AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION DIFFERENCES
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Differences in pronunciation between American English (AmE) and British English (BrE) can be divided into:
★ differences in accent (i.e. phoneme ''inventory'' and ''realisation''). Accents vary widely within AmE and within BrE, so the features considered here are mainly differences between General American (GAm) and British Received Pronunciation (RP); for information about other accents see regional accents of English speakers.
★ differences in the pronunciation of individual words in the lexicon (i.e. phoneme ''distribution''). In this article, transcriptions use RP to represent BrE and GAm and to represent AmE.
In the following discussion
★ superscript A2 after a word indicates the BrE pronunciation of the word is a common variant in AmE
★ superscript B2 after a word indicates the AmE pronunciation of the word is a common variant in BrE
:'''See also:' Phonological history of the English language, sections After American/British split, up to the 20th century (c. AD 1725–1900) and After 1900.''
★ GAm is rhotic while RP is non-rhotic; that is, the letter ''r'' is only pronounced in RP when it is immediately followed by a vowel. Where GAm has before a consonant, RP either has nothing (if the preceding vowel is or , as in ''bore'' and ''bar'') or has a schwa instead (the resulting sequences are centring diphthongs or triphthongs). Similarly, where GAm has r-coloured vowels ( or , as in ''cupb'oar'd'' or ''bird''), RP has plain vowels or . However many British accents, especially in Scotland and the West Country, are rhotic, and some American accents, such as the traditional Boston accent, are non-rhotic.
:
★ The "intrusive R" of many RP speakers (in such sequences as "the idea-r-of it") is absent in GAm; this is a consequence of the rhotic/non-rhotic distinction.
★ GAm has fewer vowel distinctions before intervocalic than RP; for many GAm speakers, unlike RP, ''merry'', ''marry'' and ''Mary'' are homophones; ''mirror'' rhymes with ''nearer'', and ''furry'' rhymes with ''hurry''. However, some eastern American accents, such as the Boston accent, have the same distinctions as in RP.
★ For some RP speakers (upper class), unlike in GAm, some or all of ''tire'', ''tower'', and ''tar'' are homophones; this reflects the merger of the relevant vowels; similarly the pour-poor merger is common in RP but not in GAm.
★ RP has three open back vowels, where GAm has only two or even one. Most GAm speakers use the same vowel for RP "short O" as for RP "broad A" (the father-bother merger); many also use the same vowel for these as for RP (the cot-caught merger).
★ For Americans without the cot-caught merger, the ''lot-cloth split'' results in in some words which now have in RP; as reflected in the eye dialect spelling "dawg" for ''dog''.
★ The trap-bath split has resulted in RP having "broad A" where GAm has "short A" , in most words where A is followed by either followed by another consonant, or , , or (e.g. ''plant, pass, laugh, path''). However, many British accents, such as most Northern English accents, agree with GAm in having short A in these words, although it is usually phonetically rather than .
★ RP has a marked degree of contrast of length between "short" and "long" vowels (The long vowels being the diphthongs, and , , , , ). In GAm this contrast is much less evident, and the IPA length symbol () is often omitted. American phoneticians often prefer the characterizations "tense"/"lax" or "checked"/"free" rather than "short"/"long".
★ The "long O" vowel (as in ''boat'') is realised differently: GAm pure or diphthongized ; RP central first element. However there is considerable variation in this vowel on both sides of the Atlantic.
★ The distinction between unstressed and (e.g. ''roses'' vs ''Rosa's'') is often lost in GAm. In RP it is retained, in part because it helps avoid nonrhotic homophones; e.g. ''batted'' vs ''battered'' as vs . It is, however, lost in Australian English, which is also non-rhotic.
★ Where GAm has in an unstressed syllable at the end of a morpheme, conservative RP has , not having undergone ''happY tensing''. This distinction is retained in inflected forms (e.g. ''candied'' and ''candid'' are homophones in RP, but not in GAm).
★ In GAm, flapping is common: when either a or a occurs between a sonorant phoneme and an unstressed vowel phoneme, it is realized as an alveolar-flap allophone . This sounds like a to RP speakers, although many GAm speakers distinguish the two phonemes by aspirating in this environment, especially after or (thus ''bitter'' and ''rated'' are distinguishable from ''bidder'' and ''raided''), or by lengthening the vowel preceding an underlying . is an allophone of in conservative RP, which is hence caricatured in America as a "veddy British" accent.
★ Yod-dropping occurs in GAm after all alveolar consonants, including ; i.e. historic (from spellings ''u'', ''ue'', ''eu'', ''ew''), is pronounced in a stressed syllable. In contrast, RP speakers:
★
★ always retain after : e.g. ''new'' is RP , GAm ;
★
★ retain or coalesce it after : e.g. ''due'' is RP or , GAm ;
★
★ retain or drop it after : e.g. ''allude'' is RP or (as GAm) .
