Is there a difference between a flat and an apartment?
Is there a difference between a flat and an apartment? Is an apartment and a flat the same? An apartment is a more commonly used American term for a cluster of rooms that could be over one floor. A flat is a British term for a set of rooms that forms a residence within one floor.
Why do they call it an apartment?
The word “apartment comes from the French word appartement and the Italian word appartimento, both of which mean “a separated place. If you think about it, it makes sense. Even though all the apartments within a single building are indeed stuck together, they are also apart from each other.
Why do British people say flat instead of apartment?
In the United Kingdom, Australia and many other parts of the world, the word 'flat' is used to mean an apartment or a house. It is derived from the Scottish word 'flet' which means the interior of a house. In Old English, flet means house or floor. The word flat may also be linked to the “flatness” of the abode.