What’s the difference between American and British words for glasses?
Mary Gets Her First Spectacles
B1 English listening practice · British English · Picked for people who know some
British English uses spectacles for what American English calls glasses. The word stays in everyday use across the UK, often shortened to specs, with a slightly more formal feel than glasses. Asking a friend if they’ve seen your specs is common; calling them spectacles in writing or older media gives the same word a slightly period feel.
This clip is a BBC piece about a girl getting her first pair of spectacles. The vocabulary feels quietly British alongside it: optician (where Americans might say optometrist), what on earth as a mild exclamation, my dear from older speakers to younger ones. American learners often think spectacles is old-fashioned. It’s not. It’s just British.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this B1 English listening practice video?
How common in written English
How common in spoken English
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than B1. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In BBC drama and documentary content
- ▸In British literature from any era through the present
- ▸In British conversation, especially among older speakers
- ▸In British medical and retail contexts when buying or fixing glasses
- ▸In British comedy that plays with class and accent differences (Downton Abbey, Doc Martin)