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Compilation of 250+ English words starting with S

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When it comes to words starting with S, some words like See, sea, sun, six, seven... will come to mind first, right? But besides those words, the number of English words starting with S is so large that we can't even count them all. This article will guide you through a selection of basic English words beginning with the letter S, curated by PREP.

250+ common English words starting with S

I. Compilation of English words starting with S
II. Compilation of English part of speech starting with S
III. Exercises in using English words starting with S
1. 1. Exercises
2. 2. Answers

I. Compilation of English words starting with S

The process of mastering English includes not only structures and grammar but also vocabulary, which plays a particularly important role. When you have a rich vocabulary, you have a solid foundation for further advanced knowledge. Below, PREP has compiled a super comprehensive and detailed list of English words starting with S for you to review!

1. English words starting with S: Food, Fruits, Vegetables

When it comes to this familiar topic, we can surely think of many foods, right? See how the vocabulary provided by PREP aligns with the words you already know.

English words starting with S	Meaning	Example
Spaghetti	pasta made in the form of long, thin strings	Spaghetti is a traditional Italian dish made from long, thin noodles typically served with tomato sauce and meatballs.
Sushi	a type of Japanese food consisting of squares or balls of cold boiled rice, with small pieces of other food, especially raw fish, on top or rolled inside	Sushi is a Japanese dish consisting of small portions of vinegar-seasoned rice topped with raw fish, vegetables, or egg.
Steak	a thick, flat piece of meat or fish, especially meat from a cow	A cut of beef typically served cooked to varying degrees of doneness is called steak.
Seafood chowder		A thick soup or stew made with seafood, potatoes, onions, and cream is called seafood chowder.
Scone	a small, round cake that is like bread, made from flour, milk, and a little fat	Scone is a type of pastry that is typically eaten for breakfast or afternoon tea, often served with jam and cream.
Sweet and sour chicken		Sweet and sour chicken is a Chinese dish made with crispy fried chicken and a tangy sauce made from vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.
Sloppy Joes		A sandwich made with ground beef cooked in a sweet and tangy sauce, typically served on a hamburger bun is called sloppy joes.
Spring rolls	a savory Chinese pancake that is rolled up, filled with small pieces of vegetables and sometimes meat, and fried	Spring rolls is a Vietnamese dish consisting of vegetables, meat, or seafood wrapped in rice paper and typically served fresh or fried.
Scampi		A dish made with large shrimp or prawns cooked in garlic butter and typically served with bread or pasta is called Scampi.
Spicy chicken wings		Spicy chicken wings that are fried and coated in a spicy sauce, typically served as an appetizer.
Strawberry	a small juicy red fruit that has small brown seeds on its surface, or the plant with white flowers on which this fruit grows	I love to eat strawberries with whipped cream.
Spinach	a vegetable with wide, dark green leaves that are eaten cooked or uncooked	Spinach is a great source of iron.
Sweet potato	a pink vegetable that looks like a potato and has yellow or white flesh and a sweet taste	I like to bake sweet potatoes with cinnamon and butter.
Squash	a type of large vegetable with a hard skin and a lot of seeds at its center	Acorn squash is a delicious vegetable that is perfect for roasting.
Starfruit	a yellow tropical fruit with smooth skin and five pointed, curved parts, making a star shape when you cut through it	Starfruit has a unique taste and texture.
Snow peas	the sweet, flat pods of a type of pea, picked and eaten whole	Snow peas are a tasty addition to stir-fry dishes.
Shallots	a type of small onion	Shallots add a sweet and mild onion flavor to dishes.
Soursop	a large tropical fruit with white flesh and a green skin covered with sharp points, or the tree on which this fruit grows. It is a type of custard apple	Soursop is a tropical fruit with a sweet and tangy flavor.
Satsuma	a fruit like a small orange with skin that can be removed easily	Satsumas are a type of mandarin orange that are easy to peel.
Swiss chard	a vegetable with large, dark green leaves and white stems	Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable that is packed with vitamins.

