Learning English means learning thousands of words, and many of them will be nouns. Learning nouns helps you to speak in basic conversations, meet your needs at work, and achieve your personal goals, like travel or academic study.
If you want to grow your vocabulary fast in English, learn basic nouns for different topics and situations. Our guide will help you understand and pronounce the most important nouns in the English language.
Table of Contents
What is a noun in English?
A noun is a part of speech, like verbs, adjectives, and pronouns. A noun is a word that can be a:
- person: woman, child, bird
- place: bank, house, park
- thing: fork, chair, book
- idea: life, comprehension, energy
If you see the word a, an, some, or the, one of the words that follows is probably a noun.
- I bought a book yesterday.
- He’s writing an email to his friend.
- Would you like some coffee?
- We’re at the beach today.
Adjectives can be placed between words like a and a noun in sentences, so look for the word that refers to a person, place, thing, or idea to identify the noun.
- This is a beautiful street.
- Here are some fresh tomatoes from the garden.
Examples of common nouns in English
These English nouns will be useful in common topics of conversation and everyday life. Learn their meanings and practice saying them out loud, and then practice them in conversation as you learn how to speak English with confidence.
English nouns for people and pets
There are many specific nouns for people and animals in English. These are some of the most common nouns in English. They refer to different humans by their age and gender.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an adult | uh-DUHLT |
| a baby | BEY-bee |
| a boy | boi |
| a cat | kat |
| a child | chahyld |
| a dog | dawg |
| a fish | fish |
| a friend | frend |
| a girl | gurl |
| a horse | hawrs |
| a man | man |
| a neighbor | NEY-ber |
| a person | PUR-suhn |
| a teenager | TEEN-ey-jer |
| a woman | WOOM-uhn |
English nouns for family members
Other common nouns in English that refer to people can name relationships in a family.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an aunt | ant |
| a boyfriend | BOI-frend |
| a brother | BRUHTH-er |
| a child | chahyld |
| a cousin | KUHZ-uhn |
| a daughter | DAW-ter |
| a father | FAH-ther |
| a girlfriend | GURL-frend |
| a granddaughter | GRAN-daw-ter |
| a grandfather | GRAN-fah-ther |
| a grandmother | GRAN-muhth-er |
| a grandson | GRAN-suhn |
| a husband | HUHZ-buhnd |
| a mother | MUHTH-er |
| a nephew | NEF-yoo |
| a niece | nees |
| a partner | PAHRT-ner |
| a sister | SIS-ter |
| a son | suhn |
| a spouse | spous |
| an uncle | UHNG-kuhl |
| a wife | wahyf |
English nouns for jobs
There are many English nouns that refer to specific jobs and professions. This list of nouns includes many of the people you might need to find while you travel, too.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an assistant | ah-SIHS-tint |
| an athlete | ATH-leet |
| a cashier | cah-SHEER |
| a doctor | DOCK-ter |
| a driver | DRY-ver |
| an employee | em-PLOY-ee |
| an engineer | ehn-jin-EER |
| a manager | MAN-i-jer |
| a nurse | nurs |
| a police officer | poh-LEES off-ih-ser |
| a server | SER-ver |
| a student | STOO-dint |
| a teacher | TEE-cher |
| a tour guide | TOOR gahyd |
| a veterinarian | vet-er-ihn-AIR-ee-uhn |
When you talk about a noun a lot in a conversation, you can replace the noun with an English pronoun, so you don’t have to repeat the same noun many times.
English nouns for parts of the house
Nouns include words that refer to places. Learn how to talk about the parts of a house by naming the rooms.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an apartment | uh-PAHRT-muhnt |
| an attic | AT-ik |
| a basement | BEYS-muhnt |
| a bathroom | BATH-room |
| a bedroom | BED-room |
| a closet | KLOZ-it |
| a dining room | DIE-ning room |
| a driveway | DRAHYV-weby |
| a garage | guh-RAHZH |
| a house | house |
| a kitchen | KICH-uhn |
| a living room | LIH-ving room |
| the stairs | stairz |
| a yard | yahrd |
English nouns for places in the community
Find your way around the town or city with this helpful list of nouns in English.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an airport | AIR-pawrt |
| a bank | bangk |
| a bar | bahr |
| a college | KOL-ij |
| a gas station | gas STEY-shuhn |
| a grocery store | GROH-suh-ree stawr |
| a gym | jim |
| a hospital | HOS-pi-tl |
| a hotel | hoh-TEL |
| a lake | leyk |
| a library | LAHY-brer-ee |
| a mountain | MOUN-tn |
| a mall | mawl |
| a museum | myoo-ZEE-uhm |
| a office | AW-fis |
| a park | pahrk |
| a pharmacy | FAHR-muh-see |
| a pool | pool |
| a post office | POHST aw-fis |
| a restaurant | RES-tuh-rahnt |
| a river | RIV-er |
| a school | skool |
| a stadium | STEY-dee-uhm |
| a bus station | buhs STEY-shuhn |
| a train station | treyn STEY-shuhn |
| a store | stawr |
| a street | street |
| a theater | THEE-uh-ter |
| a university | yoo-nuh-VUR-si-tee |
English nouns for household objects
English nouns can also name things or objects. This list of English nouns will help you name and locate items within a house or apartment. These words will be helpful for hotels or lodging when you travel.
