British vs American English

British and American English share almost all of their grammar and vocabulary, but differ in some spellings, everyday words and pronunciations. Every dictionary entry shows both UK and US pronunciations, and the guides below collect the main differences.

Spelling

colour and color, centre and center, organise and organize: the patterns behind British and American spelling.

Vocabulary

lorry and truck, flat and apartment, biscuit and cookie: everyday words that differ.

Pronunciation

tomato, schedule, garage and more: words that sound different, with audio.

Spelling patterns at a glance

PatternBritishAmerican
-our / -orcolourcolor
-ise / -izeorganiseorganize
-yse / -yzeanalyseanalyze
-re / -ercentrecenter
-ogue / -ogcataloguecatalog
-ence / -ensedefencedefense
Double Ltravelledtraveled
ae and oe / eanaemiaanemia

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