UK-US Differences: The Master Table
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British and American English are the same language wearing slightly different clothes. Most of the time it doesn't matter — but now and then a word or a spelling flips over, and if you're writing for the other side (or a teacher's marking in one style), it's handy to know which is which. Here's the lot on one page.
Two quick things before the tables:
- Pick one and stick to it. Colour and color are both correct — but colour in one sentence and color in the next looks like a slip. Choose the version that matches where you're writing, and keep it up the whole way through.
- A few are "both fine." Where British English is happy with either, we've said so in the row. Everywhere else, just use the column that matches your reader.
Spelling
The whole topic on one page: the spelling cheat-sheet.
| UK | US | |
|---|---|---|
| colour words | colour, favour, honour | color, favor, honor |
| centre words | centre, metre, theatre | center, meter, theater |
| -ise / -ize (both fine in the UK) | organise or organize | organize |
| -yse / -yze | analyse, paralyse | analyze, paralyze |
| practise / practice | practise (verb), practice (noun) | practice (both) |
| learnt / learned (both fine in the UK) | learnt or learned | learned |
| programme / program | programme (a plan); program (computers) | program |
| grey / gray | grey | gray |
| aluminium | aluminium | aluminum |
Punctuation
The whole topic on one page: the punctuation chart.
| UK | US | |
|---|---|---|
| Quote marks | 'single' first, "double" inside | "double" first, 'single' inside |
| Oxford comma (before and in a list) | up to you / your school | usually used |
| Naming the dot at the end of a sentence | full stop | period |
| Mr / Mrs / Dr | Mr, Mrs, Dr (no dot) | Mr., Mrs., Dr. |
| Writing the date | 10 July 2026 | July 10, 2026 |
Capitalisation
The whole topic on one page: the capitalisation chart.
Capital letters barely change between the two — the big rules are the same on both sides. One small habit differs:
| UK | US | |
|---|---|---|
| Job titles like president | often lower case: the prime minister | often a capital: the President |
Vocabulary
The whole topic on one page: the vocabulary tables.
This is where most of the fun differences live — everyday words that swap over completely.
| UK | US | |
|---|---|---|
| where you live | flat | apartment |
| going up a building | lift | elevator |
| storage in a car | boot | trunk |
| what you walk on | pavement | sidewalk |
| fuel for the car | petrol | gas |
| big road vehicle | lorry | truck |
| what goes in the bin | rubbish | garbage / trash |
| time off school | holiday | vacation |
| the season after summer | autumn | fall |
| the phone in your pocket | mobile | cell / cellphone |
| in your lunchbox | biscuit | cookie |
| the crunchy snack in a packet | crisps | chips |
| hot from the chip shop | chips | fries |
| what you wear on your legs | trousers | pants |
| what you pull on when it's cold | jumper | sweater |
| what you wear on your feet | trainers | sneakers |
| the sport with a round ball | football | soccer |
| for seeing in the dark | torch | flashlight |
| waiting in a... | queue | line |
| your list of lessons | timetable | schedule |
Grammar
The whole topic on one page: the grammar differences chart.
These are gentle habits, not hard rules — both are understood everywhere.
| UK | US | |
|---|---|---|
| a team or group | the team are winning | the team is winning |
| having something | I've got a dog | I have a dog |
| "got" in the past | have got | have gotten |
| just finished | I've just eaten | I just ate |
| the weekend | at the weekend | on the weekend |
| being unwell | in hospital | in the hospital |
Where next
- Get Your Bearings — the UK/US front door — the friendly guide to why the two Englishes differ and how to pick a side.
- Spelling Cheat-Sheet — the spelling patterns on their own page, with more examples.
- → UK vs US Vocabulary — the full word-swap tables.
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