Indian English follows British conventions in most respects — spelling, dates, and much vocabulary. Knowing where American English differs matters if you write for American clients.
Spelling patterns
- -our / -or: colour / color, favour / favor, behaviour / behavior
- -ise / -ize: organise / organize, realise / realize
- -re / -er: centre / center, metre / meter
- -ce / -se: licence / license, defence / defense
- Double l: travelled / traveled, cancelled / canceled
Everyday vocabulary
- flat / apartment
- lift / elevator
- lorry / truck
- petrol / gas
- queue / line
- rubbish / trash
- holiday / vacation
- mobile / cell phone
- CV / resume
- timetable / schedule
- ground floor / first floor
That last one causes genuine confusion. The British ground floor is the American first floor.
Dates
- British: 14/08/2026 — "the fourteenth of August"
- American: 08/14/2026 — "August fourteenth"
Grammar differences
- British favours the present perfect: "I've just eaten." American often uses the past simple: "I just ate."
- Collective nouns: British "the team are playing well", American "the team is playing well"
- "at the weekend" (British) / "on the weekend" (American)
- "got" (British past participle) / "gotten" (American)
Which should you use?
Whichever your audience uses. What matters far more is consistency — "colour" and "organize" in the same document looks like carelessness rather than choice.
Set your word processor's language to match your audience and let it catch the mixing for you.
