US vs UK Crochet Terms: When the Same Word Means a Different Stitch
You follow a pattern exactly. Every stitch is right. And the finished piece is twice as tall as the photo, full of gaps, and nothing like the picture.
There is a good chance you did nothing wrong. You just read a UK pattern as though it were a US one.
The problem in one sentence
A US single crochet and a UK double crochet are the exact same stitch. Same hook movement, same result, different name.
This is not a small regional quirk like colour versus color. The two systems are offset by one step the whole way up, so every stitch name in a UK pattern refers to a taller stitch than the same name in a US pattern. Follow a UK pattern with US instincts and every stitch comes out wrong.
The full conversion table
| US term | UK term |
|---|---|
| slip stitch (sl st) | slip stitch (sl st) |
| single crochet (sc) | double crochet (dc) |
| half double crochet (hdc) | half treble (htr) |
| double crochet (dc) | treble (tr) |
| treble (tr) | double treble (dtr) |
| double treble (dtr) | triple treble (trtr) |
Slip stitch is the only one that means the same thing in both systems. Everything else shifts by one.
Notice the trap in the middle of that table. Double crochet exists in both columns, meaning two completely different stitches. It is the single most common place people go wrong.
How to tell which system a pattern uses
Most patterns say so at the top. When one does not, these tells are reliable.
1. Look for sc
If the pattern uses sc anywhere, it is US. The abbreviation does not exist in UK terminology at all, because the UK system has no stitch called single crochet. This is the fastest check there is.
2. Look at the shortest stitch used
If the smallest stitch in the pattern is dc and the piece is a dense stuffed shape, it is almost certainly UK. A US pattern making amigurumi would use sc.
3. Gauge or tension
US patterns say gauge. UK patterns say tension. Same measurement, different label.
4. Yarn over or yarn round hook
US patterns write yo for yarn over. UK patterns often write yrh for yarn round hook.
5. Hook size units
US patterns frequently give lettered hook sizes such as H/8, sometimes with the metric size beside it. UK and most international patterns give metric only, such as 4mm.
Which system does amigurumi use?
Overwhelmingly US terms. Amigurumi reached the wider world largely through US and Japanese pattern conventions, and the vast majority of amigurumi patterns online are written in US terminology. That includes every Yon Crochet pattern.
So if you are working a stuffed character and the pattern says sc, you are on familiar ground. If it says dc for the main body fabric, stop and check the source before going further.
Converting a pattern you already have
Work down the table one row. If you have a UK pattern and you think in US terms, shift every stitch name one step shorter: UK treble becomes US double crochet, UK double crochet becomes US single crochet, and so on. Slip stitch stays put.
Write the converted names onto your copy of the pattern before you begin, rather than converting in your head as you go. Mid-round mental arithmetic is exactly where mistakes creep in.
The deeper skill underneath this
Knowing the conversion table is useful. Being able to read a pattern closely enough to notice which system it uses is more useful, and it is a skill almost no video tutorial teaches.
Our free Pattern Trainer teaches exactly that: how to read crochet notation properly, from a single round through to a complete multi-piece pattern. No purchase and no account required. Once notation reads like a sentence instead of a code, spotting a UK pattern takes about three seconds.
You may also want the crochet terms glossary and our guide to single crochet versus double crochet, which explains what those two stitches actually do differently once you know which is which.