★
★ retain, coalesce or drop it after : e.g. ''assume'' is RP or , or (as GAm) ;
★
★
★ In some words where has been coalesced in GAm, it may be retained in RP: e.g. ''issue'' is RP or (as GAm)
For many loanwords from French where AmE has final-syllable stress, BrE stresses an earlier syllable. Such words include:
★ BrE first-syllable stress: ''adult''A2,B2, ''ballet''A2, ''baton'', ''beret'', ''bidet'', ''blasé'', ''brevet''A2, ''brochure''B2, ''buffet'', ''café''A2, ''chagrin'', ''chalet''A2, ''chauffeur''B2, ''chiffon'', ''cliché'', ''coupé'', ''croissant'', ''debris''B2, ''debut'', ''décor'', ''detail''A2, ''détente''B2, ''flambé'', ''frappé'', ''garage''B2, ''gateau'', ''gourmet''A2, ''lamé'', ''montage''A2, ''parquet'', ''pastel'', ''pâté'', ''précis'', ''sachet'', ''salon'', ''soupçon'', ''vaccine''; ''matinée'', ''negligée'', ''nonchalant'', ''nondescript''; also some French names, including ''Bernard''B2, ''Calais'', ''Degas'', ''Dijon'', ''Dumas'', ''Francoise'', ''Manet''A2, ''Maurice'', ''Monet''A2, ''Pauline'', ''Renault'', ''René''B2, ''Renoir'', ''Rimbaud'', ''Delacroix''B2.
★ BrE second-syllable stress: ''attaché'', ''consommé'', ''décolleté'', ''déclassé'', ''De Beauvoir'', ''Debussy'', ''démodé'', ''denouement'', ''distingué'', ''Dubonnet'', ''escargot'', ''fiancé(e)'', ''retroussé''
A few French words have other stress differences:
★ AmE first-syllable, BrE last-syllable: ''address''A2 (postal), ''m(o)ustache''A2; ''cigarette''A2, ''limousine''B2, ''magazine''B2,
★ AmE first-syllable, BrE second-syllable: ''exposé''B2, ''liaison''A2, macramé, ''Renaissance''
★ AmE second-syllable, BrE last-syllable: ''New Orleans''
Most 2-syllable verbs ending ''-ate'' have first-syllable stress in AmE and second-syllable stress in BrE. This includes ''castrate'', ''dictate''A2, ''donate''A2, ''locate''A2, ''mandate''B2, ''migrate'', ''placate'', ''prostrate'', ''pulsate'', ''rotate'', ''serrate''B2, ''spectate'', ''striated'', ''translate''A2, ''vacate'', ''vibrate''; in the case of ''cremate'', ''narrate'', ''placate'', the first vowel is in addition reduced to in BrE. Examples where AmE and BrE match include ''create'', ''debate'', ''equate'', ''elate'', ''negate'', ''orate'', ''relate'' with second-syllable stress; and ''mandate'' and ''probate'' with first-syllable stress. Derived nouns in ''-ator'' may retain the distinction, but those in ''-ation'' do not. Also, ''migratory''A2 and ''vibratory'' retain the distinction.
Most longer ''-ate'' verbs are pronounced the same in AmE and BrE, but a few have first-syllable stress in BrE and second-syllable stress in AmE: ''elongate'', ''infiltrate''A2, ''remonstrate'', ''tergiversate''. Hoewever, some derived adjectives ending ''-atory'' have a difference, as stress shifting to ''-at-'' can occur in BrE. Among these cases are ''regulatory''B2, ''celebratory''A2, ''participatory''B2, where AmE stresses the same syllable as the corresponding ''-ate'' verb; and ''compensatory'', where AmE stresses the second syllable.
A further ''-atory'' difference is ''laboratory'': AmE and BrE .
There are a number of cases where same-spelled noun, verb and/or adjective have uniform stress in one dialect but distinct stress in the other (e.g. ''alternate'', ''prospect''): see initial-stress-derived noun.
The following table lists words where the only difference between AmE and BrE is in stress (possibly with a consequent reduction of the unstressed vowel). Words with other points of difference are listed in a later table.
Where the syllable preceding ''-ary'',''-ery'' or ''-ory'' is stressed, AmE and BrE alike pronounce all these endings . Where the preceding syllable is unstressed, however, AmE has a full vowel rather than schwa: for ''-ary'' and ''-ery'' and for ''-ory''. BrE retains the reduced vowel , or even elides it completely to . (The elision is avoided in carefully enunciated speech, especially with endings ''-rary'',''-rery'',''-rory''.) So ''military'' is AmE and BrE or .
Note that stress differences occur with ending ''-atory'' (explained above) and a few others like ''capillary'' (included above). A few words have the full vowel in AmE in the ending even though the preceding syllable is stressed: ''library'', ''primary''A2, ''rosemary''. Pronouncing ''library'' as rather than is highly stigmatized in AmE, whereas in BrE, is common in rapid or casual speech.
