cloud
IPA: /klaʊd/
a white or grey mass in the sky
English vocabulary by topic
Weather vocabulary in English
Words for understanding forecasts, talking about the seasons and describing the weather outside.
Go to the wordsVocabulary for talking about weather
The list includes general words such as weather and sky, common conditions such as rain, snow, fog and wind, and storm words such as lightning and thunder. They will help you understand a simple forecast and make small talk about the weather.
Many nouns form useful adjectives: rain — rainy, cloud — cloudy, wind — windy and fog — foggy. Learn these pairs together to move from isolated words to natural sentences.
Vocabulary
Words in this topic
Use the speaker icon to hear each word in British English.
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fog
IPA: /fɒɡ/
a thick cloud close to the ground
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frost
IPA: /frɒst/
a thin layer of ice formed in cold weather
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lightning
IPA: /ˈlaɪtnɪŋ/
a bright flash of electricity in the sky
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rain
IPA: /reɪn/
water that falls from clouds
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rainbow
IPA: /ˈreɪnˌbəʊ/
an arc of colours seen after rain
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sky
IPA: /skaɪ/
the space above the earth
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snow
IPA: /snəʊ/
soft white pieces of frozen water
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sun
IPA: /sʌn/
the star that gives the earth light and heat
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thunder
IPA: /ˈθʌndə/
the loud sound that follows lightning
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weather
IPA: /ˈwɛðə/
the conditions in the air at a particular time
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wind
IPA: /wɪnd/
moving air
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How to remember these words
- Describe the weather in one sentence every morning.
- Learn each noun together with its related adjective.
- Group the words into warm, cold and wet weather.
02
Useful phrases
It’s sunny and warm today.
Heavy rain is coming from the west.
We saw lightning and heard thunder.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How do you ask about the weather in English?
The most natural general question is What is the weather like? To ask about the weather now, say Is it raining? or Is it cold outside?
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather describes conditions now or over a short period. Climate describes typical conditions in a region over many years.
Why does wind sometimes have another pronunciation?
The noun wind meaning moving air is /wɪnd/. The verb wind meaning to turn or wrap is pronounced /waɪnd/.
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