home
Menu
Create
Random
0
0
0
thumbnail

American to British Word Translation

Can you translate these words from American English into their British equivalents?
This quiz does not suggest that all British people use these words 100% of the time
Oi! Did you read the caveat above?
Our original quiz, translating British to American, is probably easier for Americans
Quiz by
Quizmaster
Featured Quiz
Rate:
Last updated: November 14, 2025
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
More quiz info >>
First submittedJuly 26, 2011
Times taken139,180
Average score59.1%
Rating4.14
Quiz and answer stats >>
Shared scores >>
4:00
Enter British version here:
0
 / 22 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
American
British
Elevator
Lift
Parking lot
Car park
Garbage
Rubbish
Counterclockwise
Anticlockwise
Interstate highway
Motorway
Math
Maths
14 pounds
Stone
Takeout
Takeaway
Zee
Zed
Eraser
Rubber
Last name
Surname
American
British
Pants
Trousers
Diaper
Nappy
Sidewalk
Pavement
Fat Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday
Panties
Knickers
Cookie
Biscuit
Drunk driving
Drink driving
Trash can
Bin
Truck
Lorry
Flashlight
Torch
Wrench
Spanner
Save Your Stats
Your Next Quiz
100 Most Common English Words
Try to guess the most common words in the English language. You will fail and then kick yourself.
Regions of France Map Quiz
The French have decided to make this quiz easier by combining several regions.
Europe Map Quiz
Fill in the map of Europe by correctly guessing each highlighted country.
Invasions of Great Britain
Name the five groups of people who successfully invaded and settled Great Britain.
101 Recent Comments
Bubblecat
+10
Level 78
May 18, 2015
Bit of trivia for you: the "cookie/biscuit" thing isn't as straightforward as biscuit meaning cookie. A cookie is actually a type of biscuit. Biscuits can be of any shape (most commonly round or rectangular), and usually hard in texture, whereas cookies are more crumbly, and always round, and usually contain chocolate chips or a similar filling. So a bourbon biscuit or a custard cream isn't a cookie, but a Maryland chocolate chip cookie is :)
ander217
+2
Level 73
Oct 3, 2016
Cookies aren't always round - there are bar cookies, ball cookies, and Christmas cookies are any shape the cutter makes - stars, Christmas trees, etc.There are tons of different recipes for cookies - peanut butter, jam print, thin mints, macaroons, oatmeal raisin, shortbread, ginger snaps, snickerdoodles,'nilla wafers, sugar cookies, sandwich cookies with filling (think Oreos), etc. Only chocolate chip cookies contain chocolate chips. I think our cookies are usually sweeter than your biscuits. Cookies can be hard, crisp, or they can be removed from the oven sooner and made chewy. They can be frosted or sprinkled with sugar and/or cinnamon or eaten plain. That's all up to personal preference. But I agree with you, biscuits and cookies don't exactly mean the same thing.
brandybuck96
+8
Level 82
Feb 14, 2025
In British English, it's rare that "cookie" means anything except a chocolate chip or similar biscuit.
LauraMaryEllen
+15
Level 16
May 21, 2015
'Fat Tuesday' or 'Shrove Tuesday' is actually more commonly called 'Pancake Day' here in the UK.
Malbaby
+1
Level 70
Aug 4, 2015
I tried 'Pancake Tuesday' but didn't get it.
kiwiquizzer
+1
Level 68
Aug 31, 2016
Same! Pancake Tuesday is what I've always known.
TheMinecrafterAU
+1
Level 41
Jul 27, 2023
So that's what it is. The Catholic holiday when they eat pancakes. Now I understand. I am Aussie by the way.
Alexquiz17
+1
Level 95
Nov 15, 2025
Exactly that. Shrove Tuesday is the original religious term. Pancake day for 99% of Brits.
stylus
+2
Level 79
Oct 7, 2016
I'm British, and I thought of most of the answers as correct, but I've always called them napkins
CostingMoney
+1
Level 54
Mar 14, 2017
I'm from Singapore so I use both
DeludedRhino
+4
Level 50
Sep 5, 2017
Should really say English instead of British, in Scotland we don't say many of these at all
kalbahamut
+7
Level 79
Feb 23, 2019
There are different dialects in America, too, but they're all still American.
CaoMaru
+1
Level 49
Feb 25, 2019
I agree. I think that Scottish English and English English are definitely different enough to be separated if Australian and New Zealand English are separated.
unfinishedsenten
+2
Level 47
May 4, 2024
I mean, Australia and New Zealand are different countries so...
justchipsnash
+1
Level 53
Apr 23, 2026
That’s not true. The only one I’d never say is knickers (pants was acceptable). Source: am Scottish
Wickedangel
+1
Level 22
Nov 19, 2017
I live in South Africa and we use all these words except for shrove Tuesday I didn’t know what that was
TheMinecrafterAU
+3
Level 41
Jul 27, 2023
Pancake Day
yorksguy1865
+7
Level 34
Dec 15, 2017
I don't know about all of Britain but the bit that I am from, people use the word spanner to mean idiot, usually preceded by the f-word it must be said...
BigDave73
+1
Level 26
Dec 22, 2017
I'm from Australia and just wrote what we say in Australia and they all worked. But never heard of either Fat or Strove Tuesday.
TheMinecrafterAU
+1
Level 41
Jul 27, 2023
It's the Catholic holiday when they eat pancakes. So Pancake Day.

