British English vs American English – the spelling infographic
Have you found the differences between US and UK English annoying? Do you just feel absolutely helpless when someone tells you to learn the spelling differences between the US and UK English? Today on the table stands British English vs American English in terms of spelling. And for this reason, we have made this fun infographic that outlines the difference between UK and US English spellings in a simple and fun manner.
British English vs American English
The great challenge of differentiating the UK and US English
The difference between the spellings become so much more colorful and diverse because the language is used widely all over the world and most speakers have their own cultural treatment of the English language, giving it a diverse range of accents, jargons and linguistic treatment that did not originate in the West.
If you actually give this a chance, these differences are minute and very diverse. We want to make sure that you find them simple enough to understand and yet they do not take too much of your time because, let’s face it; this is not exactly going to decide your school grades.
Are you sure about that? If your spelling switches between UK and US English while you are giving your exams then the teacher will be forced to cut your grades and take your marks away. It’s not their fault, because you are either misspelling the UK English or the US English. Universal Translation Services will advise that those grades that you have worked so hard on may depend on you knowing the difference between ‘meaningful’ and ‘meaningfull’.
See the British English vs American English infographic that we have created for you and click the image for a larger one, or download it in pdf format here.
So here we are, with our simple explanation, of these simple rules; to help out our readers;
The ‘ed’ versus the‘t’
The different way to spelling out the past participles and the simple past tense in both countries is the most important characteristics for you to understand. The US spelling is ‘smelled’ and the UK spelling is ‘Smelt’. A few more examples to clear it up for you; dreamed for US English and dreamt for UK English. These are a few examples to give you the basic understanding.
The ‘Re’ ve the ‘Er’
The UK English says ‘centre’ while the US English says ‘center’. ‘Theatre’ is UK English while ‘Theater’ is US English.
How is British English different from American?
The British and American English are mutually intelligible, but they are still different from each other. Vocabulary is the biggest difference between the two languages. For instance, biscuits and cookies do not mean the same thing in the UK and the US. There are numerous such examples in the vocabulary of British and American English.
Is British or American English better?
If you are wondering from a business perspective then the answer is definitely American English because it is more common in the corporate world. It is also more popular in the IT world. It is also better in its spellings since it appears more rational to non-natives. This is why most non-natives learn American English.
Is British or American English easier?
In their spellings, pronunciation, and grammar, American English is considered easier than British English. Although the former sounds better, it is not easier. Since you can learn one and understand the speakers of both, you can’t go wrong with either option. But if you don’t have a lot of time for learning, you should go ahead with American English.
What is the difference between English US and UK?
There are various differences between the two varieties of English that are spoken in the US and the UK. The biggest difference between the two is their vocabulary and spellings. For instance, what Americans call a vacation is a holiday for the Brits. The pronunciation is also a factor that differentiates the two varieties of English.
Which is the best English British or American?
There is no criterion to figure out which one is better British or American English. However, American English is simpler in spellings and pronunciation. It is also more popular because it is the language that is used by businesses and international media. Hollywood movies have also made American English more popular all over the world.
What American words are different in England?
- Airplane is known as aeroplane in England
- Check becomes cheque in the UK
- French fries are known as chips in England, while potato chips are known as crisps
- Sneakers are known as trainers in the UK
- Sweaters are called jumpers and pullovers in England
- A truck is known as a lorry in England
Is US and UK same?
The US and the UK are not the same. They do have a lot of similarities. Both the countries have English as their official language. But even their English is different from each other. Their cultures are also different. This is why British slang words can be quite confusing for an American and vice versa.
To ‘UE’ or to not ‘UE’
If you are writing British English you will write ‘catalogue’ and ‘analogue’ but you will write ‘analog’ and ‘catalog’ in US English. This is one of the easiest to remember spelling difference between these two languages.
‘OU’ vs. ‘o’
If you are writing in US English, you will write ‘glamor’ and the UK spelling is ‘glamour’.
‘LL’ vs ‘L’
So if you are writing in US English then you will write colorful but in UK English it becomes ‘colourfull’.
So the simple trick is this, the simpler spelling is US English while the longer spelling with additional characters is the UK spelling. When you are writing, either keep your spellings minimal or make them alphabetically rich.
We at Universal Translation Services are perfectly aware of the whole thing when it comes to British English vs American English and that is why we are always asking our clients whether they need Us or UK English translation services. Although the differences may look minimal, targeting the UK market with an US English translation may seem weird and surely won’t get you all the benefits the UK English translation would.
