Learn English Words for Houses and Other Places To Live
Check Your Vocabulary
- Here is a list of English words for different types of places to live.
- Read the words, and click on the pictures to learn how to pronounce them.
- A flat is a place to live that shares a building with lots of other homes.
- A tower block is a tall building containing lots of flats (or apartments).
- Blocks of flats often have lifts as well as stairs that serve the upper floors.
A FLAT
- A row of houses joined together is called a terrace.
- Mid-terraced houses have houses on either side.
- End terraced houses are only joined to one other house.
A TERRACED HOUSE
- A semi-detached house (or semi) is a house joined to another house.
- Semi-detached houses are built as a pair, joined together by one wall.
- Three bedroomed semis are the most popular house type in the UK.
A SEMI-DETACHED HOUSE
- A detached house is a house that isn’t joined to other houses.
- Detached houses have empty space on all sides.
- Detached houses are usually bigger than other houses.
A DETACHED HOUSE
- A bungalow is a low, single storey house. It only has rooms on the ground floor.
- Bungalows are ideal for disabled people, and are popular with older people.
- British people sometimes buy a bungalow to live in when they retire.
A BUNGALOW
- A hall of residence is a building designed for students to live in.
- Students typically rent rooms or flats in halls to live in during term time.
- The American English word for student housing is a dorm, or dormitory.
HALLS OF RESIDENCE
- A houseboat is a floating home.
- Some houseboats have engines and can travel up and down waterways.
- Other houseboats are permanently fixed to land near a river.
A HOUSEBOAT
- A mobile home is a house that can be moved to another place.
- Another word for a mobile home is caravan.
- The American English word for this type of home is a trailer.
A MOBILE HOME
- A hotel is a place to stay for one or more nights.
- Hotels are often used by people who are travelling.
- Bed and Breakfast (B & B) hotels are sometimes used for emergency housing.
A HOTEL
- A hostel is a temporary place to stay for one or more nights.
- Youth hostels are hostels for older teenagers and young adults.
- Homeless people sometimes stay in hostels while they are waiting to be housed.
A HOSTEL
Memory Matching Game
This matching quiz will help you learn and revise British English words for places to live and stay.
Instructions
Click on a card to start the game. Find the words and pictures that go together.
Click the ‘new game’ button to play the game again with a different set of words.
Check Your Vocabulary
- Here is a list of English words for different types of places to live.
- Read the words, and click on the pictures to learn how to pronounce them.
- A flat is a place to live that shares a building with lots of other homes.
- A tower block is a tall building containing lots of flats (or apartments).
- Blocks of flats often have lifts as well as stairs that serve the upper floors.
A FLAT
- A row of houses joined together is called a terrace.
- Mid-terraced houses have houses on either side.
- End terraced houses are only joined to one other house.
A TERRACED HOUSE
- A semi-detached house (or semi) is a house joined to another house.
- Semi-detached houses are built as a pair, joined together by one wall.
- Three bedroomed semis are the most popular house type in the UK.
A SEMI-DETACHED HOUSE
- A detached house is a house that isn’t joined to other houses.
- Detached houses have empty space on all sides.
- Detached houses are usually bigger than other houses.
A DETACHED HOUSE
- A bungalow is a low, single storey house. It only has rooms on the ground floor.
- Bungalows are ideal for disabled people, and are popular with older people.
- British people sometimes buy a bungalow to live in when they retire.
A BUNGALOW
- A hall of residence is a building designed for students to live in.
- Students typically rent rooms or flats in halls to live in during term time.
- The American English word for student housing is a dorm, or dormitory.
HALLS OF RESIDENCE
- A houseboat is a floating home.
- Some houseboats have engines and can travel up and down waterways.
- Other houseboats are permanently fixed to land near a river.
A HOUSEBOAT
- A mobile home is a house that can be moved to another place.
- Another word for a mobile home is caravan.
- The American English word for this type of home is a trailer.
A MOBILE HOME
- A hotel is a place to stay for one or more nights.
- Hotels are often used by people who are travelling.
- Bed and Breakfast (B & B) hotels are sometimes used for emergency housing.
