Harry Potter: Things You Didn't Realize Were Changed In The American Books

So many people had a unique experience reading the Harry Potter novels, but this is because there are different versions of the Harry Potter books. While the films give everyone the same content, the U.K. and U.S. novels have some differences readers might not have realized even existed. The title change of the first book is famous, of course, as the name was changed for the United States so as not to confuse consumers. However, there are lots of other little phrases and moments that were altered between the two versions.

The Bloomsbury and the Scholastic editions of the Harry Potter books changed, mostly thanks to U.S. editors wanting to clarify the text for readers, most of whom were younger children in the early books. However, it wasn't just language differences that editors changed. Other things needed to be altered to help transfer the book to American audiences. From small-phrase changes and colloquial terms to missing sentences and changed details, most aren't easy to find, while others are staring readers right in the face.

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10 The Title Was Changed From Philosopher's Stone To Sorcerer's Stone

Scholastic Changed Its Name For American Audiences

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone was changed to Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S. edition of the book. It is one of the biggest and most noticeable differences between the U.K. and U.S. editions and is the only book title to be changed from the original, with all other books keeping the UK title despite text differences in the U.S. novels. While there are several reasons people have guessed as to why the book changed its name, including a perceived American confusion about the meaning of "Philosopher's Stone," the reason was simple.

The book changed to "Sorcerer's Stone" for marketing purposes. In the book, J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography, it was revealed that Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine felt the book needed a more magical name for American readers. J.K. Rowling agreed with the idea that "Philosopher's Stone" sounded more "arcane," and suggested the change to "Sorcerer's Stone." While this cost the movie the historical aspect of the actual philosopher’s stone, the new title likely resulted in better sales.

9 There Are A Few Small Wording Changes

British Slang Was Changed To American Terms

Throughout the seven-book series, many common phrases have been changed to fit better with U.S. English. The books changed the U.K. word "jumper" to the U.S. version of the word, "sweater." Other examples include changing the terms "skip" to "dumpster," "sherbert lemon" to "lemon drop," "toffee" to "fudge," and "revision timetable" to "study schedule." The changes don't make a big difference to the storyline and are quite small, but they are noticeable.

As with the title of the first book, it was Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine who made the suggestions. His explanation was that the kids these books were meant for might have trouble catching on if there are terms used that American readers don't normally use, hear, or understand in the context they are used in the U.K. On top of the wording changes, Rowling also actively re-edited her books to fix "errors" and "adjust the story" before it was translated into the American versions.

8 Harry's Spider Sightings In Chamber Of Secrets Are Different

The Aragog Scenes Were More Descriptive In The U.S. Version

In Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, the U.S. edition of the book includes far more detail concerning Harry's spider sightings. The U.K. version gives short sentences with far fewer descriptions, skipping entire sentences like, "large spiders were scuttling over the ground," in an "unnaturally straight line as though taking the shortest route to a prearranged meeting."

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One snippet of the writing simply states that Harry watched the spiders running away, while the U.S. version says "Harry’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the spiders. If they pursued their fixed course, there could be no doubt about where they would end up." The lines were much more descriptive of the spiders than they were in the original U.K. version, likely giving Rowling a chance to add some color to her original text before the translations were finished.

7 A Mr. Malfoy & Dobby Scene Is Slightly Altered

Dobby Gets More Early Character Building In The U.S. Version

When Lucius Malfoy meets with Dumbledore after the events inside The Chamber Of Secrets, the beginning sentence is the same in both book editions. "Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room. Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face." It's the middle description that is missing in the U.K. version but included in the U.S. edition of the book.

"The elf was carrying a stained rag with which he was attempting to finish cleaning Mr. Malfoy’s shoes. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled. Ignoring the elf bobbing apologetically around his ankles, he fixed his cold eyes upon Dumbledore."

This change in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets offers a little more concerning Dobby and the House Elves' future importance in the franchise. The main change here is to add more descriptive phrases to the scene, and not just have simple dialogue carry it on. However, the scene also gives Dobby more character definition. Dobby works hard to help Lucius and the wizard only abuses him.

6 Sirius's Vault Number

The Vault Number Remains Unmentioned In The U.S. Version

In Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, Harry receives the Firebolt broomstick as a gift from an anonymous sender. Professor McGonagall confiscates the broom and a series of tests are performed to ensure it hasn't been tampered with. In the books, it's revealed that Sirius used Crookshanks to go to the Owl Office using Harry's name to take Gold from his own Gringotts vault. The U.K. edition includes the vault number in the sentence, "seven hundred and eleven," while the U.S. edition omits this detail.

