22 Foreign Words in Daily English: Are they from your language?

An outdoor area next to a home or building, often paved and used for sitting or eating.

Tone and use: Neutral and common in American English. Use it for a home’s outdoor sitting or dining space.

May not fit: A patio is usually beside or connected to a building; use “yard” for the wider outdoor area.

A small flying insect whose bite can make the skin itchy.

Tone and use: Neutral everyday vocabulary. Use it when talking about insect bites, outdoor plans, or bug spray.

May not fit: Use “mosquitoes” for the plural; the spelling changes to -oes in this word.

Practical knowledge or good judgment in a particular area.

Tone and use: Conversational and positive; often informal. Use it before a field (“financially savvy”) or with “about” (“savvy about cars”).

May not fit: It is less formal than “knowledgeable” or “well-informed.”

Photographers who follow famous people to take pictures, often in public or private everyday settings.

Tone and use: Usually carries a critical sense of intrusive celebrity photography; grammatically it is the plural form. Use it when discussing press photographers who pursue celebrities.

May not fit: For one photographer, “paparazzo” is the traditional singular; do not use it for ordinary event photographers.

An animated program or film, or a humorous drawing.

Tone and use: Neutral and widely understood. Use it for animated entertainment or a single illustrated joke or scene.

May not fit: Use “animation” for the medium or technique when you are not referring to a particular show or drawing.

A coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk; in American cafés it can also appear in names such as “chai latte.”

Tone and use: Everyday café vocabulary. Use it when ordering or describing a café drink.

May not fit: A traditional Italian caffè latte is coffee with milk; a chai latte is tea with steamed milk, not espresso.

A thick food made by fermenting milk with live cultures.

Tone and use: Neutral everyday food vocabulary; “yoghurt” is another spelling. Use it for the food, whether plain or flavored.

May not fit: Do not confuse it with a drinkable yogurt product if the distinction matters.

A small booth or stand where goods or services are provided; it can also mean a self-service machine.

Tone and use: Neutral and common in airports, malls, and public places. Use it for a small point of sale or a machine for tickets or check-in.

May not fit: Specify “self-service kiosk” if the listener may imagine a staffed booth.

A category or style of creative work, such as a kind of film, book, or music.

Tone and use: Neutral and useful in arts and entertainment conversations. Use it to ask about or describe the type of story, film, or music.

May not fit: It names a category, not a quality judgment like “good” or “boring.”

A person who starts or runs a business, often taking responsibility for organizing and developing it.

Tone and use: Neutral and commonly used in business contexts. Use it for someone building a business or commercial project of their own.

May not fit: It does not simply mean any person who works independently; the business-building idea matters.

Someone with expert knowledge and refined judgment in a particular area, especially food, drink, or art.

Tone and use: Somewhat formal and often playful when used about an everyday preference. Use “connoisseur of” before the subject: a connoisseur of wine, coffee, or art.

May not fit: For a person who merely likes something, “fan” is simpler; “connoisseur for” is not the usual pattern.

A thick, usually tomato-based condiment often served with fries or other foods.

Tone and use: Everyday food vocabulary; in some varieties of English it is called “tomato sauce.” Use it when ordering, serving, or talking about a condiment.

May not fit: The lesson discusses its borrowed-word history, but the historical origin is more complex than the everyday meaning.

Very enthusiastic or eager about an activity or plan.

Tone and use: Informal and energetic; it can be positive or describe someone’s eagerness with mild humor. Use it with “about” before an activity: “gung-ho about organizing the closet.”

May not fit: It may sound too casual in formal writing; “enthusiastic” is a neutral alternative.

A number-placement logic puzzle, usually played on a grid.

Tone and use: Neutral; a familiar activity word in many places. Use it for the puzzle or activity: “do a Sudoku” or “solve a Sudoku puzzle.”

May not fit: It is not an arithmetic test; the puzzle is solved through logic and number placement.

A very wealthy and powerful businessperson in a particular industry.

Tone and use: Often dramatic or journalistic; it can sound admiring or critical depending on context. Use it for a high-profile, influential business leader.

May not fit: It is not the same as “typhoon,” which is a severe tropical storm.

Goods taken by force or theft; as a verb, to steal or seize goods.

Tone and use: Serious in reports of conflict, but it can be used jokingly for harmless small-scale stealing. Use it for stolen goods or, informally, to joke about taking a treat.

May not fit: In a serious situation, it implies theft and should not be used lightly.

Loose, comfortable clothes worn for sleeping or relaxing at home.

Tone and use: Neutral American English; “pyjamas” is a common British spelling. Use it for sleepwear; “PJs” and “jammies” are informal alternatives.

May not fit: “Jammies” is especially casual and often used when speaking to or about young children.

A small, often temporary problem or malfunction, especially in a system or machine.

Tone and use: Informal and widely used in technology and everyday speech. Use it for a brief technical problem that may disappear or be fixed.

May not fit: For a serious or lasting failure, use a more precise word such as “outage” or “breakdown.”

A clumsy person who often drops things or trips.

Tone and use: Informal and usually teasing or self-deprecating; it can offend if used to insult someone. Use it playfully about yourself or someone who is comfortable with the joke.

May not fit: Do not label someone this way in a sensitive or professional situation.

Specialized vocabulary used by a particular field, group, or activity.

Tone and use: Informal and often used when explaining jargon to a general audience. Use it for terms that insiders understand but outsiders may not.

May not fit: For formal writing, “technical terminology” or “jargon” may be more suitable.

Having an identity that is not known or not disclosed.

Tone and use: Neutral and common in writing, online activity, and public communication. Use it when the writer, donor, or person is unnamed or unidentified.

May not fit: It means identity is unknown or withheld, not necessarily that the person is secretive.

Praise or recognition for an achievement or good work.

Tone and use: Positive and conversational; often followed by “to” and the person or group being praised. Use it to congratulate or recognize someone: “Kudos to the team.”

May not fit: It is not a physical reward; name the achievement if the praise might be unclear.