What’s the difference between the ground floor and the first floor?

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What’s the difference between the ground floor and the first floor? Excellent question!

In American English, the first floor is the one that’s the same level as the street, and then going up, we have second floor, third floor, etc.

But in British English, they call that level the ground floor – again, same level as the street – and then the first floor is above it, followed by the second floor, and so on.

So when you walk into a building from the street, you enter the first floor in American English and the ground floor in British English.

Then, when you go up the stairs, you go to the second floor in American English and the first floor in British English. Super confusing, I know!

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