Body & Health Vocabulary
This page collects 87 English health words. Every word comes with a real photo, pronunciation audio, a clear meaning and an example sentence, so you can see and hear each word in context. Each card links to the daily lesson where the word was taught, so you can read the full conversation and practice shadowing.
Words are grouped by topic: Body Parts (14 words), Illnesses & Symptoms (33 words), At the Doctor & Hospital (11 words), Healthy Lifestyle & Habits (14 words), Mental Health & Wellbeing (5 words) and Medicine & Public Health (10 words). They cover all six CEFR levels, from beginner words like fever, hospital, medicine to advanced words like debilitating, ailment, convalescence. Use the audio on each card to check your pronunciation, then test yourself with the quiz below.
Quiz: Test Yourself
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check your score.
Q1. Which word means 'a doctor's written order for medicine'?
Q2. Which word means 'to ease pain or symptoms without curing the illness'?
Q3. Which word means 'causing a strong habit that is hard to break'?
Q4. Which word means 'positive stress that motivates and improves performance'?
Q5. Which word means 'caused by medical treatment itself'?
Q6. What is this?
Q7. What is this?
Q8. What is this?
Q9. What is this?
Q10. What is this?
Body Parts (14 words)
A1
arm noun · A1
ARM
the long part from your shoulder to your hand
Raise your arm.
eye noun · A1
EYE
the part you see with
Close your eyes.
foot noun · A1
FUT
the part you stand on
My foot is cold.
hair noun · A1
HAIR
the thin lines that grow on your head
She has long hair.
hand noun · A1
HAND
the part at the end of your arm
Wash your hands.
mouth noun · A1
MOWTH
the part you eat and speak with
Open your mouth.
nose noun · A1
NOHZ
the part you smell with
His nose is small.
A2
muscle noun · A2
MUS-sul
the part of your body that moves
He hurt a muscle in his leg.
B2
joint noun · B2
JOYNT
the place where two bones meet, like the knee or elbow
Swimming is gentle exercise for stiff joints.
C2
neuromuscular adjective · C2
noo-roh-MUSS-kyoo-lur
relating to the connection between nerves and muscles
Sprint training creates powerful neuromuscular adaptations.
proprioception noun · C2
PROH-pree-uh-SEP-shun
the body's sense of where it is in space
Balance-board drills improve proprioception and help prevent ankle injuries.
Illnesses & Symptoms (33 words)
A1
fever noun · A1
FEE-vur
when your body is very hot because you are sick
She has a fever and stays in bed.
A2
cough verb / noun · A2
KOF
a short strong sound when air comes out of your mouth fast
He has a bad cough, so he covers his mouth.
headache noun · A2
HED-ayk
pain in your head
She took medicine for her headache.
sore adjective · A2
SOR
painful, like when a part of your body hurts
His throat is sore, so he drinks warm tea.
B1
ache noun · B1
AYK
a continuous, dull pain in part of your body
I have an ache in my back.
allergy noun · B1
AL-uhr-jee
when your body reacts badly to something like pollen
She has an allergy to peanuts.
infection noun · B1
in-FEK-shun
when germs get into your body and make you sick
He had an infection in his throat.
injury noun · B1
IN-juh-ree
damage to a part of your body
He got an injury while playing football.
jet lag noun · B1
JET LAG
extreme tiredness you feel after a long flight across different time zones
After my flight to Tokyo, I had terrible jet lag for three days.
recovery noun · B1
ree-KUH-vuh-ree
getting healthy again after being sick
His recovery took about two weeks.
remedy noun · B1
REM-uh-dee
something that makes you feel better when you are sick
Hot tea is a simple remedy for a cold.
sore throat noun · B1
SOR THROT
pain in the throat, especially when you swallow
Warm tea helps my sore throat.
symptom noun · B1
SIMP-tum
a sign that you are sick, like a fever or a cough
A fever is a common symptom of the flu.
