English

Speakers of English generally refer to the landmasses of North America and South America as the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, or the New World. The adjective American may be used to indicate something pertains to the Americas, but this term is primarily used in English to indicate something pertaining to the United States. Some non-ambiguous alternatives exist, such as the adjective Pan-American,or New Worlder as a demonym for a resident of the Americas.Use of America in the hemispherical sense is sometimes retained, or can occur when translated from other languages.For example, the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Paris maintains a single continental association for "America", represented by one of the five Olympic rings.

The English-language use of "American" as the demonym for citizens of the United States has caused offense to some from Latin America who may identify themselves with the term "American" and feel that using the term solely for the United States misappropriates it. To avoid this usage, they prefer constructed terms in their languages derived from "United States" or even "North America". In Canada, its southern neighbor is often referred to as "the United States", "the U.S.A.", or (informally) "the States," while citizens are generally referred to as Americans. Most Canadians resent being referred to as Americans,but some are said to have protested the use of American as a national demonym.