10 Kitchen Words in English You Can Use Today

The kitchen is a great place to start learning English, because you see everything in it every day. This article gives you ten simple A1 words: fridge, oven, sink, knife, pot, pan, fork, spoon, plate and cup. Each word has a meaning, two example sentences and a short note to help you avoid a common mistake.

Why start with kitchen words?

Words you see and touch every day stay in your memory faster than abstract words. When you open the fridge and say fridge, the sound connects to the real object without translation. These words also fit into short, easy sentences, such as: The milk is in the fridge.

Machines and places: fridge, oven and sink

1. fridge

A fridge is a cold machine that keeps food and drinks fresh.

• The milk is in the fridge.
• Please close the fridge door.

Note: the longer, formal word is refrigerator, but people usually say fridge. Say in the fridge, and do not forget the.

2. oven

An oven is a hot box where we bake bread, cakes and meat.

• The bread is in the oven.
• Be careful, the oven is hot.

Note: the cooking top where you put a pot is called a stove in American English. In British English people say cooker or hob. The oven itself is called oven in both.

3. sink

A sink is a basin where we wash dishes, vegetables and hands.

• There are dirty plates in the sink.
• Wash the vegetables in the sink.

Note: pronounce the final k clearly: sɪŋk. Do not confuse it with sing, which means to make music with your voice.

Cooking tools: knife, pot and pan

4. knife

A knife is a sharp tool that we use to cut food.

• I cut the bread with a knife.
• Be careful with that sharp knife.

Note: the k at the start is silent, so we say naɪf. The plural is irregular: one knife, two knives, not knifes.

5. pot

A pot is a deep container for cooking soup, rice or pasta. It often has a lid.

• The soup is in the big pot.
• Put the pot on the stove.

Note: start with a p sound, not b. Americans say something like pɑːt and British speakers say pɒt. Both are correct.

6. pan

A pan is a flat, wide container for frying eggs or meat.

• She fries eggs in a pan.
• The pan is very hot.

Note: many learners say ban instead of pan. Hold a piece of paper in front of your mouth; it should move a little when you say p.

Things we eat with: fork, spoon, plate and cup

7. fork

A fork is a tool with points that we use to eat.

• I eat rice with a fork.
• Put a fork next to each plate.

Note: for the f sound, touch your top teeth to your bottom lip. It is not b. The plural is regular: forks.

8. spoon

A spoon is a tool we use to eat soup or to stir tea.

• She stirs the soup with a spoon.
• Add one spoon of sugar, please.

Note: many Arabic speakers add a vowel before the word, so it sounds like espoon. Start straight with s and then p: spuːn.

9. plate

A plate is a flat dish where we put food.

• Put the rice on the plate.
• The plates are clean.

Note: use a clear p sound at the start, not b. Do not say blate. The plural is plates.

10. cup

A cup is a small container for tea, coffee and other hot drinks.

• I have a cup of tea every morning.
• Can I have a cup of water, please?

Note: after cup we use of before the drink: a cup of tea, not a cup tea. For cold drinks people usually say glass.

Using a and the with kitchen words

In Arabic you say the milk is in the fridge with the definite article attached to the noun. English uses the when both people know which thing you mean: the fridge, the sink, the oven. We use a when we mean one thing that is not specific: I need a knife. All ten words are countable, so we say one plate, two plates.

Common mistakes Arabic speakers make

Pronunciation tips: p and b

Standard Arabic does not have a p sound, so many learners change it to b. In pot, pan, plate and spoon, push out a small puff of air with p and keep your throat still. Put your hand on your throat: with b you feel a buzz, with p you do not. Practise pairs such as pan and ban, or pot and bot.

How to learn the words in your own kitchen

1. Write each word on a small note and stick it on the object.
2. Say a short sentence each time you use it, for example: I open the fridge.
3. Repeat each word aloud three times, listening to the sounds.
4. Make one new sentence of your own for every word.
5. At the end of the week, walk around the kitchen and review all ten words.

This turns a list on paper into a daily habit. Start today with one word, then add the others little by little.