British vs. American words! An important list of differences between British English vs. American English vocabulary words with examples and ESL infographics.
Learn more with a useful list of American vs. British spelling differences that you should know.
British vs. American Words
Here are some commonly confused British vs. American words with example sentences.
STAFF vs. FACULTY
- He was one of the founders of the university’s medical faculty.
- Our staff will be available to give you technical support.
RESUME vs. CV
- Send a full CV with your job application.
- Send your resume with a cover letter that is specific to that particular job.
SOFA vs. COUCH
- I just want to crash out on the sofa.
- Tom offered to sleep on the couch.
- Jane smelled of coriander and clay soaked by a hard rain.
- Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
AUTUMN vs. FALL
- The leaves begin to fall when autumn comes.
- The leaves turn crimson in fall.
PORRIDGE vs. OATMEAL
- Someone’s been and eaten my porridge!
- Oatmeal is breakfast food.
FOOTBALL vs. SOCCER
- FIFA is the governing body of world soccer.
- The boys wanted to play football.
MAIZE vs. CORN
- We grew maize, rice, beans, and sesame.
- There was an abundance of corn last year.
- In the freezer, it becomes a nice sorbet, he said.
- Sherbet is made with fruits and ice.
WAISTCOAT vs. VEST
- Ossie was standing there in waistcoat and shirtsleeves.
- He wore a woolen vest beneath his shirt.
CURTAINS vs. DRAPES
- She blinked when I opened the curtains.
- The door was partially concealed by the drapes.
POST vs. MAIL
- The letter is ready for the post.
- We do our business by mail.
FILM vs. MOVIE
- We stayed up late to see the film on television.
- The movie was a great success.
BISCUIT vs. COOKIE
- Would you like some cake or biscuit?
- She took a nibble of her cookie.
TRAINERS vs. SNEAKERS
- Trainers are so comfortable to wear.
- She wore sneakers and droopy yellow socks.
PETROL vs. GASOLINE
- The petrol tank in our car is empty.
- His old car consumed much gasoline.
LORRY vs. TRUCK
- I had a near collision with a lorry.
- The truck picked up speed slowly.
COOKER vs. STOVE
- We chose a new cooker from the gas showroom.
- My mother has a gas stove for cooking.
FLAT vs. APARTMENT
- We don’t have flat land in this region.
- She pays ￡200 a week for this apartment.
WARDROBE vs. CLOSET
- She hung the dress up in the wardrobe.
- I need to clear out my closet.
NAPPY vs. DIAPER
- Excuse me while I change the baby’s nappy.
- I bathed him and changed his diaper.
TROUSERS vs. PANTS
- You look very sexy in those tight trousers.
- You can’t wear these red pants.
HANDBAG vs. PURSE
- This handbag is made of superior leather.
- The thieves stole a purse containing banknotes.
BILL vs. CHECK
- I must pay away from the bill tomorrow.
- She enclosed a check for $ 50 with the letter.
TIN vs. CAN
- They opened a tin of sardines.
- All we’ve got is a couple of cans of soup.
TORCH vs. FLASHLIGHT
- She flashed the torch as a signal.
- I saw the sudden flare of a flashlight in the darkness.
CRISPS vs. CHIPS
- Would you like to try some crisps?
- He’s gone to get some fish and chips.
TAP vs. FAUCET
- The water was barely dribbling out of the tap.
- The sink and the faucet are spotless.
TAXI vs. CAB
- Can you get me a taxi, please?
- It’ll save time if we go by cab.
RUBBER vs. ERASER
- Pencil marks can be erased with a rubber.
- You can rub out the chalk marks with the eraser.
SWEETS vs. CANDY
- He made the sweets himself and sold them by retail.
- I desired candy all the time I was dieting.
EXAM vs. TEST
- I think I did OK in the exam.
- He’s anxiously awaiting his test results.
HEADMASTER vs. PRINCIPAL
- Our teacher has been promoted to the headmaster.
- The principal is a very busy woman.
HOLIDAY vs. VACATION
- We had good weather on our holiday.
- We’re taking a vacation in June.
MATHS vs. MATH
- How did you do on your maths test?
- Tim’s good at math and science.
AUBERGINE vs. EGGPLANT
- Cut the aubergines in half lengthways.
- He likes to eat eggplant.
BEETROOT vs. BEET
- We fed the rabbit some beetroot tops.
- They talked endlessly about beet and cattle feed.
COURGETTE vs. ZUCCHINI
- She was shaving thin slices off a courgette.
- Just rinse off the zucchini and dry it.
CUTLERY vs. SILVERWARE
- Where do you keep the cutlery?
- Silverware and glasses gleamed like ornaments.
GAMMON vs HAM
- Turn the gammon over once during cooking.
- Would you like another slice of ham?
POWDERED vs. SUGAR
- Shall I put some powdered milk in your coffee?
- She sprinkled the strawberries with sugar.
JUG vs. PITCHER
- He filled a jug with juice.
- He poured the milk out of the pitcher.
British vs American Words Differences | Infographics
Last Updated on January 13, 2026
