In this regard, what is a jail called in England?

4 Answers. Google Ngram Viewer (for the "British English" corpus) shows that gaol was more popular than jail until the mid-19th century, that the two words were used with broadly similar frequency from then until the mid-20th century, and that now jail is the most common spelling.

Additionally, what is a slang word for jail? hoosegow. (US, slang) A jail.

Also to know is, what is the old English term for jail?

The traditional spelling has been “gaol” in Britain and “jail” in the United States. Although “gaol” is still acceptable in Britain, it's now considered a variant spelling of “jail” on both sides of the Atlantic, according to the Oxford English Dictionary and the four standard British dictionaries we've checked.

Is jail American or British?

From the description, I would understand that jail is a place for temporary confinement; from the given examples, it seems there isn't much difference in using one word or the other. The terms are synonymous in British English.