Today I’m going to teach you all the words we use in English for clothing.
Welcome to this vocabulary builder video. We’re going to go over lots of articles
of clothing so you can increase your English vocabulary. We’ll also talk about the pronunciation
of the words so you can feel confident using them in conversation.
The first word is: Button down
First of all, I'm wearing a button down. This is what we call a shirt like this with buttons
down the front and a collar. Sometimes it has a pocket.
Wow, I chose a hard first word! Most Americans will pronounce ‘button’ with a stop T.
This is because of the sound pattern T-schwa-N. Most Americans make that a Stop T. But, n,
button. Put your tongue up to the T, but, stop the air, and then make the N sound. Button. Button
down. I have a video that goes over the T-schwa-N combination and the word 'mountain'. Click
here or in the description below.
Button. Button down. Try this with me. Button. Button down.
First of all, I'm wearing a button down. This is what we call a shirt like this with buttons
down the front and a collar. Sometimes it has a pocket. This can also be called a dress
Okay, what’s interesting here is that you can say the 'S' dress shirt. Or you can drop
it, connect the two words and just say the SH: dresh-shirt. Dresh-shirt. You can definitely
do that and it will still sound normal. Dresh-shirt. Try that with me. Dresh-shirt. This is also
a ittle tricky because it has two R’s, and those can be a challenge. If they’re hard
for you, practice holding out the R: drrrrrrrrrrrress shirrrrrrrt. shirrrrrrrt. Notice in the second
word there is no vowel, it's the R vowel, sh—rrrr—t. Shirt. Shirt. Dress shirt.
Dress shirt. Say that with me now out loud: dress shirt.
This can also be called 'dress shirt'
First of all, let's start with the first layer. Now I'm not gonna show you my underwear coz'
that would just be weird. But we have underwear..
Underwear. Another tricky one with two R’s in it. Again, hold out the R’s to practice:
underrrrrr wear. Make sure you have jaw drop for that EH vowel before the second R consonant.
Weaaaaaar. Weaaaaaar. Underwear.
Underwear. Say it with me: underwear.
But we have underwear. Another term for this: panties, some people hate that term
Panties. Oh boy. This word. I don’t actually use it, I use ‘underwear’. Something to
note about the pronunciation: It’s not uncommon to drop the T after an N sound. So you can
either pronounce this word with a True T, panties. Or with no T at all. ‘pannies’.
Say those with me: panties, ‘pannies’.
Another term for this: panties, some people hate that term. Undergarments, that's not
Undergarments. You may see this word on a sign, like, “Keep your undergarments on
while trying on swimwear”, but we really don’t say it. We don't use it very much.
It's tough to pronounce, so let's just not worry about it.
Undergarments, that's not as common. Women wear a bra. The full word is brassiere but
We usually use the word ‘bra’, with the AH vowel. Bra. But in the word, brassiere,
we don't have the AH vowel. It’s the schwa in the first syllable, bra-, bra-. Brassiere.
Bra.
Say those with me. Brassiere, bra.
Women wear a bra. The full word is brassiere but almost no one says that. And then men
Boxers. Did you know that there’s no X sound in American English? The letter X is either
the KS sounds together, like in EXTRA, KS or the GZ sounds together, like in EXACTLY. GZ.
In boxers, it’s the KS sounds. Boxers. Boxers.
And then men can wear boxers or briefs.
Briefs. We have two vowel letters here, but they’re just making one vowel sound, the
E vowel. Briefs. If R gives you problems in a cluster, remember to hold it out: brrrrrriefs.
Briefs. Try it with me, briefs. Briefs.
socks. Letter O here making the AH as in FATHER vowel. So-. Lots of jaw drop. Socks.
Socks. You can have just little athletic socks for running, you can have dress socks to wear
with your suit or more dressy outfit. You can have boot socks or knee high socks that
you should wear with a boot that came up your leg
Dress socks, boot socks, knee-high socks. Notice how the S at the end of dress leads
you right into the S of socks, with no break. Dress socks. Dress socks. And no, you don’t
have to try to make it an extra long S, just one S sound. Try that with me, dress socks.
