English Body & Health Vocabulary
Start with the parts you point to every day: head, face, hand, arm, leg and foot. Add the inside words you need at the doctor, like heart, stomach and blood, plus the health words sick, pain, hurt and medicine, and you can describe how your body feels.
Level: A2. You point at parts of your body every day, and sooner or later you have to describe a pain to a doctor. This page gives you the body and health words you need, grouped so related words stick together, each with a plain meaning and a short example you can copy.
By the end of this page you can…
…name the main parts of the body, say which part hurts, and use the common health words for feeling ill, seeing a doctor and getting better.
How this list was chosen
Every word here comes from the English frequency list (hermitdave/FrequencyWords), which ranks words by how often they appear in a large collection of everyday subtitles. From that list we kept the body and health words an A2 learner needs and grouped them by area of the body rather than by rank. The Rank column is the word’s real position in the list — a lower number means the word is more common.
Head and face
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 290 | head | the top part, where your brain is | My head feels heavy today. |
| 347 | face | the front of your head | Wash your face with warm water. |
| 613 | hair | the threads that grow on your head | She has long, dark hair. |
| 711 | eye | the part you see with | Close your eyes and relax. |
| 771 | mouth | the part you eat and speak with | Open your mouth and say ‘ah’. |
| 1305 | nose | the part you smell and breathe with | My nose is blocked. |
| 1326 | neck | the part between head and shoulders | I slept badly and my neck is stiff. |
| 3968 | tooth | one of the hard white parts in your mouth | A tooth at the back hurts. |
| 2235 | ear | the part you hear with | Water got in my ear. |
Arms, hands and chest
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | back | the rear part of your body | Lifting the box hurt my back. |
| 359 | heart | the organ that pumps blood | My heart beats fast when I run. |
| 367 | hand | the part at the end of your arm | Wash your hands before you eat. |
| 1234 | arm | the limb from shoulder to hand | He broke his arm playing football. |
| 1762 | finger | one of the five parts on your hand | I cut my finger on the knife. |
| 1829 | chest | the front of your upper body | I have a tight feeling in my chest. |
| 2523 | shoulder | the joint where arm meets body | Carry the bag on your other shoulder. |
Legs, feet and inside the body
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 477 | blood | the red liquid inside you | The cut is small, but it is bleeding blood. |
| 924 | brain | the organ you think with | Sleep gives your brain a rest. |
| 1157 | foot | the part at the end of your leg | My left foot is cold. |
| 1271 | leg | the limb you stand and walk on | I walked all day and my legs ache. |
| 1375 | skin | the outer covering of your body | Sun cream protects your skin. |
| 1837 | stomach | where food goes after you eat | I have a pain in my stomach. |
| 2275 | bone | the hard parts inside your body | Milk is good for your bones. |
| 3759 | knee | the joint in the middle of your leg | He fell and hurt his knee. |
Health, illness and the doctor
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 371 | doctor | a person who treats sick people | You should see a doctor. |
| 446 | hurt | to feel or cause pain | My throat hurts when I swallow. |
| 453 | rest | to stop and relax to get better | Stay home and rest today. |
| 589 | sick | ill; not well | I feel sick, so I stayed in bed. |
| 629 | hospital | a place that treats serious illness | They took him to hospital. |
| 736 | pain | the feeling when something hurts | I have a sharp pain in my side. |
| 742 | tired | needing sleep or rest | I am tired after the long day. |
| 1449 | health | the state of your body and mind | Walking is good for your health. |
| 1564 | nurse | a person who cares for sick people | The nurse checked my temperature. |
| 1763 | medicine | something you take to get better | Take this medicine twice a day. |
| 1887 | ill | not well; sick | She has been ill all week. |
| 2152 | healthy | in good health; good for you | Fruit and vegetables keep you healthy. |
Example sentences
Play each line, then say it aloud. These use the body and health words in natural, everyday patterns.
