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What do we call the small towel that we use only on our hands (not the big one that we use on our body after a shower)? It usually hangs beside the basin.

A picture of a bathroom with a red arrow pointing to a towel

psmears
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Shannak
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    There is also the smaller "towel" that is wetted and used to wash one's face. I'd call that a "flannel" (but I think that may be a British use) – James K Mar 07 '17 at 19:29
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    I think the US term for the smaller towel for face washing is a "washcloth". – Harrison Paine Mar 07 '17 at 20:19
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    To the best of my knowledge, that's face towel or simply facecloth (UK). – flith Mar 08 '17 at 11:23
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    UK towel terminology from small to large: facecloth or face towel or flannel, about one foot square, used wet to wash face etc. hand towel, used to dry hands or face. bath towel, used to dry one's whole body (also as a hand towel if there's no separate hand towel). bath robe, the really large one, that you can completely wrap yourself in. – nigel222 Mar 08 '17 at 12:33
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    @nigel222, I would never consider using a bath robe as a method of drying myself, instead only using one as "loungewear". I have heard of bath sheet to mean a very large towel, however. – James Webster Mar 08 '17 at 13:49
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    In AmE a flannel is a shirt made from flannel, usually with a plaid pattern. AmE towels (absorbent rectangles made from terry cloth), from largest to smallest, are: beach towel, bath towel or just towel, hand towel, washcloth. Sometimes other terms are used for towels in the kitchen, like bar towel. In AmE a bath robe is not a towel at all. It is an absorbent robe made from terry cloth that has sleeves and a belt you can tie around your waist. – Todd Wilcox Mar 08 '17 at 14:00

7 Answers7

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It is called, not surprisingly, a hand towel. Here's an example of the phrase in live usage: Macy's hand towels.

Em.
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stangdon
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    I used to call it, not surprisingly, a small towel :) , now I can use the right name. thank you – Shannak Mar 07 '17 at 17:55
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    @Shannak don't be surprised if you find English speakers don't know what you mean when you use the "correct" term for things you find around the house. For example, not everyone will know a "duvet" is a quilted cover for the bed. I first learned to call this a "comforter". – Andrew Mar 07 '17 at 18:05
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    @Andrew - Today I learned there is a difference between a duvet and a comforter... – stangdon Mar 07 '17 at 18:38
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    @Andrew Duvet and comforter are not interchangeable; a comforter (which, FWIW, I learned as bedspread) is used as an outer layer, and colored or patterned. A duvet is plain and usually covered with a duvet cover (like a giant pillowcase). – choster Mar 07 '17 at 18:38
  • @choster See what I mean? Even people who think they know what these things mean (like me) can get it wrong, especially if they learn it from people who also don't know. :) – Andrew Mar 07 '17 at 18:59
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    @Andrew I'd argue that if enough people call a duvet a comforter, then it is, in fact, a comforter. It is also a duvet. That's how language works. – user428517 Mar 07 '17 at 19:07
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    @Andrew Huh? Duvets in the US are generally feather-filled and require a "duvet cover" (usually washable and decorative. – Catija Mar 07 '17 at 19:55
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    @Catija Ok now I'm completely confused -- but that is kind of the point. Somewhere in the US they might call a hand towel a "snickerdoodle" and wouldn't know what you meant if you asked for it by any other name. – Andrew Mar 07 '17 at 20:17
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    @Andrew That's absurd... A snickerdoodle is a cookie :P Everyone knows that. :D – Catija Mar 07 '17 at 20:20
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    A snickerdoodle is a piece of art that looks terrible because the artist drawing it couldn't stop laughing. – aslum Mar 07 '17 at 21:39
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    @choster: But to me, a bedspread is a single layer of fabric, whereas a duvet/comforter has two layers with padding/insulation between them. Rather like a quilt, in fact, except that the top layer of a quilt is pieced together from many small pieces of fabric, often in artistic designs. – jamesqf Mar 08 '17 at 05:47
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    @Catija I was going to mention all the colorful expressions my wife's mother (who is from Georgia) uses, including a rather unfortunate alternate meaning for "google", but we're getting off-topic :) – Andrew Mar 08 '17 at 17:40
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    Also note that 'comforter' is solidly American. Because I only came across it in Hollywood productions, and I suppose when I first encountered it, it must have been with respect to babies - I for years thought it was a baby's dummy. Imagine my confusion when adult actors discussed their own comforters... – OJFord Mar 09 '17 at 17:23
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    @jamesqf except a quilt doesn't have to be made of small pieces of fabric to still be a quilt. "Quilting" refers simply to the stitched thread that traces a pattern all over the piece, not the stitches that hold all the parts together. Google "solid quilt" for examples. – CactusCake Mar 09 '17 at 18:30
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    @Oliver Ford: And consider the blank looks you get when you tell Americans about a baby's dummy :-) – jamesqf Mar 09 '17 at 23:41
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    No offense, but why does this answer has so many upvotes. It's the most mundane answer. – Cave Johnson Mar 10 '17 at 04:00
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    @KodosJohnson - I've wondered the same thing myself. You take the time to craft a lengthy, thoughtful answer exploring a topic, and it gets maybe one vote. You write the most basic thing and it gets a ton of votes. It makes me want to yell "THIS IS NOT THAT INTERESTING". – stangdon Mar 10 '17 at 13:01
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It is called a "hand towel" if used for drying the hands or face.

