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Home, House: What Are They? Distinguishing Between Home and House in English

Home and house are two familiar English vocabulary words. However, many people still have not been able to differentiate how home and house are different. In this article, PREP will explain in detail the concepts, usage, and differences between home and house, so refer to it right away!

I. What is “House”?
II. What is Home?
III. The Difference Between House and Home
IV. Exercises to Distinguish Home and House
1. 1. Exercise: Fill in the blanks with Home or House as appropriate.
2. 2. Answer keys

I. What is “House”?

House serves as both a noun and a verb.

As a noun, "house" is pronounced /haʊs/ and means: a building for human habitation, a workplace, or a company specializing in a certain field. For example:
- Anna lives in a little house.
- Jack works in a fashion house.
As a verb, "house" is pronounced /haʊz/ and means: to provide someone/something with shelter, or to contain something. For example:
- It will be difficult to house all the refugees.
- The library houses a collection of 10 000 books.

1. Idioms with House

Idioms with House	Meaning	Example
get on/along like a house on fire	To get along very well or develop a close relationship quickly and easily.	They only met last week, but they get on like a house on fire.
get/put your own house in order	To sort out or resolve your personal issues before criticizing or interfering in someone else's affairs.	Before criticizing others, you should put your own house in order.
go (all) round the houses	To take a longer or unnecessarily complicated route or approach to doing something.	Instead of going straight to the point, he went all round the houses explaining his idea.
house of cards	A plan or system that is fragile, unstable, or likely to collapse.	Their financial strategy was nothing more than a house of cards, collapsing at the slightest pressure.
on the house	Free of charge; provided without payment.	The drinks are on the house tonight.
Keep house	To manage a household; to cook and clean.	She hires her neighbor to keep house at the weekends.
Bring the house down	To make people laugh or feel excited due to a performance or event.	During the talent show, Jenny's incredible dance performance brought the house down, earning her a standing ovation from the entire audience.

2. House’s collocations

House’s collocations	Meaning	Example
boarding house	A lodging house that provides meals and accommodation.	Anna found a small boarding house near her new job.
field house	A building used for sports activities or as a venue for athletic events.	The school's field house has a gymnasium.
full house	A situation where all seats are filled, often used in the context of performances or events.	The concert was a full house, with every seat in the auditorium occupied.
house arrest	A form of punishment where the person is confined to their home instead of being sent to prison (also known as suspended sentence).	Jack was sentenced to house arrest for six months due to his involvement in the fraud case.
meeting house	A building used for meetings or religious services.	The local Quaker meeting house is a central gathering place for the community.
ranch house	A single-story house with a simple design, often associated with ranch-style living.	They bought a ranch house with a large backyard to enjoy the open space.
row house	A type of housing where multiple houses are connected in a linear fashion, sharing walls.	The row houses on Kings Street have a uniform look.
station house	The building used by a police department or fire station.	The new station house is equipped with the latest technology for the firefighters.
tree house	A structure built in a tree, often used as a play area for children.	The kids spent the whole afternoon playing in their tree house.
in-house	Activities or services conducted within an organization or company itself, rather than outsourced.	The company decided to handle the IT support in-house instead of outsourcing it.

Let’s explore more words and phrases that collocate with "house" using the Cambridge Dictionary!

Summary of Words/Phrases that Collocate with House from Cambridge Dictionary

3. House’s collocation

House’s collocation	Meaning	Example
abandoned house	A house that has been left empty and uninhabited.	The children were afraid to go near the abandoned house at the end of the street.
adobe house	A house made of sun-dried bricks (adobe), commonly found in arid regions.	They built an adobe house to withstand the hot and dry climate.
beach house	A house near the beach, often used for vacations.	We spent the summer at a beautiful beach house overlooking the ocean.
boarded-up house	A house that has been sealed off, with windows and doors boarded up.	The old boarded-up house has been vacant for years.
brick house	A house made of bricks.	They live in a sturdy brick house that has been standing for over a century.
burning house	A house that is on fire.	The firefighters arrived quickly to save the burning house.
clapboard house	A house built with horizontal siding, often seen in rural or coastal areas in the U.S.	They live in a charming clapboard house near the coast.
deserted house	A house that is empty and uninhabited.	We found a deserted house in the middle of the forest.
dilapidated house	A house that is in a state of disrepair or significant decay.	The dilapidated house was in desperate need of repair.
four-bedroom house	A house that has four bedrooms.	They bought a spacious four-bedroom house for their growing family.

Let’s explore more collocations with "house" using the Cambridge Dictionary!

