
Hi SErs! It’s a day of Harmony here at Story Empire 🙂 Today, as promised in Homonyms with Harmony Part 1–Introduction, I’d like to share with you some common differences between US and UK spellings as well as word usage. And, as this is Admin Professional’s Day, what better time than to make sure we write it right?!
Words at War:
In my book on how to self-edit, Polish Your Prose, (Booklinker has stopped working just now, so instead of a universal link, here are the US and UK links in case it still isn’t working when you click on it. Sorry.) I have a whole chapter devoted to this common uncommon language. In this post, I’ll share the tables and information I made for this topic.
NOTE: While this post focusses on American versus British English, I would like to note that Irish and Australian English have many many differences too, as does any country with English as its root language. However, to delve into all of these is beyond the scope of these posts, and if we explored all possible avenues, we’d never reach the part about actual Homonyms!
Considering the British and Americans share a common language, there are plenty of points where they couldn’t have less in common. This isn’t only in the spelling of words, but also their usage. Where a Brit would say ‘garden’, an American is more likely to say ‘yard’ … and they wouldn’t be meaning some bare concreted area—far from it! Below, I list some of the most common differences. We’ll start with a table of the most commonly alternately spelled words …

Generally speaking, the Brits like to double up and use ‘our’ and ‘ise’—whereas the Americans like to keep things single and use ‘or’ and ‘ize’. Whichever system you use, you need to learn and check your spelling, and keep it consistent. And please, please, please, do not rely on automated spell checkers solely. I beg you!
DIFFERENT WAYS OF SAYING THE SAME THING: As well as differences in spelling conventions–and don’t even get me started on punctuation!–we also love to use different words for the same thing and/or give the same word a different meaning. One that never fails to tickle my warped humour is ‘fanny’. In the US, this means what the Brits would call ‘bum’ or ‘bottom’ or ‘backside’, or ‘arse’, and the Americans call ‘butt’, or ‘ass’, amongst other things! In the UK, ‘fanny’ has an entirely opposite meaning, and refers to a certain part of the decidedly female anatomy. 😂 So, whenever I read the term ‘fanny pack’ my brain does a double-take. Ahem.
Below, you will find tables which list some of these pesky common/uncommon words:







ALL OF THE TABLES IN THIS POST CAN BE DOWNLOADED AND SAVED/PRINTED: Simply right click and select ‘Save As’.
Interestingly enough, until relatively recently, I hadn’t realised the Americans and Brits share another difference, not listed in the tables above. For shared passages from books, the UK says ‘Extract’, while the US says, ‘Excerpt’. Even after ten years of writing, reading, and editing for both the US and the UK markets, I still come across American words new to me. These tables give just a few examples of a vast array of alternate ways of saying and spelling words between the two countries. And just for a bit of interesting (to me), if useless information, in knitting and crocheting, you will discover a planet’s worth of differences! I tell you–in case you haven’t yet guessed!–language fascinates me 😊
That’s it from me today. I hope you’ve found this post useful, and I’ll see you again on Friday 19th May for Homonyms with Harmony, Part 3–The Origins of Homonyms 😊

Homonyms with Harmony: Part 1–Introduction
©2023 Harmony Kent
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Pretty comprehensive, Harmony, although, as you say, we keep coming across some new ones every day.
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So many! Thanks, Olga 💕🙂
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Hi Harmony, Thank you for this exhaustive list and post. I always thought I was bad at spellings but now I realize that I was just spelling words the American way in a British system. I found this post extremely useful. Revived my confidence. Lol.
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That’s great! Thanks, Smitha 💕🙂
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The thought of a chap wearing suspenders will bring a smile, though not many ladies wear suspenders these days since the arrival of the convenience of tights/pantyhose.