Boot socks, the T here is a Stop T because the next word begins with a consonant. Boot—stop
the air—boot---socks. Boot socks. Try that now. Boot socks.
Knee-high socks. We have three words here, but they should all flow together. We don’t
want separation. Knee-high socks. It’s like one word with three syllables. Knee-high socks.
Notice the K is silent. Knee-high socks.Try that with me. Knee-high socks.
you can have dress socks to wear with your suit or more dressy outfit. You can have boot
socks or knee high socks that you would wear with a boot that came up your leg.
This is an undershirt and it's a common thing for men to wear an under a dress shirt
undershirt. It’s the ‘under’ part from ‘underwear’ and the ‘shirt’ part from
‘dress shirt’! Remember, the R is the vowel in ‘shirt’: sh—rr—t. Shirt.
Undershirt. Say that with me, undershirt.
This is an undershirt and it's a common thing for men to wear an under a dress shirt.
T-shirt. Once you’ve got ‘shirt’ down, this one’s pretty easy. T-shirt. Say that
Long sleeve T–shirt of course has long sleeves.
long-sleeved T-shirt. You don’t have to pronounce the D in ‘long-sleeved’. It
comes between two other consonants, and sometimes we drop T’s and D’s when that happens.
Long-sleeved t-shirt. Long-sleeved T-shirt. Say that with me. Long-sleeved T-shirt.
Long sleeve T–shirt of course has long sleeves.
You know what I realized I forgot? The neck line with a T-shirt. When it’s shaped like
this, we call it a V-neck T-shirt. V-neck. Say that with me. V-neck.
Tank top. We don’t fully pronounce the K here. Kk. We just do a quick stop of air like
we do with the Stop T. Tank top. Tank top. Tank top. And that vowel in tank: It’s the
A vowel followed by an NG sound. That NG sound really changes the vowel. Its ends up sounding much more like the
AY diphthong, tay-, tank. Tank top. Try that with me. Tank top.
Then you could also have a shirt that didn't have any straps. It is just tight here and
came down. That would be called a strapless shirt.
Strapless. It has the word ‘less’ in it, but we don’t pronounce it like that. We
pronounce it ‘liss’. Quickly. It’s unstressed. Strapless. Say it out loud with me: strapless.
If it’s strapless and it’s tight all the way down, then we call it a tube top. Tube
top. Don’t release the B, just close the lips, tub--top, then open right into the T
sound. Tube top. Try that with me, tube top.
This is a nice old comfy sweatshirt. So it's made out of this thick material, really cozy.
This one has a hood. They don't have to.
Sweatshirt. You don’t need to fully pronounce either one of those T’s. You can make them both
Stops. Sweat shirt. Sweat shirt. abrupt stops give us the idea that it’s a T. sweatshirt.
Say that with me. Sweatshirt.
This is a nice old comfy sweatshirt. So it's made out of this thick material, really cozy.
This one has a hood. They don't have to. And this is not quite the same thing as a hoodie.
A hoodie has a hood and then it zips up the front. So this is David's big ol' hoodie.
hoodie. Careful the double O here is not the OO vowel, like in proof, oo, it’s the UH
vowel like in ‘book’. UH. UH not OO. Hoo-, Hoo- hoodie. Hoodie. Say that with me. Hoodie.
A hoodie has a hood and then it zips up the front. So this is David's big ol' hoodie.
This would be a sleeveless shirt. So it's not a tank top but it doesn't have sleeves.
sleeveless shirt. Just like ‘strapless’, the second syllable is unstressed, “liss”,
and should be said quickly. Sleeveless. Say it with me. Sleeveless.
This would be a sleeveless shirt. So it's not a tank top but it doesn't have sleeves.
