Why is it that the UK english and US english have different spellings?

Question

UK = maths US = math. UK = colour US = color. UK = realise US = relize. UK = holiday US = vacation. UK = football US = soccer.

Why? Whenever I come to the states, no one really gets what I say and I don't get what they say! Its pointless, so why!?

Answer 1

UK English is the "original" English.  American English is different just to be different.  The only reason we drive on the right side of the road is to be different from the Brits.  I prefer UK English (not that I'm not proud to be an American).  It's more..I don't know, proper.  Look what happening to American English.  We now have words like "lite" and "thru."  They're butchering our language!  It's maddening!

Answer 2

My child (American) has asked this question as well.  I always say that the British speak English and we speak American.  :)

Answer 3

ours is a little more out there than yours, we under stand what you say for the most part, just some of your phrases are a little wierd to us. Alot of time the people who don't understand are those that don't try to understand.

Oh and the football and soccer thing, we have a sport called football, but its more like your rugby than your football.

We just call it soccer because we feel the need to be different.

Answer 4

That is just the way it is!!

I am from the UK and i understand the American language perfectly well. It is not all that different really, and if you spend time in the US you should learn their words pretty quickly. Just speak clearer and everyone should understand you :)

Answer 5

I should not worry about it!

You should be more concerned about the atrocious use of English or American English in the posts on here.

We might as well speak yiddish on here!!!!

Answer 6

I lived in the US for 11 years and quite frankly consider myself to be American, although technically I'm a Brit.  I had to change the way I spelled everything for school when I moved back over here to the UK, and often have to change words when speaking to people.  I guess some spellings are different because British English is based on French and Latin, whereas American English is just a simplified form of British English.