English may have begun in England (sort of – it’s a Germanic language, after all). But it is now spoken in dozens of countries all around the world. As such, you may sometimes hear people refer to “British English” (sometimes shortened to BrE, BrEng, or en-GB) rather than English in general.
But what is British English? And how does it differ from American English? In this post, we’ll take you through the basics of how to use it in your writing.
British English is the type of English spoken in the UK. It includes a range of regional and local dialects, such as Scottish English. It sometimes even includes the English spoken in Commonwealth countries. These dialects differ in some ways, but the term “British English” refers to the areas where they overlap (e.g., where they share a standard spelling or grammatical form).
Written American English and UK English (we’ll leave pronunciation to the linguists) are similar in many ways, but there are differences. These include:
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Keep an eye out for these issues if you’re writing for a British audience.
We won’t attempt a definitive rundown of everything that makes UK English unique here. But we will offer a few helpful guidelines that you can follow when using British English:
Finally, you can have your work proofread by someone who knows British English. This is especially useful if you are less familiar with UK English, as a native speaker may spot things you have missed.
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