| English | Pronunciation |
| a bathtub | BATH-tuhb |
| a bed | bed |
| a blanket | BLANG-kit |
| a carpet | KAHR-pit |
| a ceiling | SEE-ling |
| a chair | chair |
| a clock | klok |
| a coffee maker | KAW-fee MEY-ker |
| a couch | kouch |
| a dishwasher | DISH-wosh-er |
| a door | dawr |
| a dryer | DRAHY-er |
| a floor | flawr |
| a lamp | lamp |
| a microwave | MAHY-kroh-weyv |
| an oven | UHV-uhn |
| a pillow | PIL-oh |
| a refrigerator | ri-FRIJ-uh-rey-ter |
| a rug | ruhg |
| a sheet | sheet |
| a shower | SHOU-er |
| a sink | singk |
| a sofa | SOH-fuh |
| a stove | stohv |
| a table | TEY-buhl |
| a television | TEL-uh-vizh-uhn |
| a toilet | TOI-lit |
| a towel | TOU-uhl |
| a washing machine | WOSH-ing muh-SHEEN |
| a window | WIN-doh |
English nouns for things in a classroom or office
Name the items you might need when you are working or studying with these common English nouns.
| English | Pronunciation |
| a book | book |
| a desk | desk |
| a dictionary | DIK-shuh-ner-ee |
| an envelope | EN-vuh-lohp |
| a notebook | NOHT-book |
| a pen | pen |
| a pencil | PEN-suhl |
| scissors | SIZ-erz |
| a sheet of paper | sheet uhv PEY-per |
| tape | teyp |
English nouns for things with technology
Whether for work or entertainment, these are essential English nouns for technology. They are among the most common nouns in English for work and study today.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an app | ap |
| a charger | CHAHR-jer |
| a computer | kuhm-PYOO-ter |
| headphones | HED-fohnz |
| a mouse | mous |
| an outlet | OUT-let |
| a phone | fohn |
| a printer | PRIN-ter |
| a program | PROH-gram |
| a screen | skreen |
| a telephone | teh-luh-fohn |
| a website | WEB-seyt |
English nouns for money and payment
Learn these English nouns before you go to a store to buy something. Knowing the right words will make your purchase easier.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an ATM | ey-tee-em |
| a bill | bihl |
| some cash | cahsh |
| a cash register | cash REJ-ih-stir |
| a check | chek |
| the checkout | CHEK-out |
| the change | cheynj |
| a coin | koin |
| a credit card | KRED-it cahrd |
| a debit card | DEHB-it cahrd |
| a discount | DIS-kount |
| a dollar | DOL-er |
| a fee | fee |
| a gift card | gift kahrd |
| some money | MUHN-ee |
| a price | prahys |
| a price tag | prays tahg |
| a receipt | ri-SEET |
| a tip | tip |
English nouns for transportation
Getting around can be easy if you know what to call every type of transportation.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an airplane | AYR-pleyn |
| a boat | boht |
| a bus | bus |
| a car | kahr |
| a ferry | FEY-ree |
| a shuttle | SHUH-tl |
| a subway | SUHB-wey |
| a taxi | TAHK-see |
| a train | treyn |
| a tram | trahm |
English nouns for parts of the body
It is helpful to know the specific names of parts of the human body in case of injury or illness. English speakers usually use possessives, such as my, your, his, or her, with these nouns.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an ankle | ANG-kuhl |
| an arm | ahrm |
| back | bak |
| chest | chehst |
| an ear | eer |
| an elbow | EHL-boh |
| an eye | ay |
| face | fays |
| a finger | fing-ger |
| a foot | fut |
| hair | hair |
| a hand | hand |
| a head | hed |
| a heart | hart |
| a knee | nee |
| a leg | lehg |
| a mouth | mowth |
| a neck | nek |
| a nose | nohz |
| a shoulder | SHOHL-der |
| stomach | STUHM-ik |
| a throat | throht |
| a thumb | thuhm |
| a toe | toh |
| a tooth | tooth |
| a tongue | tung |
| a wrist | rihst |
English nouns for clothing and accessories
You can ask about the dress code and expectations when you know the basic English words for the things you wear.
| English | Pronunciation |
| a belt | behlt |
| boots | boots |
| a coat | koht |
| a dress | drehs |
| a jacket | JAH-kit |
| jeans | jeenz |
| pants | pahnts |
| a shirt | shurt |
| shoes | shoos |
| socks | sohks |
| a skirt | skurt |
| a suit | sooht |
| a sweater | SWEH-ter |
| a tie | tahy |
| underwear | UHN-der-weyr |
| a vest | vehst |
English nouns for food and drink
Choose the fruits, vegetables, and meats that you want to eat or avoid with these English nouns for food.
