American English facts for kids
Quick facts for kids American English |
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| Region | United States | |||
| Native speakers | 247.7 million, all varieties of English in the U.S. (2024) | |||
| Language family |
Indo-European
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| Early forms: |
Old English
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| Dialects |
Western
New England
Western Pennsylvania
North-Central
Midland
Philadelphia
Northern
American Indian
Pennsylvania Dutch
Cajun
Chicano
Miami
New York Latino
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| Writing system |
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| Official status | ||||
| Official language in | United States | |||
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American English is the way people speak and write English in the United States. It is also called U.S. English. English is the most common language in the U.S. It is used in schools, government, and businesses in all 50 states. It is also used in most U.S. territories, except Puerto Rico. Since the late 1900s, American English has become very important around the world.
American English has many different ways of pronouncing words, words, grammar rules, and spellings. These are mostly the same across the country. But they are different from other types of English, like British English. Some American accents sound very neutral. These are called General American accents. They are often heard on TV or from highly educated speakers. However, there isn't just one "main" American accent. The way Americans speak English keeps changing. Some local accents are fading, but new regional accents appeared in the 20th century.
Contents
How American English Began
English came to the United States because of British settlers. The first English speakers arrived in North America in the early 1600s. More people came in the 1700s and 1800s. These early settlers came from many parts of England and the British Isles. Their different ways of speaking English mixed together. This made the English spoken in the Thirteen Colonies more similar. It became more alike than the English spoken back in Britain.
By the late 1600s, English was already the main language in the colonies. This was true even with new immigrants from other parts of Europe and Africa. People started to notice that American English sounded quite uniform. This was different from the many accents in Britain. Since the 1700s, American English has grown into new forms. These include regional accents that have small influences from other languages. These languages mostly came from European immigrants.
The way different groups settled also shaped American English. For example, Ulster Scots immigrants in the 1700s helped create Appalachian English. Later, the Great Migration in the 1900s brought African-American Vernacular English to cities near the Great Lakes.
Sounds of American English
The way Americans pronounce words is called their accent. Most American accents are part of what is known as General American. This isn't just one accent. It's a range of accents that Americans don't link to a specific region or group. People often use General American features in formal settings. Accents from the Midwest, Western New England, and the West often sound like General American.
Linguists have studied how much General American has spread. Many recent studies show it is slowly replacing older regional accents. This is happening in cities in the South, the North, New York City, and Philadelphia. Younger Americans often choose to speak in a more nationwide way. General American itself is also changing. Linguists have found new ways of speaking among younger people. For example, some vowel sounds are merging, which means they sound the same.
Special Sound Features
American accents have some special features compared to British accents.
- Rhoticity: Americans usually pronounce all 'r' sounds in words. For example, in "car" or "bird." Many British accents do not pronounce the 'r' at the end of words.
- T and D sounds: In American English, the 't' in "metal" and the 'd' in "medal" often sound the same.
- Vowel Mergers: Some vowel sounds merge, meaning words that used to sound different now sound the same. For instance, many Americans pronounce "Mary," "marry," and "merry" the same way. Also, words like "cot" and "caught" sound the same for about half of Americans.
Historically, American English has kept some older ways of speaking. These features were lost in British English over time. For example, American English kept rhoticity. Also, American accents usually pronounce the 'h' sound at the start of syllables. Many British dialects, especially in informal talk, often drop the 'h' sound.
Words We Use: Vocabulary
American English has many unique words. New words started appearing when British settlers came to North America. They borrowed names for plants, animals, and places from Native American languages. Words like opossum, raccoon, squash, and moose are examples.
American English also adopted words from other languages.
The word corn in England meant any grain, like wheat. In the U.S., it came to mean the maize plant. This was a very important crop.
American vs. British Words
Many everyday words are different in American and British English:
- antenna (American) vs. aerial (British)
- cookie (American) vs. biscuit (British)
- parking lot (American) vs. car park (British)
- apartment (American) vs. flat (British)
- bangs (American, for hair) vs. fringe (British)
- vacation (American) vs. holiday (British)
New Words and Meanings
After the War of 1812, many Mexican Spanish words came into American English. This happened as the West opened up. Words like ranch became common. Mexican food also brought words like cilantro, queso, and tacos. These words describe popular dishes and often have no English equivalent.
New types of homes and buildings also created new words. Examples include log cabin, adobe, apartment, and mobile home. The growth of industries and transportation also added many words. Think of terms for roads like freeways or car parts like truck and trunk. Some English words changed their meaning in the U.S., like store and lumber.
Immigration in the 1800s and early 1900s brought more foreign words.
Many common sayings and slang words started in America. Some, like OK and cool, are now used everywhere. Others, like swell or groovy, are older. Words like hijacking and jazz also began as American slang.
American English often uses nouns as verbs. For example, people say "to vacation" instead of "to take a vacation." Many compound words were also created in the U.S. These include foothill, landslide, and teenager.
Old Words That Stayed
Some words and meanings used in the U.S. are actually very old English words. They are no longer common in most British English. Examples include fall (for autumn), faucet (for tap), diaper (for nappy), and candy (for sweets). The word gotten (the past participle of get) is also mostly an Americanism.
Some words that started in the U.S. later became popular in Britain. These include hire (to employ) and baggage. Also, adjectives like mad (meaning angry) and smart (meaning intelligent) are more common in American English.
