Harry Potter fan in stitches after noticing key difference in UK and US books

A small language change in the books makes one scene play out so differently.

Despite the UK and the US both speaking English as their primary language, there are several differences between the versions of the language that each country speaks. Some words are spelt differently, and others have entirely different meanings depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on.

If you're a Harry Potter fan, you'll probably already be aware of some of the differences between the books published in the UK and the versions sold in the US. For example, the first book in the UK is called , while in the US, it is referred to as the Sorcerer's Stone.

But one keen fan has pointed out a more obscure difference between the two versions - and depending on how you interpret the words used, it could make for hilarious reading.

READ MORE:

A woman named Devin shared a video on TikTok in which she said the scene in question made her realise that "British English and American English are sometimes two very different languages".

Devin explained that in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - the fourth book in the JK Rowling saga - there is a chapter in which Fred and George Weasley quit school and leave behind a "portable swamp". The book says the swamp took a while to clean up, and in the meantime, Hogwarts caretaker Filch had to help children cross the water.

In the British English version of the book, it states Filch had to "punt children across the swamp". To most Brits, this conjures up a very sensible image, as punting is a form of boating in a punt, which is a long boat with a flat bottom. Therefore, the books are simply describing Filch ferrying children across the water in a particular kind of boat.

But any Americans who read the British English versions of the book would likely be left baffled, as Devin was, because the word "punting" would make them think of something very different.

Devin said: "Punting is a very specific move in American football in which a kicker - a punter, it's a dedicated role - takes the football and kicks it across the field as far as it could possibly go.

"So, as a child, I was assuming that Filch was just kicking children down a hallway. And because I had already suspended my disbelief because this is a fictional book about children wizards, I was like, 'Yeah, this is fine'."

Some people in the comments pointed out that "punting" is also a term used in rugby, but it's generally easier for Brits to use context clues to work out which version of the word JK Rowling meant, whereas Americans are largely unaware of the boating term.

Others, however, were blown away by Devin's revelation. One person said: "I legit thought he was drop-kicking those kids all these years," while another added: "It totally made sense bc of how much Filch hated the students. Of course, he was drop-kicking them! Even after I realised it was a different kind of punting; I still couldn't stop picturing the drop-kicking."

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at .

READ MORE: