For the sake of consistency, the UOC recommends the use of British English conventions for its own publications (unless otherwise explicitly specified). That said, as an online university with an international community and audience, it strives to make its texts readily understandable to as many people as possible from all across the world. To help you follow those guidelines, this section offers a quick overview of some of the most common differences between the standard varieties of English used in the United Kingdom and the United States. We also recommend consulting the section on how to tailor your text to a global audience.

Of course, English is spoken in many countries other than the UK and the USA, and both of these countries are home to multiple dialects. An exhaustive accounting of these differences thus falls well beyond the scope of this site. Nevertheless, this section – a brief comparison of the 'standard' dialects of these two extensively used varieties – has been included as a quick reference guide.