A HOTEL
- A hostel is a temporary place to stay for one or more nights.
- Youth hostels are hostels for older teenagers and young adults.
- Homeless people sometimes stay in hostels while they are waiting to be housed.
A HOSTEL
Memory Matching Game
This matching quiz will help you learn and revise British English words for places to live and stay.
Instructions
Click on a card to start the game. Find the words and pictures that go together.
Click the ‘new game’ button to play the game again with a different set of words.
br
us
Synonyms
liveverb
to have your home in a particular place
arriveverb
to come to a place in order to live there permanently
settle downphrasal verb
to begin to live a quieter life by getting married or staying permanently in a place
come fromphrasal verb
to have your home in a particular place
inhabitverb
to live in a particular place
settleverb
to go and live permanently in a particular place
resideverb
formal to live in a particular place
boardverb
to live at another person’s house in a room that you pay for
squatverb
to live in a place without permission and without paying the owner
populateverb
if a group of people or animals populate an area, they live there
abideverb
an old word meaning “to stay or live somewhere”
bachverb
Australian New Zealand informal to live alone or not as part of a couple, and do your own cooking and housework
backadverb
used for talking about a place where you live or work or used to live or work when you are in a different place
baseverb
if you are based somewhere, you have it as your main office or place of work, or the place where you live
be domiciled inphrase
formal to be living in a particular place
bideverb
an old word meaning “to stay in a place”
boardverb
education to live with other students at school or college during the part of the year that you go to classes
board outphrasal verb
to arrange for a person or animal to stay with someone who is paid to take care of them for a period of time
campverb
to stay outside a place until you get what you want
camp outphrasal verb
to stay in a place without the furniture and equipment that you would normally have
couch surfverb
to stay temporarily in other people’s homes because you do not have a permanent place to live
couch surfverb
tourism to travel around staying without paying in the homes of people you have met on the internet
couch surfingnoun
tourism the activity of travelling around and staying without paying in the homes of people you have met through the internet
down/up/over etc. someone’s wayphrase
in the area where someone lives, works, etc.
dwellverb
literary to live somewhere
encampverb
to live in a camp, make a camp, or put someone in a camp
homesteadverb
American in the past, to live and work on land given by the U.S. government
house-sitverb
to live in someone’s house in order to take care of it while they are away
in residencephrase
formal living somewhere
late ofphrase
if someone is late of a place or organization, they recently lived or worked there but do not live or work there now
live inphrasal verb
to live at the place where you work or study
live outphrasal verb
to not live at the place where you work or study
lodgeverb
to live somewhere temporarily, usually paying rent to live in someone else’s house, or to provide someone with a place to live
move inphrasal verb
to start living in a different house or apartment
move inphrasal verb
to start living in the same place as someone else
occupyverb
if someone occupies a room, building, area of land, seat, bed, or other place during a period of time, they use it
outstay/overstay your welcomephrase
to stay at a place for longer than people want
overnightverb
to stay somewhere for the night
overstayverb
to stay in a place longer than you should
overwinterverb
to spend the winter somewhere
peopleverb
to be the people who exist in a place, situation, or period of time
put down rootsphrase
to become a part of the community where you live by making friends and taking part in local activities
put upphrasal verb
old-fashioned to stay for a short time in a place that is not your home
rattle aroundphrasal verb
to live or work in a place in which you have a lot more space than you need
residentadjective
formal living in a particular place
residentialadjective
involving living at the place where you are working, studying, or being taken care of
settleverb
to go to live in a place that does not have many people, and start to make it into a community
set up campphrasal verb
to put your possessions or equipment in a particular place so that you can live, work, or spend a lot of time there
set up house/homephrasal verb
to begin living in a particular place or with a particular person
set up/pitch campphrase
to stay outside somewhere and refuse to leave
shack upphrasal verb
to live or stay in a place for a short time
sleep overphrasal verb
to sleep at someone else’s house for one night
staynoun
a limited period of time that you live somewhere
stayverb
to live or remain in a place for a while as a guest or visitor
stay outphrasal verb
to remain out of your home for a period of time
stay the night/stay overnightphrase
