American and British English Around the House
Having grown up speaking two different versions of the English language, we occasionally find that one of us might use a word that’s unfamiliar to the other. This still happens after all these years, and when it does, it is always an interesting experience.
So, we decided to compile this list of differences between American English and British English, when talking about things around the house. We will add others as we discover them.
| American English | British English |
| Allen Wrench | Allen Key |
| Anchor | Rawlplug |
| Apartment | Flat |
| Attached Bathroom | En Suite |
| Band-Aid | Plaster |
| Baseboard | Skirting Board |
| Basement | Cellar |
| Built-in Cabinets | Fitted Cabinets |
| Buffet | Sideboard |
| Caulk | Mastic |
| Cinder Block | Breeze Block |
| Closet | Wardrobe |
| Clothes Pins | Clothes Pegs |
| Contractor | Builder |
| Counter/Countertop | Worktop |
| Cutlery | Knives (sharp ones) |
| Dirt | Soil |
| D’oh! | D’oh! |
| Double-Paned Windows (or low-e or insulated glass windows) | Double Glazing |
| Drill Press | Pedestal Drill |
| Dryer | Tumble Dryer |
| Duplex | Semi-Detached House |
| Emergency Room | Casualty |
| Faucet | Tap |
| First Floor | Ground Floor |
| Flashlight | Torch |
| Floor Lamp | Standard Lamp |
| Flatware/Silverware | Cutlery |
| Fly-By-Night (tradesperson) | Cowboy |
| Full Bed | Double Bed |
| Garage (guh-RAJ) | Garage (gair-ij) |
| Ground (electrical) | Earth |
| Half-Bath | Toilet |
| Hardware Store | Ironmonger |
| Home Improvement | DIY |
| Interior Latex Paint | Emulsion |
| Level | Spirit Level |
| License Plate | Number Plate |
| Living Room (or family room or den) | Sitting Room (or lounge) |
| Lumber Yard | Wood Yard |
| Medicine Cabinet/Vanity | Bathroom Cabinet |
| Monkey Wrench | Adjustable Spanner |
| Outlet | Socket |
| Physical Therapy | Physiotherapy |
| Pipe Wrench | Stilsens |
| Power/Service Line | Mains |
| Queen Bed | King Bed |
| Range | Cook Top/Cooker |
| Saw Horse | Trestle |
| Screw Extractor | Stud Extractor |
| Second Floor | First Floor |
| Sheetrock | Plaster Board |
| Sod | Turf |
| Spackle | Polyfiller |
| Stairs | Apples and Pears (ok, now we’re just messing with you) |
| Steel Wool | Wire Wool |
| Stove/Oven | Oven |
| Tank (toilet) | Cistern |
| Tempered Glass | Toughened Glass |
| Toilet Bowl | Toilet Pan |
| Tub | Bath |
| Twin Bed | Single Bed |
| Tylenol/Acetaminophen | Paracetamol |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Hoover |
| Valance | Pelmet |
| Wall Heater (if in the wall anywhere) | Electric (or Gas) Fire (if in sitting room, especially in a former fireplace) |
| Washing Machine | Washer |
| Worn Out | Knackered |
| Wrench | Spanner |
| Yard | Garden |