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lol 😂! Oh yes! That’s another good one. Thanks, Janet 💕🙂
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Great post Harmony and back in 1985 when we arrived in Houston from the UK I feel foul of quite a few of the differences.. Who new that asking for a jug of margaritas and a rubber would cause so much hilarity! Grocery shopping was certainly an adventure. ♥♥
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Lols! 😂 Yes! Thanks, Sally 💕🙂
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Great list, Harmony! I noted a number of words that here Australia have a different meaning, such as ‘boob tube’ is our slang for television. ‘Kerb’ refers to the concrete fixture between path and road, whereas ‘curb’ is to refrain from action. These are just few variations. Enjoyable read 😀
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Ooh, the Kerb and Curb usages are new to me! Thanks so much for your input, cav12 💕🙂
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I must be bilingual, lol. I use both British, and American words. But of course I stick to American in my writing without mixing up words or spelling from different countries. Quite a task sometimes for this Canadian. 🙂 ❤
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I know a few Canadian folks who do use both US and UK conventions, which is no surprise given its location and history! Thanks, Debby 💕🙂
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Hugs ❤
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I owned and maintained a Triumph Spitfire for 30 years, so I became familiar with many of these words including “Spanner” which we call a “Wrench.” One that you have that had me totally confused was Allen key. In the US, an Allen Key (or simply key) is a bit of metal that connects a pulley to a shaft by sitting in corresponding slots in each. The key is often held in place by an Allen set screw in the pulley and tightens with an Allen wrench. Of course, I began using this manual in 1979, well before I could search for the British meaning, so I was looking for the wrong thing under the bonnet,
Thanks for the tables.
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Lols 😂! I’m so with you on that. The first time I came across the US name for Ball Pein/Peen/machinist’s hammer I had to Google what it was and work out what the UK name was. Thanks, Dan. I’m loving the responses to this post 💕🙂
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I’ve been enjoying this series, Harmony. I always know when I’m reading authors from the U. K. by the way certain words are spelled. This has been a useful post.
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That’s great. Thanks, Beem 💕🙂
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Wonderful, Harmony! I’ve Bookmarked that incredible list and intend to print it out as well. There’s plenty there that I didn’t know about…
Many thanks! 🙂
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Fantastic! Thanks, Trish 💕🙂
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(Side note:
“So, whenever I read the term ‘fanny pack’ my brain does a double-take. Ahem.” — harmonykentonline
Hey, the fanny pack was very popular when I was at UCLA in 1989!
https://maureentwomey.wordpress.com/2023/04/26/homonyms-with-harmony-part-2-american-and-british-english-conventions/ … See? 😉
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Lols 😂! Thanks for sharing, Maureen 💕🙂
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I don’t know why WordPress won’t let me show more about your story (your pic, etc.,) weird! Oh well … 😉
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WordPress is so weird lately! 💖
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Hi Harmony, this is a wonderful list of comparative terms and words using in UK English and US English. I learned today that American’s call baby marrows or coughette’s by the name of zucchini.
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So many fascinating differences! Thanks, Robbie 💕🙂
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My reading this year has taken me to English and Scottish authors. At first, the different usage seemed confusing, but I caught on.
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Yes, and I hear the punctuation catches people out as well! Thanks, Molly 💕🙂
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I am reading a book written by Kate Atkinson. Her officers are always showing their warrants. In America, cops carry badges they flash to show their identity; but a warrant is a piece of paper handed down by a judge for arrest, search, seizure, or a request to appear in court. It took me a minute to figure that one out.
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Yes!!! 😆
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I’ve reblogged this on Dragons Rule OK.
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Thanks for sharing, Viv 💕🙂
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These tables are amazing, Harmony! I love reading these lists. Thanks for sharing!
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That’s great! Thanks, Jill 💕🙂
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I had no idea there were so many differences, Harmony. I knew quite a few of them from reading a lot of my UK friends’ books. The fanny pack cracked me up. Also a “boob tube” in the US slang also means a television. That’s what my dad called it anyway. A fun and interesting post, my friend.
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I came across that use of boob tube the other day and had to look it up as I knew they didn’t mean the clothing! 😂Thanks, Diana 💕🙂
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LOL. Language is fascinating, isn’t it? For one of my books, I made up a long list of insults and swear words. I was fortunate to have a UK friend who read through them and nixed a few that were mild here and rather over the top across the pond. It was a hilarious conversation.
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Lols 😂 I can imagine! Yes, so fascinating. Thanks, Diana 💕🙂
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Wow! That’s a lot more differences in words than I realized. I knew about the “u” in front of “or” and the “s” instead of “z” used. I knew about lift, loo, bonnet, and boot. I didn’t know the list was that long.
