Vocabulary · Daily life
Stages of life in English
A2
Stages of life in English: birth and babies, childhood and the teenage years, adult life, weddings, working life and old age. With British pronunciation (IPA) and examples.
Quick answer
Birth and babies
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| birth(n.)“The birth of a baby.” | when a baby comes into the world | /bɜːθ/ |
| newborn(n.) | a baby in its first weeks | /ˈnjuːbɔːn/ |
| baby(n.) | a very young child | /ˈbeɪbi/ |
| infant(n.) | a baby or very young child (formal) | /ˈɪnfənt/ |
| toddler(n.) | a young child learning to walk | /ˈtɒdlə/ |
| to be born(v.) | to come into the world as a baby | /tə bi bɔːn/ |
Childhood and teenage years
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| child(n.)“A happy child.” | a young person, not yet an adult | /tʃaɪld/ |
| children(n.) | more than one young person | /ˈtʃɪldrən/ |
| kid(n.) | an informal word for a child | /kɪd/ |
| childhood(n.) | the early years of your life | /ˈtʃaɪldhʊd/ |
| teenager / teen(n.) | a person aged 13 to 19 | /ˈtiːneɪdʒə/ |
| adolescence(n.) | the years between child and adult | /ˌædəˈlesns/ |
| youth(n.) | the time when you are young | /juːθ/ |
| puberty(n.) | when the body changes from child to adult | /ˈpjuːbəti/ |
Adulthood
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| adult(n.) | a fully grown person | /ˈædʌlt/ |
| adulthood(n.) | the time when you are grown up | /ˈædʌlthʊd/ |
| grown-up(n.) | an informal word for an adult | /ˈɡrəʊn ʌp/ |
| young adult(n.) | a person aged about 18 to 25 | /jʌŋ ˈædʌlt/ |
| middle-aged(adj.) | aged about 45 to 65 | /ˌmɪdl ˈeɪdʒd/ |
Couples and family
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| engagement(n.)“They announced their engagement.” | a promise to marry someone | /ɪnˈɡeɪdʒmənt/ |
| wedding(n.) | the ceremony where two people marry | /ˈwedɪŋ/ |
| marriage(n.) | the relationship of two married people | /ˈmærɪdʒ/ |
| to get married(v.) | to become someone's husband or wife | /tə ɡet ˈmærɪd/ |
| divorce(n.) | the legal end of a marriage | /dɪˈvɔːs/ |
| honeymoon(n.) | a holiday just after the wedding | /ˈhʌnimuːn/ |
Working life
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| graduation(n.)“My sister's graduation ceremony.” | the ceremony at the end of your studies | /ˌɡrædʒuˈeɪʃn/ |
| to graduate(v.) | to finish school or university successfully | /ˈɡrædʒueɪt/ |
| first job(n.) | your very first paid work | /fɜːst dʒɒb/ |
| career(n.) | the work you do over your life | /kəˈrɪə/ |
| promotion(n.) | a move to a higher position at work | /prəˈməʊʃn/ |
Old age and the end of life
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| retirement(n.)“He's enjoying his retirement.” | the time after you stop working | /rɪˈtaɪəmənt/ |
| to retire(v.) | to stop working because of your age | /rɪˈtaɪə/ |
| retired(adj.) | no longer working because of age | /rɪˈtaɪəd/ |
| old age(n.) | the last part of life | /əʊld eɪdʒ/ |
| senior(n.) | an older person, often over 65 | /ˈsiːniə/ |
| elderly(adj.) | old, said in a polite way | /ˈeldəli/ |
| death(n.) | the end of life | /deθ/ |
| to pass away(v.) | to die, said in a gentle way | /tə pɑːs əˈweɪ/ |
| funeral(n.) | the ceremony after someone dies | /ˈfjuːnərəl/ |
Common mistakes to avoid
Wedding or marriage?
A wedding is the ceremony, the special day. A marriage is the relationship, the life together. Compare Our wedding was beautiful (the day) and Our marriage is strong (the relationship).
To pass away: a gentle way to say die
To die is direct and can sound hard. To pass away means the same thing, but it is softer and more respectful. Use pass away when you talk to people who have just lost someone: I'm sorry your grandfather passed away.
Senior: a word with several meanings
As a noun, senior often means an older person: a discount for seniors. Senior citizen means the same. In American high schools and universities, a senior is a student in the last year. In a job title, it means more experienced: a senior manager. Look at the context.
Practice quiz
What's next?
Stages of life: 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 “Stages of life” on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachers“Stages of life” 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 “Stages of life” 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 is the difference between wedding and marriage?+
A wedding is the ceremony, the special day: Our wedding was on 5 June. A marriage is the relationship, the life together after that day: Our marriage is happy. English uses two different words here, so choose the right one.
Why is the plural of child children?+
Children is an irregular plural that comes from Old English. Say one child, two children, never childs. Other irregular plurals to learn: man → men, woman → women, foot → feet, tooth → teeth, mouse → mice, goose → geese.
What is a teenager?+
A teenager is a person aged 13 to 19: these numbers all end in -teen (thirteen, fourteen… nineteen). The short form is teen. Adolescent also exists, but it is more formal or scientific. You can say He's a teenager or She's in her teens.
Is it pass away or die?+
Die is direct and factual, and it can sound hard. Pass away is a gentle, respectful way to say the same thing. Use it when you talk to a family who has lost someone, or in a sensitive situation. News reports usually say die.
What is the difference between retire, retired and retirement?+
They are three words of the same family. To retire (verb) means to stop working because of your age: He retired at 65. Retired (adjective) describes the person: He's retired. Retirement (noun) is this time of life: He's enjoying his retirement.
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/stages-of-life
© 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.