Vocabulary · Everyday life
Human body in English
A1
Human body in English: the head and face, the body and arms, the legs and feet, and the parts inside, with the irregular plurals and how to say that something hurts. With British pronunciation (IPA) and examples.
Quick answer
Head
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| head(n.)“My head hurts.” | the top part of your body | /hed/ |
| hair(n.) | what grows on top of your head | /heə/ |
| face(n.) | the front of your head | /feɪs/ |
| eye(n.) | the part you see with | /aɪ/ |
| nose(n.) | the part you smell with | /nəʊz/ |
| mouth(n.) | the part you eat with | /maʊθ/ |
| ear(n.) | the part you hear with | /ɪə/ |
| tooth(n.) | a hard white thing for biting | /tuːθ/ |
| tongue(n.) | the part in your mouth that tastes | /tʌŋ/ |
Body and arms
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| neck(n.) | between your head and your shoulders | /nek/ |
| shoulder(n.) | where your arm joins your body | /ˈʃəʊldə/ |
| arm(n.) | from your shoulder to your hand | /ɑːm/ |
| elbow(n.) | the middle joint of your arm | /ˈelbəʊ/ |
| hand(n.) | the part at the end of your arm | /hænd/ |
| finger(n.) | one of five on each hand | /ˈfɪŋɡə/ |
| chest(n.) | the front of your body, above the stomach | /tʃest/ |
| back(n.) | the part behind your chest | /bæk/ |
| stomach / belly(n.) | the middle front part of your body | /ˈstʌmək/ |
Legs and feet
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| leg(n.) | the long part you walk with | /leɡ/ |
| knee(n.) | the middle joint of your leg | /niː/ |
| foot(n.) | the part at the end of your leg | /fʊt/ |
| feet(n.) | the plural of foot | /fiːt/ |
| toe(n.) | one of five on each foot | /təʊ/ |
| ankle(n.) | the joint between your leg and foot | /ˈæŋkəl/ |
Inside the body
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| heart(n.) | it pumps blood around your body | /hɑːt/ |
| brain(n.) | the part inside your head that thinks | /breɪn/ |
| bone(n.) | a hard white part inside your body | /bəʊn/ |
| blood(n.) | the red liquid inside your body | /blʌd/ |
| skin(n.) | the outside layer of your body | /skɪn/ |
| muscle(n.) | it helps your body move | /ˈmʌsəl/ |
Common mistakes to avoid
Two foots ❌: say two feet
Foot becomes feet, and tooth becomes teeth. These irregular plurals must be learnt by heart. Most body parts are regular: hand becomes hands.
My hairs are blond ❌
In English, the hair on your head is uncountable, so it is singular. Say My hair is blond, not My hairs are blond. Use hairs only for single hairs that you can count.
Practice quiz
Related pages: Human body
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Going further
The “Human body” topic is part of the contest vocabulary
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Frequently asked questions
Why is it feet and not foots?+
Some English nouns have an irregular plural: foot becomes feet, tooth becomes teeth, mouse becomes mice, man becomes men and woman becomes women. They are exceptions, so learn them by heart.
Is hair singular or plural in English?+
Hair (all the hair on your head) is uncountable: it has no plural and takes a singular verb. My hair is long. The plural hairs means single hairs that you can count: There are two hairs in my soup!
How do you say that something hurts in English?+
Use my + body part + hurts: My head hurts. My leg hurts. Or use I have a + pain word: I have a headache. I have a stomachache. In British English, you also hear I've got a headache.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/vocabulary/human-body
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.