Formerly the BrE-AmE distinction for adjectives carried over to corresponding adverbs ending ''-arily'', ''-erily'' or ''-orily''. However, nowadays most BrE speakers adopt the AmE practice of shifting the stress to the antepenultimate syllable: ''militarily'' is thus rather than .
The placename component ''-bury'' (e.g. ''Canterbury'') has a similar difference after a stressed syllable: AmE and BrE or . The ending ''-mony'' after a stressed syllable is AmE but BrE . The word ''-berry'' in compounds has a slightly different distinction: in BrE, it is reduced ( or ) after a stressed syllable, and may be full after an unstressed syllable; in AmE it is usually full in all cases. Thus, ''strawberry'' is BrE but AmE , while ''whortleberry'' is BrE and similarly AmE .
Words ending in unstressed ''-ile'' derived from Latin adjectives ending ''-ilis'' are mostly pronounced with a full vowel () in BrE but a reduced vowel or syllabic in AmE (e.g. ''fertile'' rhymes with ''fur tile'' in BrE but with ''turtle'' in AmE). This difference applies:
★ generally to ''agile'', ''docile'', ''facile'', ''fertile'', ''fissile'', ''fragile'', ''futile'', ''infertile'', ''missile'', ''nubile'', ''octile'', ''puerile'', ''rutile'', ''servile'', ''stabile'', ''sterile'', ''tactile'', ''tensile'', ''virile'', ''volatile'';
★ usually to ''ductile'', ''hostile'', ''(im)mobile'' (adjective), ''projectile'', ''textile'', ''utile'', ''versatile'';
★ not usually to ''decile'', ''domicile'', ''infantile'', ''juvenile'', ''labile'', ''mercantile'', ''pensile'', ''reptile'', ''senile'';
★ not to ''crocodile'', ''exile'', ''gentile'', ''percentile'', ''reconcile''; nor to compounds of monosyllables (e.g. ''turnstile'' from ''stile'').
Related endings ''-ility'', ''-ilize'', ''-iliary'' are pronounced the same in AmE as BrE. The name ''Savile'' is pronounced with () in both BrE and AmE. ''Mobile'' (sculpture), ''camomile'' and ''febrile'' are sometimes pronounced with in AmE and ) in BrE. ''Imbecile'' has or in BrE and often in AmE.
The suffix ''-ine'', when unstressed, is pronounced sometimes (e.g. ''feline''), sometimes (e.g. ''morphine'') and sometimes (e.g. ''medicine''). Some words have variable pronunciation within BrE, or within AmE, or between BrE and AmE. Generally, AmE is more likely to favour or , and BrE to favour : e.g. ''adamantine''A2, ''carbine'', ''crystalline''A2, ''labyrinthine'', ''philistine'', ''serpentine''A2, ''turbine''A2. However, sometimes AmE has where BrE has ; e.g. ''iodine''B2, ''strychnine''A2.
Some function words have a weak form in AmE, with a reduced vowel used when the word is unstressed, but always use the full vowel in RP. These include: ''or'' ; ''you'' ; ''your'' .
On the other hand, the titles ''Saint'' and ''Sir'' before a person's name have "weak forms" in BrE but not AmE:
before vowels, and ; before consonants, and .
These tables list words pronounced differently but spelled the same. See also the table of words with different pronunciation reflected in the spelling.
Words with multiple points of difference of pronunciation are in the table after this one. Accent-based differences are ignored. For example, ''Moscow'' is RP and GAm , but only the - difference is highlighted here, since the - difference is predictable from the accent. Also, ''ti'a'ra'' is listed with AmE ; the marry-merry-Mary merger changes this vowel for many Americans. Some AmE types are listed as where GAm merges to .
The slashes normally used to enclose IPA phonemic transcriptions have been omitted from the following table to improve legibility.
★ List of words of disputed pronunciation
★ Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, Wells, John C., , , 2nd ed. Longman, 2000, ISBN 0-582-36468-X
★ differences in accent (i.e. phoneme ''inventory'' and ''realisation''). Accents vary widely within AmE and within BrE, so the features considered here are mainly differences between General American (GAm) and British Received Pronunciation (RP); for information about other accents see regional accents of English speakers.
★ differences in the pronunciation of individual words in the lexicon (i.e. phoneme ''distribution''). In this article, transcriptions use RP to represent BrE and GAm and to represent AmE.
In the following discussion
★ superscript A2 after a word indicates the BrE pronunciation of the word is a common variant in AmE
★ superscript B2 after a word indicates the AmE pronunciation of the word is a common variant in BrE
Accent
:'''See also:' Phonological history of the English language, sections After American/British split, up to the 20th century (c. AD 1725–1900) and After 1900.''
