The English language has a number of words that sound nice and are fun to say! Here are 10 words that many people think are beautiful – you can practice pronouncing them and learn what they mean in order to expand your English vocabulary.
If you’re working on getting your vocabulary up to a more advanced level, there are 1,000 words waiting for you inside our Vocabulary Builder Course – Level 2. You can click on the link in the video description for more information and to sign up.
ELOQUENT (adj.)
The adjective eloquent describes someone (or something, such as a speech, a text, etc.) that uses words well – in a skilled, fluent, and effective way.
You could say a lawyer gave an eloquent defense of his client, if he expressed himself well. Or there were a number of eloquent speakers at the conference – people who are good at speaking and using words.
SERENE (adj.)
Serene is another adjective – it means completely calm, peaceful, tranquil – without any disturbance, agitation, or trouble. We often use this word to describe very still and calm water or sky, but it can also be used to talk about a person, saying they look/appear serene or have a serene expression on their face.
LULLABY (n.)
A lullaby is a song we sing to help a baby or child go to sleep. Lullabies often have melodies which are slow and calm. A couple examples of common lullabies in English are “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Rock-a-bye baby.”
CHANDELIER (n.)
A chandelier is a decorative lighting fixture that holds a number of lights and hangs from a ceiling. Chandeliers can be large or small, and they’re considered fancy, nicer than average – so they’re more expensive than just a regular light, and they make the room appear more elegant.
OBLIVIOUS (adj.)
Describing someone as oblivious means they lack awareness – they are not seeing or noticing something. A person walking across a busy street while looking at their phone and wearing earbuds would be oblivious to the danger, because they are not perceiving it.
PHENOMENAL (adj.)
Something that is phenomenal is really amazing, very impressive, and out of the ordinary. If we manage to send a person to the planet Mars, that would be a phenomenal accomplishment. Or you could look at an actress who did an especially great job playing her role in a movie, and say her performance was phenomenal.
CRISP (adj.)
The word crisp is usually used to describe the texture of food that is hard/firm, but that is easily broken or that makes a pleasant, crunchy sound when you bite into it. You could describe potato chips or crackers as crisp, or a nice fresh apple or carrot as crisp. (Note: in British English, what we Americans call potato chips are actually called crisps!).
NONCHALANT (adj.)
Nonchalant describes a person (or their attitude or tone of voice) who appears casual and not especially concerned about a topic or situation. Someone who is nonchalant is NOT excited or worried or agitated; instead they are relaxed and appear not to care a lot.
Let’s say a child is behaving badly and the parent says “don’t do that” but the parent doesn’t speak more firmly or punish the child, you could say the parent has a nonchalant attitude towards discipline. If you ask someone where they are planning to go to college and they say “it doesn’t really matter; college isn’t so important anyway” – that would be a nonchalant reply.
EXQUISITE (adj.)
The word exquisite describes something that is extremely beautiful, especially because it has a lot of details or took a lot of skill to create. So a wooden table that was hand-crafted with lots of decorations and designs could be called exquisite.
In addition to describing visual beauty, exquisite can also be used for something excellent, like an exquisite wine would have an especially delicious and delightful flavor.
PLETHORA (n.)
Saying that there is a plethora of things means there are a LOT of those things, a large number of them. Let’s say I really love hats and I have 40 different hats in my closet – then I have a plethora of hats. Some restaurants have a plethora of different dishes – there are many different options on the menu. Espresso English has a plethora of courses and e-books – we have many of them, many ways for you to learn and improve your English skills.
Now you know the meanings of 10 English words that are considered beautiful! Which one was your favorite? Do you have any English words that you enjoy saying, simply because you think they sound pretty? Leave a comment and let me know – I’d be interested in finding out which words you think are nice to say and hear.
And if you want to learn more about our plethora of courses – our many online English courses – click here for more information as well as some free sample lessons you can try.
In particular, if you want to expand your vocabulary beyond basic words, you’ll probably enjoy Level 2 of our Vocabulary Builder Course.
Thanks so much for joining me today – I’ll talk to you in the next lesson!
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