🌍 American vs British · vocabulary

closet vs wardrobe

A built-in or freestanding space for storing clothes.

American
closet

“She hung her coat in the closet by the front door.”

British
wardrobe

“She hung her coat in the wardrobe by the front door.”

Good to know

Americans say "closet" for a clothes-storage space, while Britons say "wardrobe." In British English a "closet" usually refers to a small room or cupboard (as in "water closet"), and "wardrobe" is widely understood in the US as a freestanding cabinet.

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