Common American English words used in daily life vs British English equivalents

by FRIENDS

When I first moved to US, it was very hard for me to understand a friendly chat or conversation. There were a lot of words that were quite unfamiliar to me. They were just common words, but only difference is the actual words and their usage. We are used to different set of words in other parts of world due to British English influence. Though, this has been changing a lot in recent times, I would like to share with you all some of the common words used here and what I felt were different. It took me a while to catch up very basic words that Americans use in day to day conversations and I am still learning new words every day! The below list something good to start with.

Common words in Daily routine/ activities
American English word	British English equivalent	Explanation and usage.
Gas	Petrol	In 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, Garbage	Rubbish, dirt	Trash is used in different ways like: Pick up the garbage and put it in the trash can. Do not trash the place.
Trash Can	Dustbin	No dustbin word used here…Just trash can or Shredder for disposing the paper
Rest room	Toilet	Instead 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
Shower	Bath	Lets 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’
Bike	Bicycle	We often get confused when Americans use bike. It means bicycle
Motorcycle	Motorbike or bike	The name says it.
Zip code	Pin code	Postal pin code in other countries vs Zip code in US for postal purposes.
Check	Bill	Typically in restaurant after you are done with meal, you ask for check in US from the waiter.
Elevator	Lift	No one uses lift, it is elevator in US
Football	American Foot ball	Americans consider football means by default as American football
Soccer	Football	People say Soccer when they refer to actual football. In Europe and everywhere we call football, but here in US they say it soccer.
Glasses	Specs or Spectacles	Eye glasses used for faulty vision
Cookies	Biscuits	Cookie means just biscuit and usually very sweet biscuit
Garage		Place where you park your car in apartment complex or your dedicated place to park car
Store	Shop	Any shop is called store
Flashlight	Torch	Torch light that we use in darkness
Flat tire	Tire puncture	Usually when the tire gets puncture by any metal or thorns
Vacation	Holiday	When someone has taken a holiday, people usually say he is on vacation.
Bill	Note	100 dollar bill vs 100 rupee notes when dealing with cash
Cheese Burger		It is understood that it is a Beef burger with cheese on it and not just Cheese between bun !
Cologne		It 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.
Creamer		When mixing coffee, people in USA use creamer, which is equivalent of milk.
Yogurt	Curd	We use the word Curd a lot. You have to specifically say Yogurt.  Butter Milk is common though. It is same.
Flour is pronounced as Flower		One 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 J . Listen to pronunciation to clarify.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flour
Meat or  Red meat, Chicken	Non-Vegetarian	We 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
Truck	Lorry	We use lorry a lot in daily life, but here in US, people call by truck. The trucks are huge here
Mailbox / Mail	Postbox / Post	In US, usage: “I have to mail this package today. Let me dropt it off at the nearest mailbox.”