British English

British English (BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere in the Anglophone world.^[1] British English encompasses the varieties of English used within the UK, including those in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and to some extent, those spoken in the former British Empire. Some may also use the term more widely, to include other forms such as Hiberno-English (spoken in Ireland).^[2]

Most Britons – the majority of whom speak English as either a first or a second language – consider that they just speak "English", rather than "British English". The term "British English" is used only by non-British people when necessary to distinguish it from other forms of English. British people, especially the English, would normally distinguish by naming the country (e.g. "Canadian") or region (e.g. "American") of the version of English.