Masterlist of British vs US Words: Boot vs Trunk, Chips vs Fries, etc.

Just a quick but extensive list of words that are different in the UK-at-large from American English, but are generally the same thing.




US: Chips (Doritos, etc)
Brit: Crisps

US: french fries, potato wedges
Brit: chips

US: Cookies (Oreos, etc)
Brit: Biscuits

US: restroom, toilet
Brit: Loo, WC, bog

US: toilet paper, TP
Brit: bog roll, loo paper

US: trunk (storage area of a car)
Brit: boot

US: going on vacation
Brit: going on holiday

US: apartments
Brit: flats

US: counterclockwise
Brit: anticlockwise

US: sneakers, tennis shoes
Brit: trainers

US: sweater, hoodie
Brit: jumper, hooded jumper

US: truck
Brit: lorry

US: bullhorn
Brit: loudhailer

US: 18-wheeler, semi
Brit: articulated lorry

US: coveralls
Brit: boiler suit

US: hood of a car
Brit: bonnet of a car

US: vest
Brit: waistcoat

US: tow truck
Brit: breakdown van

US: plastic wrap
Brit: cling film

US: crib (for a baby)
Brit: cot

US: public housing, ‘the projects’
Brit: council estate

US: alligator clip
Brit: crocodile clip

US: defroster (in a car)
Brit: demister

US: robe, bathrobe
Brit: dressing gown

US: pacifier, binky (for a baby)
Brit: dummy

US: trash, garbage
Brit: rubbish

US: ground (electrical)
Brit: earth

US: fire department
Brit: fire brigade

US: fish stick
Brit: fish fingers

US: switchblade
Brit: flick knife

US: yard, lawn (front yard, back yard, etc)
Brit: garden (front garden, back garden, etc)

US: period (punctuation.)
Brit: full stop

US: gear shift
Brit: gear lever

US: bachelor party
Brit: stag do, stag night

US: going to the hospital, in the hospital
Brit: going to hospital, in hospital

US: jelly beans
Brit: jelly babies

US: John Q Public
Brit: Joe Public

US: rummage sale, garage sale
Brit: jumble sale

US: crossing guard
Brit: lollipop (-man/lady)

US: suspenders
Brit: bracers

US: hungry
Brit: peckish

US: zucchini
Brit: courgette

US: math
Brit: maths

US: odometer (car gauge measuring distance)
Brit: milometer (‘mile-ometer’)

US: cell phone
Brit: mobile

US: newscaster, anchor
Brit: newsreader

US: tic-tac-toe
Brit: noughts and crosses

US: license plate
Brit: number plate, registration plate

US: baked potato
Brit: jacket potato

US: eggplant
Brit: aubergine

US: turtleneck
Brit: polo-neck

US: absentee ballot
Brit: postal vote

US: utility pole, telephone pole
Brit: pylon

US: jump rope
Brit: skipping rope

US: take-out, to-go order, fast food
Brit: takeaway

US: check mark the box
Brit: tick the box

US: ‘knock on wood’
Brit: ‘touch wood’

US: truck stop
Brit: transport cafe

US: subway
Brit: underground, tube

US: closet, armoire
Brit: wardrobe

US: the letter Z (‘zee’)
Brit: the letter Zed

US: fender (of a car)
Brit: wing

US: certified mail
Brit: recorded delivery

US: to get in line (to wait one’s turn for something)
Brit: to queue up

US: doing pushups
Brit: doing pressups

US: oven mitt
Brit: oven glove

US: diaper
Brit: nappy

US: popsicle/otter-pops (both brand names)
Brit: ice lollies

US: bangs (hair that hangs down in front)
Brit: fringe

US: divided highway
Brit: dual carriageway

US: fanny pack
Brit: bumbag

US: cotton candy
Brit: candy floss

US: parking lot
Brit: car park

US: soccer
Brit: football

US: gelatin, Jell-O
Brit: jelly

US: jelly (sandwich spread)
Brit: jam

US: motorcycle
Brit: motorbike, motorscooter

US: Hoveround (brand), motorized chair
Brit: mobility scooter

US: sidewalk
Brit: pavement, footpath

US: gasoline (fuel for vehicles)
Brit: petrol

US: in the mail
Brit: in the post

US: eraser (such as for pencils)
Brit: rubber

US: schedule
Brit: timetable

US: multiplication tables
Brit: times-tables

US: flashlight
Brit: torch

US: windshield
Brit: windscreen

US: advice columnist
Brit: agony aunt

US: German Shepherd (dog)
Brit: Alsatian

US: parka-style jacket
Brit: anorak

US: lawyer, attorney
Brit: barrister, solicitor

US: ink pen, ball-point pen
Brit: biro

US: parenthesis
Brit: round brackets

US: downtown
Brit: city centre

US: stove
Brit: cooker

US: resume (job application document)
Brit: CV

US: tuxedo, sport coat, suit coat
Brit: dinner jacket

US: drunk driving
Brit: drink driving

US: school principal
Brit: headmaster

US: vacuum cleaner
Brit: hoover

US: quotation marks
Brit: inverted commas

US: ladybug
Brit: ladybird

US: go check at lost and found
Brit: go check at lost property

US: underwear, undies
Brit: pants

US: baby carriage, stroller
Brit: pram, push chair

US: backpack
Brit: rucksack

US: wrench
Brit: spanner

US: streetcar, trolley
Brit: tram

US: crosswalk
Brit: zebra crossing

US: wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole
Brit: wouldn’t touch with a bargepole

US: dame, broad, gal
Brit: bird

US: bus
Brit: coach

US: male friends, buddies, bros, the guys,
Brit: chaps, mates, lads

US: skeletons in the closet
Brit: skeletons in the cupboard

US: fart
Brit: trump

US: umbrella
Brit: brolly

US: calling someone collect
Brit: making a reverse-charge call

US: ground beef
Brit: mince

US: dead tired, exhausted, beat
Brit: knackered

US: student discount, elderly discount
Brit: student concession, elderly consession

US: on a fixed income
Brit: pensioner

US: pharmacist / pharmacy
Brit: chemist / chemist shop

US: down in the dumps, depressed
Brit: gutted

US: epic fail, jack up, mess up royally
Brit: cock up

US: barf, hurl, throw up, vomit, toss one’s cookies, retch
Brit: chunder

US: shady, creepy
Brit: dodgy

US: delish, yummy
Brit: scrummy

US: one’s own body
Brit: one’s rig

US: awesome
Brit: brilliant

..and more to be added as I come across them =)

Credits: my own experience listening to BBC Radio, Oxford Dictionaries, Bored Panda, GrammarCheck, Englisch-hilfen, Wikipedia, JustEnglish.me, How Stuff Works, Anglotopia,

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