– Not so – subtle differences
Yes, people from the USA and UK do speak the same language, but there are – sometimes not so – subtle differences. For instance, never say ‘nice pants’ to a lady in the UK! You probably ment what the Brits call trousers. Pants in the UK are the word for underwear.
More differences you wanna make sure you know about: In the UK the floor of a building at street level is called the ground floor. However, in the USA, the floor at street level is usually called the first floor.
Favourite ones
And there are more differences (some of which you can better be aware of). Hereby a few of my favourite UK vs US differences:
Starter – Apetizer
Aubergine – Eggplant
Corriander – Cilantro
Chips – French Fries
Crisps – Potato chips
Biscuit – Cookie
Trousers – Pants (in UK English these are undergarments!)
Flat – Apartment
Underground – Subway
Chemist – Drugstore/Pharmacy
Queue – Line
Boot – Trunk
Takeaway – Takeout
Timetable – Schedule
Post – Mail
Going to communicate abroad? Download the Checklist for Successful Communication across the border in the latest article of The Orange Typewriter: https://rfr.bz/l1aj33q
Happy communicating!
Nadine – expat, cultural and technical copywriter
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