Part 1
UK-US - Cars and Driving:


UK US

aerial antenna
("aerial" used regionally
in the past but has
faded from use)

bonnet hood

boot trunk

car park parking lot

car silencer muffler

cats eyes reflectors
(embedded in road)

central reservation median

clock odometer

demister defroster

diversion detour

drink-driving drunk driving

driving licence driver's license

dual carriageway divided highway

dumper truck dump truck

flat battery dead battery

flyover overpass

fourway crossroads

full lights high beams

gear box transmission

gear lever gear shift

hire car rental car

indicators turn signals

lights dipped low beams

motorway freeway (Western U.S.)
expressway (Eastern U.S.)
Interstate See Notes

orbital beltway (Eastern U.S.)

petrol gasoline
gas

propeller shaft drive shaft

recovery towing

roundabout circle
rotary (New England)

straight straightaway (as at a race track)

top up fill up
top off See Notes

transmission power train

turning left left turn

turning right right turn

tyre tire

unmade road dirt road, unpaved road

windscreen windshield

window heater defroster

wing fender


Part 1
US-UK - Cars and Driving:

US UK

antenna aerial

beltway (Eastern U.S.) orbital

circle, traffic circle roundabout

crossroads fourway

defroster window heater
demister

dead battery flat battery

detour (noun) diversion

dirt road unmade road

divided highway dual carriageway

drive shaft propeller shaft

driver's license driving licence

drunk driving drink-driving

dump truck dumper truck

expressway motorway
(Eastern U.S.)

fender wing

fill up top up See Notes

four lane road dual carriageway

freeway (Western U.S.) motorway See Notes

gas petrol
gasoline

gear shift gear lever

high beams full lights

hood bonnet

Interstate motorway

left turn turning left

low beams lights dipped

median central reservation

muffler car silencer

odometer clock

overpass flyover

parking lot car park

power train transmission

reflectors cats eyes
(embedded in road)

rental car hire car

right turn turning right

rotary (New England) roundabout

straightaway straight
(as at a race track)

top off top up

towing recovery

transmission gear box

trunk boot

tire tyre

turn signals indicators

unpaved road unmade road

windshield windscreen


Part 2
UK-US - Food:


UK US

aubergine eggplant

biscuit cookie

candy floss cotton candy

chips french fries

conserves preserves

cornflour cornstarch

courgettes zucchini
zucchini squash

crisps potato chips

fish fingers fish sticks

jacket potato baked potato

jam jelly

jelly jello

mince ground meat
hamburger

porridge oatmeal

pudding dessert

rocket arugula

sweet dessert

tinned canned

Part 2
US-UK - Food:


US UK

appetizers starters

arugula rocket

baked potato baked potato
jacket potato

canned (in metal) tinned

cookie biscuit

cornstarch cornflour

cotton candy candy floss

dessert dessert
sweet
pudding

eggplant aubergine

fish sticks fish fingers

french fries chips

ground meat mince

hamburger mince

jello jelly

jelly jam

oatmeal porridge

potato chips crisps

preserves preserves
conserves

zucchini courgettes
zucchini squash


Part 3
UK-US - Others:


UK US

aerial antenna

aluminium aluminum

antenatal prenatal

anticlockwise counterclockwise

autumn fall
("autumn" is used,
but only in formal
or poetic language)

baggage reclaim baggage claim
(airport)

bicentenary bicentennial

bill check
(restaurant) See Notes

bin liner trash bag

bookings reservations
(verb - to book) (verb - to reserve as
in restaurant, hotel)

botanic garden botanical garden

braces suspenders

cashback (noun) rebate, cash back

charity non-profit organization
not-for-profit

cheap inexpensive
(not necessarily in a
negative light)

chemists pharmacy, drug store

cinema movie theater, theater

"clued up" "clued in"

coach bus

coach (railway) car (railroad)

"come to that" "for that matter"

cot crib (for a baby)

cuttings clippings
(as in news clippings)

DIY do it yourself

dodgy tricky, chancy

dummy pacifier

dustbin trash can
(see Australian Variants)

engaged (as in telephone)busy

fee (for schooling) tuition

fit (verb) equip, fit out

fittings fixtures

fix (verb - as in set
"fix a date")

flat apartment

football soccer

freephone toll-free

freepost business reply mail
(no stamp needed)

frock dress (noun)

full stop (punctuation) period

gents men's room

headmaster principal

hide (noun) blind
(noun - as in duck blind)

hire (hire a car) rent (rent a car)

hob stove, stovetop

holiday vacation

homely homey (pleasant)
(In the U.S., "homely"
describes a person as
plain or unattractive)

hoover (noun and verb) vacuum (noun and verb)
vacuum cleaner (noun)

ill sick

"in future" "from now on"
See Diggins' Notes

in hospital in the hospital
See Notes

"join the train" "get on the train"

jumper sweater

licence license (noun)

license license (verb)

lie in sleep in

lift elevator

laundrette laundromat

lorry truck

marquee tent See Notes

maths math

mobile (phone) cell (phone)

momentarily for a short time
(but not "in a second")

mum mom

nappies diapers

nil nothing, zero

note bill
(currency) See Notes

on stream on line

open day open house

pitch (for playing field
sports)

polo neck, roll neck turtle neck

post mail See Notes

pram stroller

queue line
(noun as in "bus queue"
verb as in "queue up")

railway railroad

read
(verb - "read a study
subject in college")
See Diggins' Notes

redundancy (verb - to layoff (verb - to lay off)

removal (as in removal moving
van)

return round trip
(as in round trip ticket)

reverse charge call collect call

rise (noun - in salary) raise

rubber eraser
(in U.S., rubber is
slang for condom)

rucksack backpack

sack (verb - from fire
employment)

secateurs pruners or clippers

shoddy cheap

shopping trolley shopping cart

sport sports

solicitor lawyer
attorney See Notes
See Additional Notes
See A Canadian Perspective
See Diggins' Notes

