Body Parts Vocabulary

Quick Answer: The basic body parts in English, from head to toe, are head, face, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, neck, shoulders, chest, back, stomach, arms, hands, fingers, legs, knees, feet and toes. Two plurals are irregular, foot to feet and tooth to teeth, and English uses my or your with body parts: I hurt my knee, not I hurt the knee.

Key takeaways

• Irregular plurals: one foot, two feet; one tooth, two teeth.
• Hair is usually uncountable: She has long hair, not long hairs.
• Use a possessive with body parts (Raise your hand), except in fixed phrases like He hit me on the head.
• Five body parts combine with ache: headache, stomachache, toothache, earache, backache.
• For pain, say My back hurts or I have a sore throat, not My throat is hurt.
• Knee, knuckle, wrist and thumb have silent letters: the k, the w and the final b are not pronounced.

The head and face

Body part	Example
head	I hit my head on the door.
hair	She has long, curly hair.
face	Wash your face.
forehead	He has a scar on his forehead.
eyebrow	She raised her eyebrows.
eye / eyelashes	He has blue eyes.
ear	My ears hurt on the plane.
nose	I have a runny nose.
cheek	She kissed him on the cheek.
mouth / lips	Open your mouth, please.
tooth / teeth	Brush your teeth twice a day.
tongue	I burned my tongue on the tea.
chin / jaw	He has a strong jaw.

Hair is usually uncountable: "She has beautiful hair" (not "hairs"). "There's a hair in my soup" refers to one single hair.

The upper body

Body part	Example
neck	My neck is stiff from the computer.
throat	I have a sore throat.
shoulder	Carry the bag on your shoulder.
chest	He felt a pain in his chest.
back	Lift with your legs, not your back.
stomach / belly	My stomach hurts. (belly is informal; tummy is used with children)
waist	These trousers are too big around the waist.
arm	She broke her arm skiing.
elbow	Don't put your elbows on the table.
wrist	I wear a watch on my left wrist.
hand / palm	Raise your hand.
finger / thumb / nail	I cut my finger.

The lower body

Body part	Example
hip	My grandmother had a hip operation.
leg	My legs are tired after the run.
thigh	Stretch your thigh muscles.
knee	I hurt my knee playing football.
ankle	I twisted my ankle on the stairs.
foot / feet	My feet are cold.
heel	These shoes hurt my heels.
toe	I stubbed my toe on the table.

Stub your toe means to hit your toe against something by accident. Everyone does it.

Inside the body

heart, lungs, brain, liver, kidneys, bones, muscles, blood, skin.

• "Exercise is good for your heart."
• "Drink water. It's good for your skin."

What are the irregular plurals of body parts?

Singular	Plural
foot	feet
tooth	teeth

Pronunciation tips:

• knee, knuckle and wrist have silent letters: the k and the w are not pronounced. See silent letters in English.
• stomach sounds like STUM-uck.
• thumb has a silent b.

Do you say my or the with body parts?

In English, use a possessive adjective with body parts.

• "I brushed my teeth." (not "I brushed the teeth")
• "She hurt her back."
• "Raise your hand."

Exception: after a preposition in some fixed phrases, English uses the: "He hit me on the head." "She looked him in the eye."

How do you describe pain and symptoms?

These phrases are very useful at a doctor's office or pharmacy.

Phrase	Use
My ___ hurts.	My back hurts.
I have a pain in my ___.	I have a pain in my chest.
I have a headache / stomachache / toothache / earache / backache.	ache with five common body parts
I have a sore throat.	pain when you swallow
My ___ is swollen.	My ankle is swollen.
I've cut / burned / broken my ___.	I've cut my finger.
I feel dizzy / sick.	general symptoms
It's itchy.	you want to scratch it

"Feel sick" in British English often means "feel like vomiting". In American English it can mean "feel ill" in general.

Example at the pharmacy:

• You: Hi, I have a sore throat and a headache.
• Pharmacist: How long have you had it?
• You: Since yesterday.
• Pharmacist: Do you have a fever?
• You: No, I don't think so.

Body idioms

• cost an arm and a leg - be very expensive
• break a leg - good luck
• keep an eye on - watch carefully: "Can you keep an eye on my bag?"
• give someone a hand - help: "Can you give me a hand with this box?"
• pull someone's leg - joke with someone: "Relax, I'm just pulling your leg."

For more, see common English idioms.

Common mistakes

Wrong	Right
My foots hurt.	My feet hurt.
She has long hairs.	She has long hair.
I washed the hands.	I washed my hands.
I have a pain of head.	I have a headache.
My throat is hurt.	My throat hurts. or I have a sore throat.

Quick quiz

1. You see with your ___.
2. You wear a watch on your ___.
3. The plural of tooth is ___.
4. Your knee is in the middle of your ___.
5. Pain in your head is a ___.

Answers: 1. eyes 2. wrist 3. teeth 4. leg 5. headache

Body vocabulary is part of the core A1 English level. Learn it with pictures and audio in the free A1 English course, and use it to describe people alongside family members vocabulary.

People Also Ask

What are the irregular plurals of body parts in English?

The most common are foot and feet, tooth and teeth. Most other body parts take a regular s: hands, arms, eyes, knees.

How do you say something hurts in English?

Say My back hurts or I have a pain in my back. For some body parts you can use ache: I have a headache, a stomachache, a toothache or a backache.

What is the difference between fingers and toes?

Fingers are on your hands and toes are on your feet. Your thumb is the short, thick finger, and your big toe is the largest toe.

Do English speakers say my or the with body parts?

English normally uses a possessive: I washed my hands, She broke her arm. Many languages use the instead, so learners often say I broke the arm, which sounds unnatural.

Related Reading

• Family Members Vocabulary
• Feelings and Emotions Vocabulary
• Common English Idioms and What They Mean
• A1 English Level: What You Can Do