Also I commented the Aussie translations, feel free to read them.

Informatikfee
+1
Level 6
Apr 24, 2026
I'm from a Catholic part of Germany growing up in a Catholic family but never heard of that.

Sounds like a nice holiday!

Stoggler
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2026
It's not a specifically Catholic thing: Britain is predominantly Protestant (at least until fairly recently) and Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday has been a thing with all christians, not just Catholics.

It's not a holiday either: you don't have the day off work for it!

Margles1
+1
Level 39
Feb 7, 2018
Also dicey, all the same thing more or less.
dobz95
+2
Level 34
Apr 23, 2018
Is Shrove Tuesday not also known as Pancake Tuesday?
AJB2002
+1
Level 30
Oct 30, 2018
I'm English and I haven't a clue what a 'Zed' is nor what a 'Zee' is, I must be missing something!
PurpleConjecture
+5
Level 33
Nov 5, 2018
the pronunciation of the letter "z" is different: it is phonetecized as either "zee" if you are American, and "zed" for everyone else
PurpleConjecture
+1
Level 33
Nov 5, 2018
"sirname" and "sir name" and "sir-name" for "surname"?
fitheach
+4
Level 58
Feb 25, 2019
There's no such thing as a sir-name.
AlexThirkell
+7
Level 74
Nov 30, 2020
That's how we spell it here in Suriname.
Wolfskin1
+1
Level 27
Dec 21, 2020
No
Stoggler
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2026
But the quiz is about British words, not words in a Dutch-speaking country in South America!
HPaddict
+1
Level 27
Nov 6, 2018
I'm american, and the only two reasons I know these are 1, from my username, you can probably tell that I read and watch Harry Potter constantly, and 2 I have relatives who are British.
stubart409
+5
Level 69
Nov 8, 2018
I'm Australian and we use most of these words as well; except for 'Lorry' and 'Knickers'. Some other differences I know of: the English have 'duvets' and we have 'doonahs'. They also call 'capsicums' 'peppers', and 'zucchinis' they call 'courgettes'. The 'sidewalk' or 'pavement' is called a 'footpath' here. I also have absolutely no idea what 'Fat Tuesday' or 'Shrove Tuesday' is.
HighFidelity
+1
Level 59
Apr 18, 2023
I'm an Australian who is familiar with :"Shrove Tuesday", but if you've heard of neither Shrove or Fat Tuesday you might have heard of "Pancake Day".
Sifhraven
+2
Level 76
Dec 8, 2018
Im missing "unmentionables" for underpants. Allways loved it when I see/hear that word used on television.

There was another fun synonym for it I heard the other day, but I forgot..