A similar but smaller towel is called a "wash cloth" (AmE) or a "flannel" (BrE) if used for washing the hands, face, or body.

Andrew
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    There is also a fingertip towel. Hand towels are typically a bit bigger and less fancy than fingertip towels. – Cat Mar 07 '17 at 18:44
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    @Cat: ...I thought you were joking. That's actually a thing? –  Mar 08 '17 at 01:35
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    We New Zealanders call the latter a "face cloth" (for washing, not drying). Older kiwis may call it a "flannel"; but that also refers to the type of cloth it's made from. – PJSCopeland Mar 09 '17 at 22:40
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    Yes, coming from California and living in Massachusetts, the latter (towel for washing or drying the face) is either a "face cloth" (alt. "facecloth") or "face towel"; referring to the small ones about 1ft x 1ft (or 25cm x 25cm for metric folks). – Doktor J Mar 09 '17 at 23:40
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There are five sizes of towel that I've heard people refer to commonly:

washcloth : the smallest, usually used for cleaning/scrubbing, not drying (there is no distinction made between a washcloth for cleaning the body or, for instance, a kitchen, but they would still be different items in a real house)

hand towel: small towel, for drying hands, usually next to a sink

bath towel: similar to hand towel in function, but slightly larger

towel: larger, this is the type you dry with after a shower

beach towel: the largest, intended for use on a sandy beach, often has a more colorful design that the bathroom version

Peyton B
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    Also "bath sheet" -- bigger than a bath towel, but not meant for the beach. Maybe that's a UK term for your "bath towel" and our "bath towels" are smaller. I notice from "washcloth" as opposed to "flannel" tha your English isn't British – Chris H Mar 08 '17 at 10:46
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    Yes. In British English we use a flannel in the bathroom for washing ourselves, and a dishcloth in the kitchen for cleaning things. It appears that American English uses "washcloth" for both. – Martin Bonner supports Monica Mar 08 '17 at 16:00
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    @MartinBonner In the kitchen it wouldn't be called a "wash cloth" but rather a "dish rag", and usually out of different material. Personally I prefer using a "scrub brush". – Andrew Mar 08 '17 at 17:36
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    You should add bath sheet. I hate using bath towels. There usually to small to really dry off on. A bath sheet however is an amazing thing that can both dry you off, and have lots of room to do the towel wast band wrap around thing, while still being warm and dry. – coteyr Mar 09 '17 at 12:36
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    So - tea towels are unknown to you? – Magoo Mar 09 '17 at 15:29
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    @Magoo I may have heard a tea towel referred to once or twice but it's definitely not a common thing, at least in the US. – Peyton B Mar 09 '17 at 16:36
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    In at least my dialect of AmE, "bath towel" is the same thing as what you call "towel"; something "similar to hand towel in function but slightly larger" would get lumped under "hand towel". – zwol Mar 09 '17 at 16:40
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    @PeytonB I'm sure everyone must have a tea towel, even if they don't call it such! Perhaps it's 'dish cloth' over there? I think I've heard that in films etc. – OJFord Mar 09 '17 at 17:32
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    The distinction I see is that a dish cloth seems to refer to something used for washing, whereas a tea towel would be given along with a meal to prevent spills, etc. and thus would be higher quality. – Peyton B Mar 09 '17 at 17:34
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    I'd add that there is also a "face towel" which is smaller than the hand towel usually and is exclusively for drying faces (NOT hands) – acidnbass Mar 09 '17 at 19:41
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    beach towels also tend to be less absorbent than bath towels, since their primary purpose is just to separate you from the sand (though also ideally absorb some moisture as you lay on it after coming out of the water... but in such conditions the sun helps as much if not more with the drying process) – Doktor J Mar 09 '17 at 23:41
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I would call that a flannel. Often used for washing your face whilst in the bath.

EDIT

Flannel actually refers to an even smaller cloth - see Dog Lover's comment.

Sam Drew
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    Welcome to StackExchange! Please add a description of where you hear this used. Flannel is a plausible word, and I believe you, but I have never heard it used for a hand towel before. Geographic/demographic context would be useful. – Adam Mar 07 '17 at 21:04
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    Actually, a flannel is an even smaller towel used to wash your face or body in the shower or bath. It's what Americans would call a wash cloth or face towel. – Dog Lover Mar 07 '17 at 22:05
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We always just called it a Handtowel (South and Midwest), Bathtowel, (the big one for drying the body after the bath) washcloth (the smallest of them all)

James
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In Australian usage, at least: the small cloth for washing one's face is a washer, or face washer; the small towel for drying hands and face is a hand towel; the standard sized towel is a bath towel; and a larger towel is a beach towel.

Keith Anker
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Two other terms I have heard would be "face cloth" or "wash rag." I do not know how widespread these terms are.

ttw
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