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British Words Quiz #2

Translate these American words into their British equivalents.
This quiz does not suggest that all British people use these words 100% of the time
Our original quiz, translating British to American, is probably easier for Americans
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Featured Quiz
Last updated: August 30, 2018
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First submittedJuly 26, 2011
Times taken103,035
Average score62.5%
Rating3.95
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American
British
Elevator
Lift
Cookie
Biscuit
Parking Lot
Car Park
Garbage
Rubbish
Counterclockwise
Anticlockwise
Interstate Highway
Motorway
Math
Maths
14 Pounds
Stone
American
British
Takeout
Takeaway
Zee
Zed
Eraser
Rubber
Last Name
Surname
Pants
Trousers
Diaper
Nappy
Napkin
Serviette
Sidewalk
Pavement
American
British
Fat Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday
Panties
Knickers
Sketchy
Dodgy
Drunk Driving
Drink Driving
Trash Can
Bin
Truck
Lorry
Flashlight
Torch
Wrench
Spanner
jakecornish5
+1
Level 18
May 6, 2014
I'm British and I got four wrong, the "sketchy" one is utter nonsense.
Atkinson
+1
Level 63
Nov 10, 2016
Agreed, sketchy means indistinct, while dodgy means potentially illegal or illegitimate.
ander217
+9
Level 75
Mar 31, 2017
You aren't comparing UK words to UK words. In the US sketchy does mean dishonest or just on the edge of being illegal, so it seems that dodgy would be the UK equivalent.
jmellor13
+6
Level 67
Feb 23, 2019
"Sketchy" in the US has the same meaning as "dodgy" in the UK. That's what the quiz is asking for. The question is correct.
Berney
+2
Level 80
Sep 19, 2018
You're reading the quiz wrong. You need to compare the American meaning of 'sketchy", i.e. disreputable, dishonest, almost illegal - and find a British word for the same thing, i.e. "dodgy".
luxint
+1
Level 65
Feb 23, 2019
rubbish! the dodgy iclue is fine and, like, totally works!
leonora
+1
Level 34
Sep 23, 2014
About 'napkin' and 'serviette'. One is supposed to be posher than the other, but I can never remember which is which, so I use NAPKIN for the cloth ones and SERVIETTE for the paper ones. The cloth ones are really nice!
Lemons
+2
Level 23
Dec 27, 2014
I am british and i never use the word serviette.
Malbaby
+2
Level 71
Dec 30, 2014
It is now considered bad form to use Serviette ....... Napkin is preferred.
Berney
+1
Level 80
Sep 19, 2018
That can't be true at all. Serviette is just fine in the UK, as is napkin.
Nige
+1
Level 55
Jan 31, 2015
leonora is correct - napkins are made of cloth and serviettes are made of paper. You would never get serviettes in a reputable restaurant, and you don't get napkins in a greasy spoon. There's another classic English phrase for you!
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Feb 1, 2015
Greasy spoon is a term that originated in America. :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greasy_spoon

Lemons
+3
Level 23
Dec 27, 2014
i am British and we call knickers, pants as well so can you accept that please.
MasterKenobi
+3
Level 60
Dec 31, 2014
Yeah, I tried pants first too, but being an American I think get what Quizmaster (who's also American I'm pretty sure) was going for. In America, panties is a word we only use for female underwear (unless we're trying to be funny). Is that the case for knickers? Pants is the more general term for anybody's undergarments. We just call that underwear
ander217
+2
Level 75
Oct 3, 2016
Lots of people here getting their panties into a wad.
Anzi
+4
Level 69
Feb 23, 2019
Don’t you mean getting their knickers in a twist? :D
howcomehoney
+1
Level 40
May 22, 2021
Yeah I agree. I would always say "pants" rather than "knickers".
MasterKenobi
+2
Level 60
Mar 6, 2015
GUYS!!! At the top of the quiz under the instructions, the quiz maker clearly said that "this does NOT suggest that all British people use these words 100% of the time." Please don't get angry!
0rachael0
+1
Level 35
Mar 6, 2015
never heard of serviette but the rest are correct
Polo69
+1
Level 10
May 9, 2015
I have never heard anyone ever say serviette! we say handkercheif or tissue.

although we may use dodgy in replace for sketchy sometimes but there is far too many other words we use instead of that so I would really not include that.

