UK vs. US crochet terms: what's the difference?

UK and US crochet terminology

It would be great if crochet terms were the same all over the world, wouldn't it be? Unfortunately, that's not the case.

There's a difference between British English crochet terms (UK terms for UK patterns) and American English crochet terms (US terms for US patterns).

Patterns from British magazines and Australia-based designers often use british crochet terms, while American designers often use american crochet terms. So that means you have to check which one you're looking at!

With patterns moving from magazine-only to being shared as free crochet patterns on the internet, it's necessary to recognize which sets of terms are used. And while a good crochet pattern may havea clear indication if it is british terminology or US crochet terminology, some free patterns may not. So you need to have the tools ready to convert a pattern into the different crochet terms of your choice. And that's where it gets complicated.And that's where it gets complicated. Both UK and US terminologies use the same stitch names double crochets, trebles and double trebles, but are indicating different stitches! A UK double crochet is a US single crochet, while a US treble is a UK double treble. Confused? I understand completely. I mean, why use different names for the same thing? That's why I made a conversion chart for UK and US crochet terms, which you'll find below. You can use this to convert any US crochet pattern to a UK crochet pattern and vice versa in an easy way.

Why is there a difference, and whats the main difference between UK and US crochet terms?

I don't know why there's a difference between the two terminologies. I do know what the difference is based on: the UK terminology refers to the number of loops on your hook, and the US terminology refers to the number of yarnovers when pulling up your first loop. That also answers what the main difference between these sets of crochet terminology is !

For example, a US double crochet (UK treble) has two yarnovers (hence, double in US terms), but three loops on the hook after pulling up a loop from the stitch. A US single crochet (UK double crochet) has only one yarnover after inserting it into the stitch but has two loops on the hook after pulling up a loop (hence, double in UK crochet terms).

Crochet terms conversion chart

Here you can find a small table with all basic stitches in UK crochet terminology and the US stitches right besides them! This may very well be the easiest way to convert between the UK version and US crochet terms, a cheat sheet if you will. It's alsmost crazy to see how two similar things can have such different meanings.

The information in the table above also goes for any derived stitch instructions, like crocheting multiple stitches together. A US pattern will use 'sc2tog' while the UK equivalent would be 'dc2tog'.

How do I know if a pattern is written in US crochet terms or UK crochet terms?

Normally, the pattern specifies whether it's written in US or UK terms. You can find this information either in the stitch abbreviations, the general description or in the pattern notes. In the rare instance that you do not have this information, you can discern between the two terminologies this way:

1. Check the 'notes' section. It maybe the easiest way to know for sure if a pattern is using british terms or american terms. ​Be sure to check the written pattern, sometimes it has details the crochet charts don't.
2. Check the actual stitches. If there's a single crochet (sc) in the pattern list, you know you're looking at a US pattern. Single crochets only exist in US terminology, and not in UK terminology. Same with a half treble crochet (htr), that stitch does not exist in US terminology, only in UK terminology. In US terms it's a half double crochet (hdc).
3. Look up the crochet diagram and compare this with the stitch description. Finally, check the table above and see which stitch is described and whether your pattern is written in UK or US terms. Also check out my guide on crochet stitch symbols.
4. Check other words besides the stitches. UK terminology often uses 'miss a stitch' instead of the US equivalent 'skip a stitch'. And for example, 'gauge' is the preferred word in UK terminology, while 'tension' is used in the US. This is not a foolproof method, but it might give you a clue!
5. Check the location of the pattern author. Australian patterns normally use UK terminology, just like UK crochet patterns. Whereas American authors normally use US crochet terms for their patterns. For example South Africa uses both sets of terms, that where you really have to pay attention to the other tips!

I hope these tips give you a starting point to help you to easily recognise the language your pattern is written in. And when in doubt, you can always try to get in touch with the designer or publicist. If you have any extra tips, feel free to leave a comment below and help your fellow crocheters out.