100 Body Part Words in English with Pictures: Advanced Vocabulary Lesson

Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to English with Lucy.

I've got quite the lesson for you today, so we're going to get right into it.

Today, we're going to get up close and personal with the human body—and I mean

really personal.

We're tackling a lot, we're going to go

into a lot of detail.

So buckle up, make sure you are all ears

as we explore the amazing machine that is the human body.

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download for free.

It contains all of the vocabulary from

today's lesson, plus a little more, along 

with definitions and a quiz  to test your knowledge.

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Okay, let's start at the very top, shall we?

The head.

So, you might already know about the 'forehead', right?

'Forehead'.

In my accent—modern received

pronunciation—we don't pronounce the 'r' sound: /ˈfɔːhed/.

But in some accents, it's actually pronounced 'forehead': /ˈfɒrɪd/.

And what about these?

They are 'the temples',  'temples'. They're the flat

areas on either side of the 'forehead'.

That's where your 'temporal bones' are,

'temporal bones'.

Then, moving down, we have this little

flap—mine's very small—a little flap of 'cartilage' here.

'Cartilage' is flexible connective tissue; it's at the front of the ear. It's the 'tragus'.

'Tragus'. Maybe you know someone who's had it pierced.

And this soft, fleshy bit at the bottom of the ear is the 'earlobe'. 'Earlobe', or

sometimes just 'lobe' for short.

Moving up, we have the 'crown' at the very

top of the head, and covering the whole 

head, the skin that covers  the skull—it's the 'scalp'.

'Scalp' where your hair grows from.

Now, move your fingers to the back of your head, do you feel a little bump?

That's your 'occipital bone', 'occipital bone'.

The area around it is called the

'occipital region' and it's where your skull meets your neck.

It's a pretty important place if you ask me, as it protects the brain's visual

processing centre.

Okay, now it's time to face some face facts.

Let's start with the windows of the soul, the 'eyes'.

Now, 'the eyes' are pretty complex, the coloured part is called your 'iris', 'iris'.

The black hole in the middle is just like you, it's a 'pupil', a 'pupil'!

A 'pupil' is another word for student, it's also the black hole in your eye, 'pupil'.

It gets bigger when there's not much light, and it shrinks when there's bright light.

When I was at university, I used to get rejected from nightclubs because my

'pupils' were always so big. They're very sensitive to light, or lack of light; the

bouncers thought I had taken an illegal substance, but really, I was just

struggling to see in the dark.

And what about the white part of the eye?

I'm going to be honest—I had to look this one up. It's called the 'sclera', 'sclera'.

And if you want to remember it, I came up with a way: you can say—it's clearer than

the rest of your eye. Okay, 'sclera'.

Now, let's talk about the flap of skin

that's always moving up and down, the 'eyelid'.

For some reason, I have crazy control of

my eyelids and my eyes in general.

I don't know if you can see this, this is

my party trick. Look at my 'irises'.

Can anyone else do that?

Yeah, amazing eye control.

I guess if this career doesn't work out,

I could just go to the circus.

Back to 'eyelids'! 'Eyelids' help to keep the

eyes moist and protected.

And what about your hairs on your 'eyelids'?

They are your 'eyelashes'. Your 'eyelashes'—and

they act as another line of

protection for the eyes.

Just above the eyes, we have the

'eyebrows', 'eyebrows', which also play an important role as they help to keep sweat

out of your eyes.

What about this little dip  in between the 'eyebrows'?

This is called the 'glabella', 'glabella', and it's from the Latin word for 'smooth',

which is ironic because this is often where we get 'frown lines', which are

sometimes called '11's'.

'Wrinkle' is the more general term for the

lines or small folds that appear on your skin as we age or as we express ourselves.

Okay, here's a fun one.

You know how some people have the little

indentations in their cheeks when they smile?

These are called 'dimples', 'dimples'.

I've always wanted 'dimples'.

They're actually caused by a split in the

muscle that runs through the cheek.

Not everyone has them, but perhaps that's

why so many of us find them so cute.

Okay, now for the nose. There are two openings at the bottom called 'nostrils', 'nostrils'.

The little groove between the nose and

the upper lip—

That's a 'philtrum', 'philtrum'.

