While English is the national language of both the USA and UK, the dialects are considerably different. In addition to the vocabulary differences described below, sentence construction is also different. Brits tend to end their thoughts with rhetorical questions. For example, "It's been a nice day, hasn't it?" Get a head start on acclimating by learning the lingo below and you'll be in tip top shape when you arrive.
British | American | Comments |
|---|---|---|
Advance slip | ATM receipt | |
Are you alright? | How are you? | When said, it sounds like "yaw-eye." |
| Biscuit | Cookie | The American biscuit is a mystery to the English. At KFC, fried chicken is served with french fries. People think American biscuits=scones. |
Bloke | Guy | |
| Brilliant | Great | |
| Can do | Can | The “do” is as unnecessary as the “u” in colour. |
Cashpoint | ATM | |
Cheers | Thanks | |
| Chips | French fries | They are thick and bursting with potato. |
| Crips | American chips | The chips-crisps complex is confusing. |
| Come along | Come | |
| Curry | Indian food | If someone invites you to “get curry,” you are allowed to order other Indian dishes. |
Cutlery | Silverware | |
| Cycle | Bike | Said as a verb. |
Dodgy | Sketchy | |
Drawing pins | Thumb tacks | |
Fag | Cigarette | |
| Fancy dress | Costumes | Don't show up to your first "fancy dress" party in a tie! |
Flapjack | Granola-type snack | Unrelated to pancakes. |
| Football | Soccer | Get it right or face deportation. |
| Full stop | Period | Refers the the punctuation mark. |
Hoover | Vacuum | |
| Keen | Interested | Everyone is keen to do everything. |
| Ladybird | Ladybug | |
Lift | Elevator | |
Lorry | Truck | |
Mobile | Cell phone | |
One-off | One-time | |
Pancakes | Crepes | |
Pants | Underwear | Do not tell people you like their pants. They will look down in horror. |
Pitch | Field | For sport fields. |
Plug | Outlet | |
| Pound Land | Dollar Store | Pound Land is slightly more expensive. |
Quid | Pound | It's like "bucks." |
Return | Round-trip | |
Rubber | Eraser | |
Script | Exam paper | |
Single | One-way | For train tickets. |
Trousers | Pants | Sounds so fancy. |
| Welfare | Student Life | Your college will have a Welfare Officer who organizes study breaks and such. |