B2
allergic adjective · B2
uh-LUR-jik
when your body reacts badly to something
She is allergic to peanuts.
bruise noun · B2
BROOZ
a dark mark on the skin caused by an injury
He had a big bruise on his knee after the fall.
chronic adjective · B2
KRON-ik
continuing for a long time, usually about a sickness
He suffers from chronic back pain.
cramp noun · B2
KRAMP
a sudden painful tightening of a muscle
She woke up in the night with a painful cramp in her leg.
dehydrated adjective · B2
dee-HY-dray-tud
when your body does not have enough water
Drink water so you don't get dehydrated.
fatigue noun · B2
fuh-TEE-g
extreme tiredness, usually after work or illness
The nurse felt deep fatigue after her twelve-hour shift.
fracture noun · B2
FRAK-chur
a broken bone
The X-ray showed a small fracture in his wrist.
heal verb · B2
HEEL
to become healthy again after an injury or illness
The cut will heal faster if you keep it clean.
inflammation noun · B2
in-fluh-MAY-shun
red, warm swelling in the body
Ice can reduce inflammation in a sore knee.
insomnia noun · B2
in-SOM-nee-uh
difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Stress is a common cause of insomnia in adults.
migraine noun · B2
MY-grayn
a very strong headache, often with nausea
She gets a migraine when she does not sleep enough.
nausea noun · B2
NAW-zee-uh
the feeling that you might vomit
The rough boat ride gave him terrible nausea.
recover verb · B2
rih-KUV-ur
to get healthy again after being sick
It took a week to recover from the cold.
sprain verb · B2
SPRAYN
to twist a joint painfully
He sprained his ankle playing soccer.
strain verb · B2
STRAYN
to hurt a muscle by using it too much
She strained her back lifting a heavy box.
swell verb · B2
SWEL
to become larger because of injury or infection
Her ankle started to swell after she twisted it.
C1
debilitating adjective · C1
dih-BIL-ih-tay-ting
causing serious weakness that makes normal life very hard
His migraines were so debilitating that he often missed weeks of work.
C2
ailment noun · C2
AYL-munt
a mild illness or health problem
The clinic treats every minor ailment, from colds to sprains.
convalescence noun · C2
kon-vuh-LESS-unts
the period of recovering from an illness or operation
During his convalescence, he took long walks by the sea.
malaise noun · C2
muh-LAYZ
a general, vague feeling of being unwell or uneasy
She felt a vague malaise for several days before the fever appeared.
At the Doctor & Hospital (11 words)
A1
hospital noun · A1
HAH-spih-tul
a big building where sick people get help
I go to the hospital when I am sick.
medicine noun · A1
MED-uh-sun
something you take when you are sick to feel better
Take your medicine with water.
pill noun · A1
PIL
a small round medicine you take with water
He takes one pill every day.
B1
appointment noun · B1
uh-POYNT-munt
a fixed time to see a doctor
I made an appointment with the doctor for Monday.
bandage noun · B1
BAN-dij
a strip of cloth you put on a wound
She put a bandage on her finger.
diagnosis noun · B1
dy-uhg-NOH-sis
when a doctor finds out what your illness is
The diagnosis was just a simple cold.
prescribe verb · B1
pruh-SCRYBE
when a doctor tells you which medicine to take
The doctor prescribed some pills for my cold.
B2
diagnose verb · B2
DY-ug-nohs
when a doctor finds out what sickness you have
The doctor diagnosed him with the flu.
prescription noun · B2
pruh-SKRIP-shun
a doctor's written order for medicine
You need a prescription to buy this medicine.
C1
recuperate verb · C1
ree-KOO-puh-rayt
to recover after effort, injury, or illness
His coach insisted he rest for two weeks so the torn muscle could fully recuperate.
resuscitate verb · C1
ree-SUS-ih-tayt
to bring someone back to life or consciousness
The paramedics managed to resuscitate the patient after three minutes of CPR.
Healthy Lifestyle & Habits (14 words)
A2
brush verb · A2
BRUSH
to clean with a brush
I brush my teeth twice a day.
rest verb · A2
REST
to stop work and relax so your body can get better
The doctor says you must rest for two days.
shower noun · A2
SHOU-er
washing your body under running water
I take a shower every morning.
sleep verb · A2
SLEEP
to rest at night with closed eyes
Babies sleep a lot.
B1
immunity noun · B1
i-MYOO-nuh-tee
your body's ability to fight sickness
Good sleep helps build your immunity.
B2
hydration noun · B2
hy-DRAY-shun
keeping enough water in your body
Good hydration is essential for runners on hot days.
hygiene noun · B2
HY-jeen
keeping yourself and your things clean
Good hygiene stops the spread of germs.
posture noun · B2
POS-chur
the way you sit or stand
Good posture helps your back stay healthy.
C1
sedentary adjective · C1
SED-en-teh-ree
involving sitting and very little physical activity
A sedentary lifestyle is now considered a major risk factor for heart disease.
C2
invigorating adjective · C2
in-VIG-uh-ray-ting
making you feel healthy, fresh, and full of energy
A cold morning swim is surprisingly invigorating.
longevity noun · C2
lon-JEV-uh-tee
living a long, healthy life
Regular exercise is linked to greater longevity.
rejuvenate verb · C2
ri-JOO-vuh-nayt
to make someone or something feel young, fresh, and healthy again
A week in the mountains will rejuvenate both your body and mind.
robust adjective · C2
roh-BUST
strong, healthy, and hard to damage or make ill
He has a robust constitution and rarely catches a cold.
vitality noun · C2
vy-TAL-uh-tee
energy, strength and good health; being full of life
Regular swimming has given her remarkable vitality well into her seventies.
Mental Health & Wellbeing (5 words)
B2
burnout noun · B2
BURN-out
extreme tiredness caused by working too hard for too long
After six months of seventy-hour weeks, she hit total burnout and took a month off.
resilience noun · B2
reh-ZIL-yuhns
the ability to recover quickly from problems or setbacks
After losing her job, her resilience helped her start a successful business.
C1
addictive adjective · C1
uh-DIK-tiv
causing a strong habit that is hard to break
Social media apps are deliberately designed to be addictive.
C2
eustress noun · C2
YOO-stress
positive stress that motivates and improves performance
The buzz before a race is eustress, not anxiety.
impostor syndrome noun phrase · C2
im-POS-tur SIN-drohm
the feeling that you do not deserve your success and will be exposed as a fraud
Even after the promotion, impostor syndrome made him doubt every decision he made.
Medicine & Public Health (10 words)
B2
dosage noun · B2
DOH-sij
the amount of medicine you should take at one time
The correct dosage is written on the bottle.
vaccine noun · B2
vak-SEEN
a shot that protects you from a sickness
Children get a vaccine against measles.
C1
homeostasis noun · C1
hoh-mee-oh-STAY-sis
the body's ability to keep its internal conditions stable
Sweating is the body's way of restoring homeostasis during exercise.
iatrogenic adjective · C1
eye-at-roh-JEN-ik
caused by medical treatment itself
The infection turned out to be iatrogenic, traced to contaminated surgical tools.
palliate verb · C1
PAL-ee-ayt
to ease pain or symptoms without curing the illness
Morphine was given to palliate her pain, though it could not cure the disease.
pathogenesis noun · C1
path-oh-JEN-uh-sis
the biological process by which a disease develops
Scientists spent a decade unraveling the pathogenesis of the virus.
placebo noun · C1
pluh-SEE-boh
a harmless treatment that works because the patient believes in it
In the trial, patients who received the placebo still reported less pain.
prognosis noun · C1
prog-NOH-sis
a doctor's prediction about the likely course of an illness
The prognosis for patients diagnosed early has improved dramatically.
C2
inoculation noun · C2
in-ok-yuh-LAY-shun
giving a vaccine to protect against a disease
Mass inoculation helped eradicate smallpox in the twentieth century.
prophylaxis noun · C2
prof-uh-LAK-sis
medical treatment that prevents disease before it starts
Malaria prophylaxis is essential before travelling to tropical regions.
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