Some subtle differences between UK and US English
Despite being a UK native English speaker, I am often asked to write, proofread or translate into US English. Although the majority of words, grammar and punctuation conventions are the same, there are a number of distinct differences that should always be kept in mind when writing for US audiences. Many people know the obvious differences, but what are some of the more subtle ones?
Word choice
Often the word exists in both UK and US English but one is more commonly used on either side of the Atlantic. These subtle differences are frequently overlooked by writers and they wouldn’t be picked up by a simple spell check either. Some examples include:
UK English ➔ US English
whilst ➔ while
public transport ➔ public transportation
clinical trial appointment ➔ clinical trial visit
he learnt ➔ he learned
timetable ➔ schedule
scheme ➔ program
forwards ➔ forward
Medical terminology
Medical terminology can also vary quite widely between the two dialects. In addition to the typical spelling differences between medical terms in UK and US English (e.g. dyspnoea vs. dyspnea, anaemia vs. anemia), there are also variations to note when using specific terms:
UK English ➔ US English
physiotherapy ➔ physical therapy
anaesthetist ➔ anesthesiologist
ultrasound ➔ sonogram
paracetamol ➔ acetaminophen
adrenaline ➔ epinephrine
GP ➔ PCP or family doctor
A&E ➔ ER
Stylistic differences
Stylistic variations between the two Englishes also exist – neither is “right” or “wrong”, but one style may be more frequently used by the respective native speakers. For example:
UK English often favours sentence case in titles, whereas US English has a clear preference for title case
UK English has a strong preference for treating collective nouns as plurals (e.g. Pfizer are a big company), whereas US English typically uses the singular form (e.g. Pfizer is a big company)
UK English typically uses single quotation marks for quotes with any punctuation left outside of the quote marks, whereas US English prefers double quotation marks and keeps the punctuation inside of the quote marks
US English often uses the serial/Oxford comma rule (e.g. red, white, and blue), whereas most UK English speakers would omit it (e.g. red, white and blue) unless there is clear ambiguity.
