The article considers a comparative approach in terms of teaching the vocabulary of British and American English. The work analyzes works on the problems of intercultural, socio-cultural approaches, principles of oppositional activity, the historical context of the emergence of American English as a variant of the English language, as well as American cultural identity in relation to the topic under study. The studied criteria for selecting the content of the lexical material of British and American English for teaching are given. The specifics of historical and comparative analysis and comparative analysis in the field of linguistics are investigated. The essence of the concept of comparative studies, advantages and features of the comparative method are considered. The authors consider the history of comparative studies and its application in the humanities, such as philosophy, law, pedagogy, history, and sociology. The analysis of the study of comparative studies both in Russia and abroad is also carried out. The relevance and potential of the comparative approach in the framework of teaching vocabulary of the American and British versions of the English language is identified and justified. The article highlights the peculiarities of the lexical units of British and American English in terms of the complexity of the problem. The authors correlate the use of a comparative approach with the development of universal learning activities of students.

Keywords: comparative approach, comparative studies, teaching lexis, American English, British English