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To start, I'd like to indicate that this thread is not meant to cause a fight nor is it intended to say one version of English is superior to the other.

I've also included Canadian and Australian English under the heading of Commonwealth English, since most of it is derived from the UK and both countries are within the Commonwealth. I realize that neither Canada nor Australia uses every single word or exactly the same spelling as the UK does, but for simplicity, I'm leaving it that. Even in the U.S., different words are used to mean the same thing and I'm forgoing that to keep things simple.

Since visiting and eventually living in Canada, I've noticed a number of different spellings, words and phrases from what I'm used to in the United States.

Some of these are:
NOTE -- The American version is on the left while the British/Canadian/Australian version is on the right.

Color vs Colour (this also includes words like honor and honour)

Theater vs Theatre

Restroom vs Washroom

Garbage Disposal vs Garburator

College vs University

Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior vs Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12

6th Grade vs Grade 6

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese vs Kraft Dinner

Airplane vs Aeroplane

Analog vs Analogue

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) vs Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)

Archeology vs Archaeology

Check vs Cheque

License vs Licence

Diarrhea vs Diarrhoea

Fetus vs Foetus

Draft vs Draught

Enroll vs Enrol

Gas(oline) vs Petrol

Exxon vs Esso

Gray vs Grey

Harmonize vs Harmonise

Jewelry vs Jewellery

Imperial vs Metric

Mom vs Mum

Plow vs Plough

Buck vs Quid

Pajamas vs Pyjamas

Skeptical vs Sceptical

Truck vs Lorry

USD vs GBP, CAD and AUS

Congressman/woman vs Member of Parliament

Presidential System without a Prime Minister vs Constitutional Monarchies with Ceremonial Monarchs

President vs Prime Minister

State vs Province

Football vs Soccer (called Football by most of the world)

Ass vs Arse

Drunk vs Pissed

Attorney vs Barrister

Butt vs Bum

Car Hood vs Car Bonnet

Car Trunk vs Car Boot

Burglarize vs Burgle

Parking Garage vs Parkade

Resume vs Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Divided Highway vs Dual Carriageway

Band-Aid vs Elastoplast

Soda vs Fizzy Drink or Pop

Powdered Sugar vs Icing Sugar

Pants vs Trousers

Underwear vs Pants

IRA vs RRSP

Apartment vs Flat

District Attorney vs Crown Prosecutor

Zee vs Zed

Lieutenant vs Leftenant

Expiration Date vs Expiry Date

Studio or Efficiency vs Bachelor Suite

Faucet vs Tap

Canadian Bacon vs Back Bacon

Native Americans vs First Nations People

If that weren't enough (and trust me, there are many more where those came from), pronunciation is often different too.

Probably the first time Maia and I realized we pronounce some words differently was when I said the word, "Foyer." Maia insisted it was pronounced "Foy-yah" while I said it was "Foy-yer." Just some of the many pronunciation differences.

Some other phrases include the use of "college" and "university." In the U.S., the most common term for someone seeking higher education is "college." You'll often hear people say, "I'm in college" or "I just graduated college."

In Canada, "college" means something entirely different from "university." "College" is a technical or vocational school. The word "university" means the same thing as "college" in the United States.

Most Americans would consider someone saying, "I'm attending university" as pompous or pretentious. Especially if "university" was shortened to "Uni."

So... what have any of you noticed? I'm sure you've seen something written in a way that differs from what you're accustomed.

Anything which you've covered perfectly and which doesn't need anything further from me isn't mentioned below...

Restroom vs Washroom - Actually, bathroom here. Some petrol stations will talk about "restrooms" when they mean "toilets". Never ask for the bathroom when visiting Australia. You will be shown the bathroom - i.e., the room where a bath and shower and hand basin provide all the washing amenities. Actually, why not ask for the necessarium? It adds a wonderfully obscure touch!

Garbage Disposal vs Garburator - I have never heard of garburator. Most Australians don't have a garbage disposal unit, using instead a "rubbish bin".

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese vs Kraft Dinner - er...? What are these?

License vs Licence - The "se" ending is used for the verb. This is a very consistent usage in British English. "I will license you to use that licence".

Gas(oline) vs Petrol - You'll also hear Australians talk about filling up with gas, but they will mean LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas), which is MUCH cheaper than petrol.

Buck vs Quid - You'll still hear British and Australians talk about "buck", though. "Pass the buck", never, NEVER "Pass the quid", and "a fast buck", never "a fast quid". British will more frequently say "Twenty quid" as in "twenty pounds". I don't think "quid" is used for Australian dollars... I can't recall it being used, but it might be by the older generation who still remember Australian pounds.