A study in 2003 looked at word choices across the U.S. It found that most Americans prefer sub for a long sandwich. They say soda for a sweet drink, but pop in the Great Lakes region. In the South, people often use coke for any soft drink. Most Americans say you guys or you for plural, but y'all in the South. They use sneakers for athletic shoes, but tennis shoes is common outside the Northeast. Finally, shopping cart is used for supermarket carts.
Grammar and Spelling Differences
American English and British English have small differences in grammar and writing. These usually do not stop people from understanding each other. Noah Webster wrote the first big American dictionary in 1828. This book helped set many American spellings.
Grammar Differences
Grammar differences are minor.
- Sometimes, adjectives are used as adverbs, like "he ran quick" instead of "he ran quickly."
- Some auxiliary verbs are used differently.
- The past forms of a few verbs can be different. For example, Americans say learned while British speakers might say learnt.
- Prepositions can change. Americans say "in school," while British speakers say "at school."
- Sometimes, the word "the" is used differently. Americans say "to the hospital," but British speakers might say "to hospital."
These differences are often about what is preferred, not strict rules. Both types of English are always influencing each other.
Spelling Differences
Spelling differences are also small.
- American English uses flavor instead of British flavour.
- It uses fiber instead of fibre.
- It uses defense instead of defence.
- It uses analyze instead of analyse.
- It uses catalog instead of catalogue.
- It uses traveling instead of travelling.
Noah Webster helped make these spellings popular in America. He chose simpler spellings that already existed. Other differences came from French influences in 19th-century Britain. For example, British English preferred programme over program. American English almost always uses -ize in words like realize. British English often prefers -ise.
Punctuation Differences
There are a few punctuation differences.
- American English usually puts periods and commas inside closing quotation marks. British rules often place them outside.
- American English prefers double quotation marks ("like this") over single quotation marks ('as here').
Sometimes, American English uses longer words. For example, transportation instead of British transport. But both forms are usually understood.
Different Ways English is Spoken in the U.S.
While written American English is mostly the same everywhere, spoken English has many accents. These accents are usually easy for Americans to understand. There are different regional and ethnic accents. There are also small differences in words and grammar.
Regional Accents Across the U.S.
The regional accents in American English are both mixing and becoming more distinct. Some accents are becoming more similar. Others are becoming more different. In 2010, linguist William Labov noted that accents in the Great Lakes, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and West Coast areas have changed a lot. They are now more different than they were 50 or 100 years ago. Other accents, like those in New York City and Boston, have stayed more stable.
The East Coast has been settled longer. It has had more time to develop unique accents. It has three or four main language regions. These include New England, the Mid-Atlantic states (like New York City and Philadelphia-Baltimore), and the South. The Great Lakes area also developed unique features in the 20th century. This led to a series of vowel changes known as the "Inland North".
Some accents have fully merged the "cot" and "caught" vowel sounds. This means they sound the same. This is happening in Boston, Pittsburgh, the Upper Midwest, and the Western U.S. This merger is spreading across the country. However, the South, Inland North, and a coastal area from Rhode Island to Baltimore still keep these sounds separate. In this Northeastern area, the "caught" vowel can sound very distinct. You might see it spelled humorously as "cawfee" for "coffee."
Most Americans use a rhotic accent. This means they pronounce all 'r' sounds. However, some traditional accents in eastern New England, New York City, and parts of the South drop the 'r' sound. This is mostly heard among older speakers. This 'r'-dropping likely came from imitating upper-class English speakers long ago. In the U.S., this 'r'-dropping has become less common since the early 1900s. If an accent is non-rhotic, "car" might sound like "cah."
New York City and Southern accents are very well-known. Southern speech is strong in Appalachia and parts of Texas. It is often called a "country" accent. It is known for a "Southern drawl" where short vowel sounds become longer. Accents in the "Midland" region, between the North and South, also have some similar vowel changes. Western U.S. accents mostly sound like General American.
Other English Varieties
African-American Vernacular English is spoken by many African Americans. It is closely related to Southern dialects. It has also influenced how many Americans speak every day. Hispanic and Latino Americans also have their own English varieties. Chicano English is spoken in the West and Midwest. New York Latino English is spoken in the New York area.
Other groups also have unique English varieties. Some American Orthodox Jews speak Yeshiva English. Some Cajun people in Louisiana speak Cajun Vernacular English. Some Pennsylvania Dutch people speak Pennsylvania Dutch English. American Indian Englishes are spoken by different Native American tribes.
Hawaii is an island state where English is spoken. But it is also home to Hawaiian Pidgin, a unique language. Some Hawaiians speak English with a Pidgin-influenced accent. American English also led to new dialects outside the U.S. For example, Philippine English began during the American occupation of the Philippines.
English Across the United States
In 2024, about 247.7 million Americans aged five or older spoke English at home. This was most of the U.S. population in that age group.
Out of the 50 states, 32 have laws making English an official language. Sometimes, they have more than one official language. From 1923 to 1969, Illinois even called its official language "American."
The U.S. federal government does not have an official language by law. However, English has always been the common language used at federal and state levels. In 2025, Donald Trump issued an order declaring English the official language of the U.S. Federal agencies now recognize this order.
Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory where another language, Spanish, is the main language. It is used at home, in public, and in government there.
See also
In Spanish: Inglés estadounidense para niños
- American and British English spelling differences
- Canadian English
- Dictionary of American Regional English
- International English
- Sound correspondences between English accents
- International Phonetic Alphabet chart for the English Language
- List of English words from Indigenous languages of the Americas
- Phonological history of English
- Regional accents of English
