Vocabulary
Cities & urban life vocabulary for IELTS
Twenty useful words and collocations for describing cities, traffic, housing and urban problems.
Cities are an easy IELTS topic for Bangladeshi students because Dhaka and Chattogram offer so many real examples: traffic jams, housing costs and crowded public transport. Learn these words by describing your own city in a short paragraph, then compare it with a village you know. Comparing urban and rural life is a very common Task 2 and Speaking Part 3 angle.
Common mistake: writing "traffic jam is a big problem" without an article. Use Traffic jams are a big problem or Traffic congestion is a big problem.
traffic congestion
collocation
الازدحام المروري
যানজট
यातायात जाम
kemacetan lalu lintas
kesesakan lalu lintas
ट्राफिक जाम
රථවාහන තදබදය
ٹریفک کا اژدحام
ùn tắc giao thông
交通拥堵
too many vehicles on the roads, causing slow movement
“Traffic congestion in Dhaka wastes millions of working hours every year.”
urbanisation
noun
التحضّر
নগরায়ণ
शहरीकरण
urbanisasi
pembandaran
सहरीकरण
නාගරීකරණය
شہر کاری
đô thị hóa
城市化
the movement of people from the countryside to towns and cities
“Rapid urbanisation has put enormous pressure on water and electricity supplies.”
urban sprawl
collocation
الزحف العمراني
অপরিকল্পিত নগর বিস্তার
शहरी फैलाव
perluasan kota tak terkendali
rebakan bandar
अव्यवस्थित सहरी फैलावट
අපාලිත නාගරික ව්යාප්තිය
شہر کا بے ہنگم پھیلاؤ
sự mở rộng đô thị tràn lan
城市扩张
the uncontrolled spread of a city into the surrounding countryside
“Urban sprawl is replacing farmland on the edges of many growing cities.”
public transport
collocation
النقل العام
গণপরিবহন
सार्वजनिक परिवहन
transportasi umum
pengangkutan awam
सार्वजनिक यातायात
පොදු ප්රවාහනය
پبلک ٹرانسپورٹ، عوامی سواری
giao thông công cộng
公共交通
buses, trains and other shared transport available to everyone
“The new metro rail has made public transport faster and more comfortable.”
densely populated
adjective
مكتظ بالسكان
ঘনবসতিপূর্ণ
घनी आबादी वाला
padat penduduk
padat penduduk
घना आबादी भएको
ජනාකීර්ණ
گنجان آباد
đông dân cư
人口稠密的
having a large number of people living in a small area
“Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.”
cost of living
collocation
تكلفة المعيشة
জীবনযাত্রার ব্যয়
जीवन-यापन की लागत
biaya hidup
kos sara hidup
जीवनयापन खर्च
ජීවන වියදම
اخراجاتِ زندگی
chi phí sinh hoạt
生活成本
the amount of money needed to pay for basic things like food and rent
“The high cost of living in big cities pushes many families into small flats.”
affordable housing
collocation
السكن الميسور
সাশ্রয়ী আবাসন
किफ़ायती आवास
perumahan terjangkau
rumah mampu milik
किफायती आवास
දැරිය හැකි නිවාස
کم قیمت رہائش
nhà ở giá rẻ
经济适用房
homes that people on average incomes can pay for
“The government should build more affordable housing for low-income workers.”
green spaces
collocation
المساحات الخضراء
সবুজ এলাকা, খোলা সবুজ জায়গা
हरित क्षेत्र, हरियाली
ruang terbuka hijau
kawasan hijau
हरियाली क्षेत्र
හරිත අවකාශ
سبزہ زار
không gian xanh
绿地
areas of grass, trees and parks in a town
“Green spaces give city residents somewhere to relax and exercise.”
infrastructure
noun
البنية التحتية
অবকাঠামো
बुनियादी ढाँचा
infrastruktur
infrastruktur
पूर्वाधार
යටිතල පහසුකම්
بنیادی ڈھانچہ
cơ sở hạ tầng
基础设施
basic systems like roads, bridges, water and power supply
“Poor infrastructure discourages businesses from moving to smaller towns.”
