Pattern Conversion Calculator
The same word means a different stitch depending which side of the Atlantic wrote the pattern. Paste in a line or two and convert the whole thing at once, or scan the reference chart below for a quick lookup.
Full reference chart
| US term (abbr.) | UK term (abbr.) |
|---|---|
| Single crochet (sc) | Double crochet (dc) |
| Half double crochet (hdc) | Half treble crochet (htr) |
| Double crochet (dc) | Treble crochet (tr) |
| Treble crochet (tr) | Double treble crochet (dtr) |
| Double treble crochet (dtr) | Triple treble crochet (trtr) |
| Slip stitch (sl st) | Slip stitch (sl st) |
| Chain (ch) | Chain (ch) |
| Yarn over (yo) | Yarn over hook (yoh) |
| Skip | Miss |
| Gauge | Tension |
Why the same abbreviation means two different stitches
US and UK crochet terminology name stitches by counting loops and yarn-overs differently, which shifts every stitch name down one "size" between the two systems — what a US pattern calls a single crochet (the shortest, simplest stitch), a UK pattern calls a double crochet. That means "dc" in a US pattern and "dc" in a UK pattern are two entirely different stitches (single crochet vs. treble crochet) despite sharing an abbreviation, which is exactly the kind of thing that ruins a project if a pattern's origin isn't checked first. If a pattern's gauge or finished size looks badly off partway through and the stitch counts otherwise check out, working the wrong stitch height for the pattern's terminology system is worth ruling out.
How to tell which system a pattern is written in
Patterns from UK, Australian, New Zealand, and many European English-language publishers typically use UK terms; most US, Canadian (English-language), and many independent designer patterns online use US terms — but neither is a hard rule, and older patterns or patterns republished across regions sometimes mix conventions. The clearest tell is the stitch list itself: a pattern using "dc" as its shortest, most basic stitch is almost certainly UK terminology, while a pattern using "sc" as its shortest stitch is almost certainly US. If a pattern's materials list mentions "tension" instead of "gauge," that's UK terminology too.
What this converter doesn't catch
This handles stitch names and a handful of common vocabulary differences, but it can't detect every regional variation in phrasing, chart symbols, or a designer's personal shorthand, and it won't catch errors in a pattern that was already miswritten before you pasted it in. Always do a quick sanity check against the stitch list included at the top of most patterns (many state their terminology system explicitly) before trusting a full conversion on a complex project.