Every single home I've visited in the US has one of these two light switch designs:
In contrast, homes in Europes usually have their light switches designed like this:
Is there a practical reason for this difference? Could I use a European light switch in the US (or vice-versa)?
Best Answer
Generally speaking no*.
Europe and the US have different voltages (230v vs 120v). This puts different requirements on the equipment, and they will be built and rated to suit these. For electrical purposes, if it isn't rated nothing else matters.
ie. a 230v circuit at 10A requires a much lower cross-sectional area of conductors but a higher insulation requirement, with the opposite being true for at 120v.
*It is of course possible to build a switch to meet these requirements and they may well exist, but the answer to "are they interchangeable" is no.