American and British English – Vocabulary – N – Z
Here you will find words which have different meanings or are spelled differently in British and American English.
American English | British English |
---|---|
N | |
national holiday, federal holiday | bank holiday |
Native American | American Indian |
nauseated | sick |
neighbor | neighbour |
O | |
on the weekend | at the weekend |
one-way ticket | single ticket |
P | |
pacifier | dummy |
pants | trousers |
parentheses | (round) brackets |
parking lot | car park |
pavement | roadway |
period | full stop |
phone booth | phone box |
potato chips | crisps |
powdered sugar | icing sugar |
prime rate | base rate |
principal | headmaster, headteacher |
private school | public school |
program | programme |
Q | |
quotation marks | inverted commas, quotation marks |
R | |
railroad | railway |
raincoat | mackintosh |
raisin | sultana |
to rent | to hire |
restroom, bathroom | toilet, loo |
résumé |
curriculum vitae (CV) |
curriculum vitae | |
(bath) robe | dressing gown |
S | |
sales clerk | shop assistant |
sandbox | sandpit |
Santa Claus | Father Christmas |
schedule | timetable |
second floor | first floor |
semester | term |
to set the table | to lay the table |
shrimp | prawn |
sidewalk | pavement |
sneakers | trainers |
soccer | football |
social security number | national insurance number |
stock | share |
store | shop |
stove | cooker |
streetcar | tram |
stuffed animal | soft toy |
subway | underground, tube |
suspenders | braces |
sweater | jumper |
swimsuit | (bathing) costume |
T | |
theater | theatre |
thumbtack | drawing pin |
tire | tyre |
traffic circle, rotary | roundabout |
trailer | caravan |
traveled | travelled |
truck | lorry |
trunk | boot |
turn signal, blinker | indicator |
turtleneck | polo neck |
tux, tuxedo | dinner jacket |
two weeks | fortnight |
U | |
underpants | pants |
underpass | subway |
undershirt | vest |
V | |
vacation | holiday |
vacuum cleaner | hoover |
vest | waistcoat |
W | |
wash up | to wash |
wrench | spanner |
Y | |
yard | garden |
yard sale | jumble sale |
Z | |
zip code | post code |
zipper | zip |
zucchini | courgette |
Thanks to Carl, Declan, Edeet, Gabriele, Hans, John, Karin, Liz, Monika, Oleg, Ron, Ulrike and Vicky.