Although Oscar Wilde may have exaggerated somewhat when he claimed that the British and the Americans had everything in common except the language, it is nevertheless true that there are indeed two major varieties of English. To help you make yourself understood on both sides of the Atlantic without committing any faux pas, we invite you to consult this handy reference guide. While not intended to be exhaustive, it presents the essential differences you should know and gives you an idea of their scope and the areas in which they occur.