If I’m talking to an English speaker from outside of the US, is there any confusion if I say “soccer”?

For example, when I was in college a friend asked for a “torch”. I was confused for quite some time, because I didn’t know it was another word for “flashlight”. Does the same thing happen with the word “soccer”? Should I clarify by saying, “…or football”?

Thank you!

  • Th4tGuyII@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    11 months ago

    Definitely Brits, but not just Brits - Sweets is the preferred term in much of the English speaking world, with Candy being very distinctly associated with the US.

    • otp@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      11 months ago

      Interesting. I’ve used candy to refer to non-chocolate sweets. Sweets refers to sweet candy, and chocolate.

      On that note, for a long time, I’d thought “candy bar” was called as such because they tend to not contain any actual chocolate.

      • Th4tGuyII@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        11 months ago

        How people refer between different types of sweets varies even within Britain, nevermind other countries… but at least in my experience chocolate sweets get referred to as chocolates, and non-chocolate sweets as just sweets (though I have heard the terms sugar sweets and confectioneries thrown about for those too)

          • Devi@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            11 months ago

            Sweets are a specific thing. Sweet is the flavour that you’re thinking of, but if someone is using sweet as a noun, they’re never referring to chocolate.