US vs UK crochet terms: the one-step shift explained

You follow a pattern exactly, and the square comes out twice as tall as the photo. Nine times out of ten, nothing is wrong with your hands. The pattern was written in UK terms and you read it in US terms, or the other way round.

Crochet has two naming systems for the same stitches. They use the same words for different stitches, which is what makes them dangerous.

The shift in one table

Every basic stitch moves one name up when you cross the Atlantic.

Chain and slip stitch keep their meaning in both systems, though UK patterns often shorten slip stitch to “ss” where US patterns write “sl st”.

A few other words change too: US “skip” is UK “miss”, “gauge” is “tension”, and “yarn over” is often “yarn over hook” (yoh) in UK patterns.

Why the names differ

The two systems name stitches by counting different things. UK names count the loops on your hook after you pull up the first loop: insert, pull up a loop, and you have two loops, so the stitch is a “double”. US names count from a different starting point and call the same stitch a single. Neither is wrong. They just never agreed.

How to tell which terms a pattern uses

Before you start, spend thirty seconds on detective work.

1. Look for “single crochet” or “sc”. UK terms have no single crochet at all. If you see sc anywhere, the pattern uses US terms.
2. Read the abbreviations list. Most designers say “US terms” or “UK terms” near the top or beside the stitch key.
3. Check the spelling and words. “Tension”, “miss” and “colour” lean UK. “Gauge” and “skip” lean US. This is a hint, not proof: plenty of UK designers write in US terms for a wider audience.
4. Look at the photo. A pattern that mostly uses “dc” but shows short, dense fabric is probably UK (that dc is a US sc).

If you still cannot tell, work a small swatch both ways and compare it with the photo and the stated gauge.

Converting a pattern as you go

The safest habit is to write the conversion once, at the top of your printout or in your notes: “dc = US sc, tr = US dc”. Then you translate one row at a time instead of second-guessing every stitch.

Watch out for the decreases and special stitches, because they shift too. A UK “dc2tog” is a US “sc2tog”, and a UK “tr cluster” is built from US double crochets.

In Yarnstep you can switch the abbreviation dictionary between US and UK names, so tapping “dc” in a UK pattern shows the stitch it means there. You can also look any stitch up in our abbreviation lookup, which lists the US and UK name side by side.

A quick test before you commit

If you are not sure your conversion is right, crochet the first row or round and count. Most patterns give a stitch count at the end of each row or round. If your count matches, the terms are probably right. If your piece is noticeably taller or shorter than the pattern photo, stop and check before you work fifty rows of it.

For the rest of the shorthand in a pattern, our guide to crochet abbreviations covers the common ones, and reading size brackets explains the numbers in parentheses.