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Some words in English seem to refer to the same concepts and be synonyms of each other. This is a common assumption people make with “clothes” and “clothing”. But are they the exact same? Or are there any differences between them? This article will answer all of these questions.
Difference Between “Clothes” and “Clothing”
“Clothes” and “clothing” can refer to the same thing, meaning the things that you wear. However, when you say “clothing”, you usually can refer to a specific type of clothing, as opposed to “clothes” which is always a very broad and general term. “Clothing” is also more formal.
You might prefer to use the word “clothes” in a situation in which you’re talking about several things, one of which is “clothes”.
However, “clothing” is the preferable term when you want to specify what kind of clothing you’re using.
Ultimately, they can be interchangeable words, but this isn’t always the case, and it depends on the situation. In more formal contexts, you will want to use “clothing” instead of “clothes”.
“Clothes” is the word you’d use to refer to the things that you wear on your body, for necessity, fashion, or both. Shoes, pants, hats, shirts, everything that you wear on your body can be classified as clothes. This is one of the first words people learn in English.
According to The Cambridge Dictionary, “clothes” are “things such as dresses and trousers that you wear to cover, protect, or decorate your body”. Anything that falls into these categories can be referred to as “clothes”.
In case you’re unsure how to use the word “clothes”, here are some example sentences that will help you:
- I have carefully selected all of my clothes and they are all worth keeping in my closet.
- Your clothes are really good, I am always astonished at your impressive collection.
- You have to admit that her clothes are on point always, even when she’s being rude to us.
- Their clothes were odd, in some way, like they had been all copied from real, normal clothes.
- My clothes are a lot nicer than they were back in the day, because I make more money now.
- Her clothes were dazzling, so I couldn’t help but stare at all her different outfits.
- His clothes are really well made, if you look at the stitching and the seams you’ll see it.
Clothing
“Clothing” is a word that, like “clothes”, can also be used to refer to the things that you wear on your body. You distinguish it from “clothes” because of two things. “Clothing” is used to specify what kind of clothes you’re wearing, and because it’s a more formal expression.
According to The Cambridge Dictionary, “clothing” means “clothes, especially clothes of a particular type or those worn in a particular situation”. Therefore, “clothing” is a synonym for “clothes” that allows for more specificity.
If you don’t know how to use “clothing” in a sentence, these examples will show you what to do:
- Their winter clothing section is essential for anyone living in that part of the country.
- All of her clothing is simply incredible, you’ll love her gifts, trust me on this.
- You should make sure that all of the clothing you will need at the conference is packed.
- My clothing for the wedding has now been selected, I’m really excited to show off my tie.
- Her clothing had been torn to shreds by the terrible weather, but she had arrived safely otherwise.
- My safety clothing has been specifically designed for this sort of rough work environment.
- If you wish to create good clothing then you ought to buy better materials to work with, I think.
Which Word Is Used the Most?
According to the Google Ngram Viewer, “clothes” is significantly more popular than “clothing” in the written text. This makes sense because of the fact that “clothes” is a casual word and “clothing” is more of a formal term.
Because there are more informal situations than there are formal ones, “clothes” is the more popular term. However, it’s worth pointing out that this hasn’t always been the case.
“Clothes” only really overtook “clothing” in popularity in the middle of the 1990s, and before that point “clothing” was actually slightly more popular of a word.
The gap between the two, however, was far from immense until this specific moment, with them alternating their popularity spots.
Final Thoughts
“Clothes” and “clothing” are, broadly speaking, the same concept. The difference is that “clothing” can be used to specify slightly more on what you’re talking about, and that “clothing” is a more formal term as opposed to the casual “clothes”. But they are synonyms of each other.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
одежда, платье, обмундирование, обшивка, паруса
существительное ↓
- одежда
articles of clothing — предметы одежды 
ready-made clothing — готовое платье
work clothing — спецодежда
- прикрытие, покров; сокрытие (чего-л.)
- форменная одежда, обмундирование
- текст. суконная шерсть; аппаратная шерсть
- спец. обшивка
- мор. паруса
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
a sales clerk at a women’s clothing store — продавец в магазине женской /дамской/ одежды
a small bundle containing mostly clothing — небольшой свёрток, содержащий, главным образом, одежду
clothing factory — швейная фабрика
a wolf in sheep’s clothing — волк в овечьей шкуре
to wring the water from smb.’s clothing — выжимать одежду
clothing [furniture] factory — швейная [мебельная] фабрика
basic clothing maintenance allowance — первоначальное денежное пособие на содержание обмундирования
bath and clothing exchange point — пункт помывки ЛС и смены белья и одежды
bath and clothing unit — банно-прачечное подразделение
bathing and clothing unit — банно-прачечное подразделение
battle dress clothing system — комплект боевой формы одежды
be without a stitch of clothing — ходить в чем мать родила; быть совершенно голым
Примеры с переводом
She endorses a line of clothing.