2. English words starting with S: Objects, Tools

There are countless objects we use in our daily lives, but objects starting with S in English are quite rare. Let's explore these rare vocabulary with PREP!

English words starting with S	Meaning	Example
Scissors	a device used for cutting materials such as paper, cloth, and hair, consisting of two sharp blades that are joined in the middle, and two handles with holes to put your fingers through	Can you hand me the scissors? I need to cut this paper.
Stapler	a small device that you can hold in your hand or use on a table to push staples through pieces of paper	I need to staple these papers together. Do you have a stapler?
Saddle	a seat on a bicycle, motorcycle/ a leather seat on a horse	The saddle was too small for the horse, so it had to be replaced.
Surfboard	a long, narrow board made of wood or plastic, used for riding on waves as they come in towards the beach	She loves to go surfing and ride her surfboard in the ocean.
Skateboard	a flat, narrow board with two small wheels under each end, which a person stands on and moves forward by pushing one foot on the ground	My son wants a skateboard for his birthday.
Smartphone	a mobile phone that can be used as a small computer and that connects to the internet	I use my smartphone to stay connected with my friends and family.
Screwdriver	a tool for turning screws, consisting of a handle joined to a metal rod shaped at one end to fit in the cut in the top of the screw	I need a screwdriver to fix this loose screw.
Shovel	a tool consisting of a wide, square metal or plastic blade, usually with slightly raised sides, attached to a handle, for moving loose material such as sand, coal, or snow	I dug a hole in the garden with a shovel to plant some flowers.
Sunglasses	dark glasses that you wear to protect your eyes from bright light from the sun	I always wear sunglasses when I go to the beach to protect my eyes from the sun.
Scale	a device for weighing things or people	The doctor asked me to step on the scale to check my weight.
Sewing machine	a machine that is used for joining together pieces of cloth, with a needle that is operated either by turning a handle or by electricity	My grandmother loves to use her sewing machine to make clothes for her family.
Scanner	a device for making images of the inside of the body or for reading information into a computer system	The scanner allows me to make digital copies of my documents.

3. English words starting with S: Animals

Animals like "dog” and "cat," are very easy, right? Now, Try recalling animal names that start with 'S'—it's a fun challenge to test your vocabulary knowledge! But if you can't, the following list of animal vocabulary starting with S in English will help you.

English words starting with S	Meaning	Example
Snake	a reptile with a long body and no legs	Be careful not to step on the snake in the grass.
Sloth	a mammal that moves slowly and lives in trees	Sloths move slowly and spend most of their time sleeping.
Seahorse	a small fish that swims in a vertical position and has a head like that of a horse	Seahorses are unique creatures with a horse-like head and a curled tail.
Squirrel	a small animal covered in fur with a long tail. Squirrels climb trees and feed on nuts and seeds	The squirrel climbed up the tree and ate a nut.
Stingray	a large, flat, round fish with a long tail that has poisonous points on it	The stingray glided gracefully through the water.
Starfish	a flat animal that lives in the sea and has five arms that grow from its body in the shape of a star	The starfish has five arms and can regenerate lost limbs.
Salamander	a small animal that looks like a lizard but has soft skin and lives both on land and in water	Salamanders are amphibians that can regenerate their tails.
Snow leopard		The snow leopard is a beautiful and endangered big cat that lives in the mountains of Central Asia.
Swan	a large, usually white bird with a long neck that lives on rivers and lakes	The swan glided gracefully across the lake.
Shark	a large fish that has sharp teeth and a pointed fin on its back	Sharks are fearsome predators that live in the ocean.
Snail	a small creature with a soft, wet body and a round shell, that moves very slowly and often eats garden plants	The snail moved slowly along the ground.

4. English words starting with S: Sports

Let's find out how many sports vocabulary start with 'S,' and see how many sports you have heard of and experienced!

