English Arts, Music & Film Vocabulary
Group the words by art form: music (song, sing, band, guitar, concert), art (paint, picture, museum, gallery), film and theatre (film, movie, actor, director, stage), and words for enjoying them (show, perform, audience, ticket). Then you can talk about what you watch, hear and see.
Level: B1. Films, music and art come up whenever people talk about their free time. This page gives you the arts, music and film words you need, grouped by art form, each with a plain meaning and a short example you can copy.
By the end of this page you can…
…talk about the music you listen to, the films and shows you watch, and the art you see, and use the right verbs for playing, performing and going to events.
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 arts, music and film words a B1 learner needs and grouped them by art form 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.
Music
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 366 | music | sounds arranged to be pleasant | I listen to music on the train. |
| 601 | sound | something you hear | The sound of the drums was loud. |
| 647 | voice | the sound a person makes when speaking or singing | She has a beautiful singing voice. |
| 679 | song | a short piece of music with words | This is my favourite song. |
| 798 | sing | to make music with your voice | We sing together every week. |
| 1313 | band | a group of musicians who play together | Their band plays every Friday. |
| 2196 | piano | a large keyboard instrument | He plays the piano very well. |
| 2744 | guitar | a string instrument you pluck or strum | She learned the guitar at school. |
| 2938 | concert | a live music performance | We went to a concert last night. |
| 2940 | singer | a person who sings | My sister is a jazz singer. |
| 3713 | album | a collection of songs released together | Their new album comes out today. |
| 5617 | instrument | a tool for making music | The violin is a difficult instrument. |
Art and drawing
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 700 | picture | a painting, drawing or photo | She drew a picture of the sea. |
| 999 | art | paintings, drawings and other creative work | I love modern art. |
| 1687 | draw | to make a picture with a pen or pencil | He can draw cartoons very fast. |
| 1799 | paint | to make a picture with paint; the paint itself | They paint with bright colours. |
| 1868 | artist | a person who creates art | The artist works in a small studio. |
| 1905 | painting | a picture made with paint | That painting is worth a fortune. |
| 2568 | design | a plan or pattern; to plan how something looks | She studies graphic design. |
| 2858 | museum | a building where art or history is shown | The museum is free on Sundays. |
| 3080 | drawing | a picture made with a pen or pencil | His drawings are full of detail. |
| 4904 | gallery | a room or building where art is shown | The gallery has a new exhibition. |
Film and theatre
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 241 | show | a performance or programme | There is a new show at the theatre. |
| 767 | movie | a film (American English) | We watched a movie at home. |
| 783 | film | a story told in moving pictures | The film was two hours long. |
| 901 | star | a very famous performer | She is a big film star. |
| 944 | scene | one part of a film or play | The last scene made me cry. |
| 1191 | director | the person who leads a film or play | The director won an award. |
| 1221 | stage | the raised area where actors perform | The singer walked onto the stage. |
| 2499 | actor | a person who performs in films or plays | My favourite actor is in this film. |
| 2533 | screen | the surface a film is shown on | A huge screen filled the cinema. |
| 3566 | theatre | a building where plays are performed | We booked seats at the theatre. |
| 4028 | cinema | a building where films are shown | The cinema is showing three new films. |
Enjoying the arts
| Rank | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 334 | play | to perform music or a part; a stage story | He plays the guitar in a band. |
| 632 | dance | to move to music; a style of movement | They love to dance at parties. |
| 645 | write | to create a song, story or script | She writes songs for other singers. |
| 913 | record | to capture sound or film; a recording | The band will record a new song. |
| 1605 | audience | the people watching or listening | The audience clapped for ten minutes. |
| 1639 | ticket | a card that lets you in | I bought two tickets for the show. |
| 2080 | role | the part an actor plays | She has the main role in the play. |
| 2257 | performance | the act of performing for people | It was a brilliant performance. |
| 2549 | writer | a person who writes | The writer also directed the film. |
| 2733 | perform | to play, act or sing for people | They perform live every weekend. |
Example sentences
Play each line, then say it aloud. These use the arts, music and film words in natural, everyday patterns.
- I listen to music on my way to work.'Listen to' always needs 'to'.
- She plays the guitar in a band.'Play the' + instrument.
- We went to a concert last night.'Go to' a concert.
- Their new album comes out on Friday.'Album' = a collection of songs.
- He can draw a face in a minute.'Draw' with a pen or pencil.
- They paint with bright colours.'Paint' as a verb.
- That painting hangs in the gallery.'Painting' is the finished picture.
- The museum is free on Sundays.'Museum' for art or history.
- We watched a great film last night.'Watch a film', no 'to'.
- The director won an award for the movie.'Director' leads the film.
- My favourite actor has the main role.'Actor' + 'role'.
- The last scene made the audience cry.'Scene' and 'audience' together.
- I bought two tickets for the show.'Tickets for' an event.
- The band will record a new song today.'Record' as a verb.
- The singer walked onto the stage.'Stage' = where performers stand.
- It was a brilliant performance.'Performance' = the act of performing.
- They perform live every weekend.'Perform' for an audience.
- She writes songs for other singers.'Write' a song; 'writer' is the person.
Recap cheat-sheet
A few patterns to remember before the quiz.
Quick recap before the quiz.
| Point | Example |
|---|---|
| music needs ‘to’ | listen to music |
| an instrument | play the guitar |
| a film or show | watch a film |
| an event | go to a concert |
Practice
Arts, music and film 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.
- gallery
- audience
- director
- instrument
Show answer
- gallery → a place where art is shown
- audience → the people watching
- director → the person who leads a film
- instrument → a tool for making music
Linking a word to its meaning helps you recall it faster.
Hint: this verb needs 'to'
Show answer
listen — You 'listen to' music; the 'to' is required.
Hint: instruments take 'the'
Show answer
the — Standard English: play the piano.
6 Put the words in order.
Show answer
we went to a concert — We went to a concert.
Quiz
Arts, music and film quiz
12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
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Show answer
I listen to music. — You 'listen to' music.
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Show answer
band — A band is a group of musicians.
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Show answer
She plays the piano. — Instruments take 'the': play the piano.
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Show answer
director — The director leads the film.
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Show answer
cinema — A cinema (BrE) shows films.
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Show answer
audience — The audience watches or listens.
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Show answer
album — An album is a set of songs.
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Show answer
I bought two tickets for the show. — 'Tickets for' + the event, plural with -s.
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Show answer
play, act or sing for people — Perform = play, act or sing for an audience.
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Show answer
gallery — Art is shown in a gallery or museum.
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Show answer
stage — The stage is where performers stand.
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Show answer
the theater/movies — Americans often say 'the movies' or 'theater'.
Next
- Previous set: English Environment & Climate Vocabulary
- Related sets: English Sports & Exercise Vocabulary, English Emotions & Feelings Vocabulary
- Grammar for talking about the arts: Like, love, hate + -ing, Present perfect for experience, Verb + preposition collocations
- New here? Start with Start Learning English Here
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