Она рекламирует линию одежды.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing.
Носите свободную, удобную одежду.
A man is in extreme want of food or clothing.
Человек, крайне нуждающийся в еде или одежде.
Clothing is not taxed in our state.
В нашем государстве одежда не облагается налогами.
Remember to bring a change of clothing.
Не забудьте захватить с собой смену одежды.
All the workers were issued with protective clothing.
Всем работникам была выдана защитная спецодежда.
We’re collecting food and clothing for the poor.
Мы собираем еду и одежду для бедных.
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
She took only a few items of clothing. 
She was wearing a hat and mannish clothing.
Jewelry and clothing fashions vary with the season.
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
cloth — ткань, полотно, сукно, суконный, свертываться, сгущаться
underclothing — нижнее белье
cloths — куски материи
Teaching clothes vocabulary in English is a lot more fun when using exciting games and activities. Check out our top five games for teaching clothes vocabulary to kids and beginner ESL students.
Related: Clothes Lesson Plan
5 Fun And Free Games To Teach Clothes Vocabulary
1: Clothing Guessing Game
This clothing guessing game is a great way to introduce or review clothes vocabulary with kids. In this game, students will see an outline of an item of clothing. They then have 5 seconds to guess what piece of clothing it is. This activity can be used as a review activity once students have learned some clothing vocabulary. Alternatively, it can be used as an introduction activity to introduce the topic of clothes and to activate students’ existing knowledge of clothes vocabulary.
2: Put On Your Hat, Please (Simon Says Game)
This variation of the classic classroom game ‘Simon Says’ is a great listening activity to practice clothing words. Before starting this game, first, teach the students how to mime putting on different items of clothing. For example, ‘Put on your hat.’, ‘Take off your hat.’, ‘Put on your jacket.’, ‘Take off your jacket.’, etc. Once students have practiced enough, it’s time to start the game.
In this game, if the teacher says ‘please‘ at the end of the sentence, then students should do the action. If the teacher doesn’t say ‘please’, then students should not do the action. For example, if the teacher says ‘Put on your hat, please.’, then all students should mime putting on a hat. If the teacher just says ‘Put on your hat.’, then students should not do anything.
If a student mimes putting on the item of clothing when the teacher didn’t say please, then that student is out and must sit down. Continue playing the game until only a few students are left standing. This game is a lot of fun and kids really like it. More Games Like Simon Says.
3: Clothing Line Bingo
This fun ESL card game is a variation of bingo and can be played with any target language. To play this clothes bingo game, you need some small clothes flashcards for students to use. Download and print these clothes student cards and give one set to each student or pair of students. Next, ask students to place the clothes mini-flashcards in a horizontal line in any order that they want. Now the game can begin.
To begin, the teacher will choose one of the clothes flashcards and say the target expressions out loud. For example, ‘I want to buy a blue T-shirt.’ Then students should look at their clothes cards and if the blue T-shirt card is on the left end or the right end of the line of cards, then they can turn that card over. If the T-shirt card is in the middle of the line of cards, then the student cannot turn it over.
Then, the teacher should choose another card and say the sentence out loud (e.g., ‘I want to buy some shoes.’). And again, students should check if they can turn this card over. The first student to turn over all of his/her clothes flashcards has bingo and is the winner. This line bingo card game can be played with any target language if you have some small flashcards for students. You can download many student cards for FREE from our Flashcards Page.
4: Clothes Drawing Game
This activity to teach clothes vocabulary is a lot of fun and your students will likely want to play this game several times once they see the funny result. To play, all you need is some pieces of A4 paper (or card), some scissors, and some coloring pens/pencils.
First, give each student a piece of paper. Assign a different piece of clothing for each of the students to draw. For example, one student will draw a hat, one student will draw a shirt, one student will draw trousers, etc. Tell students not to show their drawings to their friends. Once students have drawn their item of clothing, ask students to color it in and cut it out.