English words starting with S	Meaning	Example
Sail	to control a boat that has no engine and is pushed by the wind	I learned how to sail last summer and now I love spending my weekends out on the water.
Sambo	a martial art with Soviet origins, an internationally practiced combat sport, and a recognized style of amateur wrestling included by UWW in the World Wrestling Championships along with Graeco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.	Sambo is a martial art that originated in Russia and combines elements of judo and wrestling.
Sandboarding	a boardsport and extreme sport similar to snowboarding that involves riding across or down a sand dune while standing on a board, either with both feet strapped in or while standing loose, without bindings	Sandboarding is a popular activity in desert regions, where people slide down sand dunes on a board.
Sand surfing		Sand surfing is similar to sandboarding, but instead of a board, people use their body to slide down the dunes.
Savate	a sport, originally from France, in which people fight with their hands and feet wearing special gloves and shoes	Savate is a French martial art that incorporates kicks, punches, and footwork.
Scootering	an extreme sport that involves using kick scooters to perform freestyle tricks	Scootering has become a popular sport among young people, where they perform tricks and stunts on a scooter.
Sculling	a form of rowing in which a boat is propelled by one or more rowers, each of whom operates two oars, one held in the fingers and upper palm of each hand	The Olympic sport of sculling involves a boat with two oars for each rower, who uses a back-and-forth motion to propel the boat forward.
Scurry driving	a fast-paced equestrian sport in which a pair of ponies pull a carriage around a course of cones in an attempt to get the fastest time	Scurry driving is a type of horse racing in which small ponies pull a carriage with two passengers around a course of cones.
Seatball	a team sport for disabled and non-disabled athletes, based on regular indoor volleyball, though the players are sitting and the net is much lower	Seatball, also known as sitting volleyball, is a variation of volleyball in which players are seated on the floor and must use their arms and upper body to play the ball.
Segway Polo		Segway polo is a unique sport in which players ride on segways while attempting to hit a ball into the opposing team's goal.
Sepak Takraw	To be played with a ball made of rattan or synthetic plastic between two teams of two to four players on a court resembling a badminton court	Sepak Takraw is a traditional Southeast Asian sport that involves two teams kicking a rattan ball over a net, using only their feet, knees, chest, and head.
Shooting Sports	a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms and bows/crossbows	Shooting sports involve using firearms to shoot targets or clay pigeons, and can include disciplines such as skeet shooting, trap shooting, and pistol shooting.
Shuffleboard	a game in which players use cues to push weighted discs, sending them gliding down a narrow court, with the purpose of having them come to rest within a marked scoring area	Shuffleboard is a game in which players use a long stick to push weighted discs along a narrow court, attempting to land them in designated scoring areas.
Singlestick	a martial art that uses a wooden stick as its weapon	Singlestick is a traditional English martial art in which two fighters use wooden sticks to strike each other while attempting to avoid being hit.
Skeleton	the sport or event of using a skeleton to race down a track made of ice	Skeleton is a winter sport that involves sliding head-first down a bobsled track on a small sled.

5. English words starting with S: Clothing

When it comes to clothing, how many vocabulary starting with S are there? Review the following list of clothing-related vocabulary starting with S, complete with examples.

English words starting with S	Meaning	Example
Shirt	a piece of clothing worn, especially by men, on the upper part of the body, made of light cloth like cotton and usually having a collar and buttons at the front	I bought a new shirt for the party tonight.
Skirt	a piece of clothing that hangs from the waist and covers some or all of the legs, usually worn by women and girls	She wore a long flowy skirt to the wedding.
Scarf	a strip, square, or triangle of cloth, worn around the neck, head, or shoulders to keep you warm or to make you look attractive	It's so cold outside, make sure to wear a scarf to keep warm.
Sweater	a piece of clothing, typically with long sleeves and made from wool, that is worn on the upper part of the body	He loves to wear his cozy sweater on chilly days.
String	(a piece of) strong, thin rope made by twisting very thin threads together, used for fastening and tying things	He tied the string of his hoodie tightly around his neck to keep warm.
Shorts	trousers that end above the knee or reach the knee, often worn in hot weather or when playing a sport	I always wear shorts when I go for a run in the morning.
Suit	a jacket and trousers or a jacket and skirt that are made from the same material	He wore a stylish suit to the job interview.
Shoes	one of a pair of coverings for your feet, usually made of a strong material such as leather, with a thick leather or plastic sole (= base) and usually a heel	She has a collection of designer shoes in her closet.
Slippers	a type of soft, comfortable shoe for wearing inside the house	After a long day at work, he likes to slip into his cozy slippers.
Sneakers	a type of light, comfortable shoe that is suitable for playing sports	She wears sneakers when she goes for a jog.
sock	a piece of clothing made from soft material that covers your foot and the lower part of your leg	He put on a fresh pair of socks before heading out for the day.
Swimsuit	a piece of clothing that you wear for swimming	She bought a new swimsuit for her vacation in Hawaii.
Sundress	an informal dress without sleeves that is worn in hot weather	She loves to wear sundresses during the summer months.
Sun hat	a hat to protect your head from the sun	She wore a wide-brimmed sun hat to protect her face from the strong sun.

