stressed, AmE and BrE alike pronounce all these endings /əɹi(ː)/. Where the preceding syllable is unstressed, however, AmE has a full vowel rather than schwa: /ɛɹi/ for -ary and -ery and See also:

American and British English pronunciation differences, American and British English pronunciation differences - Accent, American and British English pronunciation differences - Stress, American and British English pronunciation differences - French stress, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ate and -atory, American and British English pronunciation differences - Miscellaneous stress, American and British English pronunciation differences - Affixes, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ary -ery -ory -bury -berry -mony, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ile, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ine, American and British English pronunciation differences - Weak forms, American and British English pronunciation differences - Miscellaneous pronunciation differences, American and British English pronunciation differences - Single differences, American and British English pronunciation differences - Multiple differences

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African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also called Black English, Black Vernacular, or Black English Vernacular (BEV), is a type of lect (dialect , ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language. It is known colloquially as Ebonics, Ebo, or Jive. With pronunciation that in some respects is common to that of Southern American English, the lect is spoken by many blacks in the United States. AAVE shares many characteristics with various Creole English dialects spoken ...

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African American Vernacular English - History and social context
African American Vernacular English - AAVE as a Creole African American Vernacular English - Educational issues
African American Vernacular English - Grammatical features
African American Vernacular English - Phonological features African American Vernacular English - Aspect marking African American Vernacular English - Negation African American Vernacular English - Lexical features African American Vernacular English - Other grammatical characteristics

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Canadian English is the form of English language used in Canada, spoken as a first or second language by over 25 million – or 85 percent of – Canadians (2001 census). Canadian English spelling is a mixture of American, British, and unique Canadianisms. Canadian vocabulary is similar to American English, but with key differences and local variations. Pronunciation of English in Canada is overall very similar to American pronunciation, which is especially true for Central and Western Canadians. The island of Newfoundland has ...

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Canadian English - Spelling Canadian English - Pronunciation
Canadian English - Other variations
Canadian English - Vocabulary
Canadian English - Britishisms Canadian English - French Loanwords Canadian English - Uniquely Canadian English words Canadian English - Variations between Canadian and American lexicons Canadian English - Chinook Jargon words in British Columbia
Canadian English - Regional variation in pronunciation
Canadian English - Toronto Canadian English - Maritimes Canadian English - Newfoundland Canadian English - Quebec Canadian English - Ontario Canadian English - Prairies Canadian English - British Columbia

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American and British English spelling differences - -our / -or. Many words ending in -or in American English have an additional vowel, u, in Commonwealth English: -our. For example, in American English, one would use color, flavor, honor, whereas in Commonwealth English one would use colour, flavour and honour. In addition, American English uses "o" in derivatives and inflected forms such as favorite, savory, whereas this i ...

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American and British English spelling differences, American and British English spelling differences - Spelling and pronunciation, American and British English spelling differences - Latin-derived spellings, American and British English spelling differences - -our / -or, American and British English spelling differences - -re / -er, American and British English spelling differences - -ce / -se, American and British English spelling differences - -xion / -ction, American and British English spelling differences - Greek-derived spellings, American and British English spelling differences - -ise / -ize, American and British English spelling differences - -ogue / -og, American and British English spelling differences - Simplification of ae æ and oe œ, American and British English spelling differences - Common suffixes, American and British English spelling differences - Miscellaneous spelling differences

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American and British English spelling differences - -ise / -ize. American spelling accepts only colonize, harmonize, and realize. These -ize spellings are sometimes used in the Commonwealth as well, but most Commonwealth writers and publications use colonise, harmonise, and realise instead. Although most authoritative Commonwealth sources, including the Oxford English Dictionary and Fowler's Modern English Usage, prefer -ize, some ...

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American and British English spelling differences, American and British English spelling differences - Spelling and pronunciation, American and British English spelling differences - Latin-derived spellings, American and British English spelling differences - -our / -or, American and British English spelling differences - -re / -er, American and British English spelling differences - -ce / -se, American and British English spelling differences - -xion / -ction, American and British English spelling differences - Greek-derived spellings, American and British English spelling differences - -ise / -ize, American and British English spelling differences - -ogue / -og, American and British English spelling differences - Simplification of ae æ and oe œ, American and British English spelling differences - Common suffixes, American and British English spelling differences - Miscellaneous spelling differences

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Main article: American English regional differences Spoken American English is not homogeneous throughout the country, and various regional and ethnic variants exist. These differences affect both pronunciation and the lexicon, and can make one accent a little difficult for speakers of another accent to understand. General American is the name given to any American accent that is relatively free of noticeable regional influences. It enjoys high prestige among Americans, but is not a standard acc ...