to remain in a place as a guest or visitor for one night
stopverb
British spoken to stay at someone’s house for a short time
take up residencephrasal verb
formal to start living somewhere
winterverb
to spend the winter in a particular place
Explore related topics
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Synonyms
live
verb
to have your home in a particular place
arrive
verb
to come to a place in order to live there permanently
settle down
phrasal verb
to begin to live a quieter life by getting married or staying permanently in a place
come from
phrasal verb
to have your home in a particular place
inhabit
verb
to live in a particular place
settle
verb
to go and live permanently in a particular place
reside
verb
formal to live in a particular place
board
verb
to live at another person’s house in a room that you pay for
squat
verb
to live in a place without permission and without paying the owner
populate
verb
if a group of people or animals populate an area, they live there
More synonyms
abide
verb
an old word meaning ‘to stay or live somewhere’
bach
verb
AustralianNew Zealandinformal to live alone or not as part of a couple, and do your own cooking and housework
back
adverb
used for talking about a place where you live or work or used to live or work when you are in a different place
base
verb
if you are based somewhere, you have it as your main office or place of work, or the place where you live
be domiciled in
phrase
formal to be living in a particular place
bide
verb
an old word meaning ‘to stay in a place’
board
verb
education to live at school with other students during the part of the year that you go to lessons
board out
phrasal verb
to arrange for a person or animal to stay with someone who is paid to look after them for a period of time
camp
verb
to stay outside a place until you get what you want
camp out
phrasal verb
to stay in a place without the furniture and equipment that you normally have
couch surf
verb
to stay temporarily in other people’s homes because you do not have a permanent place to live
couch surf
verb
tourism to travel around staying without paying in the homes of people you have met on the internet
couch surfing
noun
staying in different people’s houses because you do not have a place of your own
couch surfing
noun
tourism the activity of travelling around and staying without paying in the homes of people you have met through the internet
down/up/over etc someone’s way
phrase
in the area where someone lives, works etc
dwell
verb
literary to live somewhere
house-sit
verb
to live in someone’s house in order to look after it while they are away
in residence
phrase
formal living somewhere
late of
phrase
if someone is late of a place or organization, they recently lived or worked there but do not live or work there now
live in
phrasal verb
to live at the place where you work or study
live out
phrasal verb
to not live at the place where you work or study
lodge
verb
to live somewhere temporarily, usually paying rent to live in someone else’s house, or to provide someone with a place to live
move in
phrasal verb
to start living in a different house or flat
move in
phrasal verb
to start living in the same place as someone else
occupy
verb
if someone occupies a room, building, area of land, seat, bed, or other place during a period of time, they use it
outstay/overstay your welcome
phrase
to stay at a place for longer than people want
overnight
verb
to stay somewhere for the night
overstay
verb
to stay in a place longer than you should
overwinter
verb
to spend the winter somewhere
people
verb
to be the people who exist in a place, situation, or period of time
put down roots
phrase
to become a part of the community where you live by making friends and taking part in local activities
put up
phrasal verb
old-fashioned to stay for a short time in a place that is not your home
rattle around
phrasal verb
to live or work in a place in which you have a lot more space than you need
resident
adjective
formal living in a particular place
residential
adjective
involving living at the place where you are working, studying, or being looked after
settle
verb
to go to live in a place that does not have many people, and start to make it into a community
set up camp
phrasal verb
to put your possessions or equipment in a particular place so that you can live, work, or spend a lot of time there
set up house/home
phrasal verb
to begin living in a particular place or with a particular person
set up/pitch camp
phrase
to stay outside somewhere and refuse to leave
shack up
phrasal verb
to live or stay in a place for a short time
sleep over
phrasal verb
to sleep at someone else’s house for one night
stay
noun
a limited period of time that you live somewhere
stay
verb
to live or remain in a place for a while as a guest or visitor
stay out
phrasal verb
to remain out of your home for a period of time
stay the night/stay overnight
phrase
to remain in a place as a guest or visitor for one night
stop
verb
Britishspoken to stay at someone’s house for a short time
stop out
phrasal verb
to not come home at night
take up residence
phrasal verb
formal to start living somewhere
winter
verb
to spend the winter in a particular place