There's a lot of words that seem to mean different things between the UK and the USA and i worry about accident offending USA people by using a wrong word

for example, baked beans could mean something different over there than it does here, over here they are little yellow orange colour round things that come in a tin, over there, for all i know, baked beans could mean something deeply offensive

[Skeezyks]

Hm-m-m-m... well... I don't know. I'm in the U.S. And I used to correspond with a gentleman in the U.K. To my knowledge, this was never a problem between us. There are sometimes slight spelling differences. And there may be some slang expressions that are used in one of the two countries that would be unfamiliar in the other. However, if one sticks to standard English (not using slang expressions) it seems unlikely to me there would be a serious misunderstanding. Perhaps other MSF members will have other opinions.

[downandlonely]

One difference I did notice is that fag in the UK means a cigarette while in the US it is an offensive term for a gay man. However, if it is an honest mistake, people are unlikely to be offended.

I believed baked beans are the same in both countries.

[possum220]

I dont think it is a big issue. Most people have an awareness of how other countries talk about things. I live in Australia and I know that diifferences are inevitable. I know that many medications on this site have a different name to where I am but it is okay. People are becoming educated about the differences.

Take for example the term biscuits. The US calls them cookies. As time goes on it is more common to hear the term cookies being used over here. Another word here that was used very often was insects. We didnt call them bugs. A number of years have passed and the term bugs is now heard more than insects.

Language has a way of morphing over time and countries.

[Soupe du jour]

Americans are generally not easily offended by word or other language mistakes or differences. Nowadays, usually the only way to elicit an angry/annoyed response from an American is to say something political that is in contrast to the individual's beliefs. Even doing that used to not be that bad, but sadly now is as of maybe 6 years ago.

For your reference, see The differences in British and American spelling - Oxford International English Schools for spelling differences.

[Orwellian Nightmare]

Americans I met struggled with the concept of Mushy Peas

[Crazy Hitch]

The "ou" words are the ones I can think of - neighbour / neighbor / colour / color / behaviour / behavior

[downandlonely]

Originally Posted by Orwellian Nightmare

Americans I met struggled with the concept of Mushy Peas

So what are mushy peas?

[Nammu]

I’m born and raised USA but the British spelling looks right to me. Tyre, grey, and more.

[*Beth*]

Nah, no one will be offended. I hope we all know that slang terms are often different from language to language.

btw, here baked beans can come in a can (tin) or a person can put beans with a nice sauce on them, rather sweet, in the oven and bake the beans in a pan or big glass dish.

There is a member here in the UK and she thinks the word "dumpster" is hilarious! We call those extremely large metal containers where we toss our garbage or recycling "dumpsters." But I call the thing in my kitchen a "garbage can" whereas as you might refer to it as the "bin." You may live in a gaff, whereas I live in an apartment.

I absolutely love how we learn from each other.

[WastingAsparagus]

I like analyzing the linguistic differences between US English and British English. It's not really that much different, but I know there are definitely differences in how people write things. Also spellings are different sometimes. Words such as "realise" (BrE) versus "realize" (AmE). Anyway, I am a translator (basically a nerd about words). What can I say. There are also differences in how people say things, too, of course.

[unaluna]

I remember in middle school i did a book report on David Copperfield that the nun had marked up with misspellings. Without realizing it, i had used the British spellings of colour, etc., because that's how it was in the book!

[downandlonely]

I used to spell the British way too because of all the British books I read as a kid.

[unaluna]

I participated in a spelling bee for grown-ups in the 1980's (i know, total boomer thing to do! ) and in studying for it, one of the sources said that the best way to be a good speller was to read read read. I think our inadvertent adoption of UK spelling proves that.

[lizardlady]

Willowtigger, no worries hon. MSF has members from all over. We even have members that English is not their first language. I've never seen anyone get upset about a mistake in language.

Funny you mentioned baked beans. I've seen people in the US practically come to blows over the "right" way to make them, what kind of beans to use and correct seasoning. But yes, US or Britian, they are beans in sauce in a can, or a tin in Britian.

Another difference that comes to mind is "boot." In the US it's something you wear on your foot. In Britain it's a compartment in your vehicle for storing things like your spare tire/Tyre.

For whoever asked about mushy peas. They are mashed up cooked peas. I tried them once, but did not like them. On the other hand I don't like peas, period.

What else can I think of?
How about "bangers?" We call them sausage in the States.

Or "jumper?" That's a kind of dress worn over a top in the States. In Britain it's what we call a sweater in the States.

Someone mentioned cursing. I have a friend who was born in Liverpool, then lived in Ireland and Australia before moving to the States. He can curse in four variations of English. It's a hoot!

[splitimage]

I have a work colleague who was stationed in the UK for a number of years, and got in inadvertent slang trouble with her then boyfriend's family. They were talking about bike riding, and she said it was great but her "fanny" really hurt. Dead silence, Here in north America it's slang for butt, but in the UK it's a quite vulgar term for part of the female sexual anatomy. That's why fanny packs in the US are called "Bum Bags" in the UK.

Mushy peas are nice with fish and chips, particularly when the fish and chips have vinegar with it - nom-nom

[lizardlady]

Originally Posted by willowtigger

Mushy peas are nice with fish and chips, particularly when the fish and chips have vinegar with it - nom-nom

Ooooooh, fish and chips with malt vinegar! Yummmmm!