The same words mean different stitches. A US double crochet and a UK double crochet are not the same thing, and both shorten to “dc” — so a pattern can read perfectly sensibly and produce entirely the wrong fabric. If a pattern does not say which it uses, look for single crochet: it exists only in US terms.
The stitches you meet every day 26
| US | US name | UK | UK name |
|---|---|---|---|
| ch | Chain | ch | Chain |
| ch-sp | Chain Space | ch-sp | Chain Space |
| dc | Double Crochet | tr | Treble Crochet |
| dc-inc | dc Increase | tr-inc | tr Increase |
| dc2tog | Double Crochet 2 Together | tr2tog | Treble Crochet 2 Together |
| dc3tog | Double Crochet 3 Together | tr3tog | Treble Crochet 3 Together |
| dc4tog | Double Crochet 4 Together | tr4tog | Treble 4 Together |
| dc5tog | Double Crochet 5 Together | tr5tog | Treble 5 Together |
| dtr | Double Treble Crochet | ttr | Triple Treble Crochet |
| US | US name | UK | UK name |
|---|---|---|---|
| hdc | Half Double Crochet | htr | Half Treble Crochet |
| hdc-inc | hdc Increase | htr-inc | htr Increase |
| hdc2tog | Half Double Crochet 2 Together | htr2tog | Half Treble Crochet 2 Together |
| inc | Increase (2 sts in one st) | inc | Increase |
| magic ring | Magic Ring / Adjustable Loop | magic ring | Magic Ring |
| sc | Single Crochet | dc | Double Crochet |
| sc-inc | sc Increase | dc-inc | dc Increase |
| sc2tog | Single Crochet 2 Together | dc2tog | Double Crochet 2 Together |
| sc3tog | Single Crochet 3 Together | dc3tog | Double Crochet 3 Together |
| US | US name | UK | UK name |
|---|---|---|---|
| sl st | Slip Stitch | ss | Slip Stitch |
| slip knot | Slip Knot | slip knot | Slip Knot |
| t-ch1 | Turning Chain (1) | t-ch1 | Turning Chain (1) |
| tr | Treble Crochet | dtr | Double Treble Crochet |
| tr-inc | tr Increase | dtr-inc | dtr Increase |
| tr2tog | Treble Crochet 2 Together | dtr2tog | Double Treble 2 Together |
| tr3tog | Treble Crochet 3 Together | dtr3tog | Double Treble 3 Together |
| tr4tog | Treble Crochet 4 Together | dtr4tog | Double Treble 4 Together |
Clusters, puffs, post stitches and the rest 67
| US | US name | UK | UK name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2dc-bobble | 2-dc Bobble | 2tr bobble | 2-tr Bobble |
| 2dc-cl | 2-dc Cluster | 2tr-cl | 2-tr Cluster |
| 2dtr-cl | 2-dtr Cluster | 2trtr-cl | 2-trtr Cluster |
| 2tr-cl | 2-tr Cluster | 2dtr-cl | 2-dtr Cluster |
| 3dc-cl | 3-dc Cluster | 3tr-cl | 3-tr Cluster |
| 3dc-pc | 3-dc Popcorn | 3tr pc | 3-tr Popcorn |
| 3tr-cl | 3-tr Cluster | 3dtr-cl | 3-dtr Cluster |
| 4dc-bobble | 4-dc Bobble | 4tr bobble | 4-tr Bobble |
| 4dc-cl | 4-dc Cluster | 4tr-cl | 4-tr Cluster |
| 4dc-pc | 4-dc Popcorn | 4tr pc | 4-tr Popcorn |
| 4hdc-puff | 4-hdc Puff | 4htr puff | 4-htr Puff |
| 4tr-bobble | 4-tr Bobble | 4dtr bobble | 4-dtr Bobble |
| 4tr-cl | 4-tr Cluster | 4dtr-cl | 4-dtr Cluster |
| 5dc-cl | 5-dc Cluster | 5tr-cl | 5-tr Cluster |
| 5tr-bobble | 5-tr Bobble | 5dtr bobble | 5-dtr Bobble |
| 5tr-cl | 5-tr Cluster | 5dtr-cl | 5-dtr Cluster |
| beg | Beginning | beg | Beginning |
| beg bobble | Beginning 3-dc Bobble | beg bobble | Beginning Bobble |
| beg bobble | Beginning 5-dc Bobble | beg bobble | Beginning Bobble |
| beg pc | Beginning Popcorn | beg pc | Beginning Popcorn |
