<P> Compound verbs in British English are hyphenated more often than in American English . </P> <Ul> <Li> any more or anymore: In sense "any longer", the single - word form is usual in North America and Australia but unusual elsewhere, at least in formal writing . Other senses always have the two - word form; thus Americans distinguish "I couldn't love you anymore (so I left you)" from "I couldn't love you any more (than I already do)". In Hong Kong English, any more is always two words . </Li> <Li> for ever or forever: Traditional British English usage makes a distinction between for ever, meaning for eternity (or a very long time into the future), as in "If you are waiting for income tax to be abolished you will probably have to wait for ever"; and forever, meaning continually, always, as in "They are forever arguing". In British usage today, however, forever prevails in the "for eternity" sense as well, in spite of several style guides maintaining the distinction . American writers usually use forever regardless of which sense they intend (although forever in the sense of "continually" is comparatively rare in American English, having been displaced by always). </Li> <Li> near by or nearby: Some British writers make the distinction between the adverbial near by, which is written as two words, as in, "No one was near by"; and the adjectival nearby, which is written as one, as in, "The nearby house". In American English, the one - word spelling is standard for both forms . </Li> <Li> per cent or percent: It can be correctly spelled as either one or two words, depending on the Anglophone country, but either spelling must always be consistent with its usage . British English predominantly spells it as two words, so does English in Ireland and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand . American English predominantly spells it as one word . Historically, it used to be spelled as two words in the United States, but its usage is diminishing; nevertheless it is a variant spelling in American English today . The spelling difference is reflected in the style guides of newspapers and other media agencies in the US, Ireland, and countries of the Commonwealth of Nations . In Canada (and sometimes in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, other Commonwealth countries, and Ireland) percent is also found, mostly sourced from American press agencies . </Li> </Ul> <Li> any more or anymore: In sense "any longer", the single - word form is usual in North America and Australia but unusual elsewhere, at least in formal writing . Other senses always have the two - word form; thus Americans distinguish "I couldn't love you anymore (so I left you)" from "I couldn't love you any more (than I already do)". In Hong Kong English, any more is always two words . </Li> <Li> for ever or forever: Traditional British English usage makes a distinction between for ever, meaning for eternity (or a very long time into the future), as in "If you are waiting for income tax to be abolished you will probably have to wait for ever"; and forever, meaning continually, always, as in "They are forever arguing". In British usage today, however, forever prevails in the "for eternity" sense as well, in spite of several style guides maintaining the distinction . American writers usually use forever regardless of which sense they intend (although forever in the sense of "continually" is comparatively rare in American English, having been displaced by always). </Li>

50 words in british vs american english with difference