Below that, just here, is the 'cupid's bow', the 'cupid's bow', and that is the

double curve of the upper lip.

Speaking of mouths, going inside, we've

got the 'gums' that hold the teeth in place.

I don't know why I'm feeling like I have

to demonstrate all of this for you.

'Gums'.

The roof of the mouth is called the 'palate', 

and the dangly thing at the back of the throat.

I can actually touch that with my tongue, but it weirds me out every time I do it.

That's the 'uvula', 'uvula'.

It helps with swallowing and even with

making sounds in certain languages.

Okay, that was a lot of information about

the head and I don't expect you to remember all of it.

That's why I've made the PDF for you.

Make sure you've downloaded that by

clicking on the link in the description box.

It has all of this information neatly

organised with

lovely visuals, the perfect self-study guide.

Are you ready to move on?

Let's go to the neck and shoulders.

So, with the neck, the back of the neck where the hairline ends is called the 'nape', the

'nape' of the neck.

It's a super sensitive area for many people.

I'm extremely ticklish on my neck.

The lump at the front of the neck is

called the 'Adam's apple', and it's more prominent in some bodies than others.

Fun fact, it's not actually an apple.

Can you believe it?

It's cartilage that covers the 'larynx', or 'voice box', which is the top part of the

throat that contains the 'vocal cords'.

The 'vocal cords' are what you use to speak

and sing.

Head, shoulders, knees…

Ah, we're just sticking with head and shoulders for now.

Do you have a version of 'Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes' in your own language?

Does it include the same body parts?

I would really like to know.

Please put that in the comments section.

Okay, so you have probably heard of the 'collarbone', but 

did you know

its fancy name is the 'clavicle', 'clavicle'.

That's a lovely word!

And it's actually one of the most commonly

broken bones in the body.

Ouch!

Now a big muscle runs from the back of the head down the neck and across the

shoulders and that's the  'trapezius', the 'trapezius muscle' 

but most people just call it the 'traps'.

And at the back, there are two large flat bones called the 'shoulder blades', 

'shoulder blades', or 'scapulae', 'scapulae'.

If we're being very fancy, and

it's time for another party trick.

I have really weird control over my

shoulder bones.

Why am I doing this?

I can make them dance.

After that, it's time for a quick break.

Let's see how much you've learnt so far with a little quiz.

Don't worry, it's just for fun.

I will read each question and then the answer.

And you'll have three seconds to answer, but feel free to use the pause button if you

need more time. All right—

number 1, what is the name of the

coloured part of the eye?

'Pupil', 'iris', or 'sclera'?

It is 'iris'.

It's your 'iris'.

What's this little groove called between your nose and your upper lip?

Is it your 'philtrum', 'cupid's bow', or 'uvula'?

It is your 'philtrum'.

And number 3.

Which of these is not found in the mouth?

We have 'palate', we have  'gums' and we have 'nape'.

It is 'nape'.

That's on your neck.

Number 4, what's another  name for your 'collarbone'?

'Scapula', 'clavicle' or 'larynx'?

It's 'clavicle'.

'Clavicle' is such a cute word.

And 5, what's the name of the part that covers the 'larynx'?

Is it 'Adam's apple', 'crown', or 'temple'?

It's your 'Adam's apple'.

How did you do?

Make sure you keep a note of your score

out of 5, as we're going to have another quiz at the end, and I want to

know your total score out of 10.

Okay, let's continue our journey through the

human body as we move down to the 'torso'.

And this is the body's central part minus the head,

arms and legs.

Put your hand on the centre of your chest.

Can you feel that long, flat bone?

That is your 'sternum', 'sternum',

and it's like a shield for your heart and lungs.

Just below that is an area called the 'solar plexus', the 'solar plexus'.

It's a network of nerves,  and it's super sensitive.

Okay, now slide your hands down to your sides.

These muscles here are called the 'obliques', 'obliques',

and they are what can help you

twist and bend from side to side, and right in the centre of the belly is the

'navel', the 'navel', also known as the 'belly button'.

This is where your 'umbilical cord', 

'umbilical cord' was attached.

Did you know that the way your 'belly button' or 'navel' looks is basically just random?

