Pre-A1 Starters Vocabulary: Animals
Cambridge Pre-A1 Starters has 32 animals words. Tap a picture to hear the word.

New at Pre-A1 Starters: 32 words
- animalnoun
- batnoun
- bearnoun
- beenoun
- birdnoun
- catnoun
- chickennoun
- cownoun
- crocodilenoun
- dognoun
- donkeynoun
- ducknoun
- elephantnoun
- fishnoun, pl) n
- frognoun
- giraffenoun
- goatnoun
- hipponoun
- horsenoun
- jellyfishnoun
- lizardnoun
- monkeynoun
mouse/micenoun- petnoun
- polar bearnoun
- sheepnoun, pl) n
- snakenoun
- spidernoun
- tailnoun
- tigernoun
- zebranoun
- zoonoun
How animals words show up in the exam
In Reading & Writing Part 1, your child sees 5 pictures of objects and ticks or crosses a sentence such as 'This is a ball.' The objects are everyday words: toys, animals, food, school things, clothes and things at home.
Reading & Writing Part 1 guide →Meanings and example sentences (32 words)
- animal
- (noun)
- It is a living thing.
- I like to see every animal.
- bat
- (noun)
- It is a wooden stick you use to hit a ball.
- I hit the ball with my new bat.
- bear
- (noun)
- A big, furry animal.
- I have a teddy bear.
- bee
- (noun)
- It is a flying insect.
- I see a bee in the garden.
- bird
- (noun)
- It is an animal that flies.
- I see a small bird outside.
- cat
- (noun)
- It is a small animal.
- My cat sleeps on the sofa.
- chicken
- (noun)
- It's a farm animal bird.
- I eat chicken for dinner sometimes.
- cow
- (noun)
- It gives us milk.
- The cow eats grass in the field.
- crocodile
- (noun)
- It's a big green animal.
- I saw a crocodile at the zoo.
- dog
- (noun)
- A pet that barks often.
- I play with my dog every day.
- donkey
- (noun)
- A farm animal like a horse.
- The donkey eats grass in the field.
- duck
- (noun)
- It is a swimming bird.
- I see a duck in the pond.
- elephant
- (noun)
- It is a big, grey animal.
- I see an elephant at the zoo.
- fish
- (noun, pl) n)
- It lives and swims in water.
- I like to eat fish.
- frog
- (noun)
- It is a green animal.
- I see a frog in the pond.
- giraffe
- (noun)
- It is a tall animal.
- I see a giraffe at the zoo.
- goat
- (noun)
- It is a farm animal.
- The goat eats grass in the field.
- hippo
- (noun)
- It is a large animal.
- I saw a big hippo at the zoo.
- horse
- (noun)
- It is a farm animal.
- I see a brown horse on the farm.
- jellyfish
- (noun)
- Sea animal with soft body.
- I see a jellyfish in the sea.
- lizard
- (noun)
- It is a small reptile.
- I see a green lizard on the wall.
- monkey
- (noun)
- It is a climbing animal.
- I see a monkey at the zoo.
- mouse/mice
- (noun)
- A small animal with a long tail — one mouse, two mice.
- The little mouse is under the table.
- pet
- (noun)
- It is a friendly animal.
- I like to play with my pet.
- polar bear
- (noun)
- A white bear lives in snow.
- I saw a polar bear at the zoo.
- sheep
- (noun, pl) n)
- It is a farm animal.
- I see many sheep on the farm.
- snake
- (noun)
- It is a long reptile.
- I see a snake in the grass.
- spider
- (noun)
- It is a small animal with eight legs.
- I see a spider in my room.
- tail
- (noun)
- It is the end of an animal.
- The dog wags its tail happily.
- tiger
- (noun)
- It is a big, striped cat.
- I like the tiger at the zoo.
- zebra
- (noun)
- It is a black and white animal.
- I see a zebra at the zoo.
- zoo
- (noun)
- A place has many animals.
- I like to see monkeys at the zoo.
More Pre-A1 Starters topics
Questions parents ask
How many animals words are in the Pre-A1 Starters wordlist?
Pre-A1 Starters introduces 32 animals words, including animal, bat, bear. All of them are on this page with kid-friendly meanings, example sentences, and audio for most words.
Are these all the animals words for the Pre-A1 Starters exam?
Yes — Pre-A1 Starters is the first Cambridge YLE level, so the 32 words on this page are the complete animals vocabulary your child needs for the exam.
Is this the official Cambridge list?
This page is aligned with the official Cambridge English Pre-A1 Starters vocabulary list, with kid-friendly definitions, example sentences and audio added by FlyersEnglish. FlyersEnglish is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge; the official PDF wordlists are available at cambridgeenglish.org.
FlyersEnglish is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge. This page is aligned with the official Cambridge English wordlists; the official PDFs are available at cambridgeenglish.org.
Turn these words into a game
FlyersEnglish turns the Pre-A1 Starters animals words into games with pictures and sound, and shows you which words your child knows.