Animals in English: 50+ animal names with pronunciation and sounds

Animal names show up almost right away when you learn English, in children’s books, movies, nature documentaries, and even weather sayings. According to Ethnologue’s 2024 data, nearly 1.5 billion people learn English or use it as a second language, and animal vocabulary is one of the first topics every textbook returns to.

Two things make English animal vocabulary especially interesting. The first is animal sounds: in English, many animals have their own specific verb for the sound they make, a dog barks, a cat meows, a cow moos, a pig oinks. These verbs appear constantly in native content, and they are hard to learn from a dictionary. The second is the system of irregular plurals: sheep looks the same in singular and plural (one sheep, two sheep, there is no sheeps), and the same is true for deer and for most uses of fish.

"English animal vocabulary is particularly rich in onomatopoeia, words that imitate the sounds animals make. These vary significantly between languages, revealing how culturally constructed our perception of animal sounds really is."

(David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Cambridge University Press, 2019)

This guide shows 50+ English animal names by category, with pronunciation, the animal sound system, and animal idioms that are part of everyday English-speaking culture. For continuous, interactive practice, visit Wordy’s English learning page.

Pets

The word pet is the general English term for a household animal, as opposed to a wild animal or a farm animal. There are also small differences between British English and American English in this topic: in the United Kingdom, small parrot types are usually called budgerigar or budgie, while in American English the same bird is most often called a parakeet.

In British English, a land tortoise is called a tortoise (/TOR-təs/), and a water turtle is called a turtle (/TUR-tl/). In American English, turtle is the more common word for both. This difference is small, but important when you read British content (BBC nature documentaries, British children’s books).

Farm animals

Farm animals in English are farm animals, and this group includes one of the most popular challenges in English morphology: irregular plurals and male and female distinctions. According to a 2023 study by the British Council, the irregular plural of sheep (sheep → sheep) is one of the most common mistakes among intermediate English learners.

The irregular plural sheep → sheep in English is a so-called zero plural: the singular and plural forms are the same. The same is true for deer → deer and, in most cases, fish → fish. In contrast, chicken has a regular plural (chickens), but in a food context chicken is uncountable: Would you like some chicken? (meaning chicken meat).

Animal sounds in English

Animal sound words are one of the clearest areas where languages differ radically. In English, a dog goes woof or bark, a cow goes moo, and a rooster goes cock-a-doodle-doo. These onomatopoeic words do not translate, you need to learn them.

Wild animals, Africa and Asia

In English, the names of African and Asian wild animals often have Latin or Greek roots, and many of them also appear in similar forms in other languages. elephant (/EL-ɪ-fənt/) comes from Greek elephas, and rhinoceros (/raɪ-NOS-ər-əs/) literally means “nose horn” in Greek (rhino = nose, keras = horn). These etymologies help you remember the words.

The pronunciation of zebra is one of the most noticeable British vs American differences in animal names. Americans say ZEE-brə, and Brits say ZEB-rə, as if they were different words. If you watch a BBC nature documentary with David Attenborough, you will hear the British pronunciation. If you watch an American kids’ movie, you will hear the American one. Both are accepted, but it is worth knowing the difference.

Wild animals, Europe and America

Vocabulary for European and North American wildlife is especially useful if you watch English nature documentaries or travel to English-speaking countries.

There is an important difference between hare and rabbit: a hare (/hɛr/) is a wild hare that is larger, has longer ears, and lives outdoors. A rabbit (/RÆB-ɪt/) is smaller, has shorter ears, can be kept as a pet, and often lives in smaller groups in fields. The March Hare became famous in English from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a hare character that acts wildly in March. Rabbit is also known from the phrase rabbit hole, which people use online for getting lost in endless information.

Sea animals

Vocabulary for ocean and sea animals became widely known through English nature documentaries, especially the BBC series Blue Planet. According to IUCN Red List data, about one third of ocean species face some level of threat, so these words appear more and more often in news and environmental articles.

English has had a decades-long debate about the plural of octopus. Merriam-Webster says octopuses is the fully regular and recommended form, octopi is a Latin-style spelling (and it is technically based on a wrong etymology, since octopus is Greek, not Latin), and octopodes is the Greek-correct form that almost nobody uses. In everyday English, octopuses is the most common and safest choice.

Birds

Birds in English are birds, and English is one of the languages where the word bird can mean a bird in general and, in some contexts (informal British slang), a woman. This second use has become less common and less accepted in recent decades.

The word parrot also works as a verb in English: to parrot something means to repeat it without understanding it (She just parroted everything the teacher said, she repeated exactly what the teacher said). Owl is a symbol of wisdom and the night in both British and American folklore, from Hedwig the snowy owl in the Harry Potter series to Owl in Winnie-the-Pooh.

Insects and small creatures

English distinguishes between insects (insects, six-legged arthropods) and bugs (a looser everyday word that can refer to insects, spiders, and other small creatures). Bug is more informal and broader, while insect is scientifically precise.

Animal idioms in English

Animal idioms are one of the most productive vocabulary areas in English. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, English has more than 200 common animal idioms in everyday speech, and without them, natural native content, especially journalistic and literary English, can be hard to understand.

„It's raining cats and dogs" Literally: it is raining cats and dogs. Meaning: it is raining very heavily. Its exact origin is uncertain, but it goes back to the 17th century. The first known written example appears in a 1651 edition of a proverb collection. The forecast says it's going to rain cats and dogs this weekend, The forecast says it will pour this weekend.

„The elephant in the room" Literally: the elephant in the room. Meaning: the obvious problem or awkward fact that everyone knows about, but nobody dares to mention. Nobody mentioned the budget cuts, it was the elephant in the room, Nobody mentioned the budget cuts, it was the elephant in the room.

„A wolf in sheep's clothing" Literally: a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Meaning: a dangerous or evil person who pretends to be innocent. The phrase comes from the Bible (Matthew 7:15). Be careful, he seems friendly, but he might be a wolf in sheep's clothing, Be careful, he seems friendly, but he might be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

„Birds of a feather (flock together)" Literally: birds of one feather (flock together). Meaning: similar people stick together. Those two are always together, birds of a feather, I suppose, Those two are always together, birds of a feather, I suppose.

„To let the cat out of the bag" Literally: to let the cat out of the bag. Meaning: to reveal a secret by accident. She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party, She accidentally revealed the secret about the surprise party.

„To kill two birds with one stone" Literally: to kill two birds with one stone. Meaning: to do two things with one action. I'll stop by the post office on the way to the gym, kill two birds with one stone, I will stop by the post office on the way to the gym, kill two birds with one stone.

Practice with real English content

Animal vocabulary is especially easy to learn from authentic English content. BBC nature documentaries (Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Our Planet on Netflix) with David Attenborough’s narration are one of the best sources. They present these animal names and related vocabulary in natural, clearly pronounced British English.

In our list of the best English movies and series, you will find content where animal vocabulary, from pets to wild animals, appears in a natural context. Animated movies (Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Zootopia) offer basic vocabulary, while nature documentaries and documentaries offer more advanced vocabulary.

Wordy helps you process English content with interactive subtitles: if you hear an animal name and do not understand it, you can learn the pronunciation, meaning, and context with one tap. This way, animal vocabulary sticks in your memory through real English sentences, not isolated word lists.