Vocabulary words for talking about family members
In English, we have at least five categories of family vocabulary: immediate family, extended family, in-laws, step-family, foster families, and legal guardians (or just guardians for short). The chart below includes both standard vocabulary words plus some common alternatives.
| Vocabulary Word | Alternate Words | |
| Immediate Family | mother | mom/mum/mumsy/momma/mama/momma/mommy |
| father | dad/daddy/papa/pa/pop/pops | |
| brother | sibling/bro | |
| sister | sibling/sis | |
| son | child | |
| daughter | child | |
| husband | spouse | |
| wife | spouse | |
| Extended Family | grandmother | grandma/granny/nana |
| grandfather | grandpa/grampy/papa | |
| grandson | grand(s)/grandchild/grandchildren(plural) | |
| granddaughter | grand(s)/grandchild/grandchildren(plural) | |
| aunt | auntie | |
| uncle | ||
| cousin (male or female) | cous (Sounds like cuzz) | |
| nephew | ||
| niece | ||
| mother-in-law | ||
| father-in-law | ||
| brother-in-law | ||
| sister-in-law | ||
| son-in-law | ||
| daughter-in-law | ||
| Step-family* | stepmother | |
| stepfather | ||
| stepbrother | ||
| stepsister | ||
| stepson | ||
| stepdaughter | ||
| Legal Guardian** | legal guardian | guardian |
| Foster Family*** | ||
*A stepfamily, also known as a blended family, is a family where at least one parent has children who are not biologically related to their spouse. For example: a mother remarries and brings her children from a previous marriage into her new husband’s home.
**A legal guardian is an adult who has been legally appointed by a court to have the authority and responsibility to care for another person (called a “ward”). This typically occurs when the ward is unable to make their own decisions due to age (minors) or incapacity (e.g., mental or physical disabilities).
***A foster family is a family that provides temporary care for children who cannot live with their biological parents.
