Where would a home be without windows? No natural light, no tree-filled views, no connection between the indoors and out. In short, it’d be a pretty drab place to live. It makes sense, then, that windows play such an important role in the appeal of a home. There are many different types of windows, and thus many different options for choosing ones for a home. Whether you’re selling or shopping, knowing your windows makes sense.

TYPES OF WINDOWS, A-Z:

Awning: Horizontal in shape, fixed glass, often high on wall. Can be opened or closed.

Bay: Usually a set of three windows, angled towards each other to create a bumped-out extension from the home.

Bow: Just like a bay, but circular instead of angled.

Casements: Can be designed to open either inward or outward, via a crank.

Circlehead: Half-moon fixed glass, often above another window.

Double-hung: Will open from the top or bottom, sliding up or down.

Eyebrow: Semi-circular in style. Hinged on bottom, rising from a sloping roof.

French doors: Glass doors with multiple windows. Sometimes called a French window.

Gothic-head: Pointed arch window.

Horizontal slider: Good for sealing in energy. Feature one or more fixed panels. Just half can be opened at one time.

Jalousie: See Louvered.

Louvered or jalousie: Horizontal panes of glass that work together like shutters. Open outward via a crank.

Palladian: Set of three windows with a taller, arched center window between two rectangular ones. Sometimes confused with the term palladium.

Picture: Fixed, framed window with an unobstructed piece of glass in the center.

Quarrel: A set of diamond-shaped windowpanes.

Rotating: Open by pivoting around a central point. Because either side can face indoors, maintenance is easy.

Skylight: Glass affixed to an opening in the roof to allow penetration of light and sometimes ventilation.

Tilt-turn: Tilt in toward the room at the top and turn a full 180 degrees for easy cleaning. See Rotating window.

Vinyl: Made of vinyl (not the glass).

Yorkshire light: A type of slider window that features a horizontally moving sash and a fixed sash.