Going to college was a huge change for me – not only was I going to a whole new school, I was also going to a whole new country (from Hong Kong to US).

But the change that intrigued the most is the language. I grew up in a very westernized environment since Hong Kong was a former British colony. English is my first language so the last thing I expected to shock me was the language barrier. Yet little did I know how different American English can be…

I listed a few examples in this post (the left is US English, the right is UK English):

The Obvious Differences

Football vs Soccer – This is probably one that almost everybody knows. But it’s still a little awkward saying “soccer”

Biscuits vs Cookies – My parents call it cookies as well, so this wasn’t a big deal either

The Non-Obvious Ones

Jumper vs Sweater – It became an inside joke where my friends made fun of me for calling it a “jumper”

Revise vs Study/Review – People gave me a blank stare when I said, “Let’s go revise for the exam.” They think I’m trying to “fix” the exam

Toilet vs Bathroom/Restroom – Apparently, it’s “uncivilized” to call it a toilet. So how do Americans distinguish a toilet from a room where you rest or take a bath?

“I Forgot” vs “I Forget” – Americans prefer using present tense…

Rubbish Bin vs Trash Can – Americans don’t call it rubbish. Or even bin.

Torch vs Flashlight – When I said torch, they thought I was referring to a wooden stick with fire on top of it…

Maths vs Math – A half-british half-american friend corrected me this. Americans drop the “s”

Trousers vs Pants – A hipster friend corrected me this. I usually wore jeans so this was something I only found out much later in the year

Rubber vs Eraser – Apparently, rubber means something else in the US…

CV vs Resume – Here, job recruiters ask for your resume, not your CV

Boots vs Cleats – These are the shoes you wear for those who play football (aka soccer)

Anti-clockwise vs Counter-clockwise – Don’t they mean the same thing?

I’m sure there are tons more, but these are the ones from the top of my head that I use in my everyday life. It’s definitely not easy to change something you’ve been saying for 18 years…