I saw a video the other day that said the southern drawl was closer to British than other accents in the U. S. They said if you slow down the British accent, it would sound like a southern U.S. accent, and if you speed up the southern accent it would sound British. I don’t know if it’s true or not but it would explain how British actors and actresses can do southern accents so well.
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That’s fascinating, Kim! I’ll have to look out for that 💕🙂
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Wow what a cool post Harmony. Thanks for sharing this. I’ll be back! We’ve been on a hiatus but happy to read you.. 👏🙏🏼
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That’s fantastic! Thanks, Cindy 💕🙂
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Great post, Harmony 🙂 I enjoy coming across the differences when reading and liked the list. I think it adds some flavor. I still prefer grey to gray.
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Lols! Thanks, Denise 💕🙂
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I knew there were differences, but your list showed me many I didn’t know.
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There are so many! Thanks, Michele 💕🙂
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I have a good friend who is British, so I’ve heard him use many of these. Still, there are so many I wasn’t aware of. It is quite fascinating! Thanks for sharing this list with us, Harmony!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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I love this stuff! Thanks, Yvi 💕🙂
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My favorite is first floor=second floor..
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Yup, that one gets me so often, lols 😂 Thanks, Careena 💕🙂
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These differences are so interesting, Harmony! I’ve always read a lot of British fiction, so absorbed a lot of them, and being Canadian has helped. We use a mixture of British and American spellings here. Then there are uniquely Canadian words, like “tuque,” which is a “beanie” in the US, or “knitted cap” in other places.
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Tuque is a new word for me, yay! Yes, Canadian English does tend to use from both sides of the pond 😁 Thanks, Audrey 💕🙂
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Words are so much fun. This was an excellent post, Harmony. I enjoyed going down the list. The nice thing about blogging is many of these words are recognized from being exposed to British writers. Looking forward to the next one.
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So much fun! I’m so pleased you enjoyed the list. Thanks, John 💕🙂
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😁
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What a long list, Harmony. I’ve seen a lot of these since many mysteries and historical fiction book are written by authors from across the pond. I’m getting used to it! Took a while with the ‘chips’ though!
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I still stumble when I read ‘chips’ and have to translate to ‘crisps’ lols 😂. And I’m sure it’s as troublesome the other way around! Thanks, Noelle 💕🙂
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🙂 🙂
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I thought I knew most of the differences from reading so many UK authors. I’m shocked at the length of the list and how many I didn’t know! Thanks, Harmony.
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Yes, and there are so many more!!! Teehehee 😉Thanks, Staci 💕🙂
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I don’t think I ever realized how extensive the differences are between American and British terminologies. Thank you for sharing, Harmony. I had no idea what a bum was when I read it in a book. Now I know it is a fanny pack. 🙂 Great post! Pinning for future reference.
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Lols! 😂 I tell you, the more you dig, the more you realise it’s a bottomless pit! Thanks, Jan 💕🙂
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Wow! I never realized there SO many differences. Interesting!
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For certain! Thanks, Judi 💕🙂
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And then there are all the regional differences within the countries. Good times, good times!
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Oh yes! Groan 😂 Thanks, Liz 💕🙂
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You’re welcome, Harmony. 😀
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Wow, I had no idea there were so many differences, Harmony! I’m really going to have to study this list.
I had noticed a lot of non-American authors using the term extract, and at first thought it was an error. Then I realized it was just a different way of saying excerpt, LOL.
BTW, my mom (non Brit) always said “tea towel.” There are many times I use that term too. Nice to know where it came from! 🙂
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Tea towel … that’s fantastic! Love it 😁 Thanks, Mae 💕🙂
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Fantastic post on one of my favorite topics, Harmony. I’ve always been fascinated by the differences in American English and … English English? (Okay. British English works better. 😁) Love your extended list. Some of these I’ve learned over many years of enjoying books by British authors. Some of them were new to me entirely. (I am definitely saving your tables for future reference,) And yep, since I’ve been blogging, I’ve often noticed the extract/excerpt thing. For Americans, extract usually refers to a something more physical or chemical, like bottled Vanilla extract flavoring. But either way … it does mean to pull or remove one thing from something else, so it works. 😊
My take away from your post is that the most important thing is to be consistent, Unless it’s intentional for plot reasons, don’t have your American characters using the British terms or vice versa. Definitely something to watch out for in dialogue.