JonOfKent
+2
Level 61
Jan 28, 2021
Yes, or "undercrackers"
JayWing1218
+1
Level 35
Dec 30, 2018
I had no idea Americans called Shrove Tuesday "Fat Tuesday!"
beks
+2
Level 59
Jan 20, 2019
Who than says Mardi Gras?
kalbahamut
+5
Level 79
Feb 23, 2019
The French or people in New Orleans?
Speed4TheNeed
+1
Level 88
Aug 11, 2023
Live here in New Orleans and it's definitely called Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday is also used, but only to break up the constant monotony of using Mardi Gras. Interestingly enough for me, I've heard of Shrove Tuesday and knew it was a British thing, but I had no idea which Tuesday it was in reference to. Learn something new every day!
Anzi
+4
Level 68
Feb 23, 2019
Never thought how much less embarrassing it must be to be caught with your pants down in the USA than the UK ;)
Irishrepublic
+1
Level 14
Feb 23, 2019
Irish people don't say lift we say elevator and some children in all countries say pancake day. WEIRD.
Eamo
+1
Level 76
Aug 22, 2019
Interesting comment. I'm Irish too but say lift, never elevator. Maybe it's an age thing. There's no doubt that the huge spread of American culture since the 1960s and beyond has increased the use of American English in the UK and Ireland. Most persons under 35 (and some much older) speak like they've just walked off the set of Friends.....
tbolt
+2
Level 79
Feb 23, 2019
Thank you TOP GEAR. I learned many of the British equivalents to American words by watching your show.
Freezek
+1
Level 33
Feb 23, 2019
A lot of these things are wrong... We say elevator aswell, and cookies are completely different to biscuits.
RobNobody
+12
Level 80
Feb 23, 2019
Okay, yes, in Britain, a biscuit and a cookie are two distinctly different things, but what British people would call a biscuit, American people would call a cookie.
Rozzi
+10
Level 61
Feb 24, 2019
oh dear, here we go again - this was covered higher up in the comments. Elevator is American, just because we understand American words it doesn't make them British. The British term is 'lift'.
naughtynick
+2
Level 33
Feb 24, 2019
KNICKERS to your silly quiz. It is PANTS !
Jozi
+1
Level 75
Feb 24, 2019
What is Fat Tuesday about?
Wolfskin1
+4
Level 27
Dec 21, 2020
Tuesday that is fat
Cordelia75
+2
Level 55
May 18, 2022
Fat Tuesday is the day you can eat what you want before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and its mortifications.
EcceHomo
+3
Level 86
Oct 28, 2020
For all of your hot air, neither American English nor British English (including its variants) have any justifiable claim to be any more 'correct' than the other. Anyone who knows anything about the history of English will tell you that lexicographers on both sides of the pond, including Noah Webster and Samuel Johnson have laid claim to the 'better' orthography and 'more logical' ways of spelling.Neither has 'won', because the language changes in different ways in different parts of the world. Not only that but different parts of the countries. No words are more or less correct than others just because some internet bully says they are. Language is language; it ebbs and flows, and it mutates constantly. There is one incontrovertible English phrase that underlines this notion, and it goes like this: "Vive la différence".
feverfin
+1
Level 39
Feb 5, 2021
finally! yes!!! why do people choose to argue about this??
AlexThirkell
+4
Level 74
Nov 30, 2020
Well this comment section really cleared everything up nicely, didn't it?
Wolfskin1
+1
Level 27
Dec 21, 2020
I got all correct
Wolfskin1
+1
Level 27
Dec 21, 2020
I agree with you AlexThirkell
sadra
+1
Level 23
Feb 24, 2021
i got most of them from watching ksi
HinesBrothers
+1
Level 78
May 20, 2021
Can you accept electric torch? I've heard it both ways.
GlaucusExquisita
+1
Level 78
May 28, 2021
As an American I only got seven, and one of them came from use of a very particular website O.O
cactus
+2
Level 71
Oct 12, 2021
It feels like brits are actively trying to speak as abnormally as possible. They are fries, not chips. Fight me.
spingospungo
+7
Level 56
Apr 19, 2022
Fries and chips are different things though. Fries are fine for bolting down with fast food, but a bag of chips with lashings of vinegar and salt, mmm.

