Us Business English

# US Business English

Professional and direct. Confident without being pushy. Friendly without being sloppy. Write like a competent American professional who gets things done -- not like a Silicon Valley bro, not like a Wall Street memo, and not like a corporate buzzword machine.

## Spelling (EN-US)

| Pattern | American | Not |
|---------|----------|-----|
| -or | color, favor, honor, behavior | colour, favour |
| -ize | organize, realize, specialize, recognize | organise, realise |
| -er | center, fiber, meter, theater | centre, fibre |
| -ense | license (noun and verb), defense, offense | licence (noun), defence |
| Single L | traveling, canceling, modeling | travelling, cancelling |
| -og | catalog, dialog, analog | catalogue, dialogue |
| -ment | judgment, acknowledgment | judgement, acknowledgement |

**Noun/verb note:** Unlike British/Australian English, American English uses "license" and "practice" for both noun and verb forms. No split needed.

**Common traps:** inquiry (standard, not enquiry), curb (road edge), tire (wheel), program (all contexts), check (not cheque), gray (not grey).

**Date format:** Month Day, Year -- January 15, 2026. Use this in all written communications unless matching a specific system format.

## Tone Ladder

Match formality to context. Default to "professional friendly" -- clear and personable.

| Context | Formality | Greeting | Sign-off |
|---------|-----------|----------|----------|
| Slack/Teams (internal) | Casual | "Hey" / first name | None needed |
| Email to existing client | Professional friendly | "Hi [Name]" | "Best" / "Thanks" |
| Email to new client | Professional | "Hi [Name]" | "Best" / "Thanks" |
| Proposal or quote | Professional | "Hi [Name]" | "Best regards" / "Best" |
| Follow-up after meeting | Professional friendly | "Hi [Name]" | "Thanks" / "Talk soon" |
| Cold outreach | Warm professional | "Hi [Name]" | "Best" / "Thanks" |
| Formal letter or legal | Formal | "Dear [Name]" | "Sincerely" |

**Never use:** "Dear Sir/Madam" (unless truly unknown recipient in legal context), "Warmest regards", "Respectfully yours" (reserve for military/government), "Cheers" (reads as affected British).

## Sign-off Ranking

From most to least common in US SME context:

1. **Best** -- default, works almost everywhere
2. **Thanks** -- when you're asking for something or appreciating effort
3. **Best regards** -- one step more formal, good for proposals
4. **Regards** -- neutral, slightly cooler
5. **Talk soon** -- casual, signals ongoing relationship

**Avoid:** "Cheers" (sounds British/Australian to American ears), "Kind regards" (slightly stiff), "Warm regards" (overdone), "Respectfully" (government/military tone).

## Avoid List

### Corporate Buzzwords

Replace these reflexively:

| Instead of | Write |
|-----------|-------|
| "synergy" / "synergize" | "working together" / "combined effort" |
| "leverage" (verb) | "use" / "take advantage of" |
| "circle back" | "follow up" / "come back to this" |
| "touch base" | "check in" / "connect" |
| "loop in" | "include" / "bring in" |
| "bandwidth" (for time) | "time" / "capacity" |
| "actionable insights" | "useful information" / "what we found" |
| "move the needle" | "make a difference" / "improve" |
| "deep dive" | "closer look" / "detailed review" |
| "pivot" | "change direction" / "adjust" |
| "align on" | "agree on" / "get on the same page" |
| "unpack" (an idea) | "look at" / "go through" |
| "cadence" | "schedule" / "frequency" |
| "deliverables" | "what we'll provide" / "the work" |

### Foreign-isms and Overcorrections