As a British editor, I've had the privilege and pleasure of editing both US and UK English manuscripts, as well as adapting my own fiction for a US audience. While it's fun to flex the language and spellings we learned as children and have become accustomed to, it does require knowledge and focus to maintain consistency when writing in a style that isn't as second nature as "our own".
We'd need an entire book to dig down into the many contrasts between these two English styles, plus there are exceptions to every rule, so here we'll simply confine our observations to the most common differences between US and UK English spellings, punctuation and vocabulary.
Download the PDF version here if you'd like to keep it handy as you work:
Spellings
1. -or vs. -our
US: color, favor, honor, neighbor, savior
UK: colour, favour, honour, neighbour, saviour
2. -ize vs. -ise & -yze vs. -yse
US: realize, organize, apologize, analyze, paralyze
UK: realise, organise, apologise, analyse, paralyse
Note: The use of -ize is also accepted in British English, but -ise is more common.
3. -er vs. -re
US: center, theater, meter, fiber
UK: centre, theatre, metre, fibre
4. -se vs. -ce
US: defense, pretense, offense
UK: defence, pretence, offence
5. Single or double 'l' in verbs
US: traveling, canceled, labeled, modeling, jewelry
UK: travelling, cancelled, labelled, modelling, jewellery
6. -og vs. -ogue
US: dialog, catalog, monolog, analog
UK: dialogue, catalogue, monologue, analogue
7. -e vs. -ae and -oe
US: pediatric, estrogen, hematology, maneuver
UK: paediatric, oestrogen, haematology, manoeuvre
8. -ense vs. -ence
US: license (noun and verb), defense, pretense
UK: licence (noun (verb: license)), defence, pretence
9. Dropped 'e' or not before suffixes
US: aging, routing, likable, judgment
UK: ageing, routeing, likeable, judgement
Note: This is not a hard-and-fast rule in UK English, there are many words that drop the 'e' before a suffix, so check first rather than assume
10. Miscellaneous spellings
US: tire, curb (noun and verb), pajamas, check, whiskey, cozy, gray, mom, mold, plow
UK: tyre, kerb (noun (verb: curb)), pyjamas, cheque, whisky, cosy, grey, mum/mam, mould, plough
Punctuation
Quotation marks (typically)
US: Double quotes initially, single quotes within: "Jeremy's favorite book is 'Alice in Wonderland.'"
UK: Single quotes initially, double quotes within: 'Jeremy's favourite book is "Alice in Wonderland".'
Punctuation in relation to quotation marks (typically)
US: All punctuation within quotation marks: The doctor explained the disease had spread and they were looking at "months rather than years."
UK: Punctuation only within quotation marks when the quotation is the complete sentence: The doctor said, 'We are looking at months rather than years.' Otherwise outside: The doctor explained the disease had spread and they were looking at 'months rather than years'.
Full stops after abbreviated titles (typically)
US: Mr., Mrs., Dr.
UK: Mr, Mrs, Dr
Common US/UK vocabulary differences
Aeroplane/airplane
Apartment/flat
Bangs/fringe
Bill/note (money)
Blinker/indicator
Candy/sweets
Car hood/bonnet
Car trunk/boot
Cell phone/mobile phone
Check/bill
Chips/crisps
Closet/wardrobe
College/university
Cookie/biscuit
Diaper/nappy
Downtown/city centre
Drugstore/chemist
Drunk driving/drink driving
Elevator/lift
Fall/autumn
Farther/further
Faucet/tap
First floor/ground floor
Foreclosure/repossession
Forward/forwards (toward/towards; backward/backwards, etc)
Gas/petrol
Highway or freeway or expressway/dual carriageway or motorway
Jell-O (gelatin)/jelly (dessert)
Jelly/jam (spread)
Jump rope/skipping rope
Line/queue
Liquor store/off licence
Movie theater/cinema
Muffler/silencer
Pacifier/dummy
Panties/knickers
Pants/trousers
Parking lot/car park
Period/full stop
Ramp/slip road
Realtor/estate agent
Rental car/hire car
Restroom/toilet
Résumé/curriculum vitae (CV)
Sedan/saloon
Sidewalk/pavement
Sneakers/trainers
Soccer/football
Station wagon/estate
Stoplight/traffic light
Stove/cooker
Suspenders/braces
Sweater/jumper
Sweatpants/joggers
Takeout/takeaway
Trash can/dustbin
Truck/lorry
Two weeks/fortnight
Underwear/pants
Vacation/holiday
Windshield/windscreen
Zip code/postcode
Finally...
Most readers are familiar with the differences between a book written in US English and one in UK English, but occasionally you may get backlash in reviews from those who don't, denouncing your story for being littered with spelling errors. There's little you can do about this, so it's not worth fretting over or responding to.
More frustrating for readers, however, is when your writing is not consistent, i.e. it contains an ad hoc combination of both US and UK English styles - which, as you can imagine, occurs most often when you are writing in a style that isn't the one you're accustomed to. For example, you're a UK author writing in US English; or maybe you're a US author writing narrative and dialogue for a British character.
This is when beta readers from across the pond from you can be invaluable for helping you pick up on your mistakes. Not doing this sooner with my own books cost me some shaky reviews that still exist even though the books have long since been updated (a stark reminder never to edit your own work, even if you’re an editor by profession). Because, of course, above all, readers value the total immersion in your story that comes only when the writing is clear, consistent, and matches their understanding and expectations of the world you’re depicting.
Lastly, this has by no means been an exhaustive list, so feel free to add more US/UK English differences in the comments below.
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Tina Williams of Fiction Yogi is a copyeditor and proofreader who works with writers at all stages, giving them the tools to improve their manuscript and level up their writing so they can meet their publishing goals.
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