Thanks for an interesting, useful, and FUN post! 😀 ❤
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I KNEW this would be right up your street, Marcia! 😉 Yes, consistency is key. So glad you enjoyed this 💕🙂
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I very much did, and I learned some new (to me) British terms, too. Love it! 😀
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I grew up in India and while there followed British spelling. Now after 25 years here in the States I am so confused I think I have my own now😃. Very interesting blog!
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Lols 😂! I’m sure you have a wonderfully eclectic mix by now! Thanks, Ganga 💕🙂
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“Fanny” cracked me up, Harmony! And thanks for clearing up “extract” vs. “excerpt.” I wondered why so many people were sayin’ it wrong… to my American ear. 😉
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Lols 😂 Fanny is one of my faves, but you know me well enough by now to recognise my naughty side! Thanks, Sue 💕🙂
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Interesting stuff. I appreciate learning some of the differences.
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So interesting! Thanks, Craig 💕🙂
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Reblogged this on Jeanne Owens, author.
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Thanks for sharing, Jeanne 💕🙂
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Absolutely fascinating, Harmony. The difference between our languages is most interesting. In some cases, it is more understandable how the U S version has come about. Take, for example, the use of Trunk in US, but boot in UK. The original cars actually had a trunk on the back.
Also, there can be confusion about roads. The US calls the place where pedestrians walk the ‘sidewalk’ while we Brits call it the ‘pavement’, which is used in the US to mean the road. So if you tell an American to keep on the pavement, there could be a nasty event.
I find that the American use of ‘yard’ for ‘garden’ gives me entirely the wrong picture. That I cannot understand how this useage has come about.
One thing that I looked up, because it grated on me, was the American use of ‘gotten’ instead of ‘got’. Apparently, ‘gotten’ is the old version, going back to the Anglo-Saxon where the past participle often ended in -en. We still use this form in some British English words, like ‘proven’.
But many of the American versions are becoming more used here. I suspect due to American films and TV programmes. I think that’s a pity. So many words have fallen out of use. Vocabularies are getting smaller, I believe.
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Yes, I see more and more Americanisms gaining use and momentum over here, as well as actual conventions such as Prom and Trick or Treating, which we never used to do in the UK. I agree wholeheartedly that vocabularies need to expand rather than contract. As it is, we owe so many phrases and words to Shakespeare. Without his genius, our choices would be even more limited. Thanks, Viv 💕🙂
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Fantastic, Harmony! BTW: Snagged a Kindle copy of your book, too.
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Awesome! Doing my happy dance 💃. Thanks so much, Grant 💕🙂
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LOL! You’re welcome.
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💖🤗💖
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I knew some of these differences but not all. Am I correct that British English would say “the surgery” for what we call a doctor’s office or clinic? I too have a fascination with the differences in the language.
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Yes. Here the doctor and dentist has a surgery.
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Yes, we say ‘surgery’ even though we also use the same word for an ‘operation’, lols 😂. Thanks, Joan 💕🙂
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Amazing lists, Harmony! I knew of a few differences, but I had no clue as to the extent of the differences. Thank you for sharing this with us. ❤️
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There are soooo many! Thanks, Gwen 💕🙂
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These are great, Harmony. Thanks for the instructions on how to copy them.
Err… drugstore in the US. Aren’t our UK chemists all pharmacies now?
Hugs and love from Sarah
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Just goes to show how the words we use continue to evolve! These tables are from when PYP published originally. It could be an age thing, but I still use chemist, as do all my friends of around a certain age 😉. Glad you like the tables. Thanks, Sarah 💕🙂
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I use chemist too, until I read the sign over the door!
They seem to be very touchy about it.
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Yes, they are. They should never have been called chemists in the first place. A chemist is someone who studies chemistry, but those we used to call ‘chemists’ haven’t studied chemistry but pharmacy.
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It goes back to the days when pharmacists were also chemists and made their own creams and potions, etc. I remember being quite young when the law changed and outlawed that age-old practice. Language and its history fascinates me!
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Thanks for sharing, Charles 💕🙂
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks for sharing, Chris 💕🙂
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💕🤗
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Reblogged this on Kim's Musings.
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Thanks for sharing, Kim 💕🙂
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My pleasure, Harmony! 😊
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