"sorry" "excuse me", "pardon me"

spanner wrench (noun)

stand (for election) run (for election)

starters appetizers

suspenders garter

swear word curse word

subway underpass

tap faucet

tariffs rates, prices

tarmac asphalt
(tarmac is used in U.S.
only in airport context)

tea towel dish towel
dish cloth See Notes

telephone box telephone booth

tender (noun or verb) bid
(as in bid for a building
contract)

to let for rent

to trade (as in "a by trade

toilet restroom

torch flashlight

trainers sneakers

treble triple

transport (noun) transportation

trousers pants

trolley cart

tube subway

tucked up (as in "The tucked in
baby was tucked up
for the night.")

tuition for (noun as study of
in "tuition for the
flute")

underground subway

upmarket upscale

valve vacuum tube

vest undershirt

walking frame walker (device to assist
the elderly)

washing up doing the dishes

waistcoat vest

Part 3
US-UK - Others:


US UK

aluminum aluminium

antenna aerial

apartment flat

asphalt tarmac

attorney solicitor See Notes
See Diggins' Notes

backpack rucksack

baggage claim (airport) baggage reclaim

bicentennial bicentenary

bid (as in bid for a tender (noun or verb)

bill (as in currency) note See Notes

blind (noun - as in hide
duck blind)

botanical garden botanic garden

business reply mail freepost
(no stamp needed)

busy (as in telephone) engaged

by trade (as in "a to trade
carpenter by trade")

bus coach

car (railroad) coach (railway)

cart (noun as in a trolley
shopping cart)

cell (phone) mobile (phone)

cheap shoddy

check (in a restaurant) bill See Notes

clippings (as in news cuttings
clippings)

"clued in" "clued up"

collect call reverse charge call

counterclockwise anticlockwise

crib (for a baby) cot

curse word swear word

diapers nappies

dish cloth, dish towel tea towel See Notes

doing the dishes washing up

dress (noun) frock

drug store chemists

elevator lift

equip, fit out (verb) fit

eraser rubber

"excuse me" "sorry"

fall autumn

faucet tap

field (for playing pitch
sports)

fire sack
(verb - from employment)

fixtures fittings
(as in plumbing)

flashlight torch

for rent to let

"for that matter" "come to that"

"from now on" "in future"
See Diggins' Notes

garter suspenders

"get on the train" "join the train"

homey (pleasant) homely
(In the U.S., "homely"
describes a person as
plain or unattractive)

in the hospital in hospital See Notes

inexpensive cheap
(not necessarily
in a negative light)

layoff redundancy (verb - to
(verb - to lay off) make redundant)

laundromat laundrette

lawyer solicitor See Notes
See Additional Notes
See A Canadian Perspective
See Diggins' Notes

license (noun and verb) licence (noun)
license (verb)

line queue
(noun as in "bus line"
and verb as in
"line up")
mail post

math maths

men's room gents

mom mum

movie theater cinema

moving removal
(as in moving van)

nothing nil

non-profit organization charity

on line on stream
(as in "forthcoming")

open house open day

pacifier dummy

pants trousers

"pardon me" "sorry"

period (punctuation) full stop

pharmacy chemists

prenatal antenatal

principal headmaster
(school)

pruners secateurs
(or clippers)

railroad railway

raise (in salary) rise

range (see "Stove")

rates, prices tariffs

rebate (noun) cashback

rent (rent a car) hire (hire a car)

reservations bookings
(verb - to reserve (verb - to book)
as in restaurant,
hotel)
restroom toilet

round trip return (return ticket)
(as in round
trip ticket)

run (for election) stand (for election)

set (verb - as in fix
"set a date")

shopping cart shopping trolley

sick ill

sleep in lie in

sneakers trainers

soccer football

sports sport

stove, stovetop hob

stroller pram

study read
(verb - as in
"study a subject
in college")
See Diggins' Notes

study of tuition for
(noun as in "study
of the flute")

subway tube
underground

suspenders braces

sweater jumper

telephone booth telephone box

tent marquee See Notes

toll-free freephone

transportation transport (noun)

trash bag bin liner

trash can dustbin (see Australian Variants)

tricky (chancy) dodgy

triple treble

truck lorry

tucked in (as in "The tucked up
baby was tucked in
for the night.")

tuition fee

turtle neck polo neck, roll neck

underpass subway

undershirt vest

upscale upmarket

vacation holiday

vacuum (noun and verb) hoover
vacuum cleaner(noun)

vacuum tube valve

vest waistcoat

walker (device to walking frame
assist the elderly)

wrench (noun) spanner

zero nil

why?

Z-zed Z-zee

__________________
"Abba, FATHER!"