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The pronunciation is different and so is much of the vocabulary. For example, Americans pronounce words such as 'herbal' without the 'h'. One can easily notice that the accents are much different.
Some words are slightly different. For example, in American English the undergarments of a person is called "underwear." However, in British English, it is simply called "pants." Those who speak British English would say 'jam' for what Americans call 'jelly', and 'jelly' what Americans call 'Jell-O'.
Thus, some words can be easily confused in the opposite cultures.
There are also some reasonably consistent spelling differences.
There are some common rules for American English.
- Where UK, Australian and NZ English often use the letter group of our, in American English the u is omitted. In the following examples, the first is UK English and the second is American English:
favourite / favorite
neighbour / neighbor
colour / color
- UK English uses an s where American English often substitutes a z. In the following examples, the first is UK English and the second is American English:
capitalisation / capitalization
recognise / recognize
- In word building, UK English doubles the final consonant where it is preceded by a vowel, whereas American English does not. For example:
traveller / traveler
labelled / labeled
- Some words which are spelt with a 'c' in the noun form but an 's' in the verb form of some words are not spelt with the 'c' in American English - both noun and verb forms retain the 's'.
practice/practise in U.K. and Australian English is always practise in American English.
licence/license is always license in American English.
- Some words ending in 're' in U.K. and Australian English are spelt with 'er' in American English.
centre/center
kilometre/ kilometer
- U.K. English retains the old style of retaining 'oe' and 'ae' in the middle of some words, whilst American English uses just an 'e'.
encyclopaedia/encyclopedia
manoeuvre/maneuvre
- Some words in U.K. English retain the 'gue' at the end, as opposed to just the 'g' in American English.
dialogue/dialog
catalogue/catalog
In essence, it could be said that the American English has opted for a simpler style, whilst the U.K./Australian/New Zealand English usually retains the older, more complex spelling rules.
British English is more influenced by French/Latin and American English is more influenced by Germanic Languages.
The basic difference is British English shows signs of influence from French and Latin in general, while American English shows signs of influence from Germanic Languages.
The reason for the spelling differences is in large part due to the "reforms" of Noah Webster who felt some words looked better or had unnecessary letters as in the "colour" cited above. Words like theatre, spelled "theater" in the US, in no way reflect any difference in pronunciation, except for allowing for the more rhotic American pronunciation, and the British spelling reflects the origin of the word, which is from the French theatre from Latin theatrum, so the British spelling reflects the etymology of the word, one reason why archaic spellings are kept.
See the Related Link below for examples of the different usage of words.
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JordanThe main differences between American English and British English are in spelling, vocabulary, and pronunciation. For example, "color" in American English is spelled "colour" in British English, "elevator" in American English is "lift" in British English, and "schedule" is pronounced differently as "sked-yool" in American English and "shed-yool" in British English.
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What is the difference between Canadian English and British English?
The main differences between Canadian English and British English are in spelling, vocabulary, and pronunciation. While Canadian English follows more closely to American English in terms of spelling and vocabulary, there are still some British English influences present. Pronunciation in Canadian English also tends to be more similar to American English than British English.
What is the difference between analysing and analyzing?
Analysing is the preferred spelling in British and Australian English, while analyzing is preferred in American and Canadian English. There are no other difference between the two.
Is park American or British English?
"Park" is used in both American and British English, so it is considered a shared term between the two dialects.
Whats the difference between inquiries and enquiries?
"Inquiries" is the preferred spelling in American English, while "enquiries" is more common in British English. Both words refer to the act of seeking information or clarification.
What is the difference between recognise and recognize?
"Recognise" is the British English spelling, while "recognize" is the American English spelling. They have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably depending on the style guide or region.
