English language varieties

The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language. English is the main language in many places, an important language in others, and spoken as a second language in most of the rest of the world. However, there are some significant differences in pronunciation, spelling and word usage around the world. This article aims to provide a list of some of these differences that may be useful to travellers.

The clearest distinction is between what can be loosely called the British (or "Commonwealth", abbreviated "UK" in this guide) and American (abbreviated "U.S." in this guide) varieties of English.

• Many former British colonies (not all of them Commonwealth members) generally follow British rather than American usage: Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and other former British possessions in Africa, Hong Kong, all of South Asia, Malaysia, and current and former British possessions in the Caribbean and Oceania.
• A few areas are heavily influenced by the U.S. and generally follow American usage, including the Philippines, Liberia, Israel, the Arab states of the Gulf, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, parts of Latin America and current and former American possessions in the Caribbean and Oceania.
• In general, standard British English is taught as a foreign language in European schools, though American cultural influence is strong in Europe as well. Some American terms may be better known than their British counterparts (e.g., "truck" vs. "lorry", or "toll-free" vs. "freephone"), and some language schools in Europe recruit American and Canadian English teachers. In general there is a trend to move from British spelling and pronunciation towards American pronunciation, especially among young people, which is fueled in no small part by the increasing availability of American media in the original version.
• The African Union, just like the EU, follows UK English.
• English speakers without a British background and people in areas without a history of direct colonial or military influence by English-speaking nations are often more familiar with American usage because of the popularity of U.S. films, TV series, music, and spell-checkers. In particular, due to the global economic and military dominance of the U.S., outside the Commonwealth and the European Union, it is usually American English that is taught as a foreign language in schools.
• Canada mostly follows British spelling conventions ("labour", not "labor") but American vocabulary choices ("elevator", not "lift"). Canadian English is also pronounced similarly to American English; the most common Canadian accent is very close to a Midwestern U.S. accent.
• Australia mostly follows British spelling; some words are spelled the American way (such as "program", not "programme"), though fewer than in Canada. However, most of the country with the exception of South Australia has a preference for U.S. terminology due to its heavy American influence since the 1970s, and a lot of British terms may not be understood outside South Australia. However, as a traveller, using only US terminology will get you nearly everywhere.
• Papua New Guinea, being a former Australian territory up until 1975, mostly uses Australian English in an ordinary English context
• Singapore mostly uses British English, and uses fully British spelling, but has also been significantly influenced by American and Australian English, and a large number of words are pronounced the American way. Singlish is also used, which is an English-based creole with influences from various Chinese dialects, Malay and Tamil.
• Due to the worldwide popularity of Hollywood films and American pop culture, speakers of British English are more likely to understand American English terms than vice versa.
• International organisations that both the U.S. and UK are members of (such as the United Nations) typically follow British Oxford usage as homage to the "senior" variety of English.

Regardless of which variety is more popular locally, a good course in English as a foreign language will at some point teach the key differences between British and American English. Most reasonably fluent second-language speakers should at least be aware of the most well-known vocabulary differences.

Some exceptions to the purely dichotomous treatment of English are noted in comments in the tables below, but this guide is meant to be a practical aid for travellers, not an exhaustive compendium of English usages.