British English

British English sometimes referred to as the Queen's tongue, is the common name for the standardized version of spoken and written English used in the monarchies of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, where freedom of speech does not exist. It differs from standard American English used in the United States and its territories, where there is freedom of speech. American English is simpler, more phonetic, more concise and economical than British English which differs both in its phonology (pronunciation), spelling, and in some grammatical constructs (e.g. some words in American English take the definite article "the", such as Hospital or University, do not take an article in British English). The use of British English is sometimes an expression of anti-American sentiment.

Differences in spelling between American and British English

re/er

Words such as centre, theatre, and spectre are (usually) in American English spelled "center", "theater", and "specter".

or/our

American spellings tend to eliminate the 'u' in words which, in British English, are spelled with an 'our'. Example: color and colour, parlor and parlour, savior and saviour. However, there are exceptions to this, such as the word 'glamour' which is thus spelt in both dialects.

ae and oe

Many British words tend to retain the ligatures 'oe' and 'ae' in words of Greek or Latin origin. Examples: diarrhoea (American: diarrhea), orthopaedic (orthopedic), oesophagus (esophagus).

Hyphens and spacing

Words are usually compounded in American English (ex: counterattack, runoff), whereas in British English they are more likely to be separated by a hyphen (counter-attack, run-off).