★ GAm is rhotic while RP is non-rhotic; that is, the letter ''r'' is only pronounced in RP when it is immediately followed by a vowel. Where GAm has before a consonant, RP either has nothing (if the preceding vowel is or , as in ''bore'' and ''bar'') or has a schwa instead (the resulting sequences are centring diphthongs or triphthongs). Similarly, where GAm has r-coloured vowels ( or , as in ''cupb'oar'd'' or ''bird''), RP has plain vowels or . However many British accents, especially in Scotland and the West Country, are rhotic, and some American accents, such as the traditional Boston accent, are non-rhotic.
:
★ The "intrusive R" of many RP speakers (in such sequences as "the idea-r-of it") is absent in GAm; this is a consequence of the rhotic/non-rhotic distinction.
★ GAm has fewer vowel distinctions before intervocalic than RP; for many GAm speakers, unlike RP, ''merry'', ''marry'' and ''Mary'' are homophones; ''mirror'' rhymes with ''nearer'', and ''furry'' rhymes with ''hurry''. However, some eastern American accents, such as the Boston accent, have the same distinctions as in RP.
★ For some RP speakers (upper class), unlike in GAm, some or all of ''tire'', ''tower'', and ''tar'' are homophones; this reflects the merger of the relevant vowels; similarly the pour-poor merger is common in RP but not in GAm.
★ RP has three open back vowels, where GAm has only two or even one. Most GAm speakers use the same vowel for RP "short O" as for RP "broad A" (the father-bother merger); many also use the same vowel for these as for RP (the cot-caught merger).
★ For Americans without the cot-caught merger, the ''lot-cloth split'' results in in some words which now have in RP; as reflected in the eye dialect spelling "dawg" for ''dog''.
★ The trap-bath split has resulted in RP having "broad A" where GAm has "short A" , in most words where A is followed by either followed by another consonant, or , , or (e.g. ''plant, pass, laugh, path''). However, many British accents, such as most Northern English accents, agree with GAm in having short A in these words, although it is usually phonetically rather than .
★ RP has a marked degree of contrast of length between "short" and "long" vowels (The long vowels being the diphthongs, and , , , , ). In GAm this contrast is much less evident, and the IPA length symbol () is often omitted. American phoneticians often prefer the characterizations "tense"/"lax" or "checked"/"free" rather than "short"/"long".
★ The "long O" vowel (as in ''boat'') is realised differently: GAm pure or diphthongized ; RP central first element. However there is considerable variation in this vowel on both sides of the Atlantic.
★ The distinction between unstressed and (e.g. ''roses'' vs ''Rosa's'') is often lost in GAm. In RP it is retained, in part because it helps avoid nonrhotic homophones; e.g. ''batted'' vs ''battered'' as vs . It is, however, lost in Australian English, which is also non-rhotic.
★ Where GAm has in an unstressed syllable at the end of a morpheme, conservative RP has , not having undergone ''happY tensing''. This distinction is retained in inflected forms (e.g. ''candied'' and ''candid'' are homophones in RP, but not in GAm).
★ In GAm, flapping is common: when either a or a occurs between a sonorant phoneme and an unstressed vowel phoneme, it is realized as an alveolar-flap allophone . This sounds like a to RP speakers, although many GAm speakers distinguish the two phonemes by aspirating in this environment, especially after or (thus ''bitter'' and ''rated'' are distinguishable from ''bidder'' and ''raided''), or by lengthening the vowel preceding an underlying . is an allophone of in conservative RP, which is hence caricatured in America as a "veddy British" accent.
★ Yod-dropping occurs in GAm after all alveolar consonants, including ; i.e. historic (from spellings ''u'', ''ue'', ''eu'', ''ew''), is pronounced in a stressed syllable. In contrast, RP speakers:
★
★ always retain after : e.g. ''new'' is RP , GAm ;
★
★ retain or coalesce it after : e.g. ''due'' is RP or , GAm ;
★
★ retain or drop it after : e.g. ''allude'' is RP or (as GAm) .
★
★ retain, coalesce or drop it after : e.g. ''assume'' is RP or , or (as GAm) ;
★
★
★ In some words where has been coalesced in GAm, it may be retained in RP: e.g. ''issue'' is RP or (as GAm)
Stress
French stress
For many loanwords from French where AmE has final-syllable stress, BrE stresses an earlier syllable. Such words include:
★ BrE first-syllable stress: ''adult''A2,B2, ''ballet''A2, ''baton'', ''beret'', ''bidet'', ''blasé'', ''brevet''A2, ''brochure''B2, ''buffet'', ''café''A2, ''chagrin'', ''chalet''A2, ''chauffeur''B2, ''chiffon'', ''cliché'', ''coupé'', ''croissant'', ''debris''B2, ''debut'', ''décor'', ''detail''A2, ''détente''B2, ''flambé'', ''frappé'', ''garage''B2, ''gateau'', ''gourmet''A2, ''lamé'', ''montage''A2, ''parquet'', ''pastel'', ''pâté'', ''précis'', ''sachet'', ''salon'', ''soupçon'', ''vaccine''; ''matinée'', ''negligée'', ''nonchalant'', ''nondescript''; also some French names, including ''Bernard''B2, ''Calais'', ''Degas'', ''Dijon'', ''Dumas'', ''Francoise'', ''Manet''A2, ''Maurice'', ''Monet''A2, ''Pauline'', ''Renault'', ''René''B2, ''Renoir'', ''Rimbaud'', ''Delacroix''B2.
