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Word bank 3 of 8 · 84 words · Free to print

Settings word bank

Words and phrases for forests, cities, beaches, haunted houses, caves, mountains and space, to build a vivid setting.

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About this word bank

Many 11+ creative writing tasks ask children to describe a place, or to start a story somewhere the reader can picture. A setting comes alive through small, specific details: not just "trees" but gnarled roots and dappled light.

Each group below mixes nouns (things you'd find there) with describing words and short phrases. Pick two or three that suit the mood of your story.

The words

  • Forest and woodland

    Peaceful or eerie, depending on the words you pick.

    1. canopy
    2. undergrowth
    3. bracken
    4. clearing
    5. moss-covered
    6. gnarled roots
    7. dappled light
    8. rustling leaves
    9. towering pines
    10. tangled brambles
    11. shadowy
    12. woodland floor

    Dappled light flickered across the clearing as the branches swayed overhead.

    Deeper in, the brambles grew tangled and thick, and the canopy shut out the sky.

  • City and town

    Busy, noisy, bright, or grimy at night.

    1. bustling
    2. crowded pavements
    3. honking traffic
    4. skyscrapers
    5. neon signs
    6. rooftops
    7. narrow alleyway
    8. cobbled streets
    9. market stalls
    10. wailing sirens
    11. grimy
    12. glittering

    The market was bustling: stallholders shouted prices and the air smelt of hot doughnuts.

    Below the glittering skyscrapers, a narrow alleyway lay in darkness.

  • Beach and seaside

    For a sunny day out, or a lonely shore in winter.

    1. golden sand
    2. shingle
    3. rock pools
    4. seaweed
    5. driftwood
    6. salty breeze
    7. crashing waves
    8. frothy foam
    9. screeching gulls
    10. pier
    11. sparkling
    12. sand dunes

    Waves crashed against the pier, sending frothy foam hissing up the shingle.

    Ruby crouched over a rock pool, watching a tiny crab sidle under the seaweed.

  • Haunted house

    For suspense: old, dusty and too quiet.

    1. creaking floorboards
    2. cobwebs
    3. dust sheets
    4. flickering candle
    5. crumbling
    6. musty
    7. shuttered windows
    8. faded portrait
    9. deserted
    10. eerie
    11. rattling
    12. spiral staircase

    The floorboards creaked under every step, and the musty air caught in Finn's throat.

    From the faded portrait above the fireplace, a pair of painted eyes seemed to follow them.

  • Cave

    Dark, damp and echoing.

    1. echoing
    2. dripping
    3. damp
    4. stalactites
    5. narrow passage
    6. pitch-black
    7. slimy rock
    8. chamber
    9. cramped
    10. torchlight
    11. underground lake
    12. icy water

    Every drip echoed around the chamber, and the torchlight caught the tips of the stalactites like teeth.

  • Mountains

    High, steep and wild.

    1. jagged peaks
    2. summit
    3. ridge
    4. narrow ledge
    5. scree
    6. sheer cliff
    7. snow-capped
    8. valley
    9. winding path
    10. thin air
    11. rocky
    12. boulders

    Far below the narrow ledge, the valley was a patchwork of tiny green fields.

  • Space

    Vast, silent and strange.

    1. weightless
    2. orbit
    3. galaxy
    4. starlit
    5. crater
    6. nebula
    7. distant planet
    8. airlock
    9. control panel
    10. capsule
    11. silent
    12. vast

    Through the porthole, the Earth hung in the darkness like a blue marble.

    The airlock hissed open, and Asha floated out into the vast, silent dark.

How to use this word bank without overdoing it

  • Choose a mood first, then the words. The same forest can be peaceful (dappled light, birdsong) or threatening (tangled brambles, shadowy).
  • Two or three precise details beat a long list. "Gnarled roots and dappled light" paints a picture; ten adjectives in a row don't.
  • Use more than sight: what can the character hear, smell and feel?
  • Bring the character into the setting. Have them touch, step on or notice something, so the description keeps the story moving.

Practice: Three-sense setting

  1. Choose one setting from the list.
  2. Write one sentence for something the character sees, one for something they hear and one for something they smell or feel.
  3. Add a final sentence where something unexpected happens in that setting.

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Free monthly writing competition

A new story prompt every month: a great place to try out the words from this bank.

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Learn the meanings: Places & buildings

Not sure what a word means? The 11+ vocabulary pages explain words like these, with examples and a quick quiz.

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Questions parents ask

How do I describe a setting in 11+ creative writing?

Decide the mood, then pick two or three specific details that create it, using at least two senses. Bring your character into the description (stepping on creaking floorboards, brushing past brambles) so the story keeps moving.

What words describe a haunted house?

Creaking floorboards, cobwebs, dust sheets, flickering candle, musty, crumbling, shuttered windows, deserted, eerie and rattling all work well. Choose a few and add one sound the character hears.

How long should a setting description be?

In a timed 11+ story, a short paragraph is usually enough. Describe the setting at the start, then add small details as the story goes on rather than stopping the action.