American vs British English Vocabulary
Antenna - aerial
Apartment – flat
Appetizers - starters
Argument – row
Asphalt - tarmac
Attorney - solicitor
Baby carriage – pram
Backpack - rucksack
Baggage claim (airport) - baggage reclaim
Band-aid – plaster
Bathroom – loo or WC
Beltway – ring road
Bicentennial - Bicentenary
Bid - tender
Bill (as in currency) - note
Botanical garden - botanic garden
Bus - coach
Business reply mail - freepost
Busy - engaged
Can -tin
Cell (phone) - mobile (phone)
Cheap - shoddy
Chopped – beef mince
Circle, traffic circle – roundabout
Collect call - reverse charge call
Cookie -biscuit
Corn – maize
Cornstarch - cornflour
Cotton candy - candy floss
Counterclockwise - anticlockwise
Crib (for a baby) - cot
Crosswalk – zebra crossing
Dead battery – flat battery
Defogger – window heater
Defroster – window heater
Detour (noun) – diversion
Diaper – nappy
Diapers - nappies
Dirt road – unmade road
Dish cloth, dish towel - tea towel
Divided highway – dual carriageway
Doing the dishes - washing up
Downscale - downmarket
Dress (noun) - frock
Drive shaft – propeller shaft
Driver’s license – driving licence
Drug store - chemists
Drunk driving – drink-driving
Dump truck – dumper truck
Eggplant - aubergine
Elevator – lift
Equip, fit out (verb) - fit
Eraser – rubber
Expressway – motorway
Fall - autumn
Faucet - tap
Fender – wing
Field (for playing) - pitch
Fill up – top up
Fire - sack
Fish sticks - fish fingers
Fixtures - fittings
Flashlight – torch
For rent - to let
Four lane road – dual carriageway
Freeway (Western U.S.) – motorway
French fries - chips
Fries – chips
Garter - suspenders
Gas – petrol
Gear shift – gear lever
Glove compartment – glove box
Ground meat - mince
Guy – bloke, chap
Hamburger - mince
High beams – main beams
Highway – motorway
Homey (pleasant) - homely
Hood (car) – bonnet
Inexpensive - cheap
Interstate – motorway
Jello – jelly
Jelly -jam
Jumper cables – jump leads
Kerosene – paraffin
Laundromat - laundrette
Lawyer – solicitor
Layoff - redundancy
License plate – number plate
Line – queue
Low beams – dipped lights
Mail – post
Math - maths
Median – central reservation
Men's room - gents
Mom - mum
Motor home – caravan
Movie theater – cinema
Moving - removal
Muffler – silencer
Napkin – serviette
Non-profit organization - charity
Nothing - nil
Nothing – nought
Oatmeal - porridge
On line - on stream
Open house - open day
Overpass – flyover
Pacifier – dummy
Pants – trousers
Parking lot – car park
Paved road – metalled road
Period – full stop
Pharmacist – chemist
Potato chips – crisps
Power train – transmission
Prenatal - antenatal
Principal - headmaster
Pruners - secateurs
Railroad - railway
Raise (in salary) - rise
Ramp (entrance or – slip road
Rates, prices - tariffs
Rebate (noun) - cashback
Reflectors – cats eyes
Rent – hire
Rental car – hire car
Reservations - bookings
Reserved for - reserved to (as used in
Restroom - toilet
Right away - straight away
Rotary – roundabout
Round trip - return (return ticket)
Run (for election) - stand (for election)
Sausage – banger
Sedan – saloon car
Shipping - despatch
Shopping cart - shopping trolley
Shoulder (of road) – verge
Sick - ill
Side mirror – wing mirror
Sidewalk – pavement
Silverware - cutlery
Sleep in - lie in
Sneakers - trainers
Soccer – football
Station wagon – estate car
Stove, stovetop - hob
Straightaway – straight
Stroller (baby) - push chair
Study - read
Subway - tube
Suspenders - braces
Sweater – jumper
Telephone booth - telephone box
Tent - marquee
Tire – tyre
Toll-free - freephone
Top off – top up
Towing – recovery
Tractor-trailer – articulated lorry
Transmission – gear box
Transportation - transport (noun)
Trash bag - bin liner
Trash can - dustbin
Trash can - rubbish bin
Trash can – bin
Tricky (chancy) - dodgy
Trip - ticket)
Triple - treble
Truck – lorry
Trunk (car) – boot
Tuition - fee
Turn signals – indicators
Turtle neck - polo neck, roll neck
Underpass - subway
Undershirt - vest
Unpaved road – unmade road
Upscale - upmarket
Vacation – holiday
Vacuum (noun and verb) - hoover
Vacuum tube - valve
Vest – waistcoat
Walker (device) - walking frame
Windshield (car) – windscreen
Wrench (noun) - spanner
Yield – give way
Zero - nil
Zip code – postal code
Zucchini - courgettes
Zucchini - squash
Downscale - downmarket
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