★ BrE second-syllable stress: ''attaché'', ''consommé'', ''décolleté'', ''déclassé'', ''De Beauvoir'', ''Debussy'', ''démodé'', ''denouement'', ''distingué'', ''Dubonnet'', ''escargot'', ''fiancé(e)'', ''retroussé''
A few French words have other stress differences:
★ AmE first-syllable, BrE last-syllable: ''address''A2 (postal), ''m(o)ustache''A2; ''cigarette''A2, ''limousine''B2, ''magazine''B2,
★ AmE first-syllable, BrE second-syllable: ''exposé''B2, ''liaison''A2, macramé, ''Renaissance''
★ AmE second-syllable, BrE last-syllable: ''New Orleans''
-ate and -atory
Most 2-syllable verbs ending ''-ate'' have first-syllable stress in AmE and second-syllable stress in BrE. This includes ''castrate'', ''dictate''A2, ''donate''A2, ''locate''A2, ''mandate''B2, ''migrate'', ''placate'', ''prostrate'', ''pulsate'', ''rotate'', ''serrate''B2, ''spectate'', ''striated'', ''translate''A2, ''vacate'', ''vibrate''; in the case of ''cremate'', ''narrate'', ''placate'', the first vowel is in addition reduced to in BrE. Examples where AmE and BrE match include ''create'', ''debate'', ''equate'', ''elate'', ''negate'', ''orate'', ''relate'' with second-syllable stress; and ''mandate'' and ''probate'' with first-syllable stress. Derived nouns in ''-ator'' may retain the distinction, but those in ''-ation'' do not. Also, ''migratory''A2 and ''vibratory'' retain the distinction.
Most longer ''-ate'' verbs are pronounced the same in AmE and BrE, but a few have first-syllable stress in BrE and second-syllable stress in AmE: ''elongate'', ''infiltrate''A2, ''remonstrate'', ''tergiversate''. Hoewever, some derived adjectives ending ''-atory'' have a difference, as stress shifting to ''-at-'' can occur in BrE. Among these cases are ''regulatory''B2, ''celebratory''A2, ''participatory''B2, where AmE stresses the same syllable as the corresponding ''-ate'' verb; and ''compensatory'', where AmE stresses the second syllable.
A further ''-atory'' difference is ''laboratory'': AmE and BrE .
Miscellaneous stress
There are a number of cases where same-spelled noun, verb and/or adjective have uniform stress in one dialect but distinct stress in the other (e.g. ''alternate'', ''prospect''): see initial-stress-derived noun.
The following table lists words where the only difference between AmE and BrE is in stress (possibly with a consequent reduction of the unstressed vowel). Words with other points of difference are listed in a later table.
| BrE | AmE | words with relevant syllable stressed in each dialect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | caffeine, cannotA2, casein, Kathleen, SuezA2, communal, escalopeB2, omega, paprikaB2, patina, subaltern, stalactite, stalagmite, ThanksgivingB2, transference, aristocratA2,B2, kilometreB2 |
| 2nd | 1st | defense (sport), guffawA2, ice creamA2,B2, guru, mama, papa, pretense, princessA2,B2, weekendB2, Canton, Augustine, Bushido, Ghanaian, LofotenB2, marshmallow, patronal, spread-eagle, controversy, formidableB2, hospitableB2, miscellany, predicative, saxophonistB2, submariner, ancillary, capillary, catenary, corollary, fritillary, medullary |
| 1st | 3rd | ParmesanB2, partisan, premature, opportune, carburet(t)or |
| 3rd | 1st | margarine, PyreneesB2, cockatoo |
| 2nd | 3rd | advertisement |
| 3rd | 2nd | arytenoidA2, oregano, obscurantist |
Affixes
-ary -ery -ory -bury, -berry, -mony
Where the syllable preceding ''-ary'',''-ery'' or ''-ory'' is stressed, AmE and BrE alike pronounce all these endings . Where the preceding syllable is unstressed, however, AmE has a full vowel rather than schwa: for ''-ary'' and ''-ery'' and for ''-ory''. BrE retains the reduced vowel , or even elides it completely to . (The elision is avoided in carefully enunciated speech, especially with endings ''-rary'',''-rery'',''-rory''.) So ''military'' is AmE and BrE or .
Note that stress differences occur with ending ''-atory'' (explained above) and a few others like ''capillary'' (included above). A few words have the full vowel in AmE in the ending even though the preceding syllable is stressed: ''library'', ''primary''A2, ''rosemary''. Pronouncing ''library'' as rather than is highly stigmatized in AmE, whereas in BrE, is common in rapid or casual speech.
