The US and the UK have many common features, most of which stem from their shared history. Even our flags employ the same colours, albeit in different proportions. The way that we think, speak and behave is also broadly the same – and in many cases, we’re drifting closer together.
If you’re making the move from the US to the UK, then there are a few points to watch out for if you want to make a seamless adjustment. With the help of an immigration lawyer, you can easily deal with most of the technical and legal obstacles – but what about the cultural ones?
Slang
The slight differences in US and UK slang have always been a trivial bone of contention. For instance, the British have ‘chips’ with their burger whereas the US have ‘fries’. But the US does have their own ‘chips’, but it’s what the UK would call ‘crisps’. Same with ‘biscuits’ versus ‘cookies’ and ‘sweets’ versus ‘candy’. It’s easy to dismiss this sort of thing as a bit silly, but if you don’t want to attract confused looks, being aware of them will definitely be helpful. Here are some more to add to your notes:
Band-aids are plasters; diapers are nappies; sweaters are jumpers. Phonebooth is a phone box, but no one bothers with those anymore, so that likely won’t be a problem!
To a little more to the mix, there are also differences in spelling. Mostly, this consists of inserting a few ‘u’s and swapping out ‘z’s for ‘s’s. Analyze is analyse; theater is theatre; tire is tyre.
Social Etiquette
It’s common knowledge that British people are a lot less earnest than their American counterparts, and for those not accustomed to it, this can often come across as rude. Some have even gone as far as creating hilarious guides to help non-UK dwellers to avoid getting offended (we suggest you have a read if you’re a sensitive soul.) It’s always a great thing to keep in mind when making British friends. They’re most likely not being rude, just engaging with their stiff upper lip.
Phone Numbers
Just a minor nuance, but one that may puzzle you if you hail from the US. American phone numbers are written with dashes in them. This is a good idea, especially if you’re writing out several of them. It lets you see where one ends and the next begins. But British people don’t bother with that. Therefore you don’t need to, either.
The Metric System
While it might seem intuitive to measure everything in fractions of the length of a foot, or of the average stride, or of the amount of distance the average Roman legionnaire could travel in a thousand strides, a lot of measurements in the UK are instead taken with the metric system. The metric system is quite easy to get your head around when you’ve worked out that everything is divisible by ten. So, a kilometre is a thousand metres, a litre is the same as a thousand millilitres, and a kilogram is the weight of one litre of water at 0°C.
This is simply just a small insight into some of the things an American may find a bit topsy turvy when they first move to the UK. But by taking our advice, doing some of your own research and just learning as you acclimatise to your new surroundings, you’ll fit in in no time. Just be prepared for lots of laughs and confused looks from your family and friends when you travel back to the states.
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