¶ The Library
Reference
You've already learned each difference one by one — here's the single tidy list, colour to color and back
UK & US
In this pillar
Every article, one shelf- Agreement Quick Rules That last line of a report where the verb suddenly won't match its subject — sorted fast
- APA vs MLA vs Chicago: Quick Matrix Told to "use APA" or "put it in Chicago" — here's where the three really differ
- Capitalisation Quick Guide Simple until you're mid-essay-title or halfway through a job application — the quick capitalisation guide
- Common Confusions & Confusable Words Affect or effect, then or than — the lookalike words that keep swapping places on you
- Common Error Patterns & Quick Fixes Same slips, same Friday-afternoon email — the patterns worth catching before they catch you
- Editing & Proofreading Checklists The draft's done — three final passes to catch what your tired eyes keep skipping over
- Numbers, Dates & Times Quick Rules Is it 5/3 or 3/5, 9.30 or 9:30 — the quick-reference table for numbers that actually differ
- Oxford / New Hart's Rules Snapshot Someone says "Oxford style" and means New Hart's Rules — here's the quick snapshot of it
- Phrasal Verbs Quick Table Up, out, off — the same small word bending a verb's meaning a dozen ways, sorted by family
- Punctuation Rules at a Glance One mark, one quick check, back to your sentence — every punctuation rule side by side
- Reference & Resources — Find Any Rule, Fast You've written the sentence and you're stuck — here's the fastest way to find the rule you need
- Serial Comma, Title Case & -ise/-ize Across the Guides The serial comma, title case, and -ise/-ize — the three fights that never quite go away
- Spelling Systems Cheat-Sheet That word isn't wrong, it's just the other side of the Atlantic — spot the pattern fast
- Style-Guide Overview: What Each Is For Style guides aren't rival claims about "correct English" — they're house manuals, each built for one job
- The A-Z Grammar Glossary Hit a term like nominalisation mid-chapter and don't fancy rereading the whole thing — look it up here instead
- The Comprehensive Diagnostic Quiz Not a test, no score kept — twenty-five quick probes to see where the gaps actually are
- The Graded Practice Sets Bank Skip the explanation — grab the drills, check your answers, and see what actually sticks
- UK-US Vocabulary Snapshot Tables Pavement or sidewalk, chips or fries — the quick tables for checking before you hit send
- Verb Tense & Aspect Chart Steal the example, skip the lesson — every tense and aspect laid out on one grid
The full overview
Here's the thing — you've already done the hard graft in the rest of the library, so this page teaches nothing new. It's simply the one clean place to glance when you're mid-draft and snagging on a British–American difference: every row marked for what it actually is, and linked straight back to the article that owns it.
How to read the Type column - RULE — a fixed divergence. Pick one system for a piece of writing and stick to it. - TENDENCY — a strong regional preference. The other form isn't wrong, but it will read as the other side of the Atlantic. - VARIANT — both genuinely used in one or both varieties; house style or clarity decides. - A blank is honest. If a row isn't here, it either isn't a real UK/US split or the library hasn't taught it yet.
Spelling
Home: P8 Spelling, Morphology & Word Choice · Quick chart: spelling
| Area | UK | US | Type | Owning article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -our / -or | colour, favour, honour, labour, behaviour | color, favor, honor, labor, behavior | RULE | P8 Spelling systems · chart |
| -re / -er | centre, metre, theatre, litre, fibre | center, meter, theater, liter, fiber | RULE | P8 Spelling systems · chart |
| -ise / -ize | realise, organise, recognise (Oxford also allows -ize) | realize, organize, recognize | VARIANT (UK) / RULE (US prefers -ize) | P8 Spelling systems |
| -yse / -yze | analyse, paralyse | analyze, paralyze | RULE | P8 Spelling systems |
| -ogue / -og | catalogue, dialogue, analogue | catalog, dialog, analog | TENDENCY | P8 Spelling systems |
| -ce / -se nouns | defence, licence (noun), offence, practice (noun) | defense, license (noun & verb), offense, practice | RULE | P8 Spelling systems · P10 Common errors |
| practise / practice | practise (verb), practice (noun) | practice (both) | RULE | P8 Confusables · P10 Common errors |
| Consonant doubling before a suffix | travelling, cancelled, labelled, modelling | traveling, canceled, labeled, modeling | TENDENCY | P8 Spelling systems · chart |
| Word-final single / double l | enrol, fulfil, skilful, instil | enroll, fulfill, skillful, instill | RULE | P8 Spelling systems |
| -ae- / -oe- digraphs | anaemia, oestrogen, manoeuvre, encyclopaedia | anemia, estrogen, maneuver, encyclopedia | TENDENCY | P8 Spelling systems |
| -t / -ed past forms | learnt, spelt, dreamt (learned/spelled also used) | learned, spelled, dreamed | TENDENCY | P8 Morphology |
| programme / program | programme (TV, plan); program (computing) | program (all senses) | RULE (by sense) | P8 Spelling & word choice |
| grey / gray | grey | gray | TENDENCY | P8 Spelling |
| aluminium / aluminum | aluminium | aluminum | RULE | P8 Spelling systems |
| tyre / tire (wheel) | tyre (wheel), tire (verb) | tire (both) | RULE (by sense) | P8 Vocabulary |
| kerb / curb | kerb (road edge), curb (restrain) | curb (both) | RULE (by sense) | P8 Vocabulary |
| cheque / check (banking) | cheque | check | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| jewellery / jewelry | jewellery | jewelry | RULE | P8 Spelling |
Punctuation
Home: P6 Punctuation · Quick chart: punctuation
| Area | UK | US | Type | Owning article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary quotation marks | Single ' … ' as default; double inside | Double " … " as default; single inside | TENDENCY | P6 Quotation marks · chart |
| Punctuation with closing quotes | Logical: full stop [US: period] / comma outside unless part of the quote | Conventional: comma / period almost always inside the quote | TENDENCY | P6 Quotation marks · chart |
| Serial (Oxford) comma | Optional; house style decides | Strong preference in formal and academic prose | TENDENCY | P6 Commas |
| Dashes for a parenthetical break | Spaced en dash: the plan – ambitious – worked | Closed em dash: the plan—ambitious—worked | TENDENCY | P6 Dashes · chart |
