There are three common states of matter: gases, liquids, and solids States of matter differ in the way the molecules are arranged at the molecular level, but not in the structure of the molecules themselves Other states (the plasma and Bose-Einstein condensate states) are uncommon on Earth
(chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container); "the solid state of water is called ice