English is spoken in many countries, but it is not always exactly the same. Two important forms are British English (BrE) and American English (AmE). They are both correct, but some words are written differently, and some words are pronounced differently. In this unit, you will learn these differences. Now listen closely and try to catch the first differences between British and American English.
Last Saturday, I travelled to the centre of London to see my favourite actor at the theatre. The programme said the show started at seven, but my train was cancelled. I checked the schedule on my mobile and realised I had only twenty minutes. After a fast walk through the busy streets, I reached the theatre just in time. My seat was in the last row, but the evening was brilliant.
Last Saturday, I traveled to the center of New York to see my favorite actor at the theater. The program said the show started at seven, but my train was canceled. I checked the schedule on my phone and realized I had only twenty minutes. After a fast walk through the busy streets, I reached the theater just in time. My seat was in the last row, but the evening was brilliant.
Did you spot the differences?
You have just listened to two very similar stories, but they were not exactly the same. Some differences were easy to hear, and others were hidden in the written words. Keep your guesses in mind. In the next part, you will become a language detective and study the rules behind British and American English.
1. Spelling rules
Rule 1: British -our / American -or. In British English, some words end in -our. In American English, the letter "u" is usually removed.
| British English | American English |
| colour | color |
| favourite | favorite |
| humour | humor |
Rule 2: British -re / American -er. In British English, some words end in -re. In American English, the letters are usually written as -er.
| British English | American English |
| centre | center |
| theatre | theater |
| metre | meater |
Rule 3: British -ise / American -ize. In British English, many verbs can end in -ise. In American English, these verbs are usually written with -ize.
| British English | American English |
| organise | organize |
| realise | realize |
| apologise | apologize |
Rule 4: double consonant* in British English / single consonant in American English. When endings are added, British English often keeps a double consonant. American English often uses one consonant.
*consonant — [ˈkɒn.sə.nənt] — one of the speech sounds or letters of the alphabet that is not a vowel. Consonants are pronounced by stopping the air from flowing easily through the mouth, especially by closing the lips or touching the teeth with the tongue; līdzskanis
| British English | American English |
| travelling | traveling |
| cancelled | canceled |
| modelling | modeling |
Rule 5: some past forms are different. British English often uses -t forms, while American English often uses -ed forms.
| British English | American English |
| learnt | learned |
| spelt | spelled |
| dreamt | dreamed |
2. Pronunciation differences
Sometimes British and American English use the same spelling, but the pronunciation is different.
Sometimes British and American English use the same spelling, but the pronunciation is different.
Rule 1: British long [ɑː] / American [æ]. In many common words, British English may use a long [ɑː] sound, while American English often uses [æ].
Listen and compare!
ask — to put a question to someone, or to request an answer from someone; jautāt, izjautāt, apjautāties
British — [ɑːsk]
American — [æsk]
class — a group of students who are taught together at school, college, or university; klase
British — [klɑːs]
American — [klæs]
bath — a long plastic, metal, or ceramic container that is filled with water so that you can sit or lie in it to wash your whole body; vanna
British — [bɑːθ]
American — [bæθ]
dance — a particular series of movements that you perform to music or the type of music that is connected with it; deja, dejot, deju vakars, deju mūzika
British — [dɑːns]
American — [dæns]
Rule 2: final "r" is usually clearer in American English. In many British English accents, final "r" is not strongly pronounced when no vowel* follows. In American English, final "r" is usually pronounced.
vowel — [ˈvaʊ.əl] — a speech sound produced by humans when the breath flows out through the mouth without being blocked by the teeth, tongue, or lips; patskanis
Listen and compare!
car — a part of a train used for a special purpose; (tramvaja, amer. arī dzelzceļa) vagons
British [kɑː]
American [kɑːr]
character — the particular combination of qualities in someone or something that makes them or it different from others; raksturs, raksturīga pazīme, personība
British — [ˈkærəktə]
American — [ˈkɛrɪktər]
similar — looking or being almost, but not exactly, the same; līdzīgs, vienāds
British —[ˈsɪmɪlə]
American — [ˈsɪmələr]
author — the writer of a book, article, play, etc.; autors, rakstnieks, (idejas) autors; radītājs; iniciators
British — [ˈɔːθə]
American — [ˈɔθər]
Rule 3: some words have individual pronunciation differences.
Listen and compare!
schedule — a plan that lists all the work that you have to do and when you must do each thing; grafiks, saraksts
British — [ˈʃedjuːl]
American — [ˈskedʒuːl]
leisure — the time when you are not working or doing other duties; vaļas brīdis; brīvs laiks
British — [ˈlɛʒə]
American — [ˈliː.ʒɚ]
mobile — able to be moved from one place to another; kustīgs, mobils, pārvietojams, pārnēsājams
British — [ˈməʊ.baɪl]
American — [ˈmoʊ.bəl]
advertisement (UK also informal advert) — a picture, short film, song, etc. that tries to persuade people to buy a product or service; sludinājums, reklāma
British — [ədˈvɜː.tɪs.mənt]
American — [ˌæd.vɚˈtaɪz.mənt]
Remember: the more versions of English you understand, the more doors the world can open for you.