Once students have finished, draw a simple drawing of a man/woman on the board. Invite students one by one to come to the front and ‘dress’ the man/woman by placing their drawing in the right place on the board. Once all the drawings of the items of clothing are attached to the board, students will love the silly image they have created together.
TIP: After creating this drawing of a man/woman with different pieces of clothing, you can use it to drill the target language with the students. For example, ask students ‘What is he/she wearing?’, ‘He/She is wearing a blue hat, a yellow shirt, and red shoes.’, etc.
5: Clothes Vocabulary Board Games
Board games are a great way to get students talking using clothes vocabulary. Download and print this clothes board game and give one to each pair of students. Each pair of students also needs one pencil and one paper clip.
In this game, students will take turns in flicking the paper clip to make it spin (place the paper clip in the middle and place the pencil in the middle of a paper clip and then flick). Then, students should make a dialogue based on the item of clothing that the clip lands on. For example, if the clip lands on the blue T-shirt, one student can ask ‘What are you wearing?’, and the other student can answer ‘I am wearing a blue T-shirt.’. For more board games and other printables to teach clothes vocabulary, click here.
Thanks for reading. I hope you found some good game ideas to teach clothes vocabulary and expressions. Before you go, don’t forget to check out our FREE ESL lesson materials, including flashcards, board games, lesson plans, and PowerPoint Games.
Useful Vocabulary
Men’s Clothes | Women’s Clothes | Uni-Sex | Baby Clothes
Holiday/Leisure Clothes | Nightwear | Underwear | Headwear | Footwear
Men’s Clothes
 |
 |
 |
| suit(s) | shirt(s) | tie(s) |
|---|
Women’s Clothes
 |
 |
 |
| dress(es) | blouse(s) | skirt(s) |
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| tanktop(s) |
Uni-Sex
 |
 |
 |
| coat(s) | jacket(s) | t-shirt(s) |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| trouser(s) | jean(s) | short(s) |
 |
 |
 |
| jumper(s) pullover(s) | cardigan(s) |
sweatshirt(s) |
 |
 |
|
| glove(s) | mitten(s) |
Baby Clothes
 |
 |
|
| romper suit(s) | nappy (nappies) |
|---|
Holiday/Leisure Clothes
 |
 |
 |
| swimming trunk(s) | bikini(s) |
swimsuit(s) |
|---|
Nightwear
 |
 |
 |
| nightdress(es) nightie(s) |
pyjama(s) |
dressing gown(s) |
|---|
Underwear
Mens
boxers Y-fronts
Ladies (Lingerie)
bra(s) pant(s)
knicker(s)stocking(s) tight(s)
Uni-Sex
vest(s)
Footwear
 |
 |
 |
| shoe(s) | sandal(s) |
boot(s) |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| wellington(s) | slipper(s) | sock(s) |
Headware
 |
 |
 |
| beret(s) | bowler hat(s) |
trilby (trilbies) |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
knitted hat(s) |
cap(s) |
Build Up
Accessories
Jewellery
Parts of Clothes
Accessories
belt(s)
handbag(s)
headscarf (headscarves) 
scarf (scarves)
glasses
sunglasses 
watch(es)
glove(s)
hat(s)
hanger(s)
Jewellery
bracelet(s)
necklace(s)
ring(s) 
earring(s)
Parts of clothes
Naturally Speaking
Does it fit?
| It’s too big. | It’s too small. |
| It’s too loose. | It’s too tight. |
| It’s too long. | It’s too short. |
Dialogue
It’s Saturday and Mrs Smith has gone shopping with her daughter Lucy for a new dress in the sales:-
| Lucy: |
Well mum, what do you think? |
| Mrs Smith: |
Mmm, it’s nice, but I think you need a slightly bigger size. The top is gaping. |
| Lucy: |
I think this is the only one. |
| Mrs Smith: |
I’d better ask an assistant. Excuse me. Do you have this in a size 12? |
| Shop assistant: |
I’m afraid everything in the sale is out on display. |
| Mrs Smith: |
Oh dear. It’s just a bit too tight. |
| Shop assistant: |
I think we have a size 12, in red. |
| Lucy: |
Oh no. Red’s just not my colour. |
| Shop assistant: |
It’s not bright red, it’s a nice dark red. Here it is. Why don’t you try it on? There’s a changing room free over there. |
| Later… | |
| Lucy: |
It fits like a glove. What do you think Mum? |
| Mrs Smith: |
It looks really nice. I guess red suits you after all. |
Games and Tests for this Vocabulary Unit
All these games and tests open in a new window.