15 English words that mean completely different things in the USA and Great Britain

Some of these words have a dual meaning in the UK. Context is everything.

In Bolivia there are two forms of English, ingles and gringles. I leave the reader to decide which is which. The quiz is fundamentally flawed. It is only common English people who would use the word 'bog' for a toilet. Its normal meaning is the same both sides of the Atlantic. There are other examples here like that that I can't be bothered to list here.

I'm an Aussie, going on those fifteen words we use both. I guess we might just be better listeners. Instead of changing the word, we listen for its context. Because it's been a lifetime practice we do it automatically. It was only while going through the list that it became a conscious practice.

Johnny Rock, in the UK the floor at street level is the ground floor. The floor above it is the first floor, as in the first floor up. Nothing “weird” about it.

Numbers 4, 5, 11 14 and 15 can have the same meaning in the USA. It all depends on what context you use them.. I am English but live in America. What really annoys me is on TV programs, a lot of people mispronounce places in the UK, such as when they pronounce Warwick as WORWICK and Norwich as NORWITCH. I know that Americans would get very upset if the Brits did not pronounce USA place names correctly so maybe they should learn how to say British names and places otherwise, shut up!

Also a jumper was a dress worn over a blouse. I used to wear one in highschool and my mother made a red one for herself.

😂 fortunately most Australians understand and use both the UK and US versions of all of these words and we even have other words to describe some of these words too. Oh language and colloquialisms are such fun

Interesting. I worked with an English chemist or Pharmacist (us) so I knew most of these, but you left out : Torch for flashlight, and Spanner for a wrench.

Jumper is also an article of clothing in the U.S.

Many years ago I was dating a man from Wales who was here getting his Ph.D. He was new to the U.S. He was studying in the library, writing on a pad of paper with a pencil. Unfortunately, his pencil didn't have a very good eraser so he turned to a male student next to him and asked if he could borrow his rubber (eraser to us). (Sure; don't bother returning it.)

As a Canadian, I found egalitarian choices between the UK and the US; some were one and some were the other

There are some inaccuracies. #4 is known as pants in the U.S and trousers in the U.K. not the other way round. #6 trolleys in the U.S. are known as carts and trolleys in the U.K.

Linda Ulrich Murphy, it's simple really ground floor is the floor which is level with the ground outside, which makes more sense than calling it the first floor.

Barry Dalsant, lol it's just the same when in the USA you ask for pants and they point you in the direction of the trousers department.

Caroline Weis, never heard of a jumper being referred to as a dress being worn over a blouse, very strange.

Rod Peel, i'm not a 'common' person but i use the word bog for a toilet sometimes.

Rosalind Exton, same as in Australia

I'm an Aussie and #12 Jumper is also what Kangaroos are colloquially known as. In the bush they tend to jump out in front of cars usually at dawn and dusk causing major damage.

There is no confusion. There is English and there is bad English.

#12, US A jumper is a sleeveless, scoop-necked dress that you wear a blouse under!

anncreed, In Australia a vest is a waistcoat and the undergarment is a singlet.

A casket is a coffin in UK also. A jewellery box is ……a jewellery box

Very confusing to me. I know and use the North American term of all these words as I live in Canada Bonnie

A biscuit is NOT a cookie, they are two entirely different things

Dave Woodward, I apologize for my fellow Americans who do not know that the w in the middle of the word is silent. I learned that from the context--that is my living in England, when I heard the city names pronounced correctly.