Truck vs Lorry - Truck is very frequently used. It might seem silly... but
"lorry" seems to be used for SMALLER trucks carrying things like coal or fruit or chickens... whereas "truck" is used for those large behemoth trucks. "Van" is used when it's a long closed vehicle, and you'll hear people talk about a "moving van" (or "removalists' van"), meaning a van used by furniture removalists.

Congressman/woman vs Member of Parliament - Member of Parliament is almost always shortened to MP (Empee). This can be used even in formal situations.

Drunk vs Pissed - Well, both terms are used in Australia!

Attorney vs Barrister - or simply lawyer, or solicitor... but of course in court it would be either barrister or lawyer.

Butt vs Bum - or bottom, or derrière, or behind...

Parking Garage vs Parkade - I've never heard of a parkade! You will hear "car park", or sometimes "multilevel car park" or "undercover car park".

Divided Highway vs Dual Carriageway - In Australia, it would be a two-way highway.

Band-Aid vs Elastoplast - both are used here. You will often hear the more generic "bandage", and very occasionally "sticking plaster".

Soda vs Fizzy Drink or Pop - NEVER. In Australia it's "soft drink".

IRA vs RRSP - You probably mean ATO - Australian Taxation Office - right?

Zee vs Zed

Lieutenant vs Leftenant - It's spelt "lieutenant" and PRONOUNCED as though it were spelt "leftenant"!

Canadian Bacon vs Back Bacon - I've no idea what these terms mean.

Native Americans vs First Nations People - Well, "indigenous people" or "indigenous Australians" is the most politically correct term... Many people will say "aboriginals" or "Australian aboriginals".

I believe America uses the term "COD" in a completely different sense to the way in which Australians use it, too. For Australians, COD stands for "Cash on Delivery" and refers specifically to a method of delivery by Australia Post as follows: "C.O.D. is easy to use. Take your parcel to your postal outlet and complete a lodgment slip. The article will be delivered to the postal outlet closest to the recipient's address, and the recipient will be informed that there is a C.O.D. item awaiting collection."

"Shill bidding" has seeped into Australian culture, even though there's a perfectly adequate UK/Australian term for the practice - dummy bidding!

My knowledge of American/British English is now enhanced!

I must say that having formed this knowledge primary through TV series, movies and books from American author I'm much more acquainted with the American versions...

For example, this thread is the very first time in my whole life I heard (and now learned) the word "lorry"

Heh, the variations of english made life difficult when I was learning English at school. We generally learn the british english but due to the majority of tv/movies/music which are in american english it can be hard not to mix some things up. When writing papers and so on we can pick which kind we use but we have to be consistent.

I live in the USA, but use a lot of British words and spellings, which I started doing a couple of years ago as political protest against this extremely Christian warmongering country. I want to move...

Although here in Michigan, pretty much everyone calls it pop. "Soda" is like a foreign language.

Being from the deep south of America I can add a new flavor of English to this: Redneck mangled English.

It's not uncommon to see many of the British/Canadian/Australian derivatives in the states - especially in light of the increased globalization that has come from the Internet. Within the last few months I had pieced together the University versus College thing after hearing the alternates a few times. Since many of the best Adventure games have been coming out of Europe for the last decade I've been getting used to these as well.

I think the real key is in storing away the knowledge of alternate meanings and then using that when the time calls for it.

Almirena wrote:Anything which you've covered perfectly and which doesn't need anything further from me isn't mentioned below...

Restroom vs Washroom - Actually, bathroom here. Some petrol stations will talk about "restrooms" when they mean "toilets". Never ask for the bathroom when visiting Australia. You will be shown the bathroom - i.e., the room where a bath and shower and hand basin provide all the washing amenities. Actually, why not ask for the necessarium? It adds a wonderfully obscure touch!

Garbage Disposal vs Garburator - I have never heard of garburator. Most Australians don't have a garbage disposal unit, using instead a "rubbish bin".

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese vs Kraft Dinner - er...? What are these?

License vs Licence - The "se" ending is used for the verb. This is a very consistent usage in British English. "I will license you to use that licence".

Gas(oline) vs Petrol - You'll also hear Australians talk about filling up with gas, but they will mean LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas), which is MUCH cheaper than petrol.

Buck vs Quid - You'll still hear British and Australians talk about "buck", though. "Pass the buck", never, NEVER "Pass the quid", and "a fast buck", never "a fast quid". British will more frequently say "Twenty quid" as in "twenty pounds". I don't think "quid" is used for Australian dollars... I can't recall it being used, but it might be by the older generation who still remember Australian pounds.