Dress. The thing that’s interesting about the DR cluster is that it can sound like JR,
and that’s right. So it can be DD, dress, or JJ, dress. If you’re not sure about your
R, hold it out. Drrrrrress. Dress, dress. I’m making it with a J sound, I think that’s
more common. Dress. Say it with me. Dress.
This is a jumper. I think there are a couple of different terms for it but basically it's
one piece. It's not separate top and bottom but it's also not a dress. It's like pants
Jumper or one-piece. I've also seen this called a 'romper'. The trick with –er ending sounds
is to make an R sound but make it really quickly since it’s an unstressed syllable.
Jumper, -er, -er. Jumper. Romper er, -er. Romper. Try those with me. Jumper. Romper.
This is a jumper. I think there are a couple of different terms for it but basically it's
one piece. It's not separate top and bottom but it's also not a dress. It's like pants
One piece. Right from the N to the P with no break, we don’t want this to be choppy.
Onnnnnnepiece. One–piece. Try that with me. one-piece.
Sweater. we have a Flap T here because the T comes between two vowels. So it’s not
sweater, with a True T, but sweater, D D D, flap, with a Flap T.
And this is also a sweater but you would probably call it a wrap. It's one of these things which
you put on and it doesn't close up in the front but you kinda wrap it like that
Wrap. The W in the WR cluster is silent. Just begin with an R sound. Wrap. wrap. Say it
And this is also a sweater but you would probably call it a wrap. It's one of these things which
you put on and it doesn't close up in the front but you kinda wrap it like that
Jeans. Do you love them as much as I do? Jeans, with the EE vowel, jee, jeans. Hear the plural
is a Z sound, but it’s light, it’s weak. Don’t give it much energy. Jeans.
Now these jeans are a little different. They are maternity. So maternity refers to anything
that is specially made for pregnant women. These are leftover from my Stoney days.
Maternity. First T is a True T, second T is a Flap T. Why? They both come between vowels.
Yes, but a T is always a True T if it starts a stressed syllable. Maternity, maternity.
Now these jeans are a little different. They are maternity. So maternity refers to anything
that is specially made for pregnant women. These are leftover from my Stoney days.
Sweatpants. Just like ‘sweatshirt’, the T in ‘sweat’ is a Stop T because the next
sound is a consonant. Sweat-pants. Sweatpants. Say that with me. Sweatpants.
So these could be called running shorts, athletic shorts, soccer shorts. Whatever you use them
Shorts. All kinds of shorts. The vowel in ‘shorts’ is the AW as in LAW vowel. But
when this vowel is followed by R, it’s pretty different. The lips round more and the tongue
pulls back a little more. O, OR instead of AW, oooor. O, OR. Shooooorts, shorts. Shorts. Say
I also said “workout clothes”. The word ‘clothes’ has a voiced TH, clothes. But
you know what? Drop it! Americans almost always drop the TH in this word, clothes. So now
it sounds just like this word, close. Yes. They will sound the same. That's okay. Say
So these could be called running shorts, athletic shorts, soccer shorts. Whatever you use them
Pants. You can also call them dress pants..
Pants. dress pants. We have the AA vowel followed by the N consonant. All nasal consonants change
the A vowel. Rather than A it’s aa-e, aa-e. The tongue relaxes in the back before the
N. Paaa, paaa, pants. Pants. Pants. Try that with me. Pants.
Pants. You can also call them dress pants. These are khakis..
Khakis. The H is silent. Kaa-kis. Say it with me. Khakis.
These are swim trunks for men You could also call them just a swim suit.
Swim trunks. The TR cluster can be pronounced CHR. That’s common. So you can say t, trunks,
or you can say ch, chruncks. Swim trunks. Swim. Note this is the IH vowel, swim, not
the EE vowel sweem. Ih, ih. More relaxed. Swim trunks. Say that with me, swim trunks.
Swim suit. If an ending T like this is at the end of your thought group, it sounds nice
to make that a Stop T. Swim suit. Swim suit. Try that with me. Swim suit. You could also
say bathing suit. This word is tricky because it has a TH sound. This TH sound is voiced
and just the very tip of your tongue comes through the teeth. Bathing suit. Bathing suit.
