American English

The American English Accent
The American English accent differs quite a lot from the British accent, and on this page you will find different resources that will give you an insight into how American English is different from British English - and a little about different regional accents within American English.

The different accents of New York City



Spelling differences between British and American (Source 1)

Words ending in -re

British	US
centre	center
fibre	fiber
litre	liter
theatre	theater or theatre

Words ending in -our

British	US
colour	color
flavour	flavor
humour	humor
labour	labor
neighbour	neighbor

Words ending in -ize ir -ise

British	US
apologize or apologise	apologize
organize or organise	organize
recognize or recognise	recognize

Words ending in -yse

British	US
analyse	analyze
breathalyse	breathalyze
paralyse	paralyze

Words ending in a vowel plus L

British	US
travel	travel
travelled	traveled
travelling	traveling
traveller	traveler

fuel	fuel
fuelled	fueled
fuelling	fueling

Some words spelled with double vowels

British	US
leukaemia	leukemia
manoeuvre	maneuver
oestrogen	estrogen
paediatric	pediatric

Nouns ending with -ence

British	US
defence	defense
licence	license
offence	offense
pretence	pretense

Nouns ending with -ogue

British	US
analogue	analog or analogue
catalogue	catalog or catalogue
dialogue	dialog or dialogue

Differences between American and British terms (Source 2)

British English	American English
action replay	instant replay
aeroplane	airplane
aluminium	aluminum
aniseed	anise
anticlockwise	counterclockwise
aubergine	eggplant
bank holiday	legal holiday
beetroot	beet(s)
bill	check
biscuit	cookie; cracker
blind	(window) shade
bonnet (of a car)	hood
boob tube	tube top
boot (of a car)	trunk
candyfloss	cotton candy
car park	parking lot
casualty	emergency room
catapult	slingshot
chemist	drugstore
chips	French fries
cinema	movie theater; the movies
cling film	plastic wrap
cot	crib
cot death	crib death
crisps	chips; potato chips
diamante	rhinestone
dressing gown	robe; bathrobe
drink-driving	drunk driving
drinks party	cocktail party
driving licence	driver’s license
dual carriageway	divided highway
dummy (for a baby)	pacifier
dustbin	garbage can
engaged (of a phone)	busy
estate car	station wagon
first floor	second floor
fish finger	fish stick
fitted carpet	wall-to-wall carpeting
flat	apartment
football	soccer
footway	sidewalk
full stop (punctuation)	period
garden	yard; lawn
gear lever	gearshift
goods train	freight train
grill (noun)	broiler
grill (verb)	broil
ground floor	first floor
hoarding	billboard
holiday	vacation
homely	homey
in hospital	in the hospital
ice lolly	Popsicle (trademark)
indicator (on a car)	turn signal
jumper	sweater
junior school	elementary school
kennel	doghouse
lift	elevator
lolly	Popsicle (trademark)
loo (toilet)	john
maize	corn
maths	math
mobile phone	cell phone
motorway	expressway; highway
mum/mummy	mom/mommy
nappy	diaper
number plate	license plate
oven glove	oven mitt
pavement	sidewalk
pedestrian crossing	crosswalk
petrol	gas; gasoline
polo neck	turtleneck
positive discrimination	reverse discrimination
postbox	mailbox
postcode	zip code
potato crisp	potato chip
power point	electrical outlet
pram	baby carriage; stroller
press-up	pushup
public school	private school
public transport	public transportation
pushchair	stroller
queue	line
railway	railroad
registration plate	license plate
roundabout (at a fair)	carousel
roundabout (in road)	traffic circle
rowing boat	rowboat
sailing boat	sailboat
shopping trolley	shopping cart
sledge	sled
solicitor	lawyer
soya/soya bean	soy/soybean
starter	appetizer
state school	public school
sweet(s)	candy
takeaway (food)	takeout; to go
terrace house	row house
tights	pantyhose
timber	lumber
touch wood	knock on wood
trainers	sneakers
trolley	shopping cart
underground	subway
vest	undershirt
wagon (on a train)	car
waistcoat	vest
wardrobe	closet
zebra crossing	crosswalk
zed (letter Z)	zee
zip	zipper

Sources:
Source 1:
http://oxforddictionaries.com/page/spellingbritamericanspell?view=uk
Source 2:
http://oxforddictionaries.com/page/britishoramerican/british-and-american-terms