Truck vs Lorry - Truck is very frequently used. It might seem silly... but
"lorry" seems to be used for SMALLER trucks carrying things like coal or fruit or chickens... whereas "truck" is used for those large behemoth trucks. "Van" is used when it's a long closed vehicle, and you'll hear people talk about a "moving van" (or "removalists' van"), meaning a van used by furniture removalists.

Congressman/woman vs Member of Parliament - Member of Parliament is almost always shortened to MP (Empee). This can be used even in formal situations.

Drunk vs Pissed - Well, both terms are used in Australia!

Attorney vs Barrister - or simply lawyer, or solicitor... but of course in court it would be either barrister or lawyer.

Butt vs Bum - or bottom, or derrière, or behind...

Parking Garage vs Parkade - I've never heard of a parkade! You will hear "car park", or sometimes "multilevel car park" or "undercover car park".

Divided Highway vs Dual Carriageway - In Australia, it would be a two-way highway.

Band-Aid vs Elastoplast - both are used here. You will often hear the more generic "bandage", and very occasionally "sticking plaster".

Soda vs Fizzy Drink or Pop - NEVER. In Australia it's "soft drink".

IRA vs RRSP - You probably mean ATO - Australian Taxation Office - right?

Zee vs Zed

Lieutenant vs Leftenant - It's spelt "lieutenant" and PRONOUNCED as though it were spelt "leftenant"!

Canadian Bacon vs Back Bacon - I've no idea what these terms mean.

Native Americans vs First Nations People - Well, "indigenous people" or "indigenous Australians" is the most politically correct term... Many people will say "aboriginals" or "Australian aboriginals".

I believe America uses the term "COD" in a completely different sense to the way in which Australians use it, too. For Australians, COD stands for "Cash on Delivery" and refers specifically to a method of delivery by Australia Post as follows: "C.O.D. is easy to use. Take your parcel to your postal outlet and complete a lodgment slip. The article will be delivered to the postal outlet closest to the recipient's address, and the recipient will be informed that there is a C.O.D. item awaiting collection."

"Shill bidding" has seeped into Australian culture, even though there's a perfectly adequate UK/Australian term for the practice - dummy bidding!

Al, I used a combination of words from Canada, Australia and the UK. Obviously, Canada is the best known Commonwealth country to me, so I based more off of it than the other two. However, like Australia uses some American words, so does Canada. The reason I didn't mention that is because it quickly becomes too complex, so instead I listed what would typically be the "original" word, without American influences.

In the U.S., we use restroom and bathroom interchangeably. Technically speaking, a restroom has only places to relieve yourself, whereas a bathroom includes a bath or shower. That does little to stop anyone from saying "bathroom," however.

In Canada, washroom and bathroom are used, but rarely restroom. It has been used (usually at tourist traps, since Americans count for the majority of visitors) but in general, restroom isn't used. Interestingly enough, "washroom" originated in the U.S. but fell out of favor some time ago.

Garburator is a Canadian term for garbage disposal. It can be called a "garbage disposal," but more often than not, garburator is used instead.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is a boxed version of macaroni covered in powdered cheese that's considered "instantly made." Kraft Dinner is the same thing, but that's the term used in Canada. Originally, "Kraft Dinner" was used in the U.S., but it was dropped in favor of the name now associated with it.

I commented on the gas vs petrol thing since you'll never hear an American say "petrol" unless making a joke. Usually this is when an American is making fun of the British.

Quid isn't used in Australia or Canada. However, it's a commonly used term in the UK. I'm sure they use buck at times, but the dollar is not their form of currency, so you wouldn't hear them say, "that [item] cost me 10 bucks!" You could hear, "that [item] cost me 10 quid!"

I didn't know size had something to do with the "lorry." I've heard it used before by the British, whereas you'll hear truck, SUV and van utilized in the U.S.

I know "Member of Parliament" is shortened to "MP," but I didn't use the abbreviation since there are probably some here who wouldn't know what that stands for. I didn't know before coming to Canada.

Parkade is more common in Canada. Parking Garage can -- and has -- been used, but typically parkade is the common term. I forgot about "car park" though.

IRA is short for "Investment Retirement Account" and RRSP is shortened from "Registered Retirement Savings Plan." The former is American while the latter is Canadian.

I actually learned a funny thing about "leftenant." The reason the British use that term instead of "lieutenant" (even if they're spelled the same way) is because in "ye olden days" the letters "U" and "V" looked the same. So someone decided to pronounce the word using a "V" sound, which later evolved into the current pronunciation today. Americans didn't use that since we wanted to be different from the British, whom at the time we had recently fought a war against to earn our independence.

