Differences between the American and the British English.

While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American English and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is "correct" however, there are certainly preferences in use. The three major differences between between American and British English are:

· Pronunciation - differences in both vowel and consonants, as well as stress and intonation

· Vocabulary - differences in nouns and verbs, especially phrasal verb usage

· Spelling - differences are generally found in certain prefix and suffix forms

The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English spellings then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour - color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy - or possible. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English.