Geometric shapes

Geometric shapes

Learn these geometric shapes with images to improve and expand your vocabulary.

Circle

A circle is a shape whose boundary (circumference) is made by a curve that consists of points placed an equal distance away from the center.

Ellipse

Ellipses are like circles which have been squashed or stretched.

Triangle

A triangle is a shape that is formed by 3 straight lines that are called sides.

There are different ways of classifying triangles, according to their sides or angles.

1. According to their angles:

Right triangle: the largest of the 3 angles is a right angle (measures 90 degrees).

Acute Triangle: the largest of the 3 angles is an acute angle (less than 90 degrees).

Obtuse Triangle: the largest of the 3 angles is an obtuse angle (more than 90 degrees).

2. According to their sides:

Equilateral Triangle: all 3 sides are the same length.

Isosceles Triangle: it has 2 (or more) sides that are of equal length. (An equilateral triangle is also isosceles.)

Scalene Triangle: no 2 sides are of equal measure.

Rectangle

The rectangle is a shape that has 4 straight sides and 4 right angles. The rectangle has two pairs of opposite sides of equal length and every angle that it has measures 90 degrees.

Square

The square is a type of rectangle. It has 4 right angles and 4 sides that are equal in length.

Rhombus

The rhombus is a shape formed by 4 straight lines. It 4 sides that are the same length, but unlike the rectangle, none of its 4 angles measures 90 degrees.

Trapezoid

The trapezoid is a quadrilateral with only one pair of parallel sides.

Parallelogram

The parallelogram is a quadrilateral with 2 pairs of parallel sides. Opposite sides are of equal length, and opposite angles are of equal measure.

Pentagon

The pentagon is a figure with five straight sides and five angles.

Hexagon

The hexagon is a figure with six straight sides and six angles.

Heptagon

The heptagon is a figure with seven straight sides and seven angles.

Octagon

The octagon is a figure with eight straight sides and eight angles.

Nonagon

The nonagon is a figure with nine straight sides and nine angles.

Decagon

The decagon is a figure with ten straight sides and ten angles.

Cylinder

The cylinders are solid geometric figures with straight parallel sides and a circular or oval base.

Cube

Cubes  are geometric figures whose sides are six identical squares.

Cuboid

Cuboids are solid geometric figures which have six rectangular faces at right angles to each other.

Sphere

The sphere is a round solid figure whose surface contains points at an equal distance from its center (like a ball).

Cone

The cone is a three-dimensional surface in which the base is a circle and the upper surface narrows to form a point.

Pyramid

A pyramid is a geometric figure whose sides are triangles which meet to form the top and whose base could be a triangle, rectangle, square or polygon.