Formerly the BrE-AmE distinction for adjectives carried over to corresponding adverbs ending ''-arily'', ''-erily'' or ''-orily''. However, nowadays most BrE speakers adopt the AmE practice of shifting the stress to the antepenultimate syllable: ''militarily'' is thus rather than .
The placename component ''-bury'' (e.g. ''Canterbury'') has a similar difference after a stressed syllable: AmE and BrE or . The ending ''-mony'' after a stressed syllable is AmE but BrE . The word ''-berry'' in compounds has a slightly different distinction: in BrE, it is reduced ( or ) after a stressed syllable, and may be full after an unstressed syllable; in AmE it is usually full in all cases. Thus, ''strawberry'' is BrE but AmE , while ''whortleberry'' is BrE and similarly AmE .
-ile
Words ending in unstressed ''-ile'' derived from Latin adjectives ending ''-ilis'' are mostly pronounced with a full vowel () in BrE but a reduced vowel or syllabic in AmE (e.g. ''fertile'' rhymes with ''fur tile'' in BrE but with ''turtle'' in AmE). This difference applies:
★ generally to ''agile'', ''docile'', ''facile'', ''fertile'', ''fissile'', ''fragile'', ''futile'', ''infertile'', ''missile'', ''nubile'', ''octile'', ''puerile'', ''rutile'', ''servile'', ''stabile'', ''sterile'', ''tactile'', ''tensile'', ''virile'', ''volatile'';
★ usually to ''ductile'', ''hostile'', ''(im)mobile'' (adjective), ''projectile'', ''textile'', ''utile'', ''versatile'';
★ not usually to ''decile'', ''domicile'', ''infantile'', ''juvenile'', ''labile'', ''mercantile'', ''pensile'', ''reptile'', ''senile'';
★ not to ''crocodile'', ''exile'', ''gentile'', ''percentile'', ''reconcile''; nor to compounds of monosyllables (e.g. ''turnstile'' from ''stile'').
Related endings ''-ility'', ''-ilize'', ''-iliary'' are pronounced the same in AmE as BrE. The name ''Savile'' is pronounced with () in both BrE and AmE. ''Mobile'' (sculpture), ''camomile'' and ''febrile'' are sometimes pronounced with in AmE and ) in BrE. ''Imbecile'' has or in BrE and often in AmE.
-ine
The suffix ''-ine'', when unstressed, is pronounced sometimes (e.g. ''feline''), sometimes (e.g. ''morphine'') and sometimes (e.g. ''medicine''). Some words have variable pronunciation within BrE, or within AmE, or between BrE and AmE. Generally, AmE is more likely to favour or , and BrE to favour : e.g. ''adamantine''A2, ''carbine'', ''crystalline''A2, ''labyrinthine'', ''philistine'', ''serpentine''A2, ''turbine''A2. However, sometimes AmE has where BrE has ; e.g. ''iodine''B2, ''strychnine''A2.
Weak forms
Some function words have a weak form in AmE, with a reduced vowel used when the word is unstressed, but always use the full vowel in RP. These include: ''or'' ; ''you'' ; ''your'' .
On the other hand, the titles ''Saint'' and ''Sir'' before a person's name have "weak forms" in BrE but not AmE:
before vowels, and ; before consonants, and .
Miscellaneous pronunciation differences
These tables list words pronounced differently but spelled the same. See also the table of words with different pronunciation reflected in the spelling.
Single differences
Words with multiple points of difference of pronunciation are in the table after this one. Accent-based differences are ignored. For example, ''Moscow'' is RP and GAm , but only the - difference is highlighted here, since the - difference is predictable from the accent. Also, ''ti'a'ra'' is listed with AmE ; the marry-merry-Mary merger changes this vowel for many Americans. Some AmE types are listed as where GAm merges to .
