People in both the US and UK speak English. However, you will be surprised to see how different their English-speaking cultures are. They differ in style, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, humor, accent, etc.

The history of this language is quite interesting. When the first settlers came from England to America, they brought the common language called rhotic speech. But in the wealthy cities of the UK in the south, the higher-class people wanted to feel different than the others and they started changing the rhotic speech to a much soft 'r' sound, like 'winter' as 'wint-tuh' and not 'win-terr'. This new speech was called 'received pronunciation' and everyone in the south of England started copying it. You will notice that people outside the south of England still use rhotic pronunciation. Those who live in London use the posh English.

British English is heavily influenced by French. You will notice French-style spelling and words in British English. The spelling and choice of words in the UK and US dictionaries are different.

US vs UK English in terms of linguistics

The US and UK English differ in vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, and grammar. Here are some differences that you must know.

Vocabulary

US English UK English
apartment flat
attorney solicitor
college university
candy sweets
cookie biscuit
elevator lift
gas petrol
parking lot car park
truck lorry
trunk boot
French fries chips
Cotton candy candyfloss
Garbage rubbish
Pants Trousers
Hood bonnet
Vacation holiday
Sweater jumper
Sneakers trainers
Mailbox postbox
Drugstore chemist
Soda fizzy drink
Store shop

Spelling

• Past tense words that end with T in UK English usually end with an 'ed' in US English; eg. 'burnt' in UK English and 'burned' in US English.

• Words that end with 'ence' in UK English end with 'ense' in US English; eg. 'defence' in the UK and 'defense' in US English.

• Words with 'ise' in UK English are 'ize' in US English; eg. 'organise' in the UK and 'organize' in US English.

• Words with 'ou' in UK English are spelled 'o' in US English; eg. 'colour' in the UK is 'color' in US English.

• Words with 'our' in UK English, like 'flavour' is spelled 'or' in US English, like 'flavor'.

• Words with 'yse' in UK English, like 'analyse' spelled as 'yze' in US English, like 'analyze'.

• In UK English, 'travel' or 'cancel' becomes 'travelling' or 'cancelling'. In the US English, they become 'traveling' or 'canceling'; that is, one 'l' instead of two.

• In UK English 're' is used in 'centre' and 'fibre'. In US English they are spelled as 'center' and 'fiber'.

• In UK English 'ogue' is used instead of 'og'; eg. 'dialogue' in UK English becomes 'dialog' in US English.

Grammar

Collective nouns : In UK English collective nouns can be either singular or plural in a sentence. That is both the sentences "The family is going…." and "The family are going…" are correct. But in US English, collective nouns are always singular.

Prepositions :

At/on - I went there at the weekend. (UK)

- I went there on the weekend. (US)

To/through - I work Monday to Friday. (UK)

- I work Monday through. (US)

To/than - My situation is different from yours. (UK)

- My situation is different than yours. (US)

Verb In UK English, you can use both 'have' and 'take' with nouns such as 'holiday' or 'shower'. For example, "I'm going to take a shower or have a shower." In the US English only 'take' is used with these nouns.

Present perfect To talk about something that happened in the recent past with an effect on the present, the present perfect tense is used in UK English. But in the US English, simple past tense is used. Eg. 'I have lost my car, can you please help?' (UK)

'I lost my car, can you please help?' (US)

Dates In the UK, dates are written in 'day/month/year' format. But in the US, it's written in the 'month/day/year' format.

Offers or suggestions In UK English 'shall' is used and 'can' is used. Example:

'Shall I get you something?' (UK)

'Can I get you something?' (US)

Future plans In UK English 'shall' is used for referring to future plans and in US English 'will' is used instead. Example:

'I shall be available at 8 o'clock.' (UK)

'I will be available at 8 o'clock.' (US)

Pronunciation

Consonant sounds The /r/ sound In UK English, if 'r' comes after a vowel in the exact syllable then 'r' is not pronounced; eg. 'far', 'market', etc. In US English 'r' is pronounced strongly in this case.

The /t/ sound In US English, when 't' comes before a weak vowel and after a stressed vowel, it changes to a blend of 't' and 'd'; eg. 'butter' or 'water'. In UK English, these sound like the normal 't' sound.

/ɒ/ vs. /ɑ/ In UK English, words like "dog," and "pot" are pronounced with the /ɒ/ sound. It is pronounced with a slightly rounded mouth. In US English, the /ɑ/ (the short "o") sound.

US vs UK English in terms of communication style

The way US and UK English speakers talk is different. Here we will talk about some of the differences.

Direct or indirect

The Americans are very expressive. They are direct in communication. But the British people say things indirectly as if there's hidden meaning in them. For example, if your boss says that your idea is 'interesting', then in US English it will really be 'interesting' but in UK English it will mean 'not good'.

Body language

In both communication styles, personal space matters. The Americans made more eye contact and stronger handshakes than the Brits.

Humor

The Brits use sarcasm in humor. They find humor in as serious a topic as 'death' also. They also show no emotion when telling jokes.

Owning mistakes

The Americans own mistakes. You will hear many companies talk openly about their failure and what they learned from it. But the British consider mistakes as 'shame'.

Social interaction

The Americans are very friendly and open, even with strangers. The British people, on the other hand, are more reserved, especially in initial interaction.

You must listen carefully to both British and American English to know the differences. Try reading a book written by a British author and compare it with one written by an American author. You will also notice the language difference when you watch a British movie vs a Hollywood movie.