Vocabulary · Daily life
Office and work in English
B1
Office and work in English: the workspace, people at work, meetings, deadlines, office tools and remote work (WFH). With British pronunciation (IPA) and examples.
Quick answer
Workspace
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| office(n.)“I work in an office downtown.” | a room or building where people work | /ˈɒfɪs/ |
| desk(n.) | a table where you work or study | /desk/ |
| workstation(n.) | a desk with a computer for one person | /ˈwɜːksteɪʃn/ |
| meeting room(n.) | a room for group discussions at work | /ˈmiːtɪŋ ruːm/ |
| boardroom(n.) | a room where company directors have meetings | /ˈbɔːdruːm/ |
| open-plan office(n.) | one big room where many people work | /ˌəʊpən plæn ˈɒfɪs/ |
| cubicle(n.) | a small work space with low walls | /ˈkjuːbɪkl/ |
| break room(n.) | a room where workers rest and eat | /breɪk ruːm/ |
| co-working space(n.) | a shared place where people rent desks | /ˌkəʊ ˈwɜːkɪŋ speɪs/ |
People at work
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| colleague(n.)“My colleagues are friendly.” | a person you work with | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ |
| co-worker(n.) | a person you work with | /ˌkəʊ ˈwɜːkə/ |
| boss(n.) | the person in charge of you | /bɒs/ |
| manager(n.) | a person who leads a team | /ˈmænɪdʒə/ |
| CEO(n.) | the head of a whole company | /ˌsiː iː ˈəʊ/ |
| employee(n.) | a person who works for a company | /ɪmˈplɔɪiː/ |
| employer(n.) | a person or company that pays workers | /ɪmˈplɔɪə/ |
| intern(n.) | a student who works to learn a job | /ˈɪntɜːn/ |
| assistant(n.) | a person who helps someone with their work | /əˈsɪstənt/ |
Meetings and communication
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| meeting(n.)“I have a meeting at 3pm.” | a planned talk between several people | /ˈmiːtɪŋ/ |
| conference call(n.) | a phone call with several people | /ˈkɒnfərəns kɔːl/ |
| video call / Zoom call(n.) | a call where you can see each other | /ˈvɪdiəʊ kɔːl/ |
| email(n.) | a message sent over the internet | /ˈiːmeɪl/ |
| presentation(n.) | a talk that shows ideas to a group | /ˌpreznˈteɪʃn/ |
| agenda(n.) | the list of topics for a meeting | /əˈdʒendə/ |
| minutes(n.) | the written notes of a meeting | /ˈmɪnɪts/ |
| brainstorm(n./v.) | a group session to find new ideas | /ˈbreɪnstɔːm/ |
Deadlines and organisation
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| deadline(n.)“The deadline is Friday.” | the last day or time to finish something | /ˈdedlaɪn/ |
| project(n.) | a planned piece of work with a goal | /ˈprɒdʒekt/ |
| task(n.) | a piece of work you have to do | /tɑːsk/ |
| goal / target(n.) | something you want to achieve | /ɡəʊl/ |
| schedule(n.) | a plan of when things happen | /ˈʃedjuːl/ |
| priority(n.) | the most important thing to do first | /praɪˈɒrəti/ |
| overtime(n.) | extra hours of work after the normal time | /ˈəʊvətaɪm/ |
| break(n.) | a short time to rest | /breɪk/ |
| lunch break(n.) | time off work to eat at midday | /lʌntʃ breɪk/ |
Tools and technology
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| laptop(n.) | a small computer you can carry | /ˈlæptɒp/ |
| computer(n.) | a machine that stores and processes information | /kəmˈpjuːtə/ |
| printer(n.) | a machine that puts text on paper | /ˈprɪntə/ |
| photocopier(n.) | a machine that makes paper copies | /ˈfəʊtəʊkɒpiə/ |
| phone(n.) | a device for calling and texting people | /fəʊn/ |
| headset(n.) | headphones with a small microphone | /ˈhedset/ |
| keyboard(n.) | the set of keys you type on | /ˈkiːbɔːd/ |
| mouse(n.) | a small device that moves the cursor | /maʊs/ |
| monitor / screen(n.) | the part of a computer that shows images | /ˈmɒnɪtə/ |
Remote work and working hours
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| remote work(n.)“Remote work is the future.” | a job you do away from the office | /rɪˌməʊt ˈwɜːk/ |
| work from home (WFH)(v.) | to do your job at your house | /wɜːk frəm həʊm/ |
| hybrid(adj.) | partly at the office, partly at home | /ˈhaɪbrɪd/ |
| full-time(adj.) | working all the normal hours of a week | /ˌfʊl ˈtaɪm/ |
| part-time(adj.) | working fewer hours than a full week | /ˌpɑːt ˈtaɪm/ |
| freelance(adj./v.) | working for yourself for different clients | /ˈfriːlɑːns/ |
Common mistakes to avoid
I sit at my office ❌: an office is a room
An office is a room or a building where people work: I work at the office. The table where you sit and work is a desk: My laptop is on my desk.
I wrote the minute ❌: minutes is plural
In a meeting, the minutes (always plural) are the written notes, not a length of time. Take the minutes means to write these notes. Can you send me the minutes? means “Can you send me the notes of the meeting?”
Agenda: the list of topics for a meeting
In English, an agenda is the list of topics for a meeting: The first point on the agenda is the new website. For the small book where you write your appointments, say diary (UK) or planner (US).
Practice quiz
Related pages: Office and work
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
Office and work: 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 “Office and work” on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachers“Office and work” 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 “Office and work” 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
Is it colleague or co-worker?+
Both mean a person you work with, and people understand both everywhere. Colleague is more common in British English and co-worker in American English. Colleague can sound a little more formal; co-worker is more neutral.
What does minutes mean in a meeting?+
The minutes are the official written notes of a meeting. To take the minutes means to write these notes. In this meaning, the word is always plural: The minutes were sent after the meeting. It comes from a Latin word for short notes.
What does WFH mean?+
WFH means work from home: you do your job at home, not at the office. People say I'm WFH today. Remote work is wider: you can work from anywhere. Hybrid means part of the week at the office and part at home.
What is the difference between boss and manager?+
Boss is an informal word for the person in charge of you: My boss is great. Manager is an official job title for a person who leads a team: I'm the project manager. The boss is often higher: it can mean the person at the top of the company.
What is a deadline?+
A deadline is the last day or time to finish something: The deadline is Friday. To meet a deadline means to finish on time. To miss a deadline means to finish too late. You hear this word a lot at work and at school.
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/office-and-work
© 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.