| BrE | AmE | Words |
|---|---|---|
| ann'a'to, B'a'ngladeshA2, Car'a'cas, chi'a'ntiA2, Gal'a'pagos, Gd'a'Å„sk, gr'a'ppaA2, gul'a'gA2, H'a'noiA2, J'a'n (male name, e.g. Jan Palach), K'a'nt, keb'a'b, L'a's (placenames, e.g. Las Vegas), mishm'a'shA2, Momb'a'sa, Nat'a'sha, Niss'a'n, P'a'blo, p'a'sta, Pic'a'ssoA2, r'a'lent'a'ndo, S'a'nA2 (names outside USA; e.g. San Juan), Slov'a'kA2, Sri L'a'nkaA2, Viv'a'ldi, wigw'a'mA2, Y'a'sser (And A in many other foreign names and loanwords) | ||
| 'ae'sthete, an'(a)e'sthetize, br'e'veA2, cat'e'naryA2, D'ae'dalus, d'e'volutionA2,B2, 'e'cumenicalB2, 'e'pochA2, 'e'volutionA2,B2, f'e'brile, Heph'ae'stus, K'e'nyaB2, l'e'verA2, m'e'thane, 'Oe'dipusA2, '(o)e'strus, p'e'nalizeA2, pr'e'decessorA2, pyr'e'thrinA2, s'e'nileA2, hyg'ie'nic | ||
| Aerofl'o't, comp'o'st, h'o'mosexualB2, Interp'o'l, L'o'd, p'o'gr'o'm, p'o'lkaB2, pr'o'duce (noun), R'o'sh Hashanah, sc'o'neA2,B2, sh'o'ne, s'o'journ, tr'o'llB2, y'o'ghurt | ||
| (Excluding trap-bath split words) ban'a'na, J'a'va, kh'a'ki, mor'a'le, Nev'a'daA2, scen'a'rio, sopr'a'noA2, ti'a'raA2 | ||
| C'e'cilA2,B2, cr'e'matoriumA2, cr'e'tin, d'e'pot, inh'e'rentA2,B2, l'ei'sure, m'e'dievalA2, r'e'connoitreA2, z'e'braB2, z'e'nithA2,B2 | ||
| comp'a'triot, p'a'triotB2, p'a'tronise, ph'a'lanx, pl'ai't, rep'a'triate, S'a'bine, s'a'trap, s'a'tyrA2, ba's'ilA2 (plant) | ||
| d'y'nasty, housew'i'fery, 'i'dyll, l'i'velongA2, long-l'i'vedA2, pr'i'vacyB2, s'i'multaneous, v'i'tamin. Also the suffix -'i'zation. See also -'i'ne. | ||
| Au'ss'ieA2, blou's'e, complai's'antA2, cre'sc'ent, era's'e, Gla's'gow, par's'e, vali's'e. Also tran's'-A2,B2 (in some words) | ||
| 'a'menA2, char'a'deB2, cic'a'da, g'a'laA2, promen'a'deA2, pro r'a'ta, tom'a'to, str'a'tum | ||
| c'o'dify, g'o'ffer, 'o'gleA2, ph'o'netician, pr'o'cessor, pr'o'gress (noun), sl'o'thA2,B2, unw'o'nted, wr'o'th | ||
| acc'o'mplice, acc'o'mplish, c'o'landerB2, c'o'nstableB2, L'o'mbardy, m'o'netaryA2, -m'o'ngerA2 | ||
| h'o'velA2,B2, h'o'ver. Also the strong forms of these function words: ''anyb'o'dy''A2 (likewise ''every-'', ''some-'', and ''no-''), ''bec'au'se''A2,B2 (and clipping '' 'c'o's/'c'au'se''), 'o'fA2, fr'o'mA2, w'a'sA2, wh'a'tA2 | ||
| (sounded) | (silent) | 'ch'thonic, 'h'erbA2 (plant), 'K'nossosB2, 'ph'thisicB2, sa'l've, so'l'der |
| B'er'keley, B'er'kshire, cl'er'k, D'er'by, H'er'tford. (The only AmE word with | ||
| 'ei'therA2,B2, n'ei'therA2,B2, Pl'ei'ades. See also -'i'ne. | ||
| alb'i'no, m'i'graineB2. Also the prefixes ant'i'-A2, mult'i'-A2, sem'i'-A2 in loose compounds (e.g. in ''anti-establishment'', but not in ''antibody''). See also -'i'ne. | ||
| hexag'o'n, octag'o'n, parag'o'n, pentag'o'n, phenomen'o'n. | ||
| 'e'ta, b'e'ta, qu'ay'A2, th'e'ta, z'e'ta | ||
| but'y'lB2, d'i'verge, m'i'norityA2,B2, pr'i'mer (schoolbook). See also -'i'ne. | ||
| 'a'teB2 ("et" is nonstandard in America), m'ê'lée, ch'ai'se longue | ||
| Betelg'euse', chant'euse', chartr'euse'A2, mass'euse' | ||
| 'a'pricotA2, d'ah'lia, digit'a'lis, p'a'tentA2,B2 | ||
| (silent) | (sounded) | med'i'cine. See also -'a'ry -'e'ry -'o'ry -b'u'ry, -b'e'rry |
| Am'o's, cond'o'm, En'o'ch | ||
| A'si'aB2, Per'si'aB2, ver'si'onB2 | ||
| bor'ough', thor'ough' (see also -'o'ry and -m'o'ny) | ||
| ch'irr'up, squ'irr'el, st'irr'up | ||
| ca'ssi'a, Ca'ssi'usA2, he'ssi'an | ||
| consor'ti'um | ||
| c'ou'ponA2, f'u'chsine, H'ou'stonB2 | ||
| b'ou'levard, sn'oo'ker, w'oo'fA2 (weaving) | ||
| connoiss'eur'A2, entrepren'eur'A2 | ||
| f'ö'hnB2, M'ö'biusB2 | ||
| Dr'a'conianA2, hurric'a'neB2 | ||
| d'e'ityA2,B2, Hel'e'ne | ||
| jag'u'ar, Nicarag'u'a | ||
| l'au'nch, s'a'ltB2 | ||
| rec'or'd (noun), strid'or'A2,B2 | ||
| Fra'si'er, Pari'si'an, Malay'si'a | ||
| tw'a'tB2 | ||
| wr'a'th | ||
