American vs British Pronunciation: Key Differences
A complete guide to the biggest pronunciation differences between American and British English with audio examples.
The Biggest Differences
American and British English sound completely different for many common words. Here are the most important ones.
Vowel Sounds
The letter A sounds different in many words:
- Bath: BAH-th (British) vs BATH (American)
- Dance: DAHNS (British) vs DANS (American)
- Can't: KAHNT (British) vs KANT (American)
The Letter R
British English drops the R at end of words:
- Water: WAH-tuh (British) vs WAY-ter (American)
- Car: CAH (British) vs CAR (American)
Common Word Differences
| Word | American | British |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | SKED-jool | SHED-yool |
| Herb | URB | HURB |
| Lieutenant | loo-TEN-ant | lef-TEN-ant |
| Aluminium | uh-LOO-mi-num | al-yoo-MIN-ee-um |
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