Comprehensive Summary of Collocations with House from Cambridge Dictionary

II. What is Home?

"Home" is pronounced /hoʊm/ and functions as a noun, adverb, and adjective.

As a noun, "home" refers to: a house or family. For example:

Anna decide to stay at home and look after her children.
He had always wanted a real home with a wife and children.

As an adverb, "home" means: at home or in the place where you live. For example: The kids were home alone.
As an adjective, "home" relates to someone’s place of residence. For example: A lot of people favor home ownership over renting.

1. Home’s idiom

Home’s idiom	Meaning	Example
be/feel at home	To feel comfortable and at ease, as if you were at your own home.	I always feel at home when I visit my grandparents' house.
home from home	A place that feels comfortable and familiar, similar to your own home.	The cozy cabin in the mountains felt like a home from home.
make yourself at home	To feel free to act as if you were in your own home; to be comfortable.	Please come in and make yourself at home.
be home and dry	To have successfully completed something, especially after a difficult journey.	After months of hard work, we're finally home and dry with the project.
be home free	To have passed the most difficult stage and to be certain of succeeding.	Once we pass this last exam, we'll be home free
bring something home (to someone)	To make someone understand something clearly.	The documentary really brought home the impact of climate change to the viewers.
come home to someone	For someone to realize or understand something clearly.	It only came home to me how important my family is after I moved away.
drive/hammer something home	To emphasize, clarify, or repeatedly remind someone of something until they understand it well.	The teacher hammered home the importance of studying for the exams.

2. Home’s collocation

Home’s collocation	Meaning	Example
be home	At home.	I'll be home all evening if you want to drop by.
home alone	At home by oneself	She doesn't like being home alone at night.
go home	To return home	After the meeting, I went straight home.
come home	To return home	He comes home from work around 6 PM every day.
take someone/something home	To bring someone or something back to your home	Can you take me home after the party?
bring someone/something home	To bring someone or something to your home	He brought a stray kitten home.
get home	To arrive home	What time did you get home last night?
make it home	To arrive home safely or successfully	Despite the heavy snow, they made it home safely.
home ownership	The right to own a home	Home ownership rates have increased over the past decade.
home improvements	Enhancements or upgrades made to a home	They spent the weekend doing home improvements like painting and fixing the roof.

3. Home’s collocation

Home’s collocation	Meaning	Example
abandoned home	A home that is left empty and uninhabited.	The children were afraid to go near the abandoned home at the end of the street.
adoptive home	The family or home of adoptive parents, where an adopted person lives.	She found love and care in her adoptive home.
ancestral home	The home of one's ancestors, where the family has lived for many generations.	They visited their ancestral home in the countryside.
convalescent home	A facility where patients receive care to recover their health.	After surgery, he stayed at a convalescent home for a few weeks.
damaged home	A home that is damaged, often due to natural disasters or accidents.	The storm left many families with damaged homes.
destroyed home	A home that has been completely destroyed.	The wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes in the area.
detached home	A standalone house that does not share walls with any other houses.	They decided to buy a detached home with a large yard.
existing home	A previously owned home that has been occupied.	They are looking to purchase an existing home rather than building a new one.
first-time home buyer	A person who is purchasing a home for the first time.	There are many financial programs available for first-time home buyers.
home canning	The process of preserving food at home by sealing it in jars.	She enjoys home canning during the harvest season.

Let's explore more collocations with "home" from the Cambridge Dictionary!

Comprehensive Summary of Collocations with Home from Cambridge Dictionary

III. The Difference Between House and Home

When to use Home and House? How are Home and House different? Let's differentiate them right below!

	Home	House
Usage	Not just a physical house, but also carries emotional significance; it is where you feel you belong, where there is warmth and safety (family).	A physical structure, a building with walls, a roof, and rooms used for living.
Example	There's no place like home.	They bought a new house in the suburbs.

IV. Exercises to Distinguish Home and House

To better understand the usage and differences between Home and House, let's complete the exercise below together!

1. Exercise: Fill in the blanks with Home or House as appropriate.

After a long day at work, I just want to go ________ and relax.
We visited a historic ________ that was built in the 1800s.
That old ________ has been abandoned for years.
________ is where the heart is.
She made her new apartment feel like ________ by decorating it with personal items.
We need to paint the ________ before winter comes.
They have lived in several countries, but New York always feels like ________.
The ________ at the end of the street is for sale.
Welcome ________! We've missed you.
She feels happy every time she comes ________.

2. Answer keys

Home
House
House
Home
Home

House
Home
House
Home
Home

Hopefully, after reading this article, you have grasped the concepts, usage, and differences between Home and House. Be sure to follow PREP regularly to update yourself with more valuable English knowledge!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.