| noug'at' | ||
| Ut'ah' | ||
| qu'ar'kA2,B2 | ||
| f'e'mme fataleA2 | ||
| c'oy'ote | ||
| Is'ai'ah | ||
| n'ou'sA2 | ||
| boo'th' | ||
| cor'di'ality | ||
| su'gg'estA2 | ||
| comr'a'de | ||
| templ'a'te | ||
| tourniqu'et' | ||
| Madagasc'ar'A2 | ||
| fig'ure' | ||
| 'e'nvelopeA2,B2 | ||
| K'e'ntucky | ||
| tr'a'peze | ||
| 'err'A2 | ||
| Huguen'ot' | ||
| Mosc'ow' | ||
| br'oo'chA2 | ||
| p'i'ttaB2 | ||
| b'ee'nB2 | ||
| n'iche'B2 | ||
| mil'ieu' | ||
| barrac'u'da (see also yod-dropping under Accent) | ||
| f'a'lcon | ||
| a's'thma | ||
| 'sch'eduleB2 | ||
| An'th'onyA2,B2 | ||
| pia'zz'a | ||
| k'ü'mmel | ||
| br'u'sque | ||
| r'ou'teA2 | ||
| cantal'ou'p(e) | ||
| c'o'vertA2,B2 | ||
| Diony's'ius | ||
| tran'si'ent |
Multiple differences
The slashes normally used to enclose IPA phonemic transcriptions have been omitted from the following table to improve legibility.
| Spelling | BrE IPA | AmE IPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ''barrage'' | (1) (2) | The AmE pronunciations are for distinct senses (1) "sustained weapon-fire" vs (2) "dam, barrier" (Compare ''garage'' below.) | |
| ''boehmite'' | (1) (2) | (1) (2) | The first pronunciations approximate German (spelled <ö> or <oe>) ; the second ones are anglicized. |
| ''bouquet'' | (1) (2) | ||
| ''boyar'' | (1) (2) | (1) (2) | |
| ''buoy'' | The U.S. pronunciation would be unrecognised in the UK. The British pronunciation occurs in America, more commonly for the verb than the noun, still more in derivatives ''buoyant'', ''buoyancy''. | ||
| ''cadre'' | (1) (2) | (1) (2) | |
| ''canton'' | (1) (2) | difference is only in military sense "to quarter soldiers" | |
| ''enquiry''/''inquiry'' | (1) (2) | BrE uses two spellings and one pronunciation. In AmE the word is usually spelled ''inquiry''. | |
| ''febrile'' | (1) (2) | The BrE pronunciation occurs in AmE | |
| ''fracas'' | (1) (2) | The BrE plural is French ''fracas'' ; the AmE plural is anglicized ''fracases'' | |
| '' | (1) (2) | The AmE reflects French stress difference. The two BrE pronunciations may represent distinct meanings for some speakers; for example, "a subterranean garage for a car" (1) vs "a petrol garage" (2). (Compare ''barrage'' above.) | |
| ''glacier'' | (1) (2) | ||
| ''jalousie'' | (1) (2) | ||
| ''lapsang souchong'' | |||
| ''lasso'' | The BrE pronunciation is common in AmE | ||
| ''lieutenant'' | (1) (2) | The 2nd British pronunciation is restricted to the Royal Navy. Standard Canadian pronunciation is the same as the British. | |
| ''lychee'' | Spelling ''litchi'' has pronunciation | ||
| ''Molière'' | |||
| ''oblique'' | AmE is as BrE except in military sense "advance at an angle" | ||
| ''penchant'' | The AmE pronunciation is anglicized; the BrE is French. | ||
| ''penult'' | (1) (2) | ||
| ''premier'' | (1) (2) | (1) (2) | |
| ''première'' | (1) (2) | ||
| ''provost'' | (1) (2) | The BrE pronunciation also occurs in AmE | |
| ''quinine'' | (1) (2) | ||
| ''resource'' | (1) (2) | ||
| ''reveille'' | |||
| ''slough'' | sense "bog"; in metaphorical sense "gloom", the BrE pronunciation is common in AmE. Homograph "cast off skin" is everywhere. | ||
| ''Tunisia'' | (1) (2) | ||
| ''untoward'' | [1] | (1) (2) | |
| ''vase'' | (1) (2) | The BrE pronunciation also occurs in AmE | |
| ''z'' (the letter) | The spelling of this letter as a word corresponds to the pronunciation: thus Commonwealth (including, usually, Canada) ''zed'' and U.S. (and occasionally Canada) ''zee''. |
See also
★ List of words of disputed pronunciation
References
★ Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, Wells, John C., , , 2nd ed. Longman, 2000, ISBN 0-582-36468-X
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