Relationships Vocabulary Quiz
Test your relationships vocabulary in English with our free quiz. Practice words for family, friendships, and social connections.
Start the Quiz →What This Quiz Covers
Relationships and social connections are one of the most fundamental topics in everyday English communication. This quiz tests 20 key vocabulary words for family relationships, friendships, romantic relationships, and social interactions at A2 and B1 level — words that every intermediate English learner needs for conversations, exams, and real-life communication.
Questions cover family relationship words (sibling, stepparent, in-law, godparent, guardian), friendship and social vocabulary (acquaintance, colleague, peer, mentor, rival), romantic relationship terms (partner, fiancé/fiancée, ex, spouse, cohabit), and words for describing relationship qualities (trust, loyalty, supportive, compatible, distant). Each word appears in a natural sentence context.
This quiz is ideal for learners preparing for Cambridge A2 Key or B1 Preliminary speaking and writing tasks, as personal relationships are a core topic area in both examinations.
What You Will Learn
- Extended family vocabulary beyond mother, father, and sibling — including terms for step-relations, in-laws, and more distant relatives that appear in real conversations.
- The difference between close friends and acquaintances, and social vocabulary for professional relationships: colleague, peer, mentor, and associate.
- Romantic relationship vocabulary at B1 level: the precise meaning of partner, fiancé, spouse, and cohabit, and how these words differ from more informal expressions.
- Adjectives for describing relationship qualities: the difference between supportive, reliable, loyal, compatible, and distant in the context of describing people and relationships.
How to Prepare
Relationships vocabulary is best practised through reading and listening to authentic English content that features people describing their families and social lives — interviews, personal essays, and fiction are all excellent sources. You can also use our Flash Cards exercise to build key relationship words before taking the quiz.
For related vocabulary practice, try the Cooking Vocabulary Quiz or the Music Vocabulary Quiz — all part of the LexFizz everyday vocabulary series for A2–B1 learners.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A sibling is a general term for a brother or sister — someone who shares both the same parents as you. A half-sibling (half-brother or half-sister) shares only one biological parent with you — either the same mother or the same father, but not both. A step-sibling (stepbrother or stepsister) is the child of your parent's new partner — there is no biological relationship. A foster sibling is a child fostered by the same family. These distinctions are important in English because the words are used precisely in legal, medical, and social contexts.
These words describe different levels and types of social connection. An acquaintance is someone you know but are not close to — you may recognise them and exchange greetings, but you do not spend time together socially. A colleague (or co-worker in American English) is someone you work with professionally, regardless of how close you are personally. A friend is someone with whom you have a personal relationship involving trust, affection, and mutual support. A best friend or close friend implies a deeper level of trust and time spent together.
Partner is a broad, modern term for a person you are in a romantic relationship with, regardless of whether you are married or of the same or different genders. It is widely used in both formal and informal contexts. A fiancé (male) or fiancée (female) is a person to whom you are engaged — you have agreed to marry. A spouse is the formal word for a husband or wife — a person you are currently married to. Spouse is used in official and legal contexts; in informal speech, people typically say "my husband" or "my wife".
In-law is a suffix attached to family relationship words to indicate a relationship through marriage rather than blood. Your mother-in-law is your spouse's mother; your father-in-law is your spouse's father; your brother-in-law is your spouse's brother or your sibling's husband; your sister-in-law is your spouse's sister or your sibling's wife. The plural is in-laws, which informally refers to your spouse's family as a whole: "We're visiting the in-laws this weekend." The term has no negative connotation on its own, though it is common in humorous references to difficult family relationships.
A guardian is a person who is legally responsible for a child when the child's parents are unable to fulfil that role — for example, due to death, illness, or absence. Guardianship is a legal status. A godparent (godmother or godfather) is a person who is chosen, typically at a Christian baptism ceremony, to take a special interest in a child's religious upbringing and personal welfare. The role is traditionally religious but is often observed in a secular, social sense. Not all children have godparents; a child who has a godparent does not necessarily have a legal guardian other than their parents.
A mentor is an experienced person who provides guidance, advice, and support to a less experienced person (the mentee or protégé) — typically in a professional or educational context. Mentoring involves a direct, personal relationship and ongoing interaction. A role model is someone whose behaviour or achievements others look up to and aspire to imitate, but the relationship does not have to be personal — many people have role models they have never met. You can have a role model who is a celebrity or historical figure; a mentor must know you personally.
English has rich vocabulary for describing relationship qualities. Positive adjectives include: supportive (provides emotional or practical help), reliable (can be trusted to do what they say), loyal (remains committed even in difficult times), compatible (well-suited, shares values or personality traits), nurturing (caring and encouraging growth). Negative or neutral adjectives include: distant (not emotionally close), possessive (wanting to control or own), jealous, controlling. For describing relationship states: estranged (no longer in contact), reconciled (repaired a broken relationship).
Cohabit and live together mean the same thing — to share a home with a romantic partner without being married. Cohabit is the more formal, often legal term: it appears in housing contracts, legal documents, and academic writing. Live together is the more natural, conversational expression. Related terms include cohabitation (the noun), live-in partner, and common-law partner (a term used in some legal contexts for a long-term unmarried partner). In British English, couples who cohabit are sometimes described as living in a civil partnership, though this term has a specific legal meaning distinct from marriage.
The 20-question relationships vocabulary quiz typically takes 5 to 10 minutes. All questions are multiple-choice so no typing is required. You receive an instant score at the end with no registration needed. The quiz is designed for A2 and B1 level learners and covers the family and social vocabulary most commonly tested in Cambridge examinations at these levels.
Yes. Personal relationships, family, and social life are core topic areas in Cambridge A2 Key and B1 Preliminary reading, writing, speaking, and listening tasks. The speaking component of both exams often asks learners to describe people they know, talk about relationships, and give opinions about social topics. IELTS speaking Part 1 and Part 2 tasks also regularly include questions about family, friends, and social connections. This quiz builds the vocabulary you need to answer these questions fluently and accurately.