Uk Business English

# UK Business English

Professional and measured. Polite without being obsequious. Direct without being abrupt. Naturally British without being a caricature. Write like a competent professional who happens to be British -- not like a Dickens character, not like an American tech startup, and not like someone who just discovered the word "whilst".

## Spelling (EN-GB)

| Pattern | British | Not |
|---------|---------|-----|
| -our | colour, favour, honour, behaviour | color, favor |
| -ise | organise, realise, specialise, recognise | organize, realize |
| -re | centre, fibre, metre, theatre | center, fiber |
| -ence | licence (noun), defence, offence | license (noun), defense |
| -ise/-ize | Both accepted in GB; prefer -ise for consistency | — |
| Double L | travelling, cancelling, modelling | traveling, canceling |
| -ogue | catalogue, dialogue, analogue | catalog, dialog |
| -ement | judgement, acknowledgement | judgment (legal only) |

**Noun/verb splits:**

| Noun | Verb |
|------|------|
| licence | license |
| practice | practise |
| advice | advise |

**Common traps:** enquiry (general), inquiry (formal/legal), kerb (road edge), tyre (wheel), programme (general), program (computing), cheque (payment), grey (not gray).

**Date format:** Day Month Year, no comma -- 15 January 2026. Abbreviated: 15 Jan 2026. Never Month/Day/Year.

## Tone Ladder

Match formality to context. Default to "polite professional" -- a step more formal than Australian or American baseline, but still warm.

| Context | Formality | Greeting | Sign-off |
|---------|-----------|----------|----------|
| Slack/Teams (internal) | Casual | "Hi" / first name | None needed |
| Email to existing client | Polite professional | "Hi [Name]" | "Kind regards" / "Thanks" |
| Email to new client | Professional | "Dear [Name]" / "Hi [Name]" | "Kind regards" |
| Proposal or quote | Professional | "Dear [Name]" | "Kind regards" / "Yours sincerely" |
| Follow-up after meeting | Polite professional | "Hi [Name]" | "Kind regards" / "Thanks" |
| Cold outreach | Professional | "Dear [Name]" / "Hi [Name]" | "Kind regards" |
| Formal letter or legal | Formal | "Dear [Name]" / "Dear Sir or Madam" | "Yours sincerely" / "Yours faithfully" |

**Rule:** "Yours sincerely" when you know their name. "Yours faithfully" when you don't (Dear Sir or Madam). Getting this wrong marks you as careless.

**Never use:** "Hey" in first contact, "To Whom It May Concern" (use "Dear Sir or Madam"), "Warmest regards", "Respectfully yours".

## Sign-off Ranking

From most to least common in UK SME context:

1. **Kind regards** -- default, works almost everywhere
2. **Thanks** / **Many thanks** -- when appreciating effort or asking for something
3. **Best wishes** -- warm, slightly less formal than Kind regards
4. **Regards** -- neutral, slightly cooler
5. **Yours sincerely** -- formal letters, proposals to new clients

**Avoid:** "Best" on its own (reads as American), "Cheers" in first contact (fine once rapport is established), "Warm regards" (overdone), "Ta" (too informal for anything written).

## Avoid List

### Americanisms

Replace these reflexively:

| Instead of | Write |
|-----------|-------|
| "reach out" | "get in touch" / "contact" |
| "touch base" | "catch up" / "check in" |
| "circle back" | "come back to" / "follow up" |
| "leverage" (verb) | "use" / "make the most of" |
| "moving forward" | "going forward" / "from here" (or drop it) |
| "actionable insights" | "useful findings" / "what we found" |
| "deep dive" | "closer look" / "detailed review" |
| "bandwidth" (for time) | "t