American vs British Pronunciation: The Main Differences
American and British English share almost all of their vocabulary, but the two accents can sound quite different. Most of these differences follow a small number of regular patterns. Once you know the patterns, you can predict how most words will sound in either accent.
1. The r after a vowel
This is the most noticeable difference. American English is rhotic, meaning the r is pronounced in every position, including after a vowel in words such as car, hard, and water. Standard Southern British English is non-rhotic, meaning the r is only pronounced before a vowel. A British speaker says car as "kah," with a longer vowel in place of the r. Scottish and Irish English, by contrast, are rhotic.
In non-rhotic accents, the r is still pronounced when a vowel follows it, as in carry or the phrase "car alarm."
2. Vowel differences
- The short o. In hot, stop, and box, British English uses a rounded vowel, /ɒ/. American English uses an open, unrounded vowel, /ɑ/, so hot sounds closer to "haht."
- The vowel in bath. In a group of common words, including bath, dance, ask, and half, speakers of southern British English use the long "ah" vowel heard in father. American speakers, and most speakers in the north of England, use the short vowel heard in cat.
- The long o. In show and home, the British vowel /əʊ/ begins closer to the center of the mouth than the American vowel /oʊ/.
3. The American t
When t falls between two vowels and the following syllable is unstressed, American speakers usually pronounce it as a quick tap that sounds similar to a soft d. As a result, water, city, and better sound like "wadder," "siddy," and "bedder." Standard British English keeps a clear t, although many regional British accents replace it with a glottal stop.
4. The y sound before "oo"
After t, d, and n, British English often keeps a light y sound before the "oo" vowel, so tune sounds like "tyoon" and new like "nyoo." American English usually omits it: "toon" and "noo."
5. Differences in word stress
Some words place the stress on a different syllable in each accent. Many of these are French loanwords, which American English tends to stress on the final syllable and British English on the first:
| Word | American | British |
|---|---|---|
| garage | guh-RAHZH | GARR-ahzh |
| ballet | ba-LAY | BAL-ay |
| debris | duh-BREE | DEB-ree |
| advertisement | ad-ver-TYZE-ment | ad-VUR-tis-ment |
| laboratory | LAB-ruh-tor-ee | luh-BORR-uh-tree |
6. Individual words
Some words simply have different pronunciations and need to be learned individually. Common examples include tomato, schedule, vitamin, privacy, leisure, route, and herb. See our full list of words pronounced differently in the US and UK.
How to practice
Every result on HowPronounceIt includes both accents. Choose a word from the lists above, play the American version and then the British version, and listen for the pattern described in this guide.
Common questions
Should I learn an American or a British accent?
Choose the accent you hear most often or the one used where you live, work, or study. Both are widely understood. Being consistent matters more than which accent you choose.
Which British accent is used as the standard?
Dictionaries generally describe Standard Southern British English, also known as Received Pronunciation. Most people in the UK speak with a regional accent that differs from it in various ways.
Is it a problem to mix the two accents?
No. Many international speakers combine features of both. Within a single word, however, it is best to stay consistent, since mixing an American r with British vowels can sound unusual.