A Guide to EFL Teachers and Learners on the Differences between British and American English

Abstract

English, as an international language, has many varieties such as Indian English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English, British English (UK English) and American English (US English), but the two main varieties are British English and American English. This study sheds light on the main differences between the last two mentioned varieties of English which are widely used all over the world. EFL teachers and learners should be acquainted with these differences in order to benefit from them when they deal with this foreign language, i.e, English, and avoid falling into a lot of troubles as they use inconvenient words when they are chatting or conversing with US citizens. The study covers four language aspects: spelling, vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. It is worth mentioning here that the differences between these two varieties of English are few and limited.