Should You Learn British English or American English? [Updated]

English is the most spoken language in the world, but it doesn't mean that everyone is speaking the same type of English. 

The two biggest dialects, or styles, are British English and North American English. But what are the differences between them? And which one is better for students to learn? Let’s dive in and find some answers!

Differences Between American and British English

Many people around the world are at least a little familiar with American English through US pop culture like music and Hollywood movies. British English, however, is more common in countries that used to be part of the British empire, like New Zealand, Singapore and Jamaica. Let's look at what separates the two types.

Spelling differences

Many common English words have both American and British spellings. Having your computer set to one language will result in a spell check error if there are words spelled in the other style.  

Here are some examples:

American English	British English
color	colour
labor	labour
neighbor	neighbour
tires	tyres
archeology	archaeology
license	licence
catalog	catalogue
program	programme

The following words have the “e” and “r” endings switched depending on whether you’re using American or British English.

American English	British English
center	centre
meter	metre
theater	theatre
fiber	fibre
liter	litre

There are many American English verbs that end in -ze. In British English, however, those endings change to -se.

American English	British English
realize	realise
specialize	specialise
summarize	summarise
hospitalize	hospitalise
analyze	analyse
recognize	recognise

And in the following chart, notice how the British versions are spelled with one more "l" than the American version.

American English	British English
traveling	travelling
traveled	travelled
fueled	fuelled
canceling	cancelling
canceled	cancelled

There is also a difference in the past tense of some verbs.

American English	British English
spelled	spelt
learned	learnt
burned	burnt

Word differences

Beyond just spelling, sometimes completely different words are used to express the same ideas. 

American English	British English
truck	lorry
gasoline	petrol
hood	bonnet
trunk	boot
elevator	lift
period	full stop
eraser	rubber
faucet	tap
French fries	chips

In some cases, the British version of a word will have a much different meaning in American English and vice versa, so be careful.

For example, a "biscuit" is a kind of food in both dialects, but in American English, it's a small, unsweetened cake often eaten as a side dish. To a British English speaker, however, biscuits are cookies!

Differences in notation

There are other differences as well, such as the order of dates and the number of floors in buildings.

For example, in American English, the date is written in the order of month, day, year (MM/DD/YY), but in British English, the order is day, month, year. For a native speaker of one style, seeing a different order can be quite confusing!

Related article: How to Correctly Say the Date in English

Similarly, in American English, the “first floor” of a building is the floor on the same level as the street. But in British English, that level is called the “ground floor,” and the floor above that is considered the “first” floor.

Differences in pronunciation

It’s often easy to quickly understand whether someone is speaking American or British English, and a big reason for that is the differences in pronunciation.

One of the major differences is that the "r" sound is often much softer in British English. "Car" and "ever," for example, have hard endings in American English. But from a British English speaker, they would sound more like "caa" and "evaa."

In American English, "t" sounds in the middle of words often sound closer to "d."  So most American English speakers would pronounce "better" like "bedder," and "native" like "nadive." The "t" sound is often more clearly pronounced in British English.

The "a" sound is often closer to "ah" or "aw" with British pronunciation, so "bath" sounds like "bawth," "chance" sounds like "chawnce," and "can't" sounds like "cawn't."

Furthermore, the stress, or emphasis, will sometimes be in different parts of a word depending on the type of English. Here are some examples:

Advertisement

AmE: AD-ver-tise-ment

BrE: ad-VER-tise-ment

Adult

AmE: ad-DULT

BrE: AD-ult

Garage

AmE: ga-RAGE

BrE: GAR-age

Sometimes even letters are pronounced differently. American English speakers, for example, pronounce the letter "Z" as "zee," but British English speakers say "zed."

Which Type of English Should You Study?

Depending on the country you live in, one type of English may be more common, or there may be more study materials available for it. If that's true for you, it might be more convenient to choose that type. 

While we teach American English at Engoo, there are no clear advantages or disadvantages to learning either style. If you learn American English, a speaker of British English will still understand you easily.

So if you’re wondering which one to study, the answer is simply whichever you prefer!

No matter which you decide to learn, however, there are plenty of tools to help you, such as:

• Films set in a country with your chosen dialect
• Books by American or British authors
• Local news sites
• Podcasts with British or American hosts
• International speakers on videos like the TED Talks series

Think Globally

English is a powerful language that can help you communicate with people all over the world, regardless of the dialect or accent. So instead of thinking about British and American English as two separate things, think of them as one international language!

If you'd like to learn more about the unique ways people communicate in the US and UK beyond language, check out this article next. 🇺🇸🇬🇧

• what's the difference