half decent attempt

Malbaby
+3
Level 71
Mar 31, 2017
Serviette isn't used in place of handkerchief or tissue, it is what is placed on your lap in a restaurant or nowadays under your coffee cup or a pile on the counter in a café. I saw a lady giving a lecture to a group of young women on classy speech and she said not to use 'Serviette' but that 'Napkin' was now considered the approved term in upper circles. (for right or wrong)
Bubblecat
+3
Level 71
May 18, 2015
Bit of trivia for you: the "cookie/biscuit" thing isn't as straightforward as biscuit meaning cookie. A cookie is actually a type of biscuit. Biscuits can be of any shape (most commonly round or rectangular), and usually hard in texture, whereas cookies are more crumbly, and always round, and usually contain chocolate chips or a similar filling. So a bourbon biscuit or a custard cream isn't a cookie, but a Maryland chocolate chip cookie is :)
ander217
+1
Level 75
Oct 3, 2016
Cookies aren't always round - there are bar cookies, ball cookies, and Christmas cookies are any shape the cutter makes - stars, Christmas trees, etc.There are tons of different recipes for cookies - peanut butter, jam print, thin mints, macaroons, oatmeal raisin, shortbread, ginger snaps, snickerdoodles,'nilla wafers, sugar cookies, sandwich cookies with filling (think Oreos), etc. Only chocolate chip cookies contain chocolate chips. I think our cookies are usually sweeter than your biscuits. Cookies can be hard, crisp, or they can be removed from the oven sooner and made chewy. They can be frosted or sprinkled with sugar and/or cinnamon or eaten plain. That's all up to personal preference. But I agree with you, biscuits and cookies don't exactly mean the same thing.
tom98784
+1
Level 28
May 19, 2015
I wasn't sure about sketchy, so assumed it was another word for an etch a sketch...
LauraMaryEllen
+1
Level 17
May 21, 2015
'Fat Tuesday' or 'Shrove Tuesday' is actually more commonly called 'Pancake Day' here in the UK.
Malbaby
+1
Level 71
Aug 4, 2015
I tried 'Pancake Tuesday' but didn't get it.
kiwiquizzer
+1
Level 68
Aug 31, 2016
Same! Pancake Tuesday is what I've always known.
TheMinecrafterAU
+1
Level 37
Jul 27, 2023
So that's what it is. The Catholic holiday when they eat pancakes. Now I understand. I am Aussie by the way.
sussexval
+2
Level 58
Jun 18, 2016
Got them all but I agree that carryout should be accepted because that is what they say in Scotland. I would also take issue about napkins because we use that term in UK too. It is considered 'more correct' than serviette - got to love the British class system!
stylus
+2
Level 76
Oct 7, 2016
I'm British, and I thought of most of the answers as correct, but I've always called them napkins
CostingMoney
+1
Level 47
Mar 14, 2017
I'm from Singapore so I use both
PHG1960
+1
Level 69
Sep 5, 2017
The British have made every attempt to ruin the language. Most of the American words on the list are better--shorter or clearer--than the British equivalent. I'll take lift, nappy, Shrove Tuesday, dodgy and bin as better than the American equivalents. Car park is silly since other things than cars can park in a lot. A motorway is too generic. Maths has a needless extra letter. Rubber gives no clue as to the use, unlike eraser. Surname requires knowing what "sur" means. Serviette is taken from the French. Not all pavements are sidewalks. Panties and knickers are both unworthy terms that should be pushed to the side. Drink driving is just poor grammar. Lorry reminds me of the old actor. A torch is a long piece of burning wood held in your hand. A wrench doesn't span anything--it grips the edge of something.
CaoMaru
+3
Level 49
Jul 25, 2018
Actually English was spoken in the UK before it was spoken in America, hence it's name. ENGLISH. I'm not saying that either version is better, but to suggest it was the British that have made every attempt to ruin it is somewhat misguided.
HPaddict
+1
Level 28
Nov 6, 2018
X-D
kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Feb 23, 2019
I think both the British and Americans deserve some recognition for their attempts to ruin the language.
ander217
+6
Level 75
Feb 23, 2019
American English is full of crazy things. For example, we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway.
fitheach
+4
Level 59
Feb 25, 2019
So a language must be completely literal and transparent, and words cannot be used to refer to more than one thing (e.g. torch in your list). How do you cope with metaphors, words with a whole range of possible usages (are you unable to use context?), and turns of phrase? Life must be one long struggle for you.
QuizWol
+3
Level 59
Jul 18, 2019
Well Flashlight is totally ridiculous when you want nice steady light.
JonOfKent
+2
Level 56
Jan 28, 2021
Why is "highway" less generic than "motorway"? Are American motorways all on stilts or something?
DeludedRhino
+1
Level 51
Sep 5, 2017
Should really say English instead of British, in Scotland we don't say many of these at all
kalbahamut
+3
Level 82
Feb 23, 2019
There are different dialects in America, too, but they're all still American.
CaoMaru
+1
Level 49
Feb 25, 2019
I agree. I think that Scottish English and English English are definitely different enough to be separated if Australian and New Zealand English are separated.
Wickedangel
+1
Level 23
Nov 19, 2017
I live in South Africa and we use all these words except for shrove Tuesday I didn’t know what that was
TheMinecrafterAU
+1
Level 37
Jul 27, 2023
Pancake Day
yorksguy1865
+3
Level 35
Dec 15, 2017
I don't know about all of Britain but the bit that I am from, people use the word spanner to mean idiot, usually preceded by the f-word it must be said...
BigDave73
+1
Level 27
Dec 22, 2017
I'm from Australia and just wrote what we say in Australia and they all worked. But never heard of either Fat or Strove Tuesday.
TheMinecrafterAU
+1
Level 37
Jul 27, 2023
It's the Catholic holiday when they eat pancakes. So Pancake Day.

