Standard English is a general term for a form of written and spoken English that is considered the model for educated people. There are no set rules or vocabulary for "standard English" because, unlike languages such as French, English does not have a governing body (see Académie française) to establish usage. As a result, the concept of "standard English" tends to be fluid. Various regional and national "standards" exist.

The issue is particularly complicated because English has become the most widely used language in the world, and therefore it is the language most subject to alteration by non-native speakers.

A rough rule of thumb used in some parts of the world, particularly those that are (or were) members of the Commonwealth of Nations, is to follow pronunciation and old usage guides of the BBC, otherwise known as Received Pronunciation or the Queen's English. Some residents of such countries oppose what they see as the linguistic mandate of moneyed classes and claim to intentionally use non-standard English as a form of protest.

In other places (particularly in places not formerly colonized by Britain), General American is being taught as the preferred dialect, perhaps due to the United States's pre-eminence in the world economy.