It's important to remember that the UK ground floor is the US first floor, so all floor numbers are off by one. Many US buildings, especially hotels, also omit the 13th floor.
| UK | US | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Caretaker | Janitor | Caretaker in the US often refers to someone looking after a person or empty buildings |
| Flat | Apartment/Condo | Apartments are often worse quality than condos in the US. |
| Lift | Elevator | Everyone seems to know this one, though. |
| Refurbished | Remodeled | |
| Semi-detached | Duplex | Duplex can also refer to 2 apartments stacked in a small house. |
| Shop | Store | In the US, shop either means a machine shop or small store. |
| Subway | Underpass | Specifically a pedestrian underpass. |
| Toilet/WC | Restroom | Sometimes bathroom in the US, even if there is no bath. |
| UK | US | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemist/Pharmacy | Pharmacy/Drugstore | |
| Estate agent | Realtor | |
| Letting agent | Rental broker |
| UK | US | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Guide | Docent | Specifically volunteer guides for public institutions. |
| UK | US | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AA | AAA | Car rescue/recovery service. In the US, AA means Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| Bonnet | Hood | |
| Boot | Trunk | |
| Cable car | Aerial tramway | Fortunately the two kinds of cable cars are often very far from each other. |
| Caravan | Travel trailer/RV/Winnebago | RVs are bigger and self-powered. |
| Carriage | Car | The things trains are made of. |
| Lorry | Truck/Semi | Depends on the size of the vehicle as to which is used. |
| Motorbike | Motorcycle | Though most people seem to get what you mean with either. |
| Points | Switch | The things that change what tracks things run on. |
| Public transport | Public transportation | |
| Railway | Railroad | |
| Rail replacement bus | Bus bridge | |
| Saloon car | Sedan | |
| Tram | Streetcar / Light Rail | Or if you're in San Francisco, also cable cars |
| Underground / Tube / Metro | Subway | It's called the Subway in Glasgow, though. |
| Windscreen | Windshield |
| UK | US | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Car park | Parking lot | |
| Central reservation | Median | |
| Diagonally opposite | Catty-corner/kitty-corner/cater-corner | Typically catty-corner in the South, kitty-corner elsewhere |
| Give Way | Yield | |
| Hard shoulder | Shoulder | |
| Junction | Intersection | |
| Learner driver | Student driver | |
| Motorway | Freeway/Interstate | |
| Pavement | Sidewalk | |
| Roundabout | Traffic circle | Only in some places, others just use "roundabout" |
| Service road | Frontage road | Road running parallel to a freeway with houses/shops. |
| Slip road | On/Off-ramp | |
| Tarmac | Pavement | It's still called tarmac in airports, it seems. |
| Traffic cone | Pylon | |
| Zebra Crossing | Crosswalk |
Notes:
- Almost no freeway in the US has service stations. You're expected to pull off into one of the towns you're driving through.
| UK | US | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hand luggage | Carry-on luggage | Or just "carryon". |