II. Compilation of English part of speech starting with S

To strengthen your understanding of vocabulary in both usage and form, this section categorizes common English words starting with S according to their parts of speech—including verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. This approach will help you recognize how these words function in sentences and apply them accurately in various contexts.

1. English words starting with S: Verbs

Let's explore activities and actions that start with S!

English words starting with S	Meaning	Example
Sing	to make musical sounds with the voice, usually a tune with words	She loves to sing in the shower.
Study	to learn about a subject, especially in an educational course or by reading books	I need to study for my exams.
Speak	to say words, to use the voice, or to have a conversation with someone	He speaks five languages fluently.
Smile	to make a happy or friendly expression in which the corners of your mouth curve up	She always smiles when she sees her friends.
Swim	to move through water by moving the body or parts of the body	We like to swim in the lake during the summer.
Shop	to buy things in shops	She went to the mall to shop for new clothes.
Start	to begin doing something	The concert will start at 8 pm.
Stop	to finish doing something that you were doing	The bus stopped at the station to pick up passengers.
Search	to look somewhere carefully in order to find something	I need to search for my keys.
Send	to cause something to go from one place to another, especially by post or email	He sent the email to his boss.
Sleep	to be in the state of rest when your eyes are closed, your body is not active, and your mind is unconscious	I like to sleep for eight hours a night.
Stand	to be in a vertical state or to put into a vertical state, especially (of a person or animal) by making the legs straight	She stood in line for two hours to buy tickets.
Scream	to cry or say something loudly and usually on a high note, especially because of strong emotions such as fear, excitement, or anger	The child screamed when he saw the spider.
Skate	to move, or make a particular movement on a surface, using skates	They like to skate on the frozen lake in the winter.

2. English words starting with S: Adjectives

How many words start with 'S'? There are countless, and we can never know them all. But how many adjectives start with 'S'? PREP can help you count. Check out the following list!

English words starting with S	Meaning	Example
Smart	intelligent, or able to think quickly or intelligently in difficult situations	She is a smart student and always gets good grades.
Strong	powerful; having or using great force or control	She is a strong athlete and can lift heavy weights.
Sweet	(especially of food or drink) having a taste similar to that of sugar; not bitter or salty	The cake tasted sweet and delicious.
Shy	nervous and uncomfortable with other people	She is shy and doesn't like to speak in front of a large audience.
Soft	not hard or firm	The puppy's fur is soft and fluffy.
Sunny	bright because of light from the sun	It's a sunny day and perfect for a picnic.
Sad	unhappy or sorry	She felt sad when her dog died.
Small	little in size or amount when compared with what is typical or average	The kitten is small and cute.
Strong-willed	(of a person) determined to do what is wanted, even if other people disagree or disapprove	She is a strong-willed person and never gives up.
Short	small in length, distance, or height	The skirt is too short for her.
Slow	moving, happening, or doing something without much speed	The traffic is moving slow today.
Spicy	containing strong flavours from spices	The food is too spicy for me to eat.
Successful	achieving the results wanted or hoped for	He is a successful businessman and has made a lot of money.
Strange	unusual and unexpected, or difficult to understand	The old house looked strange and abandoned.
Stubborn	opposed to change or suggestion	He is a stubborn child.

