# British English

| British English |
| --- |
| *British English* |
| Native to | United Kingdom |
| Ethnicity | British people |
| Language family | Indo-European
* Germanic
	+ West Germanic
		- Ingvaeonic
			* Anglo-Frisian
				+ Anglic
					- English
						* **British English**
 |
| Early forms | Old English
* Middle English
	+ Early Modern English
 |
| Standard forms | * Received Pronunciation
* Standard Scottish English
* Standard Hiberno-English
 |
| Writing system | Latin (English alphabet) |
| Official status |
| Official language in | * United Kingdom (originally  England)
* United Nations (with Oxford spelling)
 |
| Language codes |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| IETF | `en-GB` |

**British English** is the dialect of English that is spoken in the United Kingdom. It is different in some ways from other types of English such as American English. British English is widely spoken in most countries that were once part of the British Empire.

## Use in other countries

American English is used in the United States. In Canada, the accent sounds very similar to American English, but Canadian English has a few differences. Canada has mixed the spelling rules of American and British English to form its own spelling rules.

Most members of the Commonwealth of Nations learn British English, and American English is often learnt in the Americas, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The United Kingdom and Ireland use British layout keyboards, and Australia, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand and the United States use American layout keyboards. In Continental Europe, English as a second language is sometimes taught in American English except in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, where British English is taught.

## Pronunciation

In the United Kingdom, the spelling remains the same, but the pronunciation varies in the local dialects. For example, a person from a place near London may not pronounce the "r" the same as a person from Scotland. Across the country, the accent is different. Liverpool people may speak with a "Scouse" accent, and Birmingham people speak with a "Brummie" accent.

In London, the "Cockney" accent was once common but it is almost never heard today. All regional accents became less extreme in the 20th century. That is generally attributed to the arrival of radio and television. Another factor is the increased mobility of people. A similar process has been noted in the United States, where regional differences are much less noticeable than they used to be.

## Spelling

There are many words that sound the same in both American and British English but have different spellings. British English often has more traditional ways of spelling words than American English. Many British English rules are also used in other countries. Most of those countries are members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

## Vocabulary

In British English, "dock" refers to the water in the space between two "piers" or "wharfs". In American English, the "pier" or "wharf" could be called a "dock", and the water between would be a "slip".

Here are other common differences:

British English – American English

* accelerator – throttle
* autumn – fall
* biscuit – cookie
* bonnet – hood (of a car)
* boot – trunk (of a car)
* bum – butt
* caravan – travel trailer, mobile home
* chips – French fries
* courgette – zucchini
* crisps – chips (especially potato chips)
* care home - assisted living facility\home
* sweets - candy
* face flannel – washcloth
* flat – apartment
* football – soccer
* garden – yard
* bungalow - ranch house
* handbag – purse
* jumper – sweater
* lift – elevator
* lorry – truck
* manual gearbox – stick shift
* metro, underground, tube – subway
* motorway – freeway
* mum – mom
* nappy – diaper
* number plate – license plate
* pants - underpants
* pavement – sidewalk
* lower ground floor - basement
* ground floor - first\main floor
* let - rent or lease
* fuzz\coppers - police, the cops
* knackered - exhausted, tired
* aeroplane - airplane
* pram – stroller
* petrol – gas or gasoline
* phone box - phone booth
* post – mail, mailbox
* railway – railroad
* shopping trolley – shopping cart
* loo – toilet
* take-away – take-out
* trousers – pants - Only Superman wears his pants outside of his trousers
* torch – flashlight
* tram – streetcar
* holiday - vacation

## Other websites

* British and American English differences Archived 2005-12-10 at the Wayback Machine