Excuse me, I need to pop out to the chippy now.

brandybuck96
+5
Level 82
Apr 2, 2023
Well it was our language first so...
JFM01
+1
Level 56
Jan 14, 2022
I was taught British English at school, but through stuff I watched American English became more familiar to me.

Now all these British words sound weird to me.

DoktorApplejuce
+2
Level 76
Jul 24, 2022
Freindly Canadian passing through - never heard of either Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday before.
Jiaozira
+2
Level 72
Nov 14, 2025
It's a Christian holiday and the final day before Lent (observed mainly by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Methodists).

Outside of the religious context it might be more familiar by its French name, mardi gras.

maur85
+21
Level 73
Apr 18, 2023
American English: drunk driving;

Queen's English: drink driving;

Glaswegian English: driving.

Alexquiz17
+1
Level 95
Nov 15, 2025
+1
Jeg333
+1
Level 54
Apr 23, 2026
Made me chuckle
Apprentice03
+2
Level 65
Jul 19, 2023
Americans don't use pounds, we use dollars.
RobNobody
+2
Level 80
Nov 15, 2025
Really? How many dollars do you weigh?
TheMinecrafterAU
+1
Level 41
Jul 27, 2023
Australian translations:

Elevator: lift

Cookie: cookie/biscuit/bikkie (if it has choc chips or chocolate in it like at Subway then it’s a cookie but most others are biscuits/bikkies e.g Anzac biscuits)

Parking lot: car park

Garbage: rubbish (garbage is widely understood though, trash however while understood is generally a way younger people call something shit)

Counterclockwise: anti-clockwise (counter anything is anti- (pronounced antee) in Australia)

Math: maths

14 Pounds: ? (Australians have only used the metric system since the 1950s/1960s, some people use feet for height e.g "six-foot tall man" but most younger people use metric for height)

Takeout: takeaway (e.g takeaway shop, Chinese takeaway, etc)

Z: zed (remember, you will be seen as Americanised and stupid if you are not American and say it as zee, use zed instead)

Eraser: rubber

Last name: last name/surname (surname is a formal term but last name is more common)

Pants: pants (can be any type including shorts)

See reply

TheMinecrafterAU
+1
Level 41
Jul 27, 2023
Diaper: nappy

Napkin: serviette (napkin is widely understood though)

Sidewalk: footpath/path

Fat Tuesday: ? (not sure as to what this actually is)

Panties: underpants/undies/knickers (knickers only ever refers to women’s underwear though)

Sketchy: dodgy

Drunk driving: drink-driving

Trash can: bin

Truck: truck (presuming this is a long vehicle with a trailer, if it’s a car-sized vehicle with a trailer then it’s called a ute)

Flashlight: torch

Wrench: spanner

And those are the Aussie translations.