Also I commented the Aussie translations, feel free to read them.

Margles1
+2
Level 41
Feb 7, 2018
I use sketchy and dodgy interchangeably. I don’t think of one as American and one as British.
Margles1
+1
Level 41
Feb 7, 2018
Also dicey, all the same thing more or less.
cmn3y0
+1
Level 43
Apr 23, 2018
No one says "serviette" other than rich people (in the UK they're called "middle class" or "posh"); 90% of people in the UK say "napkin". And Americans say "dodgy" as well, I don't think that's a British thing.
fitheach
+3
Level 59
Feb 25, 2019
Rich people do not say serviette - napkin is the word used by the toffs. Look up "U and non-U" on Wikipedia for a list of different words used by different classes in 20th century Britain (although it was much criticised).
dobz95
+1
Level 33
Apr 23, 2018
Is Shrove Tuesday not also known as Pancake Tuesday?
redheadinadress
+1
Level 49
Apr 23, 2018
To add to this sketchy/dodgy debate. I'm British and grew up in the South West but now live in London, and in my usage of both words I would say they mean the exact same thing. I've only ever used the word sketchy to mean dodgy (unsafe, a bit weird etc). I've never heard of sketchy being used to refer to vague ever.

Also, Shrove Tuesday = Pancake Day, not Pancake Tuesday.

stone222
+1
Level 48
Sep 24, 2018
i have only heard sketchy meaning vague.. it was my choice before i hit Give Up.......the witness gave a very sketchy description of the robber.... have lived in the UK and Aus, and never heard it used to mean dodgy
AJB2002
+1
Level 30
Oct 30, 2018
I'm English and I haven't a clue what a 'Zed' is nor what a 'Zee' is, I must be missing something!
PurpleConjecture
+1
Level 34
Nov 5, 2018
the pronunciation of the letter "z" is different: it is phonetecized as either "zee" if you are American, and "zed" for everyone else
PurpleConjecture
+1
Level 34
Nov 5, 2018
"sirname" and "sir name" and "sir-name" for "surname"?
fitheach
+1
Level 59
Feb 25, 2019
There's no such thing as a sir-name.
AlexThirkell
+2
Level 75
Nov 30, 2020
That's how we spell it here in Suriname.
Wolfskin1
+1
Level 28
Dec 21, 2020
No
HPaddict
+1
Level 28
Nov 6, 2018
I'm american, and the only two reasons I know these are 1, from my username, you can probably tell that I read and watch Harry Potter constantly, and 2 I have relatives who are British.
stubart409
+4
Level 67
Nov 8, 2018
I'm Australian and we use most of these words as well; except for 'Lorry' and 'Knickers'. Some other differences I know of: the English have 'duvets' and we have 'doonahs'. They also call 'capsicums' 'peppers', and 'zucchinis' they call 'courgettes'. The 'sidewalk' or 'pavement' is called a 'footpath' here. I also have absolutely no idea what 'Fat Tuesday' or 'Shrove Tuesday' is.
HighFidelity
+1
Level 57
Apr 18, 2023
I'm an Australian who is familiar with :"Shrove Tuesday", but if you've heard of neither Shrove or Fat Tuesday you might have heard of "Pancake Day".
Sifhraven
+2
Level 67
Dec 8, 2018
Im missing "unmentionables" for underpants. Allways loved it when I see/hear that word used on television.

