English / American words

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Common words in Daily routine/ activities

American English Word

British English/ General English equivalent

Explanation and usage.

GasPetrolIn US, you would say, I need to fill gas in my car before it I run out of fuel. Gas means liquid petroleum and NOT natural LPG Gas

Trash, GarbageRubbish, dirtTrash is used in different ways like:

Pick up the garbage and put it in the trash can. Do not trash the place.

Trash CanDustbinNo dustbin word used here…Just trash can or Shredder for disposing the paper

Rest roomToiletInstead of saying, I want to go to toilet, you would say: “I would like to use the rest room”. Bath room is also used, but means

ShowerBathLets say if you want to take bath, people say: I need to shower. Also like, I was taking shower when you called me. ‘I need to quickly jump in the shower before I take off to meeting’.

Bag (plastic or paper)Cover (plastic)Usually in India, we say ‘can I get my stuff in a plastic cover’. Here in US, people say “Can I get a bag for the stuff?” . It is used for both plastic and paper.

When you do shopping, here the cashier would ask “Receipt with you or in the bag”. People say, ‘in the bag please J or no’

BikeBicycleWe often get confused when Americans use bike. It means bicycle

MotorcycleMotorbike or bikeThe name says it.

Zip codePin codePostal pin code in other countries vs Zip code in US for postal purposes.

CheckBillTypically in restaurant after you are done with meal, you ask for check in US from the waiter.

ElevatorLiftNo one uses lift, it is elevator in US

FootballAmerican Foot ballAmericans consider football means by default as American football

SoccerFootballPeople say Soccer when they refer to actual football. In Europe and everywhere we call football, but here in US they say it soccer.

GlassesSpecs or SpectaclesEye glasses used for faulty vision

CookiesBiscuitsCookie means just biscuit and usually very sweet biscuit

GaragePlace where you park your car in apartment complex or your dedicated place to park car

StoreShopAny shop is called store

FlashlightTorchTorch light that we use in darkness

Flat tireTire punctureUsually when the tire gets puncture by any metal or thorns

VacationHolidayWhen someone has taken a holiday, people usually say he is on vacation.

BillNote100 dollar bill vs 100 rupee notes when dealing with cash

Cheese BurgerIt is understood that it is a Beef burger with cheese on it and not just Cheese between bun !

CologneIt is Men’s fragrance. In India, people use Perfume for both male and female. When you say perfume, it is only for women in US or any part of the world. Just a common mistake in usage of words.

CreamerWhen mixing coffee, people in USA use creamer, which is equivalent of milk.

YogurtCurdWe use the word Curd a lot. You have to specifically say Yogurt. Butter Milk is common though. It is same.

Flour is pronounced as FlowerOne of my friends had a bad experience in Walmart and had to literally write it on paper. So make sure you pronounce it right, otherwise you get wrong product . Listen to pronunciation to clarify.

Meat or Red meat, ChickenNon-VegetarianWe are used to saying I am a non-vegetarian, in US people might get lost. You have to say, I eat meat or chicken. When you go to a restaurant, if you are a vegetarian, you should say “NO Meat or Chicken” otherwise, you may find interesting stuff as a vegetarian in your food J

TruckLorryWe use lorry a lot in daily life, but here in US, people call by truck. The trucks are huge here

Mailbox / MailPostbox / PostIn US, usage: “I have to mail this package today. Let me dropt it off at the nearest mailbox.”

ChickIt is used very commonly used in daily conversations to refer to a female in teenage up to 40 years old. e.g: “I met this chick the other day, she was cool”

Hitchedusually used to tell someone that they are married. e.g: he is already hitched, no more funny business.

ShotsPeople commonly use the word ‘shot’ to indicate that they got medication or injection. E.g. “I got a flu shots yesterday” to tell that they had flu injection/vaccination yesterday.

School Usually, the word school is used to indicate any institution from 1st grade to 12th grade…after that you call University. But, in America, the word school is used very commonly even to refer to a University or Department in University. E.g.: “Which school did you go to for Masters ?”. “I went to Stanford”. “I got my Masters from UW School of Engineering”.

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Common American English Words in daily Life vs British Words – Vegetables, Traffic

In Living in USA by KumarUpdated : December 30, 2018134 Comments

We have covered an article on on Common American English words used in daily life vs British English equivalents.

We will expand more on the ones that we have missed in that article like some commonly used vegetables, some of the things around traffic, etc. I am not trying to write a dictionary or anything here. Just trying to share few more words that I thought were different to me since I came to US.

Feel free to add your words in the comments, that I have missed so that we have a good collection. I will add it to the article.

Common words in Daily routine/ activities

American English wordBritish English equivalentExplanation and usage.

CilantroCorianderWhen you go to buy vegetables, you have to look for cilantro leaves

Grocery StoreSuper MarketYou find vegetables and all the house supplies in a typical grocery store. It can be used synonymous with super market.

RestaurantHotelIn US, Hotel means the place you stay for night like Marriot.

Cross WalkZebra CrossingThe path for crossing roads at Traffic lights

Traffic LightsTraffic SignalIn US, they use the word Traffic lights or Just the word Lights to refer to Traffic Signal

SodaCold DrinkSoda refers to anything like Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc

OkraLady FingerTypically you look for Okra in a Grocery store.

Egg plantBrinjalIf you use brinjal, people in US do not understand. So, use Egg plant

PeanutsGround nutsPeanuts are common snack and it is also used in phrases too. Like “that income is just peanuts”. It means very less.

Grade / PercentMarksYou do not see professors using the word Marks at all. They use either percent or grade.

SidewalkPavement / Foot pathYou walk to home on sidewalk in American English.

BatteryCell / CellsYou use batteries for charging. In US, they do not understand if you refer cell. They think cell phone.

EraserRubberTo erase stuff written by pencil you use Eraser in US. Rubber means Condom in America. Do not ask someone in class, “I need rubber”. People will look at you and say What ?

Mixer / BlenderMixi or MixieYou use the word mixer or Blender in US to refer to mixi. It is used for mixing flour, blending, etc

RefrigeratorFridgeI have never seen anyone use Fridge. They use Freezer or Refrigerator to store vegetables and freezer to make ice or store frozen vegetables.

Bell pepperCapsicumThe big green pepper / chili you cook !

ChiliIn US, Chili is a dish made of ground beef, chili powder, tomatoes and beans. Be careful about the context of usage.

JalapenosGreen ChiliGreen Chili are referred to as Jalapenos. They are a little bigger than regular green chili.

SneakersTennis Shoe / Sports ShoeSneakers are often used to refer to running shoes in US.

TortillaIt is like chapatti made of wheat or corn flour, but primarily of Mexican origin. Pronounced as Tortia.

BubblerDrinker Water FountainBubbler is a just a water fountain that provides drinking water in public places. You do not use Glass or anything. You just drink off the fountain.

PillsTabletsin US, you take pills if you are sick. It could be for common cold or allergies, etc

PantsTrousersYou buy a pair of pants in US. There is no Jeans pant, you just refer as Jeans

ClippersNail CutterYou cut your nails by clippers in US