Ceramics Vocabulary Worksheet

Press Print worksheet for a clay vocabulary worksheet: twelve terms, from earthenware to greenware, to match to meanings.

A sample is on the sheet. What you type replaces it.

What you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to us.

NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Ceramics vocabularyclayearthenwarestonewareporcelainterracottakaolingrogslipplasticityleather-hardbone-drygreenwarepartly dry: firm enough to carvebut still dampthe power of clay to be shapedand to hold that shapethe fine-grained earth thatpottery is shaped fromcompletely dry and ready for thefirst firinghard, dense pottery fired at ahigh heatclay mixed with water until it isrunnya fine white clay that goes intoporcelainshaped clay objects that have notyet been fireda hard white ceramic that letslight through when thinfired clay ground to grit andmixed into fresh claypottery fired at a low heat thatstays porous unless glazedbrownish-red earthenware,usually left unglazed
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Ceramics vocabularyAnswer keyclayearthenwarestonewareporcelainterracottakaolingrogslipplasticityleather-hardbone-drygreenwarepartly dry: firm enough to carvebut still dampthe power of clay to be shapedand to hold that shapethe fine-grained earth thatpottery is shaped fromcompletely dry and ready for thefirst firinghard, dense pottery fired at ahigh heatclay mixed with water until it isrunnya fine white clay that goes intoporcelainshaped clay objects that have notyet been fireda hard white ceramic that letslight through when thinfired clay ground to grit andmixed into fresh claypottery fired at a low heat thatstays porous unless glazedbrownish-red earthenware,usually left unglazed
More options

Next step Next: an art word search

All 36 terms

Clay and its states 12

  • bone-dry Completely dry and ready for the first firing. Clay must be bone-dry before it goes into the kiln.
  • clay The fine-grained earth that pottery is shaped from. Clay is dug from the ground.
  • earthenware Pottery fired at a low heat that stays porous unless glazed. A plain flowerpot is earthenware.
  • greenware Shaped clay objects that have not yet been fired. Greenware breaks easily.
  • grog Fired clay ground to grit and mixed into fresh clay. Grog gives fresh clay a rougher feel.
  • kaolin A fine white clay that goes into porcelain. Another name for kaolin is china clay.
  • leather-hard Partly dry: firm enough to carve but still damp. A handle is easiest to add when the pot is leather-hard.
  • plasticity The power of clay to be shaped and to hold that shape. Clay with more plasticity bends without cracking.
  • porcelain A hard white ceramic that lets light through when thin. Porcelain is made with kaolin.
  • slip Clay mixed with water until it is runny. Slip can be poured, brushed or used as glue between two pieces.
  • stoneware Hard, dense pottery fired at a high heat. Stoneware holds water even without a glaze.
  • terracotta Brownish-red earthenware, usually left unglazed. Flower pots are often made of terracotta.
Show all 36 terms (24 more)

Shaping 12

  • coiling Building up a pot's walls from long ropes of clay. Coiling needs no wheel.
  • fettling Trimming seams and rough edges off a piece before firing. Fettling removes the line left by a mold.
  • luting Joining two pieces of clay with slip. A handle is fixed to a mug by luting.
  • mold A hollow form that gives its shape to what fills it. Plaster is a common material for a mold.
  • pinch pot A small pot shaped by pinching a ball of clay. A pinch pot is opened with the thumb.
  • potter's wheel A spinning disk on which a potter forms a pot. The clay sits at the center of the potter's wheel.
  • rib A flat hand tool for smoothing and shaping a pot's wall. A rib may be made of wood, metal or rubber.
  • slab A flat sheet of clay rolled out for building. A box can be made from six slabs.
  • slip casting Pouring liquid clay into a plaster mold to form a piece. The plaster draws water out of the slip.
  • sprigging Sticking small molded clay shapes onto a pot's surface. Sprigging gives a raised design.
  • throwing Forming a pot by hand on a spinning wheel. In throwing, the clay is squeezed and lifted as the wheel turns.
  • wedging Cutting and slamming clay to drive out trapped air. Wedging also spreads the water evenly through the clay.

Firing and glaze 12

  • bisque Pottery after its first firing, still without glaze. Bisque is porous, so it soaks up water.
  • crazing A net of fine cracks in a glaze. Crazing is a glaze fault; a crackle glaze is crazed on purpose.
  • dunt A crack in ware that was heated or cooled too fast. A dunt can appear when a kiln is opened too soon.
  • engobe A coat of colored slip that covers the body of a pot. An engobe can hide the color of the clay under it.
  • firing Heating ware in a kiln until it hardens for good. Many pots are fired twice: once before glazing and once after.
  • glaze A thin layer of glass fused to the surface of a fired pot. A glaze can make a pot waterproof.
  • kiln An oven built to reach the high heat that hardens clay. A kiln may be heated by electricity, gas or wood.
  • overglaze Color painted on top of a fired glaze. The piece is fired again to fix an overglaze.
  • pyrometric cone A small pointed piece made to bend at a set heat. Potters watch a pyrometric cone to judge a firing.
  • saggar A fireclay box that shields ware from the flames. Pots are stacked inside a saggar in the kiln.
  • underglaze Color painted on a pot before the glaze goes over it. The design shows through a clear glaze.
  • vitrification The change of fired clay into a hard, glassy state. After vitrification the ware no longer soaks up water.

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-02. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license and against the article Glossary of pottery terms in English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, which gives slip casting, luting, sprigging, fettling, wedging, the rib and the dunt their pottery senses. The examples for leather-hard, throwing, terracotta, bisque, grog and the pinch pot were read that day in the articles Leather-hard, Potter's wheel, Terracotta, Biscuit (pottery), Grog (clay) and Pinch pot. The example after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

This ceramics vocabulary worksheet prints twelve terms down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. Three sets follow a pot through the studio: clay and its states, shaping, and firing and glaze.

Read the full guide

Three sets

Set opens on Clay and its states: earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, kaolin, grog, slip, leather-hard, bone-dry and greenware. Shaping has throwing, coiling, slab, pinch pot, wedging and luting. Firing and glaze has kiln, bisque, underglaze, crazing and saggar.

Each term in a studio sentence

Under the tool every meaning has a sentence: A handle is fixed to a mug by luting. Bisque is porous, so it soaks up water. Type term = meaning lines in the box to print your own studio's words.

  • Meanings follow general pottery usage; a studio may use a word, such as bisque or biscuit, a little differently.

Questions and answers

What are the stages of clay?

Slip is clay mixed with water until runny. Leather-hard clay is partly dry and firm enough to carve. Bone-dry clay is completely dry. Greenware is any shaped clay not yet fired, and bisque has been fired once.

What is the difference between earthenware, stoneware and porcelain?

Earthenware is fired at a low heat and stays porous unless glazed. Stoneware is hard, dense and fired at a high heat. Porcelain is fine white ware fired very hot; light shows through its thin parts.

What does wedging do to clay?

Wedging is cutting and slamming a lump of clay on a bench before it is shaped. It drives out trapped air and spreads the water evenly through the clay.

Does the worksheet have an answer key?

Yes. After the sheet comes a key page: the same twelve terms and meanings, each pair joined by a line. See the answers, under More options, shows it on screen first.

More tools

Show 6 more

Browse Handwriting