There was another fun synonym for it I heard the other day, but I forgot..

JonOfKent
+1
Level 56
Jan 28, 2021
Yes, or "undercrackers"
JayWing1218
+1
Level 34
Dec 30, 2018
I had no idea Americans called Shrove Tuesday "Fat Tuesday!"
unfinishedsenten
+2
Level 47
Dec 26, 2021
I call it pancake day / Pancake Tuesday too. Never heard Fat Tuesday either
beks
+1
Level 57
Jan 20, 2019
Who than says Mardi Gras?
kalbahamut
+5
Level 82
Feb 23, 2019
The French or people in New Orleans?
Speed4TheNeed
+1
Level 87
Aug 11, 2023
Live here in New Orleans and it's definitely called Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday is also used, but only to break up the constant monotony of using Mardi Gras. Interestingly enough for me, I've heard of Shrove Tuesday and knew it was a British thing, but I had no idea which Tuesday it was in reference to. Learn something new every day!
Anzi
+1
Level 69
Feb 23, 2019
Never thought how much less embarrassing it must be to be caught with your pants down in the USA than the UK ;)
Irishrepublic
+1
Level 14
Feb 23, 2019
Irish people don't say lift we say elevator and some children in all countries say pancake day. WEIRD.
Eamo
+1
Level 74
Aug 22, 2019
Interesting comment. I'm Irish too but say lift, never elevator. Maybe it's an age thing. There's no doubt that the huge spread of American culture since the 1960s and beyond has increased the use of American English in the UK and Ireland. Most persons under 35 (and some much older) speak like they've just walked off the set of Friends.....
tbolt
+1
Level 76
Feb 23, 2019
Thank you TOP GEAR. I learned many of the British equivalents to American words by watching your show.
Freezek
+1
Level 33
Feb 23, 2019
A lot of these things are wrong... We say elevator aswell, and cookies are completely different to biscuits.
RobNobody
+6
Level 77
Feb 23, 2019
Okay, yes, in Britain, a biscuit and a cookie are two distinctly different things, but what British people would call a biscuit, American people would call a cookie.
Rozzi
+5
Level 60
Feb 24, 2019
oh dear, here we go again - this was covered higher up in the comments. Elevator is American, just because we understand American words it doesn't make them British. The British term is 'lift'.
naughtynick
+1
Level 34
Feb 24, 2019
KNICKERS to your silly quiz. It is PANTS !
Jozi
+1
Level 68
Feb 24, 2019
What is Fat Tuesday about?
Wolfskin1
+1
Level 28
Dec 21, 2020
Tuesday that is fat
Cordelia75
+1
Level 56
May 18, 2022
Fat Tuesday is the day you can eat what you want before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and its mortifications.
Kaz60
+2
Level 49
Mar 23, 2019
Wrench is an adjustable spanner. Fat Tuesday I've never heard before and we use serviette but most of the English language is derived from European languages. We need to accept our differences tho, not bicker!
EvieT
+1
Level 17
Aug 16, 2019
the quiz has many mistakes
Sifhraven
+1
Level 67
Nov 24, 2019
Sketchy is too broad a term, I would suggest changing it, or atleast accept more meanings. Like shady and iffy. It is like asking for pretty, the synonyms can be beautiful, nice, gorgeous, handsome, fabulous, goodlooking etc. Just accepting one of those and not the others would not be fair/correct.
JSWTW21
+1
Level 40
Oct 7, 2020
I'm British and I say cookie (biscuits and cookies are different), last name and surname, truck and lorry, spanners and wrenches are different, napkin, and dodgy and sketchy mean different things
EcceHomo
+3
Level 79
Oct 28, 2020
For all of your hot air, neither American English nor British English (including its variants) have any justifiable claim to be any more 'correct' than the other. Anyone who knows anything about the history of English will tell you that lexicographers on both sides of the pond, including Noah Webster and Samuel Johnson have laid claim to the 'better' orthography and 'more logical' ways of spelling.Neither has 'won', because the language changes in different ways in different parts of the world. Not only that but different parts of the countries. No words are more or less correct than others just because some internet bully says they are. Language is language; it ebbs and flows, and it mutates constantly. There is one incontrovertible English phrase that underlines this notion, and it goes like this: "Vive la différence".
feverfin
+1
Level 35
Feb 5, 2021
finally! yes!!! why do people choose to argue about this??
AlexThirkell
+3
Level 75
Nov 30, 2020
Well this comment section really cleared everything up nicely, didn't it?
Wolfskin1
+1
Level 28
Dec 21, 2020
I got all correct
Wolfskin1
+1
Level 28
Dec 21, 2020
I agree with you AlexThirkell
sadra
+1
Level 23
Feb 24, 2021
i got most of them from watching ksi
HinesBrothers
+1
Level 75
May 20, 2021
Can you accept electric torch? I've heard it both ways.
TheForsakenFurby
+1
Level 73
May 28, 2021
As an American I only got seven, and one of them came from use of a very particular website O.O
cactus
+1
Level 67
Oct 12, 2021
It feels like brits are actively trying to speak as abnormally as possible. They are fries, not chips. Fight me.
spingospungo
+2
Level 57
Apr 19, 2022
Fries and chips are different things though. Fries are fine for bolting down with fast food, but a bag of chips with lashings of vinegar and salt, mmm.

