Ever wondered what a lorry or an ABC store is? Well, an English teacher in the UK has taken to YouTube to share a useful guide revealing the differences between British, American and Australian slang.

Lucy Earl, a 25-year-old from Hertfordshire in southern England, released a guide to her four million YouTube subscribers on the various slang used in western countries, with the help of Australian and American bloggers.

"We may all speak the same language," she said, "but we speak with different accents and different vocabulary, so this video is perfect for improving your vocabulary.

"English isn't a strictly phonetic language. The way a word is written in English may not give you an indication at all as to how it's pronounced."

There's likely been many an Aussie tourist who visited a US store and asked for a pair of thongs, only to be met with a strange look and potentially two sets of women's underwear.

Or an American asking for a "comforter" - which Down Under is more commonly known as a "doona", and in England, is called a "duvet".

Our "gumboots" become "wellies" on a trip to the UK, or "rain boots" in America. And if you're after a bottle of wine while abroad, it's not the "bottle-o" you need - it's the British "off-licence" or an American "ABC store".

WHAT THESE WORDS MEAN IN THE US AND UK

Truck

UK: Lorry

US: Tractor trailer

Togs

UK: Swimming costume

US: Bathing suit

Doona

UK: Duvet

US: Comforter

Capsicums

UK: Peppers

US: Bell peppers

Bottle-O

UK: Off-licence

US: ABC store

Singlet

UK: Vest

US: Wife beater