Differences between American and British English

Differences between KAPLAN E American and British English INTERNATIONAL COLLEGES As many students choose to study in both the US and British education systems we thought it would be interesting and useful to highlight some American words and their British equivalents... Vocabulary British American Y4 Food differences Fizzy drinks - Soda Smoked salmon + Lox Courgette + Zucchini Candyfloss Pudding + Dessert Ice lolly + Popsicle Sweets + OCandy - Cotton candy Clothing differences Trousers + Pants - Sweater Trainers + Sneakers Underwear + Pants Swimming costume - Bathing Suit Jumper ShoelaceShoestring Wellington Boots / Wellies + Galoshes Academic differences Lecturer / Tutor - Professor Term + Semester Rubber + Eraser - Period Public School - Private School - Vacation Full stop O ABC Holiday Break Time - Recess Double meanings? To make things all the more confusing, the same word in America and Britain can have entirely different meanings depending on what side of the pond you are standing on... Fall in America is the season after summer, the British call this season autumn. In Britain the word 'fall' is solely a verb that denotes the act of falling or declining from a higher to a lower place or position. Soccer in the US is known as football in the UK. (FYI, the British have a similar game to American football, called rugby.) A biscuit in America is what the British call a scone. Biscuits in the UK are sweet and traditionally eaten with tea. However, biscuits in America tend to be eaten in the South of the country - they are less sweet and more savoury. A bill in America is a dollar note, whereas in the UK it is an invoice (i.e. what you ask for at the end of a restaurant meal). FYI, Americans don't refer to a restaurant invoice as a bill, they call it a check. Jam in the UK is a fruit preserve (typically spread on bread and cakes), however in the US, fruit preserves are called jelly. Moreover, what British people call jelly (the transparent wobbly desert) is known as jello in the US. Confusing stuff. Chips in Britain are French fries in America. If you ask for chips in the US you will get what the British call crisps. Crisps are known as potato chips in the US. (FYI British people also use the term fries, especially in fast-food chains like McDonalds). In the UK the term bathroom is a room that contains a bath or shower (and not necessarily a toilet). However in the US, if you say you're 'going to the bathroom' it is a euphemism for saying you're 'going to use the toilet'. .. the list of vocabulary differences goes on ... Torch + Flashlight Postal Code → Zip Code Flat - Apartment Ground Floor → First Floor Rubbish, Litter → Trash, Garbage Mum / Mummy - Mom / Mommy Anti-clockwise + Counter-clockwise Chemist + Drugstore Pavement + Sidewalk Lift + Elevator Toilet, WC, Lo0 + Bathroom/Restroom Motorway + Freeway or highway Shops Cashpoint - Stores + ATM http://www.kic.org.uk/pathways/blog