commute
verb
يتنقّل يوميًا
যাতায়াত করা
रोज़ आना-जाना करना
pulang-pergi (bekerja/sekolah)
berulang-alik
दैनिक आवतजावत गर्नु
ගමන් කිරීම, නිතිපතා ගමන් කිරීම
روزانہ آنا جانا
đi làm, đi học hằng ngày
通勤
to travel regularly between home and work or school
“My brother commutes for nearly two hours every day by bus.”
slum
noun
حيّ فقير، عشوائيات
বস্তি
झुग्गी बस्ती
permukiman kumuh
kawasan setinggan
गरिब बस्ती, झुपडी बस्ती
මුඩුක්කුව
کچی آبادی
khu ổ chuột
贫民窟
a very poor, crowded area of a city with bad housing
“Many migrants from rural areas end up living in slums with no clean water.”
high-rise buildings
collocation
المباني الشاهقة
বহুতল ভবন
ऊँची इमारतें
gedung bertingkat tinggi
bangunan tinggi
अग्ला भवनहरू
බහුමහල් ගොඩනැගිලි
بلند و بالا عمارتیں
nhà cao tầng
高层建筑
very tall buildings with many floors
“High-rise buildings allow cities to house more people on limited land.”
noise pollution
collocation
التلوث الضوضائي
শব্দদূষণ
ध्वनि प्रदूषण
polusi suara
pencemaran bunyi
ध्वनि प्रदूषण
ශබ්ද දූෂණය
شور کی آلودگی
ô nhiễm tiếng ồn
噪音污染
harmful or annoying levels of noise, often from traffic or construction
“Constant horns and construction work cause serious noise pollution in city centres.”
pedestrian
noun
أحد المشاة
পথচারী
पैदल यात्री
pejalan kaki
pejalan kaki
पैदलयात्री
පදිකයා
پیدل چلنے والا
người đi bộ
行人
a person walking, especially in a street
“Footpaths are often blocked, forcing pedestrians to walk on busy roads.”
vibrant
adjective
نابض بالحياة
প্রাণবন্ত
जीवंत
semarak, penuh kehidupan
meriah, bertenaga
जीवन्त, चहलपहलपूर्ण
ප්රාණවත්, උද්යෝගිමත්
پُررونق، زندگی سے بھرپور
sôi động
充满活力的
full of energy, activity and life
“Old Dhaka has a vibrant street life, with markets open late into the night.”
overcrowded
adjective
مكتظ
জনাকীর্ণ, অতিরিক্ত ভিড়পূর্ণ
भीड़भाड़ वाला
terlalu padat, penuh sesak
sesak, terlalu padat
अत्यधिक भीडभाड भएको
අධික ලෙස ජනාකීර්ණ
حد سے زیادہ بھیڑ والا
quá tải, chật chội
过度拥挤的
containing too many people
“Overcrowded buses are uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous for passengers.”
amenities
noun
المرافق
নাগরিক সুবিধা
सुविधाएँ
fasilitas umum
kemudahan
सुविधाहरू
පහසුකම්
سہولیات
tiện ích
便利设施
useful facilities such as shops, hospitals and schools
“People move to cities to be close to amenities such as good hospitals.”
rush hour
collocation
ساعة الذروة
ব্যস্ত সময়, অফিস সময়ের ভিড়
भीड़ का समय
jam sibuk
waktu puncak
भीडभाडको समय
කාර්යබහුල වේලාව
رش کے اوقات
giờ cao điểm
高峰时间
the busy time when most people travel to or from work
“It is almost impossible to find a rickshaw during rush hour.”
residential area
collocation
منطقة سكنية
আবাসিক এলাকা
आवासीय क्षेत्र
kawasan permukiman
kawasan perumahan
आवासीय क्षेत्र
නේවාසික ප්රදේශය
رہائشی علاقہ
khu dân cư
住宅区
a part of a town where people live rather than work
“Factories should not be allowed to operate inside residential areas.”
quality of life
collocation
جودة الحياة
জীবনযাত্রার মান
जीवन की गुणवत्ता
kualitas hidup
kualiti hidup
जीवनस्तर
ජීවන තත්ත්වය
معیارِ زندگی
chất lượng cuộc sống
生活质量
how good and comfortable a person's life is
“Better public transport would significantly improve the quality of life of city residents.”