American vs British words for everyday conversation

Dec 14, 2024

Aakanksha Sharma

American and British vocabulary

Indians have been learning English for as long as they can remember. While most schools follow British English, there are words from the American language that we have picked up from books, movies, and more. Here we mention 10 words and their British and American alternates.

Brinjal

Brinjal, the purple veggie that most Indians love, has 2 word options. It is Brinjal in British English, and Aubergine in the American context.

Biscuits

Another common food item with 2 word alternatives is the biscuit we love dipping in our tea. And in the UK, they are referred to as Biscuits, while in the US they are usually cookies or crackers.

Pant

One word that Indians use in the American form instead of the British is ‘Pant’. Pants or jeans are usually used interchangeably and are both a part of American English. And the British alternative to ‘Pant’ is ‘Trousers’.

Fries

Another word that we take from American English is ‘Fries’. The crispy, hot fries that we love with Cheese have a British name and are referred to as ‘Chips’.

Garbage

While Indians are used to saying ‘Garbage’, the British and US alternates to this are ‘Rubbish’ in the British language, and ‘Trash’ in the American way.

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Words for a season

Just after the summer season, we have ‘Autumn’, and this is more commonly used in the British form. And the American alternative to autumn is ‘Fall’.

Curtains

Curtains are common in every Indian household and are used to block out the sun and protect privacy. Anc curtains have their American counterpart with the word ‘Drapes’.

Closet

A closet is generally used to store clothes, and while most Indians are familiar with the word closet or almirah, this too has an American counterpart in the form of a ‘Wardrobe’.

Eraser

Most Indian kids are used to saying ‘I want a rubber’, or ‘Can I please borrow your rubber’, and rubber is used to rub off and erase pencil marks. And the ‘Rubber’ finds an American alternative in the word ‘Eraser’.

Principal

Another American word that is common even in British English education is ‘Principal’. And the British alternative for this word is ‘Headmaster’.

Thanks For Reading!

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