The British were stunned to discover that Americans do not measure paper using the standard A4, A3 and A2 format.
The debate raged last week on Twitter, with many wondering why the United States doesn’t use the simple system.
Scarlett’s post has racked up over 40 million views and she says, “I think it’s only now that finding out that Americans don’t measure paper in A4, A3, A2, etc. format has changed the trajectory of my life.”
The British were baffled by the revelation, even declaring that Americans are “crazy” for not following it.
The UK uses ISO 216, the international standard for paper sizes, which includes the most widely used A4 sheet.
Britons were stunned after discovering that Americans do not measure paper using the standard A4, A3 and A2 format (file image)
The debate ignited on Twitter last week after a post by @sscarlettamelie, which has already accumulated more than 40 million views.
In contrast, North America and parts of Central and South America measure paper in “inches” or call them “Letter”, “Legal” and “Tabloid”.
People rushed to ax/Twitter to share their surprise, with one writing: ‘WHAT THAT’S REALLY CRAZY, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH PAPER IS WHAT?’;
“At this rate, you could tell me that Americans measure earthquakes by standing outside with a glass of water, and I would believe you”;
‘I just realized these terms were never used on The Office’;
“I went to a stationery store and said give them A4, then they looked at me and started laughing like they thought I was crazy.”
The Americans were just as confused and added: ‘Wtf it’s A4’;
‘Wait, the paper has measurements? There is only one size, right?
“As an American, I don’t know what the fuck that is.”
The UK uses the international standard ISO 216, but Americans often use a different method (pictured above).
Both Brits and Americans rushed to X/Twitter to express their surprise at the letter measurements.
The most popular formats in the United States are Letter (8.5 × 11 inches), Legal (8.5 × 14 inches), and Tabloid (11 × 17 inches) formats, with Letter being the standard used in business and academia. .
The “Letter” size is slightly smaller than the standard A4, with the legal version being a longer version.
It comes after an American influencer who moved to the UK revealed the everyday differences that drive her “crazy”, including the disconcerting way Brits hang up the phone.
Mary Skinner moved from Virginia to Edinburgh three months ago because her husband is Scottish.
Despite loving many aspects of British life, including food deals and trains, Mary quickly noticed a couple of changes that weren’t ideal.
The 26-year-old, who has 1.4 million followers on TikTok, quickly racked up 450,000 views for her video exploring the everyday differences between British and American life.
“These are the things I was surprised to learn about everyday life in Scotland,” she told her fans in a TikTok. videoand adds: “I start with a couple of things that drive me crazy.”
Mary Skinner shared the everyday things that have driven her “crazy” since moving from the US to the UK.
First on Mary’s list was her frustration that the bathroom light switch was outside the room.
She explained: ‘The number of times I’ve walked into a bathroom, closed the door and stood there in complete darkness, searching the wall, trying to find a light switch that wasn’t there is embarrassing.
“That seems like something that doesn’t have to differ from one country to another. It seems like we could standardize it.”
He also didn’t like that UK bathrooms lacked proper sockets and only occasionally had a shaver socket.
Mary continued: ‘There are no real ones so you can’t plug in any bathroom appliances! You have to get out of the bathroom!
‘I know it’s a security issue, but it actually bothers me to think about it. Like I was starting to get angry.
His next complaint was about the very British way people hang up the phone, something “most people don’t even realize they do”.
‘If you talk to someone on the phone and they hang up in Scotland, they say goodbye! Bye, bye,” Mary explained.