Differences between USA and UK English.

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English is not my native tongue at all. That's probably the reason why I prefer American english. It's much easier to understand for a foreigner.

US <-> UK
ass <-> arse
cuss <-> curse

I love how to do the laundry in the UK is simply to do the washing while to do the dishes is to do the washing up.

I lived with elderly people while in England, and they said do the hoovering for vacuuming--not sure if younger people do.

In the UK, if you want to know if someone has something, you say "Have you got it?" and the response will be either, "Yes, I have," or "No, I haven't."

In the US, if you want to know the same thing, you say, "Do you have it?" and the response is either, "Yes, I do," or "No, I don't."

Oh, and a period is a full stop while quotation marks are inverted commas.

In a more academic context, I was taking ("sitting for"?) a final exam in a political history course in London, and when the professor had distributed the exam question he left the building. The silence became more and more strained in the room full of other American students. Finally, someone blurted out, "Does anyone understand what this question is asking?" Nobody did. Someone was brave enough to go across the hall and ask one of the administrators, who came in and "interpreted" for us.

If anyone wonders what the question was, I don't fully remember; something like "What was the significance of [such and such] Parliament establishing a policy of meanness during [such and such political crisis]?" In the US, "meanness" means "cruelty" only, or--pushing it--an archaic meaning of "lowliness." The administrator explained that it meant "fiscal conservatism," that basically the MPs were being cheapskates! None of us would have ever understood that!

UK - USA

Fizzy drink - Soda
Ice lolly - Frozen popsicle
Path/pavement - Sidewalk
Handbag - Purse
Purse - Wallet
Playgroup - Preschool/kindergarten
Primary school - Elementary school
Secondary/comprehensive school - High school *
University - College
Maths - Math
Tablets - Pills
Washing - Laundry (although we do sometimes say laundry)
Pub - Bar
Have a bath/shower - Take a bath/shower
Corridor - Hallway

*Actually the USA school systems are quite confusing, as there's so many. In UK there's just preschool (2-4 y/o), primary school (4-11 y/o), and secondary school (11-16 y/o). Then you either start work at 16 or go to college, which is a place where you don't temporarily live, just more like school but treated as adults. University is a place where you can temporarily live.

Most UK schools have school uniforms, which is better really.
We have roundabouts on roads in the UK. I don't know what road systems they have in the USA.

And here's one that all anti-Trump Americans will love: Trump is another word for fart in the UK.


In USA braces on teeth are nerdy, but here in UK braces became trendy when I was at school.

I think the UK-English is actually easier than American-English. In America they say "do the dishes", where as we say "do the washing-up", which does make more sense, because not everything in the sink are dishes. And Americans say "bathroom" instead of toilet, but not every toilet room has a bath in. In UK we often say "I've been toilet", which probably doesn't make much sense I suppose. But we do tend to shorten things, especially us cockneys.

Yes - UK lorry equals US truck (not bus).

Except a British lady online told me that its more complicated than that.

The Brits call small "trucks" "lorries" but call big trucks "trucks". Or is it the other way around?

Anyway- in the song "Convoy" the American country singer was singing about the big tractor-trailer 18 wheeler type of "trucks". So whichever word you Brits use for 18 wheelers- thats what the song was about. Lol!

In the UK they call janitors a caretaker and lawyers a soliciter.

They call for rent To Let

They call a stove the cooker

In the UK they ask you if you are okay, in the US we ask you what is up or how are you

Watercloset, that is what they call the toilet or a bathroom and when they have to go to the bathroom, they say they are going to the toilet. Bathroom means to wash up and take a bath or shower. Even in public places they say toilets instead of restrooms. they also have the loo. They have all these British terms for bathroom I can't keep up because they are all the same to me.