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American English, American English - History, American English - Phonology, American English - Differences in British English and American English, American English - English words that arose in the U.S., American English - English words obsolete outside the U.S., American English - Regional differences

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a sequence or scale between limits a place where shooting is practised an area over which a species of animal or plant is found waterproof rain boot (UK: wellington) ...

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List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - A, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - B, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - C, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - D, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - E, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - F, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - G, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - H, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - I, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - J, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - K, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - L, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - M, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - N, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - O, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - P, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - Q, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - R, List of words having different meanings in British and American English/rewrite - S

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Written English is standardized across the U.S., and in schools abroad specializing in American English, although it differs slightly from the written Commonwealth English used in many other countries across the globe. By contrast, there is some variation in the spoken language. There are numerous recognizable regional variations (such as New York-New Jersey English), particularly in pronunciation, but also in slang vocabulary. Most traditional sources cite General American English (occasionally referred to as Standard MidwesternSee also:

American English regional differences, American English regional differences - General American English, American English regional differences - Eastern New England, American English regional differences - New York City and northern New Jersey, American English regional differences - Mid-Atlantic Region, American English regional differences - Northeastern Pennsylvania, American English regional differences - Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, American English regional differences - Baltimore Maryland, American English regional differences - Pittsburgh, American English regional differences - South, American English regional differences - New Orleans, American English regional differences - Central and South Florida, American English regional differences - Inland North, American English regional differences - The Midland, American English regional differences - Midwest, American English regional differences - North Central American English, American English regional differences - St. Louis and vicinity, American English regional differences - West, American English regional differences - California, American English regional differences - Utah, American English regional differences - Washington, American English regional differences - Hawaii

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Some function words have a weak form in AmE, with a reduced vowel used when the word is unstressed, but always use the full vowel in RP. These include: or [ɚ]; you [jə]; your [jɚ]. On the other hand, the titles Saint and Sir before a person's name have "weak forms" in BrE but not AmE: before vowels, See also:

American and British English pronunciation differences, American and British English pronunciation differences - Accent, American and British English pronunciation differences - Stress, American and British English pronunciation differences - French stress, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ate and -atory, American and British English pronunciation differences - Miscellaneous stress, American and British English pronunciation differences - Affixes, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ary -ery -ory -bury -berry -mony, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ile, American and British English pronunciation differences - -ine, American and British English pronunciation differences - Weak forms, American and British English pronunciation differences - Miscellaneous pronunciation differences, American and British English pronunciation differences - Single differences, American and British English pronunciation differences - Multiple differences

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Main article: Southern American English monophthongization of [aɪ] as [aː], for example, most dialects' "I" → "Ah" in the South. Coastal Southern speech (also some East Coast) is non-rhotic. [e] and [i] merged before nasal consonants, for example "Wendy" becomes "Windy", "pen" becomes "pi ...

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American English regional differences, American English regional differences - General American English, American English regional differences - Eastern New England, American English regional differences - New York City and northern New Jersey, American English regional differences - Mid-Atlantic Region, American English regional differences - Northeastern Pennsylvania, American English regional differences - Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, American English regional differences - Baltimore Maryland, American English regional differences - Pittsburgh, American English regional differences - South, American English regional differences - New Orleans, American English regional differences - Central and South Florida, American English regional differences - Inland North, American English regional differences - The Midland, American English regional differences - Midwest, American English regional differences - North Central American English, American English regional differences - St. Louis and vicinity, American English regional differences - West, American English regional differences - California, American English regional differences - Utah, American English regional differences - Washington, American English regional differences - Hawaii

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American English regional differences - Northeastern Pennsylvania. The dialect of the Wyoming Valley (including Scranton and Wilkes-Barre) is informally known as "Hayna Valley English". American English regional differences - Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. Main article: Philadelphia accent The accent of Philadelphia and nearby parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, is probably the original ancestor of General American. It is ...

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American English regional differences, American English regional differences - General American English, American English regional differences - Eastern New England, American English regional differences - New York City and northern New Jersey, American English regional differences - Mid-Atlantic Region, American English regional differences - Northeastern Pennsylvania, American English regional differences - Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, American English regional differences - Baltimore Maryland, American English regional differences - Pittsburgh, American English regional differences - South, American English regional differences - New Orleans, American English regional differences - Central and South Florida, American English regional differences - Inland North, American English regional differences - The Midland, American English regional differences - Midwest, American English regional differences - North Central American English, American English regional differences - St. Louis and vicinity, American English regional differences - West, American English regional differences - California, American English regional differences - Utah, American English regional differences - Washington, American English regional differences - Hawaii

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