| Full stop after title abbreviations | Mr, Mrs, Dr, St (usually no full stop) | Mr., Mrs., Dr., St. (period usual) | TENDENCY | P6 Punctuation · P7 Capitalisation |
Name of the mark . |
full stop | period | RULE (terminology) | P6 Punctuation |
Name of the marks ( ) |
(round) brackets | parentheses | RULE (terminology) | P6 Parentheses |
| Dates in running text | 10 July 2026 (day–month–year, no comma) | July 10, 2026 (month–day–year, comma) | TENDENCY | P6 Commas · P9 Style |
Capitalisation
Home: P7 Capitalisation · Quick chart: capitalisation
| Area | UK | US | Type | Owning article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headings | Sentence case increasingly common; title case also used | Title Case common; sentence case also used | VARIANT | P7 Headings & title case · chart |
| Titles & offices in running text | Often lower case: the prime minister, the government | Stronger tendency to capitalise: the President, the Government | TENDENCY | P7 Titles & offices · chart |
| School subjects | Lower case in running text (maths, history); capitals for languages (French) | Same pattern (subject name: math) | VARIANT | P7 Capitalisation · P8 Vocabulary |
| Seasons | spring, summer, autumn, winter (lower case) | spring, summer, fall, winter (lower case) | — (no divergence in casing) | P7 Capitalisation |
Vocabulary & everyday usage
Home: P8 UK/US Vocabulary · Quick chart: vocab
| Concept | UK | US | Type | Owning article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat / apartment | flat | apartment | RULE | P8 Vocabulary · chart |
| Lift / elevator | lift | elevator | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Boot / trunk (car) | boot | trunk | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Floor numbering | ground floor, then first floor | first floor, then second floor | RULE (system) | P8 Vocabulary |
| Pavement / sidewalk | pavement | sidewalk | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Car park / parking lot | car park | parking lot | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Petrol / gas | petrol, petrol station | gas / gasoline, gas station | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Lorry / truck | lorry | truck | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary |
| Motorway / freeway | motorway | freeway, highway, interstate | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary |
| Rubbish / garbage | rubbish | garbage, trash | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Post / mail | post (noun & verb), postbox | mail (noun & verb), mailbox | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary |
| Queue / line | queue | line (verb: line up) | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Holiday / vacation | holiday (time off); bank holiday | vacation; public holiday | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary · P9 Register |
| Autumn / fall | autumn | fall (autumn in formal writing) | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary |
| Mobile / cell (phone) | mobile | cell, cellphone | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Torch / flashlight | torch | flashlight | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Biscuit / cookie | biscuit | cookie | RULE (some overlap) | P8 Vocabulary |
| Crisps / chips | crisps | chips, potato chips | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Chips / fries | chips | fries, French fries | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Aubergine / eggplant | aubergine | eggplant | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Courgette / zucchini | courgette | zucchini | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Trousers / pants | trousers (pants = underwear) | pants | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Jumper / sweater | jumper | sweater | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary |
| Trainers / sneakers | trainers | sneakers | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Nappy / diaper | nappy | diaper | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Football / soccer | football (association football) | soccer | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary · P9 Register |
| Timetable / schedule | timetable | schedule | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary |
| Surname / last name | surname | last name | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary |
| CV / résumé | CV | résumé / resume | RULE | P8 Vocabulary |
| Toilet / bathroom / restroom | toilet, loo | bathroom, restroom | TENDENCY | P8 Vocabulary · P9 Register |
Grammar tendencies
Home: P2 Parts of Speech · P4 The Verb System · P5 Agreement & Concord · P10 Common Errors & Usage
| Area | UK | US | Type | Owning article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collective nouns (team, staff, government) | Often plural: the team are… | Usually singular: the team is… | TENDENCY | P5 Agreement — collective nouns · P10 Usage |
| Got / gotten (past participle) | got: have got | gotten widely used: have gotten | TENDENCY | P4 Verb forms |
| Have / have got (possession) | I've got a car very common | I have a car preferred in writing | VARIANT | P4 The verb system · P9 Register |
| Present perfect vs past simple (recent past) | I've just eaten | I just ate | TENDENCY | P4 Tense & aspect · P10 Usage |
| Shall (offers, suggestions) | Shall I…? / Shall we…? still natural | shall rare; will / should default | TENDENCY | P4 Modals · P9 Register |
| Needn't / don't need to | You needn't worry natural | You don't need to worry preferred | TENDENCY | P4 Modals |
| Different from / to / than | different from; different to also heard | different from; different than also standard | VARIANT | P10 Usage · P2 Prepositions |
| In hospital / in the hospital | in hospital (as a patient) | in the hospital | TENDENCY | P2 Articles & determiners · P10 Usage |
| At / on the weekend | at the weekend | on the weekend | TENDENCY | P2 Prepositions |
| To / through (spans) | Monday to Friday | Monday through Friday | TENDENCY | P2 Prepositions |
| Write to / write someone | write to someone | write someone | TENDENCY | P2 Verbs & prepositions · P10 Usage |
Pick one variety for a given piece and stay consistent — that decision settles most of the rows above on its own. When something snags, this page tells you what kind of difference you're looking at; the owning article tells you why.
Quick charts: spelling · punctuation · capitalisation · vocabulary · master index companions