PitifulExcuse
+3
Level 65
Aug 11, 2024
accept widdershins for counterclockwise?
GlassMonkeyOLD
+1
Level 69
Nov 14, 2025
Easy for Antipodeans since they are exposed to both American and British English.
Alexquiz17
+2
Level 95
Nov 15, 2025
Why is mathematics not accepted? Maths is just a shortened version of this word, which sounds so wrong when Americans fail to pluralise it…
RobNobody
+5
Level 80
Nov 15, 2025
Because American English also says "mathematics," so "math/mathematics" is not an American/British English thing, while "math/maths" is. And hey, it sounds wrong to us when you fail to pluralize "sports."
PrettyTiedUp
+2
Level 71
Nov 19, 2025
"Sports" makes me cringe. It is already a collective noun, it doesn't need the 's'. Having said that, British schools do usually have a "Sports Day"
Jeg333
+1
Level 54
Apr 23, 2026
Because it's the day of sport?
bacoachi
+3
Level 81
Nov 15, 2025
"Pancake Tuesday" really needs to be accepted.
hellodrew
+1
Level 66
Nov 19, 2025
it really doesn't, who in the UK calls it that lol!
Pharley
+1
Level 75
Dec 11, 2025
Loads of people in the UK call it that.
communistpanda
+1
Level 64
Apr 23, 2026
Everyone
luxint
+1
Level 67
Nov 16, 2025
Very good. Great quiz. Thank you
Nateww2nerd
+1
Level 50
Nov 17, 2025
this is a great quiz thx
Hockputer
+1
Level 56
Nov 17, 2025
I've never heard of "anticlockwise"
BlackLab
+3
Level 66
Nov 18, 2025
Was hoping bloomers was an answer for one of those
shrekcena
+4
Level 60
Apr 23, 2026
What do British people call actual torches? Probably something goofy like flame willy
Jeg333
+3
Level 54
Apr 23, 2026
Also torch
Jeg333
+1
Level 54
Apr 23, 2026
Missed drink driving, tried DUI and drunk at the wheel.
NerdyPolyglot
+1
Level 45
Apr 24, 2026
i thought it was drinking and driving
Alouka
+1
Level 74
Apr 23, 2026
Ah, last night I heard "stone" in a weight context and I kept thinking "how can you weight anything in "stone"? Stones are all different, all have different weight, who thought that'd be a great name for a weight unit?"

Although this will not help me as I have no clue what a "pound" is (but now that I remember this, I'll go ask google what all that is in kilos)

Bonzo65
+1
Level 74
Apr 23, 2026
The name "stone" derives from the historical use of stones for weights, which dates back way over 2,000 years ago.

The term 'pound' from the Roman 'libra pondo' (hence the symbol 'lb'). There are similar words across Europe: German - 'pfund', Swedish - 'pund'.

That's what happens when your nation has some proper history behind it. ☺️

HantsAgent
+3
Level 56
Apr 23, 2026
I could not figure out how drunk driving could be any different. And I'm British (proper English too, from the home counties).
communistpanda
+1
Level 64
Apr 23, 2026
Yeah that was probably the hardest one. It is just about right tho, i think most people here do call it drink driving, but would probably call the person doing it a drunk driver?? Idk, definitely the most pedantic one
JMM
+2
Level 60
Apr 23, 2026
Brits use the word wrench, but only for the adjustable variety and spanner for fixed ones.
spotalbert
+1
Level 51
Apr 23, 2026
Oi?
jaksbdjk
+1
Level 32
Apr 23, 2026
Should not have asked my American teacher for a rubber.
Gurminator
+2
Level 70
Apr 23, 2026
As if there is only one variety of English in "Britain" and only one variety of English in "America", and as if these are the only two places on Earth where English is spoken.

I mean: the English-speaking population of the UK and the US combined is outnumbered by the English-speaking population of Africa.

And the English-speaking population of Africa is dwarfed by the English-speaking population of Asia.

Having said that, most varieties of English around the world have more in common than the varieties found primarily in the UK than they do with the varieties found primarily in the US.

So what you are calling "British" would be better described as "Global English" or "World English", and what you are calling "American" might better be described as "US English".

123454321
+1
Level 51
Apr 23, 2026
Most of these are not, I’m Pakistani btw
Botticella
+1
Level 68
Apr 23, 2026
Canadian English is pretty much the same as American English these days, although we have many Britishisms and as well as some of our own words. US television has had a major influence. Our English is way more loose in my opinion than what is being described here - so for instance 'Parking Garage' could be labelled as such, or it could be 'Car Park' or 'Parking' or 'Parkade' or 'Parking Lot' or 'Parc-Autos' or 'Parc de Stationnement' and we wouldn't notice or care. The difficulty comes in finding your car in a sea of identical Fords, Toyotas and Subarus.
123454321
+1
Level 51
Apr 23, 2026
Not me thinking I would get a lot since I’m Pakistani-American
British-American Translation
Quiz series by Quizmaster
Copyright H Brothers Inc, 2008–2026
Contact Us | Go To Top | View Mobile Site | Site Map