| English | Pronunciation |
| a fruit | froot |
| beef | beef |
| bread | bred |
| cheese | cheez |
| chicken | CHIH-kin |
| coffee | KAW-fee |
| a dessert | duh-ZERT |
| fish | fish |
| meat | meet |
| milk | mihlk |
| pasta | PAH-stuh |
| pork | pohrk |
| a potato | poh-TEY-toh |
| rice | rahys |
| a salad | SAH-lid |
| a sandwich | SAHND-wich |
| a sauce | saws |
| seafood | SEE-food |
| soup | soop |
| a vegetable | VEJ-uh-tuh-bl |
| water | WAW-ter |
English nouns for things on the table
These English nouns are essential for items that you need for eating and drinking.
| English | Pronunciation |
| a bowl | bohl |
| a cup | kuhp |
| a fork | fohrk |
| a glass | glahs |
| a knife | nahyf |
| a napkin | NAP-kin |
| a plate | pleyt |
| a spoon | spoon |
| a tablecloth | TEY-buhl klawth |
English nouns for weather
Describe the daily weather and make small talk with these nouns.
| English | Pronunciation |
| autumn | AW-tuhm |
| breeze | breez |
| cloud | clowd |
| fall | fahl |
| fog | fog |
| forecast | FOR-cast |
| hail | hayl |
| ice | ays |
| mist | mihst |
| rain | rayn |
| rainbow | RAYN-boh |
| snow | snoh |
| spring | spring |
| storm | stohrm |
| summer | SUH-mer |
| sun | suhn |
| sunshine | SUHN-shyn |
| temperature | TEM-per-uh-cher |
| tornado | tohr-NAY-doh |
| wind | wihnd |
| winter | WIN-ter |
English nouns for ideas: abstract nouns
Many English speakers learn that a noun is a “person, place, or thing,” but there are also many English nouns that refer to abstract ideas. You can’t touch them or see them, but you can experience them.
These abstract nouns don’t usually have English articles like “the” and “a” in front of them.
| English | Pronunciation |
| childhood | CHAHYLD-hood |
| communication | kuh-myoo-ni-KEY-shuhn |
| comprehension | kom-pri-HEN-shuhn |
| entertainment | en-ter-TEYN-muhnt |
| friendship | FREND-ship |
| happiness | HAP-ee-nis |
| justice | JUHS-tis |
| liberty | LIB-er-tee |
| love | luhv |
| respect | ri-SPEKT |
Common nouns for learning English
As you learn a language, you will encounter nouns for parts of speech, types of communication, and language skills. These words may help you with your learning.
| English | Pronunciation |
| an accent | AK-sent |
| a conversation | kon-ver-SEY-shuhn |
| a language | LANG-gwij |
| a meaning | MEE-ning |
| a paragraph | PAR-uh-graf |
| a phrase | freyz |
| a question | KWES-chuhn |
| a sentence | SEN-tns |
| a translation | trans-LEY-shun |
| a word | wurd |
Types of nouns in English
Nouns come in several categories. These categories will help you learn English grammar.
Proper nouns
Proper nouns include specific names of individual people, places, or unique things. They always start with a capital letter.
- Can I speak with Laura, please?
- This is John Wilson.
- Where is the Atlantic Ocean?
Common nouns
Common nouns are the opposite of proper nouns. They list a category of objects without identifying a unique name.
- They live in a city near Beijing.
- He’s fishing in a lake.
- The scientist is turning off his computer.
Countable nouns
Countable nouns can be used with a number. You can easily count how many there are.
- He’ll return from the baseball game in six hours.
- This bicycle was designed for two people.
Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns are the opposite of countable nouns. You can’t count exactly how many of the noun there are.
- He found some money while he was folding his clothes.
- Someone is boiling water.
Compound nouns
In English, compound nouns are made of two or more words. These words can be joined or separated by a space, but if they aren’t used together, they have a different meaning.
- I doubt that we can play baseball today. (base + ball)
- She’s walking on the sidewalk. (side + walk)
- The girl is reading in the bedroom. (bed + room)
- She’s putting her dirty clothes in the washing machine. (washing + machine)
Concrete nouns
Concrete nouns refer to a person, place, or thing that you can experience with your senses. You can see, touch, taste, hear, or smell it.
- He’ll bring me a cup of coffee.
- The painting is hanging above the fireplace.
Abstract nouns
You can’t touch them or see these nouns, but you can experience them.
- This bird represents peace.
- This game is a part of traditional Japanese culture.
Singular nouns
A singular noun refers to one person, place, or thing.
- The tourists are taking a photo of the tour guide.
- The tour guide is on the bus.
Plural nouns
A plural noun refers to a group of two or more people, places, or things.
- These men are wearing costumes for a festival.
- The tourists are on a tour of the ruins.
Learn English nouns in context with Rosetta Stone
English nouns are the building blocks of the language. You can learn thousands of words for people, places, things, and ideas. Learning English nouns is important, and it can be easier with Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method. You will learn to name common objects, people, and places by matching the English noun directly with the idea. When you’re able to recall the right word, you will be able to reach your goals in English.
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