Common words in Daily routine/ activities

American British Explanation and usage.

Gas Petrol In US, you would say, I need to fill gas in my car

before it I run out of fuel.  Gas means liquid petroleum

and NOT natural LPG Gas

Trash,

Garbage

Rubbish, dirt Trash is used in different ways like:

Pick up the garbage and put it in the trash can. Do not

trash the place.

Trash Can Dustbin No dustbin word used here…Just trash can or

Shredder for disposing the paper

Rest room Toilet Instead of saying, I want to go to toilet, you would say:

“I would like to use the rest room”. Bath room is also

used, but means

Shower Bath Lets say if you want to take bath, people say: I need to

shower. Also like,  I was taking shower when  you

called me. ‘I need to quickly jump in the shower before

I take off to meeting’.

Bag (plastic

or paper)

Cover (plastic) Usually in India, we say ‘can I get my stuff in a plastic

cover’. Here in US, people say “Can I get a bag for the

stuff?” . It is used for both plastic and paper.

When you do shopping, here the cashier would ask

“Receipt with you or in the bag”. People say, ‘in the

bag please J or no’

Bike Bicycle We often get confused when Americans use bike. It

means bicycle

Motorcycle Motorbike or

bike

The name says it.

Zip code Pin code Postal pin code in other countries vs Zip code in US for

postal purposes.

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Check Bill Typically in restaurant after you are done with meal,

you ask for check in US from the waiter.

Elevator Lift No one uses lift, it is elevator in US

Football American Foot

ball

Americans consider football means by default as

American football

Soccer Football People say Soccer when they refer to actual football.

In Europe and everywhere we call football, but here in

US they say it soccer.

Glasses Specs or

Spectacles

Eye glasses used for faulty vision

Cookies Biscuits Cookie means just biscuit and usually very sweet

biscuit

Garage Place where you park your car in apartment complex

or your dedicated place to park car

Store Shop Any shop is called store

Flashlight Torch Torch light that we use in darkness

Flat tire Tire puncture Usually when the tire gets puncture by any metal or

thorns

Vacation Holiday When someone has taken a holiday, people usually

say he is on vacation.

Bill Note 100 dollar bill vs 100 rupee notes when dealing with

cash

Cheese

Burger

It is understood that it is a Beef burger with cheese on

it and not just Cheese between bun !

Cologne It is Men’s fragrance. In India, people use Perfume for

both male and female. When you say perfume, it is

only for women in US or any part of the world. Just a

common mistake in usage of words.

Creamer When mixing coffee, people in USA use creamer,

which is equivalent of milk.

Yogurt Curd We use the word Curd a lot. You have to specifically

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say Yogurt.  Butter Milk is common though. It is same.

Flour is

pronounced

as Flower

One of my friends had a bad experience in Walmart

and had to literally write it on paper. So make sure you

pronounce it right, otherwise you get wrong product J .

Listen to pronunciation to

clarify.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flour

Meat or  Red

meat,

Chicken

Non-

Vegetarian

We are used to saying I am a non-vegetarian, in US

people might get lost. You have to say, I eat meat or

chicken. When you go to a restaurant, if you are a

vegetarian, you should say “NO Meat or Chicken” 

otherwise, you may find interesting stuff as a

vegetarian in your food J

Truck Lorry We use lorry a lot in daily life, but here in US, people

call by truck. The trucks are huge here

Mailbox /

Mail

Postbox / Post In US, usage: “I have to mail this package today. Let

me dropt it off at the nearest mailbox.”

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Common words in Daily routine/ activitiesAmerican British Explanation and usage.

Cilantro Coriander When you go to buy vegetables,  you have to look for cilantro

leaves

Grocery Store Super Market You find vegetables and all the house supplies in a typical

grocery store. It can be used synonymous with super market.

Cross Walk Zebra Crossing The path for crossing roads at Traffic lights

Traffic Lights Traffic Signal In US, they use the word Traffic lights or Just the word Lights to

refer to Traffic Signal

Soda Cold Drink Soda refers to anything like Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc

Okra Lady Finger Typically you look for Okra in a Grocery store.

Egg plant Brinjal If you use brinjal, people in US do not understand. So, use Egg

plant

Peanuts Ground nuts Peanuts are common snack and it is also used in phrases too.

Like “that income is just peanuts”.  It means very less.

Grade/

Percent

Marks You do not see professors using the word Marks at all. They use

either percent or grade.

Sidewalk Pavement / Foot

path

You walk to home on sidewalk in American English.

Battery Cell / Cells You use batteries for charging. In US, they do not understand if

you refer cell. They think cell phone.

Eraser Rubber To erase stuff written by pencil you use Eraser in US. Rubber

means Condom in America. Do not ask someone in class, “I

need rubber”. People will look at you and say What?

Mixer/ Blender Mixi or Mixie You use the word mixer or Blender in US to refer to mixi. It is

used for mixing flour, blending, etc

Refrigerator Fridge I have never seen anyone use Fridge. They use Freezer or

Refrigerator to store vegetables  and freezer to make ice or

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store frozen vegetables.

Bell pepper Capsicum The big green pepper / chili you cook !

Chili In US, Chili is a dish made of ground beef, chili powder,

tomatoes and beans. Be careful about  the context of usage.

Jalapenos Green Chili Green Chili are referred to as  Jalapenos. They are a little bigger

than regular green chili.

Sneakers Tennis Shoe /

Sports Shoe

Sneakers are often used to refer to running shoes in US.

Tortilla It is like chapatti made of wheat or corn flour, but primarily  of

Mexican origin. Pronounced as Tortia.

Bubbler Drinker Water

Fountain

Bubbler is a just a water fountain that provides drinking water in

public places. You do not use Glass or anything. You just drink

off the fountain.

Pills Tablets in US, you take pills if you are sick. It could be for common cold

or allergies, etc

Pants Trousers You buy a pair of pants in US. There is no Jeans pant, you just

refer as Jeans

Clippers Nail Cutter You cut your nails by clippers in US

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