English Emotions & Feelings Vocabulary
This set covers the words you need to say how you feel: good feelings (happy, glad, excited), low ones (sad, tired, lonely) and worried or angry ones (afraid, nervous, angry). Learn them with 'be' and 'feel'.
Level: A2. Saying how you feel is one of the first things you need in a new language. This page gives you the core English emotion and feeling words, grouped from good feelings to worried ones so related words stick together, each with a plain definition and a short example you can copy.
By the end of this page you can…
…name the main feelings, use them correctly with ‘be’ and ‘feel’, and avoid the classic -ed/-ing mix-up (bored vs boring).
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 emotion and feeling words an A2 learner needs and grouped them by meaning — good feelings, low feelings, worry and fear, anger — rather than by rank. The Rank column is the word’s real position in the frequency list — a lower number means more common.
Good feelings
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 296 | happy | pleased and content | I am happy to see you. |
| 123 | love | a strong warm feeling | She has a lot of love for her family. |
| 553 | feeling | an emotion you have | I had a good feeling about it. |
| 608 | glad | pleased about something | I am glad you came. |
| 685 | calm | relaxed and not worried | Stay calm and breathe slowly. |
| 927 | proud | pleased with what you did | We are proud of our team. |
| 1190 | smile | a happy look; to smile | She gave me a warm smile. |
| 1316 | excited | full of happy energy | The kids are excited about the trip. |
| 1700 | joy | great happiness | The news brought us great joy. |
Low feelings
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 742 | tired | needing rest | I am very tired tonight. |
| 956 | sad | unhappy | The film made me sad. |
| 967 | laugh | make sounds of being happy | We laughed all evening. |
| 1005 | cry | shed tears | The baby started to cry. |
| 1022 | upset | unhappy or worried | She was upset about the news. |
| 1711 | lonely | sad from being alone | He felt lonely in the big city. |
| 1889 | mood | the way you feel right now | I am in a good mood today. |
| 2535 | bored | tired because nothing is happening | I am bored with this game. |
Worry and fear
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 192 | feel | sense an emotion | How do you feel today? |
| 362 | worry | think about problems | Do not worry about the exam. |
| 424 | afraid | feeling fear | I am afraid of the dark. |
| 592 | scared | afraid | The dog looked scared. |
| 726 | worried | feeling worry | She is worried about her son. |
| 857 | fear | the feeling of being afraid | He has a fear of flying. |
| 1148 | nervous | worried before something | I feel nervous before a test. |
| 1195 | surprised | feeling a sudden reaction | I was surprised by the gift. |
| 2088 | confused | not able to understand | I am confused by the map. |
Anger and strong feelings
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 932 | angry | feeling strong displeasure | He got angry at the noise. |
| 1210 | guilty | feeling you did wrong | I feel guilty about forgetting. |
| 1607 | jealous | wanting what another has | She felt jealous of her sister. |
| 2239 | grateful | thankful | I am grateful for your help. |
| 2272 | curious | wanting to know more | The child was curious about everything. |
| 2511 | anger | the feeling of being angry | He spoke in anger and regretted it. |
| 2673 | disappointed | sad something was not as hoped | We were disappointed by the result. |
Example sentences
Play each line, then say it aloud. These use the feeling words in natural, everyday patterns.
- I am very happy to see you again.'Be' + happy; a warm greeting.
- How do you feel today?'Feel' to ask about someone's state.
- She feels tired after a long day.'Feel' + tired.
- The sad film made everyone cry.'Sad' and 'cry' together.
- We are so proud of you.'Proud of' + person.
- The children are excited about the trip.'Excited' = the person feels it.
- That lesson was really boring.'Boring' = the thing that causes the feeling.
- I am bored because there is nothing to do.'Bored' = how the person feels.
- Do not worry, everything will be fine.'Worry' as a verb; common reassurance.
- She is worried about her exam results.'Worried about' + thing.
- I am afraid of the dark.'Afraid of' + thing.
