List of British English words not used in American English
List of British English words not used in American English
- See also main article: American and British English differences
| British | American |
| abseil | rappel (to descend on a rope) |
| advocate | lawyer (distinction in Scots law) |
| arse* | ass* (buttocks) |
| barrister | lawyer (distinction in English law) |
| black pudding | blood sausage |
| "bird" (woman) | "chick" |
| blinkers | blinders |
| "bloody"*(for example, "This bloody car won't start.") | "damned" |
| bollocks* | "balls"* (testicles) |
| to "bonk"* | to have sexual intercourse |
| bonnet (of a car) | hood |
| boot (of a car) | trunk |
| braces | appropriate list) |
| buggery* | sodomy |
| bugger off* | leave |
| bum bag | fanny pack |
| candy floss | cotton candy |
| chancer | a person trying to get away with something they shouldn't |
| concession | discount |
| (potato) crisps | (potato) chips |
| crumpet | a porous griddle cake, eaten toasted with butter and jam, English muffin |
| "crumpet"* | one or more attractive women. |
| current account | checking account |
| dinner jacket | tuxedo |
| dodgy | suspicious |
| "dosh" | money |
| draughts | checkers |
| drawing pin | thumb tack |
| dustbin | trash can |
| earth | (electrical) ground |
| engaged tone | busy signal |
| ex-directory | unlisted (phone number) |
| fairy cake | cupcake |
| flat | apartment |
| fortnight | Two weeks. |
| gearbox | automobile transmission |
| "gooseberry" (third person who intrudes on an intimate situation) | "third wheel" |
| green fingers | green thumb |
| high street (Scots) | main street |
| hoover (verb) | to use a vacuum cleaner (in U.S. Hoover is still only a brand name) |
| hosepipe | garden hose |
| invigilator | proctor |
| knickers | panties |
| laundrette | laundromat |
| leisure suit | business suit |
| lift (noun) | elevator |
| lorry | truck (interchangeable in British English) |
| loudhailer | bullhorn |
| mains power (or "the mains") | house current, "the AC", "the wall" |
| maths | math |
| MD (managing director) | CEO (Chief Executive Officer) |
| mobile (phone) | cell phone |
| motorway | freeway |
| naff | uncool, useless |
| naff off | leave |
| nappy | diaper |
| oilseed rape | rapeseed oil, canola |
| petrol | gasoline |
| "plonker" (popularised by Only Fools and Horses) | fool |
| "ponce" (derogatory term, usually for a male) | pimp (mainly northern English usage), fop, or homosexual (non-complimentary). Can also be used to refer to someone with airs and graces. |
| to "ponce up" | to improve the appearance of something or someone |
| to "ponce off" | to help oneself to something uninvited - e.g. mind if I ponce a fag off you? (i.e. helping myself to a cigarette - plenty of scope for misunderstanding there!) |
| poof/poofter* | "faggot" (homosexual, not complimentary) |
| pram | baby carriage, contraction of perambulator. |
| pudding | dessert, often stodgy, or a main course dish of a stodgy nature, e.g. steak and kidney pudding |
| queue | line (for waiting in) |
| "randy" | "horny" (interchangeable in British English) |
| ring someone | call someone (interchangeable in British English) |
| roundabout (in the road) | traffic circle; rotary. (Roundabout is used in some parts of the US, including on signs) |
| roundabout (fairground ride) | carousel |
| to rubbish | to verbally discredit. |
| scone | biscuit |
| serviette | napkin, as at a dinner table |
| settee | couch (interchangeable in British English) |
| skiptop | dumpster |
| "slag"* | "slut"* (promiscuous woman) (interchangeable in British English) |
| to "slag off" | to speak in a depreciating way about someone or something |
| "snogging" | kissing, "making out" |
| solicitor | lawyer (distinct from an advocate in Scots Law or a barrister in English law) |
| spanner | wrench |
| sticking plaster, Elastoplast | bandage, Band-Aid |
| ta (usually spoken rather than written) | thanks |
| "telly" | TV (also used in UK) |
| text (often written txt, only used since about 1998) | SMS |
| to "toss (off)"* | to masturbate |
| "tosser"* | "jerk-off"* (masturbator; term of abuse) |
| "tosspot"* | (term of abuse) |
| trapezium | trapezoid |
| trolley (for shopping) | cart |
| tube | subway |
| underground (noun) | subway |
| waistcoat | vest |
| to wank* | to masturbate |
| "wanker"* | "jerk-off"* (masturbator; term of abuse) |
| whilst | while (see Words only used in British English in American and British English differences) |
| your man/your woman (Irish) | Used for someone whose name has been forgotten or is unknown or unimportant ("Whats-his-name") |
*denotes vulgar expression