Excuse me, I need to pop out to the chippy now.

brandybuck96
+1
Level 83
Apr 2, 2023
Well it was our language first so...
JFM01
+1
Level 52
Jan 14, 2022
I was taught British English at school, but through stuff I watched American English became more familiar to me.

Now all these British words sound weird to me.

KTo288
+1
Level 47
May 26, 2022
shifty in addition to dodgy for sketchy
DoktorApplejuce
+1
Level 62
Jul 24, 2022
Freindly Canadian passing through - never heard of either Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday before.
Everyman
+2
Level 57
Feb 9, 2023
I assure you that we do not say serviette in the UK
maur85
+4
Level 72
Apr 18, 2023
American English: drunk driving;

Queen's English: drink driving;

Glaswegian English: driving.

Apprentice03
+1
Level 61
Jul 19, 2023
Americans don't use pounds, we use dollars.
TheMinecrafterAU
+1
Level 37
Jul 27, 2023
Australian translations:

Elevator: lift

Cookie: cookie/biscuit/bikkie (if it has choc chips or chocolate in it like at Subway then it’s a cookie but most others are biscuits/bikkies e.g Anzac biscuits)

Parking lot: car park

Garbage: rubbish (garbage is widely understood though, trash however while understood is generally a way younger people call something shit)

Counterclockwise: anti-clockwise (counter anything is anti- (pronounced antee) in Australia)

Math: maths

14 Pounds: ? (Australians have only used the metric system since the 1950s/1960s, some people use feet for height e.g "six-foot tall man" but most younger people use metric for height)

Takeout: takeaway (e.g takeaway shop, Chinese takeaway, etc)

Z: zed (remember, you will be seen as Americanised and stupid if you are not American and say it as zee, use zed instead)

Eraser: rubber

Last name: last name/surname (surname is a formal term but last name is more common)

Pants: pants (can be any type including shorts)

See reply

TheMinecrafterAU
+1
Level 37
Jul 27, 2023
Diaper: nappy

Napkin: serviette (napkin is widely understood though)

Sidewalk: footpath/path

Fat Tuesday: ? (not sure as to what this actually is)

Panties: underpants/undies/knickers (knickers only ever refers to women’s underwear though)

Sketchy: dodgy

Drunk driving: drink-driving

Trash can: bin

Truck: truck (presuming this is a long vehicle with a trailer, if it’s a car-sized vehicle with a trailer then it’s called a ute)

Flashlight: torch

Wrench: spanner

And those are the Aussie translations.

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