- The dog looked scared of the thunder.'Scared of' + thing.
- I feel nervous before I speak in public.'Nervous' before an event.
- He got angry when the bus was late.'Angry' as a reaction.
- I feel guilty about forgetting her birthday.'Guilty about' + thing.
- She was jealous of her friend's new phone.'Jealous of' + thing.
- We are grateful for all your help.'Grateful for' + thing.
- I was surprised by the good news.'Surprised by' + cause.
- Stay calm and take a deep breath.'Calm' used as advice.
- I am in a good mood today.'In a good mood' is a fixed phrase.
Recap cheat-sheet
A few patterns to remember before the quiz.
Quick recap before the quiz.
| Point | Example |
|---|---|
| be or feel + adjective | I am happy / I feel happy |
| -ed vs -ing | I am bored / it is boring |
| afraid of, scared of | afraid of dogs |
| in a good/bad mood | I am in a good mood |
Practice
Feelings words 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.
- proud
- lonely
- nervous
- grateful
Show answer
- proud → pleased with what you did
- lonely → sad from being alone
- nervous → worried before something
- grateful → thankful
Linking a word to its meaning helps you recall it faster.
Hint: how the person feels
Show answer
bored — Use 'bored' for the person; 'boring' describes the game.
Hint: feeling fear, used with 'of'
Show answer
afraid — Both 'afraid of' and 'scared of' are correct here.
6 Put the words in order.
Show answer
we are proud of you — The pattern is be + proud + of: we are proud of you.
Quiz
Feelings words quiz
10 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
-
Show answer
happy — 'Happy' means pleased and content.
-
Show answer
I am bored today. — The -ed form describes how you feel: I am bored.
-
Show answer
boring — The -ing form describes the thing: the film was boring.
-
Show answer
afraid — You are 'afraid of' something.
-
Show answer
nervous — 'Nervous' means worried before something happens.
-
Show answer
I feel happy. — 'Feel' + adjective: I feel happy.
-
Show answer
jealous — 'Jealous' means wanting what someone else has.
-
Show answer
nervous — 'Nervous' is the opposite of calm before an event.
-
Show answer
grateful — 'Grateful for' means thankful for.
-
Show answer
positive and happy — Being in a good mood means feeling positive and happy.
Next
- Next set: 100 Essential English Verbs
- Previous set: English Money & Shopping Vocabulary
- Grammar to go with it: The verb to be
- New here? Start with Start Learning English Here
All English vocabulary topics
Vocabulary, pronunciation, phrases, practice and exam help, ordered by level. Pick a topic and go straight to it. New lessons go live every day, so topics marked Coming soon fill in over the next weeks.
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
- 08 English Animals Vocabulary
- 09 English Clothing Vocabulary
- 10 English Weather Vocabulary
- 11 English Family & Relationships Vocabulary
- 12 English Colours Vocabulary
- 13 English Numbers, Dates & Money
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
- 18 English House & Furniture Vocabulary
- 19 English Kitchen & Tableware Vocabulary
- 20 English Transport & Travel Vocabulary
- 21 English Places in Town Vocabulary
- 22 English Jobs & Professions Vocabulary
- 23 English Money & Shopping Vocabulary
- 24 English Emotions & Feelings Vocabulary You are here
- 25 English Sports & Exercise Vocabulary
- 26 English Verbs of Motion
- 27 English Irregular Verbs Reference
B1 11 topics · 11 ready
- 28 English Words 1001-1500 (Frequency)
- 29 English Words 1501-2000 (Frequency)
- 30 English Connectors & Linking Words
- 31 English Nature & Geography Vocabulary
- 32 English Technology & Internet Vocabulary
- 33 English Education & School Vocabulary
- 34 English Medical & Pharmacy Vocabulary
- 35 English Arts, Music & Film Vocabulary
- 36 100 Essential English Phrasal Verbs
- 37 Commonly Confused English Words
- 38 British vs American English