- My head hurts, so I will lie down.'Hurt' says a part is in pain.
- Wash your hands before dinner.'Hands' is the regular plural of hand.
- She has long, curly hair.'Hair' on the head is uncountable: no -s.
- Open your mouth and say 'ah'.A phrase you hear at the doctor.
- My left foot hurts, but my right foot is fine.Irregular plural: foot/feet.
- I brush my teeth twice a day.Irregular plural: tooth/teeth.
- He broke his arm last week.Body part + 'break' for an injury.
- My heart beats faster when I run.'Heart' as the organ, not the feeling.
- I have a pain in my stomach.'Have a pain in' + body part.
- My back aches after sitting all day.'Ache' works like 'hurt' for a dull pain.
- I feel sick and very tired.'Feel' + adjective to describe how you are.
- I have a bad cold and a sore throat.Illness words take 'have a'.
- You should see a doctor about that cough.Advice with 'should see a doctor'.
- The nurse took my temperature.Who does what at the clinic.
- Take this medicine twice a day.Instructions for medicine.
- Stay home and rest until you feel better.'Rest' and 'feel better' for recovery.
- Fruit and vegetables keep you healthy.'Healthy' describes good health.
- Where does it hurt?The question a doctor asks you.
Recap cheat-sheet
A few patterns to remember before the quiz.
Quick recap before the quiz.
| Point | Example |
|---|---|
| a part is in pain | my head hurts; my back aches |
| an illness you ‘have’ | I have a cold / a fever / a headache |
| irregular plurals | foot-feet, tooth-teeth |
| hair is uncountable | my hair is long (not hairs) |
Practice
Body and health practice
Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
1 Match each word to its meaning.
- heart
- nurse
- skin
- medicine
Show answer
- heart → the organ that pumps blood
- nurse → a person who cares for sick people
- skin → the outer covering of your body
- medicine → something you take to get better
Linking a word to its meaning helps you recall it faster.
Hint: foot is irregular
Show answer
feet — The plural of 'foot' is 'feet', not 'foots'.
Hint: illnesses take this verb
Show answer
have — English says 'have a cold / a fever / a headache'.
6 Put the words in order.
Show answer
you should see a doctor — Advice pattern: you should see a doctor.
Quiz
Body and health quiz
12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
-
Show answer
eye — You see with your eyes.
-
Show answer
feet — foot is irregular: foot/feet.
-
Show answer
I have a toothache. — English uses 'have a toothache'.
-
Show answer
sick — 'sick' (and 'ill') mean not well.
-
Show answer
a nurse — A nurse cares for sick people.
-
Show answer
aches — Third person singular: my back aches.
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Show answer
knee — The knee is in the leg.
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Show answer
brain — You think with your brain.
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Show answer
My hair is long. — 'Hair' on the head is uncountable: my hair is long.
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Show answer
Where does it hurt? — 'Where does it hurt?' finds the sore part.
-
Show answer
bones — Regular plural: bone/bones.
-
Show answer
healthy — 'healthy' means in good health.
Next
- Next set: English Clothing Vocabulary
- Related set: 100 Essential English Verbs
- Grammar for describing: The verb to be, Present simple (affirmative)
- New here? Start with Start Learning English Here
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Vocabulary
A1 13 topics · 13 ready
- 01 100 Most Common English Words
- 02 English Words 101-250 (Frequency)
- 03 100 Essential English Verbs
- 04 Common English Adjectives
- 05 English Question Words & Phrases
- 06 English Time Expressions
- 07 English Food & Cooking Vocabulary
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A2 14 topics · 14 ready
- 14 English Words 251-500 (Frequency)
- 15 English Words 501-1000 (Frequency)
- 16 Everyday English Adverbs
- 17 English Body & Health Vocabulary You are here
- 18 English House & Furniture Vocabulary
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B1 11 topics · 11 ready
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- 36 100 Essential English Phrasal Verbs
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