Canadian Bacon is the American term for "center cut boneless pork loin." Why this is, I have no clue. In Canada the term "back bacon" is used. I have a feeling a Canadian made his or her way down to the U.S. and introduced this, so people called it "Canadian Bacon."

In the U.S., "license" is always used, regardless of context. I've seen "licence" used in Canada and the UK. I don't know if the spelling changes based upon how it's used, though.

As for "C.O.D." that means "cash on delivery" in the United States, as well. I'm sure it could mean something else according to someone, but the United States Postal Service, UPS, DHL and Federal Express all mean it the intended way.

DeadPoolX wrote:Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is a boxed version of macaroni covered in powdered cheese that's considered "instantly made." Kraft Dinner is the same thing, but that's the term used in Canada. Originally, "Kraft Dinner" was used in the U.S., but it was dropped in favor of the name now associated with it.

Along with neon yellow, radioactive coloring.

Sometimes we'll use 'restroom' to sound more proper.

Also, we do have universities but if we attended one, we would say, “I am attending the university.” instead of “I am attending university.”

DeadPoolX wrote:“Band-Aid vs Elastoplast - both are used here. You will often hear the more generic "bandage", and very occasionally "sticking plaster".”

Sounds like something used in construction! ^_^

I thougt Candadian Bacon was the round disks of meat where bacon was strips.

Personally, I say 'soda'. Pop just sounds funny. People here in Louisiana call everything a "Coke". It can be a Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, Sprite... it's still a "coke" to them. Check out this fun soda map.

The whole "college" vs "university" thing depends on the usage, really. Someone will say, "I just graduated college" while they might also say, "I went to the University of Pennsylvania." The two words are, for the most part, interchangeable.

I say "soda" as well. In Atlanta, where my brother is, everyone says "Coke." That's understandable, however. Coca-Cola's home base is in Atlanta.

DeadPoolX wrote: Probably the first time Maia and I realized we pronounce some words differently was when I said the word, "Foyer." Maia insisted it was pronounced "Foy-yah" while I said it was "Foy-yer." Just some of the many pronunciation differences.

Too funny. I talk to two friends from Australia (Alex and Miranda) - and we talk on Skype - and we always mentions stuff like this...

In Atlanta, where my brother is, everyone says "Coke." That's understandable, however. Coca-Cola's home base is in Atlanta.

This was a problem for me when I moved from Atlanta to Colorado. For about a year I kept ordering a "coke" and expected to be asked "what flavor?" or "what kind?". Instead the waitress kept walking off and bringing back a coke.

I finally figured out I had to order by specific type instead of a generic term - especially when the generic term is a specific flavor.

What I haven't figured out is why I can't get Mello Yello. For those that don't know Mello Yello is the Coke version of Mountain Dew but is much sweeter and has less of a bite. It's like syrup. My wife calls it liquid candy. I lived on the stuff. For whatever reason I can't find a single can of it anywhere in the American west but I was (and still can) swim in it down south.

Ya where Im from we say pop but if you go some where like New York or something you say pop they dont know what you are talking about but if you say soda then they know what your talking about. I have seen Mellow Yello where I live at a place such as Wal-Mart.

That's a pretty comprehensive list of terms! I've encountered most of them since a couple of my favorite authors, Jasper Fforde and Roald Dahl, are/were from the UK -- some of the American editions Roald Dahl's books have dialogue in single rather than double quotes and include the "u" in words like "behaviour" and "favour".

On that same subject, Fforde's books involve a lot of wordplay, but "Americanizing" the language in the books tends to ruin the jokes at times. For instance, in one of his series, there's a world that exists only inside books, and some of the characters within try to keep the world in order. The problem is that there's currently a shortage of the letter "u", and the solution to the problem is as follows:

"Any word with the our ending could be respelled or, donchaknow."
"Like neighbor instead of neighbour?"
"It's a good idea [...] Labor, valor, flavor, harbor -- there must be hundreds. If we confine it to one geographical area, we can claim it as a local spelling idiosyncracy."

Unfortunately, all the -our words in the entire book (with the exception of that one appearance of "neighbour") are already spelled with an -or, so the joke falls a bit flat.

Hmmm... I don't really have much else to add, but I have seen people use the word 'soda' here in Australia. However, they only do so when referring to unflavoured carbonated water - otherwise it's a "soft drink" (as opposed to a "hard drink", I guess?)

Actually, in western New York (near Buffalo) they do say "pop". The rest of the state is "soda" land. I've started to use "soft drink" online as a more neutral term as people seem to get divisive on the issue of what to call it.