3. English words starting with S: Adverbs

How many adverbs modify verbs starting with S? This question seems difficult, but PREP is here to help. Below is a list of English adverbs starting with S for your reference!

English words starting with S	Meaning	Example
Slowly	at a slow speed	The turtle walked slowly across the road.
Soon	in or within a short time; before long; quickly	The movie will start soon, so let's get some popcorn.
Suddenly	quickly and unexpectedly	The car stopped suddenly, causing the driver to hit his head.
Surely	used to express that you are certain or almost certain about something	Surely you can't be serious about quitting your job.
Simply	completely or as much as possible	The recipe is simply delicious.
Sometimes	on some occasions but not always or often	Sometimes I like to stay at home and read a book.
So	very, extremely, or to such a degree	The house is so beautiful.
Somewhat	to some degree	The soup is somewhat salty.
Sadly	in an unhappy way	Sadly, he passed away last week.
Specifically	for a particular reason, purpose, etc.	Specifically, I need you to finish this report by Friday.
Still	continuing to happen or continuing to be done	I am still hungry, even though I just ate.

4. English words starting with S: Nouns

Let's explore a list of English words starting with S!

English words starting with S	Meaning	Example
Summer	the season of the year between spring and autumn when the weather is warmest, lasting from June to September north of the equator and from December to March south of the equator	I love spending time at the beach during the summer.
Sun	the star that provides light and heat for the earth and around which the earth moves	The sun is shining brightly today.
School	a place where children go to be educated	I am excited to go back to school in the fall.
Science	(knowledge from) the careful study of the structure and behavior of the physical world, especially by watching, measuring, and doing experiments, and the development of theories to describe the results of these activities	My favorite subject in school was always science.
Student	a person who is learning at a college or university	The student was late to class this morning.
Sky	the area above the earth, in which clouds, the sun, etc. can be seen	The sky is a beautiful shade of blue today.
Store	a large shop where you can buy many different types of goods	I need to go to the store to buy some milk.
Story	a description, either true or imagined, of a connected series of events	I love reading a good story before bed.
Song	a usually short piece of music with words that are sung	That song is so catchy, I can't stop singing it.
Smile	a happy or friendly expression on the face in which the ends of the mouth curve up slightly, often with the lips moving apart so that the teeth can be seen	A smile can brighten anyone's day.
System	a particular set of actions for doing something	Our company has implemented a new system for tracking inventory.
Service	a government system or private organization that is responsible for a particular type of activity, or for providing a particular thing that people need	The customer service at this restaurant is excellent.
Solution	the answer to a problem	We need to find a solution to this problem.
Success	the achieving of the results wanted or hoped for	Hard work and dedication are the keys to success.

III. Exercises in using English words starting with S

To help reinforce your understanding and retention of the vocabulary covered, this section provides practical exercises using English words that begin with the letter S. These activities are designed to support long-term learning and application across different topics and contexts.

1. Exercises

Exercise 1: Match the vocabulary with the corresponding pictures.

Vocabulary	Image
Shirt
Sunglasses
Skirt
Scarf
Sweater

Exercise 2: Create example sentences for the following five verbs:

Sing
Study
Speak
Smile
Swim

2. Answers

Exercise 1:

Shirt
Sunglasses
Skirt
Scarf
Sweater

Exercise 2: Here are some examples that PREP suggests for you!

She loves to sing karaoke with her friends on the weekends.
He spent hours studying for his final exams.
She is fluent in French and can speak the language with ease.
The little girl's smile lit up the room.

These are some English words starting with S that are grouped to help you remember them better and longer. Don't forget to follow PREP to not miss out on other useful and interesting knowledge!

Chloe

Product Content Admin

Hi I'm Chloe, and I am currently serving as an Product Content Administrator at Prep Education. With over five years of experience in independent online IELTS study and exam preparation, I am confident in my ability to support learners in achieving their highest possible scores.