It's determined by how your 'umbilical cord' heals after you're born.

It can be an innie, or an outie, or an in-betweenie as well.

Okay, let's not forget the 'ribcage'. People

usually have 12 pairs of ribs, and they are not

just there to protect your organs. The muscles

attached to the ribs expand and contract,  

helping us to breathe.

The bottom two pairs are called 'floating ribs', 'floating ribs' because they're

not attached to your 'sternum'.

Okay, we'll flip around to the back.

We've already gone over the 'shoulder

blades', as I'm sure you will never forget—the 'scapulae'.

However, running right down the middle of your back is the 'spine', the 'spine', 

or sometimes called your 'backbone'.

It's not just one long bone, though.

It's usually made up of 33 individual bones called 'vertebrae', /ˈvɜːtɪbreɪ/, 

or /ˈvɜːtɪbriː/ too,

although some of these usually fuse together, leaving more of us with only 24.

The spine is divided into different regions.

We have the 'cervical', /ˈsɜːvɪkl/, or /səˈvaɪkl/ spine is

in your neck.

The ‘thoracic’ /θəˈræsɪk/ or  /θɔːˈræsɪk/ spine is in your

upper back.

The 'lumbar spine' is in your lower back,

and the ‘sacrum’ /ˈseɪkrəm/ or /ˈsækrəm/ is at the bottom 

of your spine.

Finally, the 'coccyx', 'coccyx'.

That's a lot of consonant sounds there.

'Coccyx' or 'tailbone' is at the bottom.

Another fun fact: we're born with around

300 bones, but as we grow, some of them fuse together, and by the time we're

adults, we only have around 206.

Okay, next the reproductive system.

So, people generally have either 'ovaries', which produce eggs and hormones; 

a 'uterus', which is where  a 'fetus' develops during 

pregnancy; 'fallopian tubes', which eggs

pass along from the 'ovaries' to reach the 'uterus'; a 'cervix', a narrow opening at the

lower end of the 'uterus'; a 'vagina', which is a passage that connects the 'cervix' and

the outside of the body; and a 'vulva', which are the outer parts of the sex organs.

So, these are typically found in female bodies, but not always, or people tend to

have, among other things. These body parts typically found in male bodies, but

not always:

we have 'testicles', 'testicles', which produce sperm and testosterone;

a 'scrotum', 'scrotum', which holds and protects the 'testicles'; and a 'penis',

'penis', which is the external male sex organ.

Now, note:

some people will have both of these; some people

will have none of these.

It's not a clear divide!

I'm simply happy to equip you with the vocabulary.

Okay, time for arms and hands.

We have the 'biceps', which are at the top

of your upper arm, and they are the muscles that move when you flex.

At the back, we have the 'triceps' here, and as we move down further,

we have the 'forearm', 'forearm'.

At the end of that is the 'wrist', which is really flexible, thanks to the small

bones in there called the 'carpals', 'carpals'.

Then, we've got the hand with the inner flat part called the 'palm', 'palm'.

We don't tend to pronounce 'l' there, just /pɑːm/, /pɑːm/.

The bendy joints on each finger are called

'knuckles', 'knuckles', the 'k' is silent.

Let's zoom in on the fingers.

At the end of each finger, we have a

'fingertip', 'fingertip',  and they're generally super 

sensitive, great for touching and feeling things.

The 'fingernail' grows from the 'nail bed', and around the edges, we have the

'cuticle', keeping the nail in place.

Mine are not naturally pink.

I may have had some assistance with these.

Okay, let's tackle the legs and feet.

At the front of the 'thigh', the 'thigh' which is the top part of the leg,

just above the knee,

there are a group of muscles, a group of 4 muscles, called the 'quadriceps', 'quadriceps'.

Sometimes we shorten it to 'quads'.

If we head down further, we find the 'knee', which is pretty damn complex.

Behind the 'knee', we have the 'hamstring', and the 'hamstring' is made of the

muscles and 'tendons', which run along the back of the leg.

'Tendons' are the tissues that join muscles to bones.

We have the 'kneecap', 'kneecap' or 'patella', 'patella'.

That's the round bone at the front of

your knee.

