The United States and England have had a complicated relationship. But really, staying friends with an ex is never easy. And while the two countries have only been separated since 1776, their languages have deviated plenty. Part of this was on purpose: Americans, wanting to forge a new identity, made some conscious choices to change the way they spelled words. Other parts, not so much (and keep in mind, “British” and “American” English aren’t monoliths). With the two populations separated by an entire ocean, it’s no surprise that British versus American English would become an issue.
Think you’ve mastered the dialects on both sides of the pond? We’ve gathered together some questions that span spelling, pronunciation and vocabulary differences in our British versus American English quiz. And even if you do get some wrong, we’ve added in some context so you can learn more about the differences between these two dialects. Best of luck!