Gringott vault number 711 belongs to the Black estate, which Sirius Black inherited after his mother's death. It remains unclear why the vault number was removed from the U.S. version, other than the fact that it made little sense for Sirius to use the number when talking to Harry since it has no significance in the conversation. Other important Gringott valuts include Vault 713 (the former home of the Philosophe'rs Stone) and one belonging to the Lestrange Family.

5 Harry's Train Of Thought About The Boggart Changes

Was Harry Thinking Of Voldemort Or Dementors?

In Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, one of Harry's lines has been tweaked, and it completely changes the meaning. In the U.K. version, Harry tells Lupin "'I did think of Voldemort at first,’ said Harry honestly. ‘But then I — I remembered those dementors.'" However, in the U.S. version Harry says "I didn’t think of Voldemort,” said Harry honestly. “I — I remembered those dementors." It seems to be a slight change in Harry's train of thought.

However, when breaking down the two lines, the change alters the meaning of Harry's admission. In the U.K. version of the line, Harry admits that he thought of Lord Voldemort first, which makes sense as he is the greatest evil in the entire franchise. It lines up that Harry would find the greatest fear in him. However, the U.S. version changes it so that Harry either denies that Voldemort was his first thought, or he realistically doesn't see Voldemort as a threat as strong as dementors -- yet.

4 Lupin's Friendship With Sirius Gets A Timetable

How Long Have Sirius & Lupin Been Estranged?

Lupin and Sirius were both Marauders and best friends to James Potter. In the U.K. edition of Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, Lupin tells Harry, “I haven’t been Sirius’s friend for twelve years, but I am now…let me explain…” In the U.S. version, the details of time have been left out. Lupin simply states “I haven’t been Sirius’s friend." 12 years is the duration Sirius stayed in Azkaban, the time Lupin believed his friend to be a murderer.

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While some of the changes that J.K. Rowling made when re-editing the books were made to beef up some of the descriptions or to switch out words unfamiliar to American audiences, this was the case of her trying to possibly tighten up a sentence. However, it really leaves out an important part of the dialogue. Lupin admitting he hasn't been friends with Sirius for 12 years is a lot more meaningful than just saying he hasn't been friends with him, seemingly at all, especially since they were Marauders together.

3 Voldemort's Return Involves More References To Death

Voldemort Has Murderous Plans In The U.S. Version

In the first chapter of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, Voldemort and Wormtail are having a conversation inside Riddle House. In the U.K. version, Voldemort tells Wormtail "one more obstacle removed and our path to Harry Potter is clear." In the U.S. version, the word obstacle has been changed to "death." In another sentence of the first chapter, "One more curse...my faithful servant at Hogwarts...Harry Potter is as good as mine, Wormtail. It is decided," the word "curse," has been changed to "murder."

Peter Pettigrew's lines also changed from "curse," to "murder." These changes seem more along the lines of adding dramatic meaning to the dialogue and scenes. Changing the word "obstacle" to "death" is a huge one, as death is a lot more menacing a threat than just putting up an obstacle. Also, there are many curses in the Harry Potter franchise, and not all of them result in death. By changing the word curse to death, it is clear that Voldemort doesn't want to curse Harry, but he wants the Boy Wizard dead.

2 Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Marketing

The U.S. Version Goes All In On Advertising Type

In Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, Fred and George's Joke Shop is up and running. The reader experience stays the same for the most part except for the use of capital letters used for the product names in the U.S. version. "REUSABLE HANGMAN – SPELL IT OR HE’LL SWING!" and "WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT YOU-KNOW WHO? YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT U-NO-POO –THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THAT’S GRIPPING THE NATION!" really scream at the reader in comparison to the U.K. edition.

The U.K. version has the same names, but it uses camel-case font and italics to set it apart from the rest of the text. In the U.S. version, it is all uppercase letters and in a different typeface than the rest of the text. Both are ways to separate it from the regular text in the chapter, but the U.S. version really shows off the idea of selling items in advertising which is very much a United States method of capitalism.

1 Dumbledore Reasoning With Draco Is Expanded

The Headmaster Has A Longer Conversation With Draco

It's a moment no fan of Harry Potter could ever forget. The lovely, wise, and tortured Dumbledore prevents a terrible burden from weighing on Draco's soul. A dying Dumbledore asks his ally Snape to kill him so Draco won't have to. But before Snape lifts his wand, Dumbledore speaks to Draco, trying to convince him to "come over to the right side." This moment is longer in the U.S. edition of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, with an extra line between the two sentences both editions share.

Dumbledore says, "Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me — forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother — it is what they would do themselves, after all." In the U.S. version, Dumbledore clearly wants to explain to Draco how Voldemort would let him and his parents die, and he was much more descriptive in this version - and it is likely why Draco was so willing to turn his back on Voldemort at the end of the Harry Potter saga.