Vocabulary · Seasons and celebrations
New Year in English
A2
New Year in English: New Year's Eve on 31 December, the countdown to midnight, fireworks over the Thames or in Times Square, the big “Happy New Year!”, then New Year's Day and its famous resolutions. With British pronunciation (IPA) and examples.
Quick answer
New Year's Eve
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Eve(n.) | the evening of 31 December | /njuː jɪəz iːv/ | “We celebrate New Year's Eve with friends.” |
| New Year's Day(n.) | 1 January, a public holiday | /njuː jɪəz deɪ/ | “New Year's Day is a public holiday.” |
| midnight(n.) | twelve o'clock at night | /ˈmɪdnaɪt/ | “We kiss at midnight.” |
| countdown(n.) | counting the last seconds backwards | /ˈkaʊntdaʊn/ | “The countdown starts in 10 seconds!” |
| party(n.) | a fun event with friends and music | /ˈpɑːti/ | “We're throwing a New Year's party.” |
Celebrations
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| fireworks(n.) | bright explosions of colour in the sky | /ˈfaɪəwɜːks/ | “The fireworks were amazing.” |
| champagne(n.) | a sparkling wine for big celebrations | /ʃæmˈpeɪn/ | “They opened a bottle of champagne.” |
| to toast(v.) | to raise glasses and wish something good | /təʊst/ | “Let's toast to the New Year!” |
| Cheers!(interj.) | what you say when you raise your glass | /tʃɪəz/ | “Cheers, everyone!” |
| kiss(n.) | touching someone with your lips | /kɪs/ | “A kiss at midnight is tradition.” |
| confetti(n.) | tiny pieces of coloured paper | /kənˈfeti/ | “There was confetti everywhere!” |
| sparkler(n.) | a small firework you hold in your hand | /ˈspɑːklə/ | “Kids love sparklers.” |
Resolutions and a fresh start
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's resolution(n.) | a promise to change something in January | /njuː jɪəz ˌrezəˈluːʃən/ | “My resolution is to exercise more.” |
| fresh start(n.) | a new beginning | /freʃ stɑːt/ | “A new year, a fresh start.” |
| wish(n.) | something you hope will happen | /wɪʃ/ | “Make a wish at midnight!” |
| goal(n.) | something you want to achieve | /ɡəʊl/ | “My goal is to learn English.” |
| to keep a resolution(phrase) | to do what you promised yourself | /kiːp ə ˌrezəˈluːʃən/ | “I'll try to keep my resolutions this year.” |
Wishes and greetings
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Happy New Year!(phrase) | the greeting at midnight on 31 December | /ˈhæpi njuː jɪə/ | “Happy New Year, everyone!” |
| Best wishes(phrase) | a kind greeting on cards and letters | /best ˈwɪʃɪz/ | “Best wishes for the New Year.” |
| All the best(phrase) | a short way to wish good luck | /ɔːl ðə best/ | “All the best for 2026!” |
| Have a great year ahead(phrase) | a friendly wish for the coming year | /hæv ə ɡreɪt jɪə əˈhed/ | “Have a great year ahead, see you in January!” |
Common mistakes to avoid
New Year's Day ❌ for the evening of 31 December
New Year's Eve is the evening of 31 December, before midnight. New Year's Day is the day of 1 January, a public holiday. Eve means the evening before a special day, like Christmas Eve.
New Years Eve ❌: don't forget the apostrophe
Always write 's, as in a possessive: New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, New Year's resolution. It means “the eve of the New Year”. New Years Eve and News Year are wrong. But the greeting has no 's: Happy New Year!
Happy the New Year! ❌: no the in the greeting
In the greeting, say Happy New Year!, without the. It is like Merry Christmas! When you talk about the New Year, you can use the: The New Year is coming.
Do a resolution ❌: you make it and keep it
You make a resolution: I made three resolutions this year. Then you keep it (you do what you promised), or you break it (you stop): I never keep my resolutions. Do a resolution is wrong.
Practice quiz
Related pages: New Year
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
New Year: learn these words for good
Learning a long list by heart and forgetting it a few days later? With PLAY, you review the words at the right moment (spaced repetition), so they stay in your head.
Review “New Year” on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachers“New Year” vocabulary, ready for your lessons
The Academy groups these words into topic-based sequences, with quizzes and practice in context: your students remember the words, and you have nothing to mark.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
English contestThe “New Year” topic is part of the contest vocabulary
Every year, the English contest uses a wide range of cultural topics. Register your students so they can see what they really remember.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Frequently asked questions
What do you say to wish someone a happy New Year?+
Happy New Year! is the greeting everyone uses, at midnight or in the first days of January. On a card, you can write Best wishes for the New Year. For a more formal message: Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year. Here, prosperous means successful, with enough money.
When is New Year's Eve?+
New Year's Eve is on 31 December, in the evening until midnight. People have a party or a special dinner. Together, they count the last ten seconds: this is the countdown. At midnight, people hug or kiss and watch the fireworks. New Year's Day, on 1 January, is a public holiday.
What are New Year's resolutions?+
They are promises you make to yourself for the new year. Popular ones are to exercise more, to eat healthier, to spend less time on screens and to learn a language. Many people give up their resolutions in the first weeks of January!
What do you say when you raise your glass?+
Say Cheers! as you raise your glass and look at the other people. For a more formal toast, say Here's to the New Year! or Here's to health and happiness! You can do it with any drink, for example a glass of juice or lemonade.
What song do people sing at midnight on New Year's Eve?+
They sing Auld Lang Syne, an old Scottish song. The poet Robert Burns wrote it down in 1788, and people sing it at midnight in many English-speaking countries. The title means “long ago” or “old times”. The first line is Should auld acquaintance be forgot…: “Should we forget our old friends?”
How do you talk about your New Year's resolutions in English?+
For your plans, use will or going to: I will read more books. I'm going to exercise every week. For a wish, use I hope to + verb: I hope to visit London. To start, simply say My resolutions are…
How do you wish your teacher or pen friend a happy New Year?+
In class, say Happy New Year! with a smile. In an email, write Wishing you and your family a very happy New Year! In a message or on the phone, say Best wishes for the year ahead!
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/new-year
© 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.