Try that with me. Bathing suit.
These are swim trunks for men. You could also call it just a swimsuit. For women we have
one-piece. This is a one-piece suit. It's strapless
one-piece and strapless. We already went over these. One-piece, when we were talking about
jumper and strapless, when we were talking about shirts. And then you can also have bikini.
That's two-piece. You will never catch me in one of these in one of my videos.
Bikini, 2-piece. In bikini, we have three letter I’s, but the first one is a schwa: Buh
Bikini. Say that with me, bikini. Two-piece. Two with the T consonant and the U vowel.
Let your lips be more relaxed and then round into the position U. Twoo. The movement of
the rounding N is a very nice relaxed sound rather than tu-tu where your lips are tight
in the position the whole time. Relaxed then round. Two. Two-piece.
And then you can also have bikini. That's two-piece. You will never catch me in one
When I'm at the beach, I also like to wear one of these. It's called a rash guard and
it's a shirt made out of bathing suit material that can protect you from the sun.
Rash guard. Remember to hold out the R’s if they’re tricky for you. Rrrrrrrrash guarrrrrrrrrrrd.
‘Guard’ is like ‘car’ or ‘far’: you need to drop the jaw for the vowel, and
leave the tongue tip forward, then pull it back and up for the R. Gaah-r. Guard. Say
When I'm at the beach, I also like to wear one of these. It's called a rash guard and
it's a shirt made out of bathing suit material that can protect you from the sun.
This is a suit. So it's a jacket or suit coat and pants.
suit / pants / jacket / suit coat. Suit. If the next word begins with a consonant, remember
this ending T will be a Stop T: suit pants, suit jacket, suit coat. Say those out loud
with me. suit pants, suit jacket, suit coat.
If you're confused about the difference between a stop T and just leaving the T out, I've
made a video for you. There is a difference. Please check it out. Either click here or on
I forgot to show one of David’s ties. This is a tie. True T, AI diphthong. Tie. Tie.
This is a suit. So it's a jacket or suit coat and pants. Now there's also something called
a blazer and it's cut like a suit jacket but it's a little bit more casual and it's not
part of a set. Both men and women can wear suits or blazers and women suits can come
Blazer. The letter A makes the AY diphthong. Diphthong means two positions: jaw drop, then
tongue arching toward the roof of the mouth. AY, ay. Bla-, blazer. Say that out loud with
Now there's also something called a blazer and it's cut like a suit jacket but it's a
little bit more casual and it's not part of a set.
And when women are getting more dressy, sometimes they wear hose or panty hose.
Hose or panty hose. ‘Panty’, when said with ‘hose’, pretty much always has a
dropped T. Panty hose. ‘Hose’ has the OH diphthong. Two positions: jaw drop, then
lip rounding. Oh, oh, hose. Say that with me. Hose. Panty hose.
And when women are getting more dressy, sometimes they wear hose or panty hose.
Now we'll use some of Stoney's clothes. These are overalls. Believe it or not, I don't own
any overalls so I have to use Stoney's as an example of what are overalls.
Overalls. Two tricky sounds: the OH diphthong. Make sure you have jaw drop and lip rounding.
Oh, Overalls. And the Dark L at the end. Alls. Not ‘all’, ‘alls’ with the tongue
tip moving up. Actually, the tongue tip should stay down the whole time. Over uhl, uhl uhl.
It's the back of the tongue that presses down and back a little bit to make that dark
sound. Overalls. uhls uhls. Say it with me. Overalls.
These are overalls. Believe it or not, I don't own any overalls so I have to use Stoney's
as an example of what are overalls.
A onesie is a piece of baby's clothing where it snaps at the bottom. So you unsnap it to
change the diaper quickly but it's attached there to keep the shirt from riding up.
Because if you've ever spent any time with a baby. You know if they're in just a shirt.
It ends up around their neck or armpits. So this is a onesie.
