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Floors of a House

There are some important differences between British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) in talking about the floors in a house.

In BrE the floor at the level of the surrounding land or ground is called the ground floor (this is the floor where you usually enter a house). In AmE the same floor is called the first floor. The floors above are numbered starting from the ground or first floor, so there is usually a difference of one level in BrE and AmE usage, as follows:

  • BrE: ground floor, 1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor etc
  • AmE: 1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor, 4th floor etc

This diagram shows a two-storey house that also has a basement level underneath.

Floors Of A House
A floor is the same as a storey: all the rooms that are at the same level