American and British Words That Mean the Same Thing
Many common objects and ideas have different names in American and British English. Today we’re going to compare some of these words. The left column in the chart below contains twenty Standard American English words, the ones you learn in our English classes in Atlanta. The right column contains their Standard British English equivalents.
| American English | British English |
|---|---|
| apartment | flat |
| biscuit | scone |
| cookie | biscuit |
| candy | sweets |
| check (paying at a restaurant) | bill |
| (potato) chips | crisps |
| French friends | chips |
| closet | wardrobe |
| elevator | lift |
| faucet | tap |
| flashlight | torch |
| freeway | motorway |
| friend | mate |
| gas (as in gasoline) | petrol (as in petroleum) |
| mom(my) | mum(my) |
| sidewalk | pavement |
| suspenders (worn instead of a belt) | bracers |
| truck | lorry |
| trunk (of a car) | boot |
| vacation | holiday |
[service-plug]