4 minute read

British English Terms to Know for Titles and Tags

Learn how to translate some American terms into British English to reach shoppers across the pond.

Avatar image for Danielle Maveal by Danielle Maveal
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Why would most British men steer clear of your handmade suspenders? Why is my mother blushing at your listing for a fanny pack? Etsian Catherine Hayward shares her tips for translating your English listings into British vocabulary.

When I first started selling on Etsy, as a Brit trying to reach a predominantly American market, I thought translating my descriptions and tags into American English would be easy as pie. After all, I was partially raised by Elmo and the cast of "Friends," I like to think I speak pretty fluent American. But, in the two years I’ve been here, I’ve learnt a lot and I’d like to return the favour (or, indeed, favor).

Since Etsy began, many British sellers and customers have signed up, and right now, the UK stands as the third largest group (after the US and Canada, and followed up by Australia). Etsy's popularity continues to spread around the world, but English speakers are predominantly the audience right now. All those potential customers! You want to be sure they can find your items too, right? Or maybe you’re a Brit like me, still getting your head around the linguistic differences.

Here are a few hints that you might not be aware of.

Vocabulary is a useful thing to be aware of while you’re tagging and describing your listings. For instance, what we Brits call a purse isn’t a bag; it’s a wallet or coin purse. If you’re selling one of those bags you clip on around your waist, very handy for keeping change in at craft fairs … please be aware that fanny means something a bit different, and quite a lot ruder in Britain. We call them bum bags (‘bum’ meaning posterior, not hobo — though hobo is also a type of bag). We also often refer to backpacks as ‘rucksacks.’

One of my favourite colours is a sort of deep purple — I know it as aubergine, you may know it as eggplant (both referring to the same food). Today, typing eggplant into the search gives 588 results, while aubergine gives 146. Only 35 items are using both tags and maximising their potential to show up in a search.

There are also a few odd differences in names for clothing. What Brits call braces, Americans call suspenders, while what Brits usually call suspenders, Americans call a garter (that’s one I learnt from being on Etsy, not from Elmo). We call sneakers trainers, sweaters jumpers, sweater vests tank tops and tank tops are vest tops. Confused yet? Now you know how hard it can be for a non-American customer to find what they’re looking for.

It’s not just an international issue: there are various words that have more than one commonly used spelling in English speaking countries. Brits generally spell ‘gray’ with an ‘e’ - ‘grey.’ At the time of writing this, there are 7906 items on Etsy tagged ‘gray’, but not ‘grey.’ 10369 items are tagged ‘grey’ but not ‘gray.’ Only 3283 items tagged both ‘grey’ and ‘gray.’ Thousands of listings could be missing out on being found here; you can’t be sure your potential customer will think to search with both spellings.

British English also loves to add extra letters – e.g. ‘jewellery,’ ‘aeroplane,’ ‘moustache.’ Try using alternative spellings if you have tags to spare — you may be able to check using your word processing software’s spell-check by changing the language setting.

The exchange rate between British pounds and American dollars is great for British customers right now, so a lot of Brits are looking at buying from America. It doesn’t mean you have to talk like Austin Powers through your whole listing (in fact, please don’t) — just bear in mind while you’re listing your item what else it might be called and try adding in the alternative words in your tags or description.

Don’t forget Etsy’s many other international members — Canadian English and Australian English have their own differences too. There are numerous resources on the internet that you can use to find out alternative words, or perhaps you can ask someone who’ll know. You could see an increase in views, hearts and sales – groovy, baby!

Celebrate the differences!

American English – British English

  • Eggplant – aubergine
  • Fanny pack – bum bag
  • Suspenders – braces
  • Tank top – vest top
  • Sweater vest – tank top
  • Sweater – jumper
  • Jumper – pinafore or pinny
  • Sneakers – trainers
  • Airplane – aeroplane
  • Jewelry – jewellery
  • Pillow – cushion
  • Purse – handbag
  • Candy – sweets
Avatar image for Danielle Maveal Words by Danielle Maveal

Before working for Etsy, Danielle also managed two jewelry studios/shops in Toronto and Detroit, and even had her own gallery in Brooklyn. Then she found a really cool website that allowed her to sell her own work. Within 3 months, she quit her job and ran an Etsy shop full time (she almost hit 1,000 sales before Etsy hired her!).

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