List of words having different meanings in American and British English (A–L)

This is the List of words having different meanings in British and American English: A–L. For the second portion of the list, see List of words having different meanings in American and British English: M–Z.

Asterisked (*) meanings, though found chiefly in the specified region, also have some currency in the other region; other definitions may be recognised by the other as Briticisms or Americanisms respectively. Additional usage notes are provided where useful.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

See also

• List of words having different meanings in British and American English: M–Z
• List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom
• List of British words not widely used in the United States

References

Further reading

Note: the below are general references on this topic. Individual entries have not yet been audited against the references below and readers looking for verifiable information should consult the works below unless individual entries in the article's table are properly sourced.

• Bickerton, Anthea (1985). American-English, English-American : a two-way glossary of words in daily use on both sides of the Atlantic. Abson. ISBN 978-0-902920-60-6.
• Davies, Christopher (2005). Divided by a Common Language: A Guide to British and American English. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-618-00275-7.
• Hargraves, Orin (2003). Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions: Making Sense of Transatlantic English. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-515704-8.

External links

• The Septic's Companion: A British Slang Dictionary – an online dictionary of British slang, viewable alphabetically or by category