English bedroom vocabulary

English words connected with the bedroom.

Bedrooms come in all shapes and sizes. You can find bedrooms which contain just a single bed, or those which have a double bed (bed which is big enough for two people), or even twin beds (two single beds side by side). Some people choose to sleep in a futon (a Japanese bed which is low on the ground) and some people who like luxury might have a four-poster (a bed which has four posts - one in each corner - and from which you can hang curtains or mosquito nets). When children share a bedroom, they might sleep in bunk beds, where there is one bed on top of the other. The upper bunk is reached by a small ladder.

On your bed, you’ll have at least one sheet (normally in cotton, but in a variety of colours or patterns), and you normally lie on top of this sheet. Some people also have a sheet over them, with blankets (made from wool) to keep them warm. Alternatively, you can replace the top sheet and blankets with a duvet (a warm, but lightweight quilt). You’re likely to sleep with your head on a pillow, which is often filled with feathers. Pillows are normally put inside a cotton pillow case, and the duvet is also put inside a cotton duvet cover. If it gets really cold, you can also have a quilt or eiderdown over your blankets. Some people also have an electric blanket that they use to warm up the bed. In England, many people use a hot water bottle (a flat rubber bag that you fill with hot water then seal) to put into the bed to warm it up.

As well as a bed, you’re likely to have other furniture in your bedroom, such as a chest of drawers (a piece of furniture with several drawers to put clothes in); a wardrobe, which is a piece of furniture with doors where you can hang shirts, trousers, or skirts and dresses on clothes hangers; and a bedside table, which is a small table next to the bed. On the bedside table, you might have a bedside light and an alarm clock. Some people also have a dressing table, which is a small table that you sit in front of, with a mirror to see your reflection in when you do your hair or make-up, and a couple of drawers. Other people might have their mirror on their chest of drawers, as well a hair brush and even a clothes brush (a special brush that you use to clean jackets and shirts).