| beg-dc2tog | Beginning Cluster (ch 3 + 1 dc together) | beg-tr2tog | Beginning Cluster (ch 3 + 1 tr together) |
| beg-dc3tog | Beginning Cluster (ch 3 + 2 dc together) | beg-tr3tog | Beginning Cluster (ch 3 + 2 tr together) |
| beg-dc5tog | Beginning Cluster (ch 3 + 4 dc together) | beg-tr5tog | Beginning Cluster (ch 3 + 4 tr together) |
| US | US name | UK | UK name |
|---|---|---|---|
| beg-tr2tog | Beginning Cluster (ch 4 + 1 tr together) | beg-dtr2tog | Beginning Cluster (ch 4 + 1 dtr together) |
| BLO | Back Loop Only | BLO | Back Loop Only |
| bobble | 3-dc Bobble | bobble | Bobble Stitch |
| bobble | 5-dc Bobble | bobble | Bobble Stitch |
| BPdc | Back Post Double Crochet | BPtr | Back Post Treble Crochet |
| BPhdc | Back Post Half Double Crochet | BPhtr | Back Post Half Treble Crochet |
| BPtr | Back Post Treble Crochet | BPdtr | Back Post Double Treble Crochet |
| bull | Bullion Stitch | bull | Bullion Stitch |
| ch-2 picot | Ch-2 Picot | ch-2 picot | Ch-2 Picot |
| ch-4 picot | Ch-4 Picot | ch-4 picot | Ch-4 Picot |
| fasten off | Fasten Off | fasten off | Fasten Off |
| FLO | Front Loop Only | FLO | Front Loop Only |
| FPdc | Front Post Double Crochet | FPtr | Front Post Treble Crochet |
| FPhdc | Front Post Half Double Crochet | FPhtr | Front Post Half Treble Crochet |
| FPtr | Front Post Treble Crochet | FPdtr | Front Post Double Treble Crochet |
| join | Join with Slip Stitch | join | Join with Slip Stitch |
| ldc | Linked Double Crochet | ltr | Linked Treble |
| loop st | Loop Stitch | loop st | Loop Stitch |
| ltr | Linked Treble Crochet | ldtr | Linked Double Treble |
| pc | Popcorn Stitch | pc | Popcorn Stitch |
| picot | Picot | picot | Picot |
| puff | 3-hdc Puff | puff | Puff Stitch |
| rep | Repeat | rep | Repeat |
| US | US name | UK | UK name |
|---|---|---|---|
| rev sc | Reverse Single Crochet (Crab Stitch) | rev dc | Reverse Double Crochet |
| rnd | Round | rnd | Round |
| shell | Shell | shell | Shell |
| sk | Skip | miss | Miss |
| sp | Space | sp | Space |
| spike dc | Spike Double Crochet | spike tr | Spike Treble |
| spike hdc | Spike Half Double Crochet | spike htr | Spike Half Treble |
| spike sc | Spike Single Crochet | spike dc | Spike Double Crochet |
| spike st | Spike Stitch | spike st | Spike Stitch |
| st | Stitch | st | Stitch |
| star st | Star Stitch | star st | Star Stitch |
| surface sl st | Surface Slip Stitch | surface ss | Surface Slip Stitch |
| t-ch2 | Turning Chain (2) | t-ch2 | Turning Chain (2) |
| t-ch3 | Turning Chain (3) | t-ch3 | Turning Chain (3) |
| t-ch4 | Turning Chain (4) | t-ch4 | Turning Chain (4) |
| t-ch5 | Turning Chain (5) | t-ch5 | Turning Chain (5) |
| t-ch6 | Turning Chain (6) | t-ch6 | Turning Chain (6) |
| third loop | Third Loop (Camel Stitch) | third loop | Third Loop |
| V-st | V-Stitch | V-st | V-Stitch |
| W-st | W-Stitch | W-st | W-Stitch |
| yo | Yarn Over | yoh | Yarn Over Hook |
The quick version: UK names are one step taller than US ones all the way up the ladder — US single is UK double, US double is UK treble. The hook and the yarn never change; only the word does. US names count the yarn overs you make before the stitch, UK names count the loops left on the hook after the first pull-up, which is why they never lined up.