British vs American Pronunciation

Anyone who has travelled between the USA and the UK can tell you that the first thing most people notice is the difference in accents and pronunciation. We use many of the same terms, but the there are key distinctions in the way that Americans and Brits pronounce certain words.

If you are thinking about learning English abroad in either the USA or the UK, it’s good to study up on the correct pronunciation for your chosen city. That way, you’ll know your ah-luh-min-um from your al-oo-min-i-um.

Food pronunciation

Many of the spices and vegetables used in cooking have different pronunciations (or even different terms entirely), so if you like to cook you will probably be using these terms quite often.

Yogurt (Yoghurt)

• American English: Yoh-gurt
• British English: Yog-urt

Pitta

• American English: Pee-ta
• British English: Pitt-a

Basil

• American English: Bay-zil
• British English: Bah-zil

Oregano

• American English: Oh-ray-ga-no
• British English: Orah-ga-no

Herb

• American English: Erb
• British English: Herb

Tomato

• American English: To-may-to
• British English: To-mah-to

Listen to the difference:

Yogurt (Yoghurt) 

Pitta 

Basil

Oregano

Herb

Tomato

Household item pronunciation

Things we use in our day-to-day lives can also have slight pronunciation differences. Whether you are talking about kitchen items or things you encounter throughout your day, you’ll probably come across these as well.

Vase

• American English: Vayz
• British English: Vawz

Vitamin

• American English: Vai-tuh-min
• British English: Vit-uh-min

Garage

• American English: Guh-rahj
• British English: Gare-uh

Aluminum

• American English: Ah-luh-min-um
• British English: Al-oo-min-i-um

Listen to the difference:

Vase

Vitamin

Garage

Aluminum

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MISCELANEA 

Address

• American English: Add-ress
• British English: A-dress

Van Gogh

• American English: Van-Go
• British English: Van-goff

Advertisement

• American English: Ad-ver-tize-ment
• British English: Advert-iz-ment

Listen to the difference:

Address

Van Gogh

Advertisement

Try practicing the different pronunciations on your own and note how the words sound different. How many of these words have you heard before?