When you need this

You already know "head" and "leg." The words that make you sound precise are the smaller ones: forehead, jaw, ankle, calf, heel. And the useful part isn't the list, it's the verbs and phrases people put around them: you "bang" your head, "stub" your toe, "twist" your ankle, "get" a blister.

These phrases come up in ordinary moments. After a hike, at the dentist, when a coworker asks why you're limping. They're everyday, a little funny sometimes, and rarely serious. That's why they're worth having ready: small problems are the ones you talk about most.

Two pronunciation traps. "Calf," the back of your lower leg, has a silent "l." So does "half." And in "knee," the "k" is silent: it sounds like "nee."

Phrases

a pain in a tooth

the bone that moves when you chew

your neck doesn't turn well

from screens, reading or no sleep

a cold makes your nose drip

you can't hear well, often after flying

you hit your head on something hard

a small, raised spot after a hit

you turned your foot the wrong way

it makes a small sound when it bends

the backs of your lower legs, after walking or running

a painful bubble from new shoes

you hit your toe on furniture

casual: my feet really hurt

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Practice · 3 min

Say what happened. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.

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Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.