List of British English words not used in American English
List of British English words not used in American English
- See also main article: American and British English differences
| British | American |
| abseil | rappel (to descend on a rope) |
| arse* | ass* (buttocks) |
| aubergine | eggplant (can also refer to an eggplant-like color in British English) |
| balls-up* (noun) | screw-up (noun) |
| banger | sausage, old car, loud explosive firework |
| barrister | a lawyer who appears in court (distinction in English law) |
| Belisha beacon | orange ball containing a flashing light, mounted on a post at each end of a zebra crossing |
| black pudding | blood sausage |
| bloke | guy |
| "bloody"*(for example, "This bloody car won't start.") | "damned", often rendered as "damn" |
| bollocks* (testicles) | "balls"* |
| bollocks* (nonsense, baloney) | "bullshit"* |
| bonnet (of a car) | hood |
| boot (of a car) | trunk |
| bubble and squeak | dish of cooked cabbage fried with cooked potatoes |
| buggery* | sodomy |
| bugger off* | get lost, scram |
| bugger up* | mess up, screw up |
| bum bag | fanny pack |
| busk | to play music or perform some other entertainment in a public place and solicit monetary reward; American English doesn't have an exact equivalent for the verb, but the noun (busker) might be "street musician" or "street performer" |
| candy floss | cotton candy |
| car park | parking lot |
| chancer | a person trying to get away with something they shouldn't |
| cheerio | goodbye |
| (potato) crisps | chips |
| "crumpet" | one or more attractive women |
| current account | checking account |
| dodgy | dubious ("sketchy" in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast) |
| "dosh" | money |
| draughts | checkers |
| drawing pin | thumb tack |
| dustbin | trash can, wastebasket |
| duvet | soft thick quilt used instead of an upper sheet and blankets (comforter) |
| engaged tone | busy signal |
| ex-directory | unlisted (phone number) |
| fairy cake | cupcake |
| flat | apartment |
| fortnight | two weeks |
| gearbox | [automobile] transmission |
| "gooseberry" (third person who intrudes on an intimate situation) | "third wheel" |
| green fingers | green thumb |
| high street | main street |
| hoover (verb) | to use a vacuum cleaner (in U.S. Hoover is still only a brand name); to vacuum |
| hosepipe | garden hose |
| inverted commas | quotation marks 'Inverted commas' are used in British English to quote text, while American writers use "quotation marks." But although the punctuation is different, the concept of quotation is analagous, especially since British English speakers sometimes refer to things formally (or ironically) by using the phrase "in inverted commas" in conversation. |
| invigilator | proctor |
| laundrette | laundromat |
| leisure suit | business suit |
| lift (noun) | elevator |
| loo | toilet (restroom) |
| lorry | truck (interchangeable in British English) |
| loudhailer | bullhorn |
| mains power (or "the mains") | house current, "the AC", "the wall" |
| maths | math ''The British put the "s" at the end of "maths" because "mathematics" itself is plural. But this pattern is also found among US English speakers when referring to the academic field of statistics as "stats." |
| MD (managing director) | CEO (Chief Executive Officer) |
| motorway | freeway |
| naff | uncool, useless |
| naff off | a euphemism for "fuck off"*, often in the sense of to leave |
| nappy | diaper (In American English, "nappy" can also be an adjective referring to twisted or kinky hair, esp. to the hair of Africans or African Americans. Generally considered insulting when used by anyone not of African heritage.) |
| oilseed rape | rape plant, canola |
| to orientate | to orient, most often seen in its noun form, "orientation". So while an American in a new city would try to "orient" himself, a British English speaker would feel the need to "orientate" herself instead. |
| pantechnicon (virtually obsolete) | truck |
| pelican crossing | pedestrian crossing with traffic lights operated by pedestrians (acronym for PEdestrian LIght-CoNtrolled crossing) |
| petrol | gasoline |
| "plonker" (popularised by Only Fools and Horses) | fool |
| "ponce" | pimp (mainly northern English usage), fop, or effeminate man (derogatory). Can also be used to refer to someone with airs and graces. |
| to "ponce up" | to improve the appearance of something or someone |
| to "ponce off" | to help oneself to something uninvited - e.g. mind if I ponce a fag off you? (i.e. helping myself to a cigarette - plenty of scope for misunderstanding there!) |
| "poof/poofter" (derogatory) | effeminate or homosexual man |
| pram, contraction of perambulator | stroller or baby carriage |
| "pud" | short for pudding |
| pushchair | stroller or baby carriage |
| queue | line (for waiting in) |
| "randy" | "horny" (interchangeable in British English) |
| ring someone | call someone (interchangeable in British English) |
| roundabout (in the road) | traffic circle; rotary (roundabout is used in some parts of the US, including on signs) |
| roundabout (fairground ride) | carousel; merry-go-round |
| to rubbish | to verbally discredit |
| serviette | napkin, as at a dinner table |
| settee | couch (interchangeable in British English) |
| skip | dumpster |
| "slag" (derogatory) | "slut" (promiscuous woman) (interchangeable in British English) |
| to "slag off" | to speak in a depreciating way about someone or something |
| "snogging" | kissing, "making out" |
| "slapper" | a promiscuous or vulgar woman |
| spanner | wrench |
| sticking plaster, Elastoplast | bandage, Band-Aid |
| ta (usually spoken rather than written) | thanks |
| "telly" | TV (also used in UK) |
| toad-in-the-hole | dish consisting of sausages baked in batter |
| to "toss (off)"* | to masturbate |
| waistcoat | vest |
| to wank (off)* | to masturbate |
| "wanker"* | "jerk-off"* (masturbator; term of abuse) |
| whilst | while (see Words only used in British English in American and British English differences) |
| your man/your woman (Irish) | used for someone whose name has been forgotten or is unknown or unimportant ("Whats-his-name") |
| zebra crossing | pedestrian street crossing marked with broad white stripes |
*denotes vulgar expression