British vs American English Vocabulary
British vs American English vocabulary is the geographical-variation skill every B1 learner needs. Flat / apartment, lift / elevator, motorway / highway, lorry / truck, queue / line, biscuit / cookie, chips / fries, crisps / chips, jumper / sweater, trainers / sneakers, holiday / vacation, autumn / fall, post / mail, rubbish / trash, lift / elevator, mobile / cell, petrol / gas. Beyond vocabulary, spelling differs: colour / color, centre / center, organise / organize, analyse / analyze. The worksheet trains B1 learners to recognise both variants and use one consistently in their own writing.
This worksheet builds B1 awareness of British and American English vocabulary differences.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- Comparison table with 40+ BrE / AmE vocabulary pairs grouped by topic (home, transport, food, clothes, daily life)
- Multiple-choice items: which is BrE, which is AmE?
- Gap-fill in texts written in one variant (British or American) requiring consistent vocabulary
- Rewriting task: convert a British paragraph to American or vice versa
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on consistency and target variant
Common challenges: Mixed-register writing (I went on holiday to vacation in Florida) sounds odd — once a learner commits to one variant, they should be consistent. Spelling pairs (-ise / -ize, -our / -or) are usually consistent within a text. False friends: biscuit in UK = cookie; in US = scone-like bread. The worksheets emphasise consistent use rather than mixed knowledge.
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. BrE / AmE awareness supports Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) through C2 Proficiency (CPE) and is essential for any learner working with international content. Part of the Word Building & Style collection — the natural next step is Connotation: Positive and Negative, which extends register awareness into the emotional-charge dimension of vocabulary.
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