16 American Words that Don't make sense in British English

Main Ideas

American and British English share the same language but use different words for everyday items. Some differences are simply unfamiliar; others can cause confusion or unintended embarrassment. The teacher recommends using the British terms below when speaking in the UK.

Words That May Cause Embarrassment

• Pants

  • In American English, pants means trousers worn on the outside.
  • In British English, pants means underwear. The British word for outerwear is trousers.
  • Roy tells a story about an American friend who said she had “dirtied” her pants after spilling chocolate ice cream. In British English, this sounded as if she meant her underwear.

• Fanny

  • In American English, fanny means a person’s bottom.
  • In British English, it is an old-fashioned term for female genitals and can sound embarrassing.
  • An American fanny pack is called a bum bag in British English.

• Rubber

  • In British English, a rubber is an eraser used to remove pencil marks.
  • American English usually uses eraser. In American English, rubber can mean a condom.

• Suspenders

  • In American English, suspenders are straps worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers. In British English, these are called braces.
  • In British English, suspenders usually means straps or a belt used to hold up stockings, often associated with lingerie.

Everyday Vocabulary Differences

• Chips, crisps, and fries

  • American chips are usually called crisps in Britain.
  • American fries are a type of British chips.
  • In Britain, chips commonly means the thicker, hot potato pieces served with fish and chips. Fries can mean thinner, longer chips.

• Cookie

  • American English uses cookie broadly for what British English often calls a biscuit.
  • In Britain, cookie is also used for a particular kind of biscuit, often round and containing chocolate chips.

• Public school

  • In American English, a public school is publicly funded.
  • In Britain, publicly funded education is generally called state school. A British public school is a fee-paying school.

• Gas

  • In American English, gas means the fuel put in a car.
  • In Britain, this is called petrol, and the place to buy it is a petrol station. Gas in Britain usually refers to a substance such as air, hydrogen, or oxygen.

• Subway

  • In American English, subway can mean an underground railway.
  • In Britain, the usual terms are the underground or, in London, the Tube. Subway may instead bring to mind an underpass or the sandwich-shop chain.

• Sidewalk: The American word for the pedestrian path beside a road. In British English, this is a pavement.

• Eggplant: Called aubergine in British English.

• Zucchini: Called courgette in British English.

• Washcloth

  • In American English, a washcloth is a small cloth for washing the face or body.
  • British English commonly calls this a flannel. Roy notes that washcloth initially sounded to him like a cloth for household cleaning.

• Period

  • In American English, period means the punctuation mark at the end of a sentence.
  • In British English, this is a full stop.
  • In Britain, period is used for a span of time and for menstruation, so using it for punctuation may cause confusion.

Additional Differences and Words That May Irritate Some British Speakers

• Soccer: British English generally uses football. The word soccer is understood and is not technically wrong, but some British speakers dislike it or may correct it to football. American football refers to a different sport.
• Addicting: British speakers generally prefer addictive. Addicting may sound informal or simply wrong to some people.
• Could care less: The intended meaning is usually “I don’t care at all.” The British expression is couldn’t care less, meaning there is no less care one could have.
• Math / maths: American English uses math; British English uses maths, with an s at the end. Roy says some British speakers may emphasize or add the final s when they hear math.

Other Terms Mentioned

Roy adds drapes as an extra example: British speakers generally say curtains, though many will understand drapes. He also notes that elevator is commonly lift, apartment is flat, and film is the more traditional British term for movie. These American terms are generally understood and unlikely to bother people.

The broader lesson is that many American terms are understandable in Britain, but knowing the local equivalent helps avoid misunderstandings—especially with words that have different meanings on either side of the Atlantic. The video also mentions a free downloadable PDF with more lesson material.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Roy Woodhouse — The presenter and British English teacher.
• Roy’s son — Quoted in the breakfast anecdote about “speaking American.”
• Roy’s American friend — Quoted in the story about using pants after spilling ice cream.
• Roy’s wife — Mentioned as advising Roy on how to explain suspenders.
• No other guest speakers or external sources are featured in the subtitles.