What is Lake-town also called in Tolkien's legendarium?

Lake-town is also called Esgaroth in Tolkien’s legendarium. Esgaroth is the settlement’s formal or distinctive name, while “Lake-town” is the descriptive English name used throughout The Hobbit and in many modern discussions.

Esgaroth is a community of Men situated on the Long Lake in northern Wilderland. Unlike a conventional inland city, it is built largely over the water on wooden pillars, with docks, walkways, boats, and houses gathered around a central area. Its position links several important regions: Mirkwood lies to the west, the Lonely Mountain to the north, and the River Running provides routes farther south.

The town’s prosperity depends on regional trade involving Men, Elves, and Dwarves. Its elected leader is known as the Master of Lake-town, rather than a hereditary king. That political detail helps distinguish Esgaroth from Dale, the older nearby kingdom associated with Bard’s ancestors.

A common mix-up is treating Esgaroth and Dale as two names for the same place. They are separate settlements: Smaug destroyed Dale years earlier and later destroyed Esgaroth during his attack from Erebor.