• 15 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Cell Diagram

An animal cell and a plant cell to label: name each part, then pick its job.

Parts of a Cell Diagram

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Write the name of each numbered part, then its job.Answer key

  1. Nucleus · to store the cell's DNA
  2. Cell membrane · to control what enters and leaves the cell
  3. Cytoplasm · to fill the cell and hold the organelles
  4. Mitochondrion · to make most of the cell's energy
  5. Ribosomes · to build proteins
  6. Nucleolus · to make ribosomes
  7. Nuclear envelope · to separate the DNA from the cytoplasm
  8. Rough endoplasmic reticulum · to process and move new proteins
  9. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum · to make lipids (fats)
  10. Golgi apparatus · to package proteins and ship them out
  11. Lysosome · to break down waste and worn-out parts
  12. Centrioles · to help organize cell division
  13. Cell wall · to support and protect a plant cell
  14. Chloroplast · to make food by photosynthesis
  15. Central vacuole · to store water and keep the cell firm

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the animal cell, with more parts

All 15 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Animal cell 12

  1. Nucleus (job: to store the cell's DNA) The nucleus holds the cell's chromosomes, which carry its DNA. A double membrane round it keeps them apart from the rest of the cell.
  2. Cell membrane (job: to control what enters and leaves the cell) Also called the plasma membrane. It is a double layer of lipids that separates the inside of the cell from its surroundings and regulates what enters and leaves.
  3. Cytoplasm (job: to fill the cell and hold the organelles) The gel-like fluid that fills the cell. The organelles are suspended in it.
  4. Mitochondrion (job: to make most of the cell's energy) Generates most of the chemical energy a cell uses. The energy is stored in a small molecule called ATP. The inner membrane is folded into cristae.
  5. Ribosomes (job: to build proteins) Where proteins are built. They are made of RNA and protein. Some float free in the cytoplasm and some are attached to the endoplasmic reticulum.
  6. Nucleolus (job: to make ribosomes) A dense, round region inside the nucleus. It produces and assembles the cell's ribosomes.
  7. Nuclear envelope (job: to separate the DNA from the cytoplasm) A double layer that encloses the nucleus. It separates the chromosomes from the cytoplasm. Pores in it let chosen materials through. Also called the nuclear membrane.
  8. Rough endoplasmic reticulum (job: to process and move new proteins) A network of membranes studded with ribosomes. They give it a rough look. Proteins made on those ribosomes are processed here and moved on through the cell.
  9. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (job: to make lipids (fats)) The part of the endoplasmic reticulum that has no ribosomes. It is chiefly involved in making lipids (fats).
  10. Golgi apparatus (job: to package proteins and ship them out) A stack of membranes that modifies and packages proteins and lipids. Especially proteins to be exported from the cell. Also called the Golgi body.
  11. Lysosome (job: to break down waste and worn-out parts) A membrane-bound sac of digestive enzymes. Lysosomes break down worn-out cell parts and waste.
  12. Centrioles (job: to help organize cell division) A pair of barrel-shaped organelles built of microtubules. Found in animal cells near the nucleus. They help organize the cell's microtubules and are important when the cell divides.

Plant cell only 3

  1. Cell wall (job: to support and protect a plant cell) A rigid layer outside the cell membrane, built largely of cellulose. It protects the cell's contents and gives the plant rigidity. Animal cells have no cell wall.
  2. Chloroplast (job: to make food by photosynthesis) Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll, which absorbs the light energy that photosynthesis needs. Inside are stacks of flat discs called thylakoids.
  3. Central vacuole (job: to store water and keep the cell firm) One large sac filling most of the room in many plant cells. It stores water, salts and nutrients, and when it is full its pressure against the cell wall keeps the cell firm.

How this list was compiled: Every name and every job was checked on 2026-09-30 in at least two places, for facts only and with nothing copied. (1) US National Institutes of Health: the Talking Glossary of the National Human Genome Research Institute, for example https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Organelle; MedlinePlus Genetics, What is a cell?, https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/basics/cell/; and the National Cancer Institute SEER training module on cell structure, https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/cells_tissues_membranes/cells/structure.html. (2) Florida State University, Molecular Expressions: Cell Biology, https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/animalcell.html and https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/plantcell.html with the page for each organelle. (3) Wikipedia, text only, for the three plant parts and the endoplasmic reticulum, for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloroplast. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

This parts of a cell diagram opens labeled: an animal cell first, then a plant cell with the three parts only plants have. Press Quiz me to name each lit part and pick its job.

Read the full guide

Parts of a cell and what they do

Each part has one job to remember. The nucleus stores the DNA. Ribosomes build proteins, the rough ER processes and moves them, and the Golgi apparatus packages them. Mitochondria make most of the cell's energy, and lysosomes break down waste. Tap a name to read more.

A parts of a cell quiz, or a sheet to print

The quiz asks two things about each part: its name, then what it does. To label parts of a cell on paper, print the drawing blank. Printed labeled, it is the key to your parts of a cell worksheet.

  • Rough ER is dotted with ribosomes and smooth ER has none. The dots tell them apart.
  • Plasma membrane is accepted for cell membrane, and Golgi body for Golgi apparatus.

Questions and answers

What are the three main parts of a cell?

The cell membrane round the outside, the nucleus, and the cytoplasm between the two. The organelles, such as the mitochondria and the ribosomes, sit in the cytoplasm.

Which part of a cell makes its energy?

The mitochondrion. Mitochondria generate most of the chemical energy a cell uses and store it in a small molecule called ATP.

Which parts does a plant cell have that an animal cell does not?

A cell wall, chloroplasts and one large central vacuole. An animal cell has centrioles, which a plant cell lacks.

What is the difference between rough ER and smooth ER?

Rough endoplasmic reticulum is studded with ribosomes and handles newly made proteins. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum has no ribosomes and is chiefly involved in making lipids.

What does the Golgi apparatus do?

It modifies and packages proteins and lipids that come from the endoplasmic reticulum, especially proteins that are to be sent out of the cell.

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