Many English courses teach American English, so British words can catch you out on a first trip to London or in a UK TV show. Each word below has its American match next to it.
How British English Differs From American English
These five rows show the grammar and spelling changes you will notice first.
| American English | British English | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| I have a car. | I've got a car. | Have got is more common in speech |
| I have to go. | I've got to go. | Have got to is common for "must" |
| It's gotten colder. | It's got colder. | Gotten is rare in Britain |
| The team is winning. | The team are winning. | A group word can take a plural verb |
| color, center | colour, centre | Many words keep an extra u or end in -re |
Everyday Words
You'll see lift and queue on signs, and biscuits and crisps on shop shelves.
- flat
- A home on one floor of a bigger buildingAmerican English: apartmentPeople rent a flat or buy one, just as Americans rent an apartment.
- lift
- A machine that carries people between floorsAmerican English: elevatorLet's take the lift means "Let's take the elevator."
- queue
- A line of people waitingAmerican English: lineThe line at a bus stop is the bus queue.
- biscuit
- A small, flat, sweet baked snackAmerican English: cookieBiscuits come in a packet and often go with tea.
- crisps
- Thin fried potato slices sold in bagsAmerican English: chipsIn Britain, chips are hot fries, as in a burger and chips.
- holiday
- Time off work or schoolAmerican English: vacationBrits go on holiday, and schools have the summer holidays.
- trainers
- Sports shoesAmerican English: sneakersYou also hear training shoes.
- loo
- The toiletAmerican English: bathroomIt is informal. Can I use your loo, please? is a polite way to ask.
- fortnight
- A period of fourteen daysAmerican English: two weeksA fortnight's holiday means two weeks off.
Casual Words and Slang
These are informal, so they fit chats with friends and coworkers better than emails to your boss.
- cheers
- Thank you, and sometimes goodbyeAmerican English: thanks"I've saved you a seat." "Cheers, mate." Both countries also say it when lifting drinks.
- cuppa
- A cup of teaAmerican English: a cup of teaA friend might ask: Do you fancy a cuppa?
- fancy
- To want something or want to do somethingAmerican English: wantFancy a drink? means "Do you want a drink?"
- knackered
- Very, very tiredAmerican English: exhaustedSaid about a thing, it means broken or worn out: my bike's knackered.
- gutted
- Really sad about how something turned outAmerican English: very disappointedI was gutted when we lost means "I was really upset when we lost."
- chuffed
- Happy and proudAmerican English: really pleasedChuffed to bits means extra pleased.
- skint
- Having no moneyAmerican English: brokeI can't go out tonight, I'm skint.
- sorted
- Organized, fixed, or readyAmerican English: taken care ofYou can say it on its own when a job is done: Sorted!
- dodgy
- Likely to be dishonestAmerican English: shadyA dodgy deal is one you shouldn't trust.
How British English Sounds
Most people in Britain speak with a regional accent. Only about 2% use Received Pronunciation, the accent many English textbooks teach.
Two sounds stand out next to American English. In most of England and Wales, people don't say the r in words like car or water unless a vowel comes next. A t between two vowels also changes: Americans say bitter and bidder the same way, but people in England keep them apart.
BBC Learning English says three of these words out loud in 4 slang words: gutted, knackered, and skint.
Practice British English in Lessons
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes your Bubblegum lessons in British English at your level, with British spelling and words like flat, lift, and queue.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn British English. You learn from British English you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
One lesson in the library has two friends queuing at a crowded pub, and another follows a rainy commute. Slang shows up only where a speaker would really use it, so you learn when it fits.
- In dialogue, people say I've got a ticket and the team are playing well.
- Lesson notes name the variety a word belongs to and give the American match.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Bubblegum is not a person to talk with, so you'll still want real conversations with people in the UK.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches British English
Mobile
BBC Learning English's 6 Minute English podcast explains a few useful words in each short episode, and best ways to learn British English has more free picks like it.
Common Questions
Is British grammar very different from American grammar?
No. Most differences between British and American English are in words and spelling. Grammar differences, like have got and gotten, are mostly about which form people use more.
Is cheers only for drinks in Britain?
No. In Britain it also means "thank you" and "goodbye". You might hear cheers when someone holds a door, and again when they leave.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Cambridge Dictionary
- Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
- Cambridge Grammar Today: British and American English
- Cambridge Grammar Today: Nouns, Singular and Plural
- American and British English grammatical differences (English Wikipedia)
- American and British English spelling differences (English Wikipedia)
- Comparison of American and British English (English Wikipedia)
- British English (English Wikipedia)
- BBC Learning English: 4 slang words, English In a Minute
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 5, 2026 against each app's own pages.
