British vs American English Transport: The United Kingdom is obviously a smaller country compared to the United States. That is why the British people tend to travel outside more than the American people. So not only the names of the destinations but there are differences between the travel terms British and American too.
British and American terms when it comes to transport and travel is so different that if a British person is on American soil, he will find the different transport terms British so difficult to that he won’t even understand it and same goes for an American person. There is a lot in the list of British vs American English Transport Terms below so let’s get started.
List of British vs American Transport
- Names of British and American English Transport Terms
- Definition of British and American English Transport Terms on the List
Names of British vs American English Transport terms
- A single ticket – One way ticket
- Aeroplane – Airplane
- Bonnet – Hood
- Boot – Trunk
- Car Journey or Drive – Road trip
- Car park – Parking lot
- Crossroads – Intersection
- Diversion – Detour
- Driving Licence – Driver’s License
- Dual Carriageway – Divided Highway
- Estate car – Station Wagon
- Fire Engine – Fire Truck
- Gear Lever – Gear Shift
- Gearbox – Transmission
- Indicator – Blinker
- Level Crossing – Grade Crossing
- Lollipop Man or Lady – Crossing Guard
- Lorry – Truck
- Motorbike – Motorcycle
- Motorway – Freeway or Highway
- Number plate – License Plate
- Pavement – Side Walk
- Petrol – Gas, Gasoline
- Platform – Track
- Roadworks – Roadwork
- Roundabout – Traffic Circle
- Set of Points – Switch
- Sleeping Policeman – Speedbump
- Timetable – Schedule
- Tailback – Traffic Jam
- Tyre – Tire
- Windscreen – Windshield
- Zebra crossing or Pedestrian Crossing – Cross Walk
Definition of British vs American English Transport Terms on the List
A single ticket – One way ticket
A single ticket means the ticket for a journey from one place to another but not for coming back.
A one way ticket that permits a person to travel to one single place.
Aeroplane – Airplane
An aeroplane means a flying vehicle with fixed wings and a weight greater than the air.
An aircraft which is heavier than air kept aloft by the thrust exerted upwards by the passing air on the fixed wings and is driven by pilots.
Bonnet – Hood
A bonnet means the hinged metal shade covering the engine of a motor vehicle.
A hood means a covering of a robe or a cloak etc.
Boot – Trunk
A boot means a footwear to cover the feet and the lower part of the leg.
A trunk means a container to hold clothes and stuff.
Car Journey or Drive – Road trip
A car journey means a journey which happens by any car.
A road trip means a trip which happens in the road.
Car park – Parking lot
A car park means a place where you can make the cars stand.
A parking lot means a place where you can park the car safely.
Crossroads – Intersection
A crossroad means a central meet place of two or more roads.
An intersection means a road where two or more roads crosses.
Diversion – Detour
A diversion means a route arranged for some specific reasons.
A detour means a deviation from the direct route.
Driving Licence – Driver’s License
A driving licence means an official permission by which you can drive the car in the roads.
A driver’s license means a card to permit of driving.
Dual Carriageway – Divided Highway
A dual carriageway means roads with more lanes in each direction.
A divides highway means two lanes usually with opposite trafficking.
Estate car – Station Wagon
An estate car means a car, which has a big carrying area behind it.
A station wagon means a car with longer body than other cars.
Fire Engine – Fire Truck
A fire engine means an engine car to carry fire extinguisher equipment.
A fire truck means a truck to carry firefighters and fire extinguishers.
Gear Lever – Gear Shift
A gear lever means a lever to use the gear of the cars properly.
A transmission shifter to control the gear system of cars.
Gearbox – Transmission
A gearbox means a set of gears.
A transmission means a system of engines.
Indicator – Blinker
An indicator means a light in a car to show the change in direction to others.
A blinker means a light which blinks to show your changes in the direction.
Level Crossing – Grade Crossing
A level crossing means a place where a road and a railway line cross their paths.
Intersection of two roads, half a railway line and half a highway.
Lollipop Man or Lady – Crossing Guard
A lollipop man/lady means a person, employed to help children cross the road safely.
A crossing guard means a person whose job is to help other persons cross the road safely.
Lorry – Truck
A lorry means a large vehicle usually used for carrying any kind of large thing.
A truck means a vehicle bigger than any other road cars to carry larger things.
Motorbike – Motorcycle
A motorbike means a vehicle with two wheels to carry two persons.
A motorcycle means a two wheeler vehicle by which two persons can travel from here and there.
Motorway – Freeway or Highway
A motorway means a way for any vehicle to pass by hustle free.
A freeway or a highway mean a broader way for every kind of vehicles to pass by.
Number plate – License Plate
A number plate means a plate where the office generated number of your car which also gives you permission to ride it.
A license plate means a number plate, where the number you get while getting your license stays written.
Pavement – Side Walk
A pavement means the sides of the road.
A sidewalk means the sides of a lane, where people usually can walk.
Petrol – Gas, Gasoline
Petrol means the oil by which the engine cars run.
Gas or gasoline mean the gas to drive the vehicles.
Platform – Track
A platform means the place where anything comes and stays for a while, like the railway platforms.
A track means a path by which vehicles pass by, like railway tracks.
Roadworks – Roadwork
Roadworks mean works which happen in the road.
Roadwork means works related to the roads.
Roundabout – Traffic Circle
A roundabout means a place where traffic moves in one direction round a central island.
A traffic circle means a circular island on the roads.
Set of Points – Switch
A set of Points mean a place where, there are all the points stay.
A switch means an electrical button to start any kind of point.
Sleeping Policeman – Speedbump
A sleeping policeman means a bump in a road to control the speed of the cars.
A low raised ridge in the roads.
Timetable – Schedule
A timetable means a routine to maintain times of everything.
A schedule means a routine.
Tailback – Traffic Jam
A tailback means a time when for some reason a chaotic situation happens in the road for which the cars stop.
A traffic jam means a slowdown of the traffic for any kind of reasons.
Tyre – Tire
A tyre means a thing placed round the wheels for a car to move.
A tire means a rubber covering for the wheels of the cars.
Windscreen – Windshield
A windscreen means the glass wall in front of the cars.
A windshield means the front window of the cars.
Zebra crossing or Pedestrian Crossing – Cross Walk
A zebra crossing means white lines painted on the roads for the vehicles to stop for the people to cross the road.
A cross walk means zigzag lines on the road to make the drivers stop their vehicles for the pedestrians to cross roads.