This describes issues about the use of common idioms and spelling variants for various dialects of English. There are many idioms which differ between American English and British English, Canadian English, Australian English, Indian English, etc. A substantial list of idioms and variants helps to explain the extensive differences in usage.

List of common idioms or variants

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The following are some of the major differences. The American English term is listed first, and the British English term second. Other dialects mostly follow British English usage.

  1. apartment — flat
  2. behavior — behaviour
  3. (bank) check — cheque
  4. color — colour
  5. defense — defence
  6. elevator — lift
  7. favor — favour
  8. first floor — ground floor
  9. gray — grey
  10. honor — honour
  11. hood (car) — bonnet
  12. in the hospital — in hospital
  13. labor — labour
  14. liter — litre
  15. meter — metre (length), meter (device/monitor)
  16. parentheses — (curved) brackets
  17. period (punctuation) — full stop
  18. realize — realise
  19. roommate — flatmate
  20. second floor — first floor
  21. soccer — football
  22. subway — underground/tube
  23. trunk — boot
  24. underpass — subway
  25. windshield — windscreen
  26. zee — zed

See also

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