Onesie: Spelled with an S, but pronounced with a Z sound. Onesie. Onesie. Say that with
Stoney has the cutest little pair of jean shorts.
jean shorts. So here, rather than saying ‘jeans shorts’, you drop the S in ‘jeans’.
It’s just ‘jean shorts’. Say that with me. Jean shorts.
Stoney has the cutest little pair of jean shorts.
Stoney has a pair of jeans that came with suspenders. So these things that you can put
on pants to help them stay up are called suspenders.
Suspenders. A three-syllable word with stress on the middle syllable. Make the first and
third syllables as short as you can: sus-, -ders. Suspenders. Suspenders. Try that with
me. Suspenders.
Stoney has a pair of jeans that came with suspenders. So these things that you can put
on pants to help them stay up are called suspenders.
So Stoney has a vest. Vest can be 2 different things. First of all, they can be like this,
something that's casual that's meant as another layer to add warmth. But, you can also have
a dressy one that would be part of a dress outfit for men and if it came with a pants
and a jacket as a set then those 3 things would be called a 3 piece suit. So a 3 piece
suitus a suit that includes a vest.
Vest. Some language groups mix up V and W. This letter should definitely be pronounced
with a V. Bottom lip to top teeth. Vvv. No lip rounding, ww. That’s a W sound. Vvvvv.
that would be part of a dress outfit for men and if it came with a pants and a jacket as
a set then those 3 things would be called a 3-piece suit. So a 3-piece suit a suit that
3-piece suit. Three. Ok, this word is tricky. You have an unvoiced TH, and the tongue tip
must come through the teeth, th, thr, hr then the R where your tip comes back and up a little
bit thrr hrr. Thrr three. Three-piece. Three-piece suit. Try that with me. Three-piece suit.
So a 3-piece suit a suit that includes a vest.
Outerwear. We have a Flap T here because the T comes between two vowels. When I say vowels
in these rules, I mean vowels or diphthongs. Because the beginning sound is the OW diphthong.
Ow Outerwear. Wear. Tricky sound combination. Jaw drop for EH before your R. Wear. weh-r,
wear Outerwear. Outerwear. Say that that with me. Outerwear.
This is a down coat. It's a heavy, really warm winter coat.
down coat. I’ve noticed something that several different language groups to this combination
OW + N. They drop the N and make the OW dipthong sound nasaly. It sort of sounds like this.
Down. There is no nasal quality to this diphthong. Let’s break it up. Dow-nn. Dow-nn. Dow-nn.
Down. Down. Down. Try that with me. Down. ‘Coat’ with the OH diphthong: jaw drop
then lip rounding. Down coat. Down coat.Try that with me. Down coat.
This is a down coat. It's a heavy, really warm winter coat.
This jacket is a little more lightweight so you'll probably wear it in the fall or spring
But you could still just call it a jacket.
Lightweight jacket. Notice all three of these T’s can be Stop T’s: they’re either
followed by a consonant, or at the end of a though group. Light-weight-jacket. Lightweight
jacket. Try that with me. Lightweight jacket.
This jacket is a little more lightweight so you'll probably wear it in the fall or spring
. But you could still just call it a jacket.
This is something a little bit different, a little bit strange, a little old—fashioned.
I got this from my sister-in-law. So this doesn't really have arms. It's just a poncho.
Poncho. We have two different pronunciations for the letter O here. The first one is the
AH as in FATHER vowel. Po-, pon-. The second is the OH diphthong. Oh cho. Poncho.
I got this from my sister-in-law. So this doesn't really have arms. It's just a poncho.
Fur coat. Fur can be tricky because it has the R vowel in it. Don’t drop your jaw or
try to make some sort of vowel sound before the R. It’s just two sounds, f and r. Fur, fur
Fur coat. Try that with me. Fur coat.
That's a lot of clothes. Did I forget anything? Put it in the comments below and if there's
another vocabulary set of words that you would like me to do a video on, also please put