And did you know that there's also a

little fluid-filled sack called a 'bursa', 'bursa' that helps your knee move smoothly?

You can find 'bursas' next to lots of large joints, like the shoulders and the hips.

Moving down to the lower leg, we have the 'calf', the 'calf' at the back.

That's the same as the word we use for a baby cow, a 'calf'.

It's the bulgy muscle that helps people stand on 'tiptoes'.

At the front, there is the 'shin', 

'the shin', and the bone there is called the 'tibia', the 'tibia'

That's the one that it's really painful to knock on a coffee table.

And the 'tibia' is the second-largest bone in your body after your 'femur',

'femur', which is your thigh bone.

At the back of the ankle, you have your 'Achilles tendon'.

'Achilles tendon', and it was named after the Greek hero who was invulnerable

everywhere except his heel.

It's the strongest tendon in your body,

but it's also one of the most commonly injured.

Now, for your feet, the 'heel' is the bone at the back of the foot,

and is called the 'calcaneus', 'calcaneus'. It's the largest bone in the foot, and

it takes a lot of impact when walking or running.

The bottom of the foot is called the 'sole', the 'sole', and there's an arch in

the middle that helps with balance.

The 'ball' of the foot is that padded round

part just behind the toes.

It helps distribute weight when standing

on tiptoes.

And speaking of toes, did you know that the scientific name for the big toe 

is the 'hallux', the 'hallux'.

And the rest of them, well, the smallest

one is called the 'pinky toe', the 'pinky toe', and that's not its scientific name,

but everyone will know what you mean.

Before we wrap up, let's talk about some

features of skin and hair.

You've probably heard of 'pores', they're

tiny openings typically found here for me.

They can sometimes get clogged, but did

you know about 'sebaceous glands'?

'Sebaceous glands'. They're the little

glands in the skin that produce oil or 'sebum', 'sebum'.

And what about the brown

spots that some people have on their skin? If it's flat, it's called a 'freckle'.

I have one very persistent 'freckle' here.

If it's raised, it's called a 'mole', a 'mole'.

Both are caused by clusters of 'pigment' producing cells in your skin, which will 

give your skin colour.

Some people also have 'birthmarks',

'birthmarks', which are just coloured marks on a person's skin that they've normally

had since birth.

As for hair, each strand grows from a

'follicle', 'follicle'.

Did you know that a 'cowlick' is a piece of hair that sticks out and grows in a

different direction from the rest of your hair?

I have one right here.

It will never lie flat.

It's caused by a spiral pattern in the

growth of hair 'follicles'.

You can blame your genes for it or just

embrace it.

It's extra volume.

All right, we've covered a lot.

Let's see how much you remember with one last quiz.

What do we call the bendy parts of the fingers?

Are they 'cuticles', 'knuckles', or the 'hallux'?

They are 'knuckles'.

Okay, the bottom of the foot is called

the 'heel', 'arch', or 'sole'.

It is the 'sole' of your foot, spelled

differently to your soul as a person, the sole of your foot, s-o-l-e. Number

3, what's the name of the coloured spots some people have on their skin?

We're talking about the flat ones here.

We have 'freckles', 'follicles', 'pores'.

'Freckles'.

Number 4, what is the largest bone in the body?

Is it the 'femur', the 'tibia' or the 'calcaneus'?

It's the 'femur'.

And the last one, what is the scientific name for the big toe?

Is it the 'phalanx', the 'hallux', or the 'tibia'?

It is the 'hallux'.

Amazing work!

How many did you get out of 5?

Put it together with your last score and tell me your score out of 10 in the

comment section below.

Well, what a journey we've been on today.

We've covered so much from the top of your head

to the tips of your toes.

But it's important to remember that knowing about these

terms isn't just about sounding smart, although that's a really nice bonus.

It can be incredibly useful if you need to describe a health issue to a doctor or

discuss fitness with a personal trainer or someone in the gym.

Plus, it gives you a whole new appreciation for how complex and

fascinating our bodies really are. Don't forget to download 

that PDF.

There's lots more information there, and there's a quiz, and until next time:

take care of your clavicles, mind your patellas,

and I will see you in the next video!

Bye!