American Words & Signs That Confused Me as a Brit!

Added: 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]Hi, and welcome back to my channel, or welcome to my channel. I've been finding it quite interesting lately how used to American terminology I've become since living here. So, we all know the obvious ones from TV. Things like pants, candy, soda, yard, things that we just don't say in the UK, but we know are said in the US. And then there's the obvious ones that you just pick up. Restroom or bathroom instead of saying toilet, shopping cart instead of trolley, and then there's things like saying gas instead of saying petrol. These are all pretty obvious to people coming over to America. But it's the everyday things that aren't that obvious that have stuck. And I didn't even realize how much until my mom came to visit me from England, because she'd keep asking, "Why do you call it that?" or "What does that even mean?" And I just knew. So, today I would like to share with you some everyday things that are said differently or just work differently in the US compared to the UK that aren't that obvious.

[00:01:12]>> [bell] >> First up, and bear with me on this one, pavements and sidewalks. I know it sounds like an easy one, but it's not that simple. In the UK, we call it the pavement, the bit you walk on next to the road. But in the US, it's a sidewalk, literally the side of the walk. It's one of those simple ones, but it still catches you off guard when someone says it for the first time. But you can work it out. What isn't that easy to work out, making it not that simple, is that in the US, pavement usually refers to the road or any paved surface of a road. So, that could include a driveway or a parking lot. It is rarely used to describe what is called the sidewalk, so what we would call a pavement. So, you don't really want to be telling someone to get on the pavement when you mean the sidewalk.

[00:02:06]Another one I kept noticing, especially driving around, is signs that say hallowed ground. So, you see them quite a lot in parts of the US, especially near historic or military sites. And it basically means the land has some kind of historical or sacred significance, often linked to battles or really important events in American history.

[00:02:31]There are actually a lot of places in the US where major battles happened, especially from things like the Civil War. So, certain areas are marked out and preserved as significant.

[00:02:43]And that's why you'll see those signs.

[00:02:45]It's kind of a way of recognizing that history and reminding people that something extremely important happened there. But in the UK, you won't see those signs. You might hear the phrase, especially around churches or older historic sites, but you don't see it on road signs. It's not like you do in the US. I've never seen a road sign in the UK that says hallowed ground. We obviously have just as much history, but it's not usually labeled in the same way when you're just driving around. That was one my mom kept pointing out, because it's not something you would really come across back home.

[00:03:23]Then you've got interstates. In the UK, we call them motorways, like the M1 or the M25 or the M4. And the name motorway basically comes from the fact that it's a road designed specifically for motor vehicles, built for higher speeds, long-distance travel, and with things like multiple lanes, slip roads, and no pedestrians. In the US, they're called interstates. That's because they were originally designed to connect different states across the country, part of a nationwide system. So, the name actually reflects the purpose, interstate travel.

[00:04:01]Whereas in the UK, motorway is more about the type of road itself and how it's built. And then there's dual carriageways in the UK, which are called divided highways in the US. In the UK, the name dual carriageway comes from the fact that there are two separate carriageways, one for each direction of traffic, usually with a central barrier or grass verge in between. So, it's literally describing the layout of the road. Two sides running next to each other. In the US, they call it a divided highway, which is basically the same idea. The road is divided into two directions by a median or barrier. So, again, it's the same type of road, just described slightly differently. And just to add, something like Interstate 79 is a divided highway, but not all divided highways are interstates. And it's kind of similar in the UK. Most motorways are dual carriageways, but not all dual carriageways are motorways.

[00:05:09]Another one I'm completely used to now, especially when driving, is the signs that say no turn on red. And to a Brit, that's really confusing at first, because you're thinking, "Well, obviously you can't turn on a red. A red light means stop." But in most of the US, you actually can turn right on a red light, as long as you come to a full stop first, check it's clear, and then go. So, those signs that say no turn on red are there to tell you that at that specific junction, you're not allowed to do it, even though normally you would be able to. And that's what throws you, because the sign only exists because the default rule is different. Whereas in the UK, red just means stop, full stop.

[00:06:02]No turning, no exceptions. So, there's no need for a sign like that in the first place.

[00:06:08]And just to make it even more confusing, that rule isn't the same everywhere in the US, either. Places like New York City, for example, generally don't allow right turns on red unless a sign specifically says you can. So, it completely flips the expectation again.

[00:06:28]So, depending on where you are, you kind of have to relearn what a red light actually means. And it's one of those small things that doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you actually start driving over here, it it can really catch you out. So, these are the main ones that threw me at first, because they're not as self-explanatory or as obvious as others.

[00:06:56]And it's funny, because half of these things I don't even think about anymore until someone from home points them out.

[00:07:04]They're not the obvious differences you expect, they're the small everyday words and signs that just slowly become normal without you even realizing. So, let me know in the comments any words or signs that you would add to this list. Thank you for watching, and thank you to my channel members.