Easier to answer in reverse order: A shelter = any sort of structure that keeps out the wind and the rain. Could be nothing more than some tree branches tied together A tent = made from some sort of fabric and used for camping A hut = to most people this creates a picture of a small structure made from wood. Not always used for people to live in. Many people in UK have a hut or "a shed" (these words mean the same) in their garden to keep tools inside A shack or a shanty = a small house but built from scrap or old materials and built very cheaply. These words create a picture of poverty A cabin = a small house, usually built from wood. Usually built in the countryside. Most people hearing the word cabin will picture a nice little house with a porch in front and some smoke coming out of the chimney. I often find that google images is a great way to answer these kind of questions. Just type hut or cabin or tent etc into google images search and you will instantly know the difference.

shanty - identical to shack (in the US, shanty is rare, you are more likely to hear "shack") both are usually small crudely built houses. In the poorest of countries, shanties and shacks can be built of a hodepodge of building materials clasp together. In the US, there are building codes that forbid this sort of dwelling. (dwelling - another word for a residence. It could be a shack, a shanty, a house, etc.) cabin - when I think of a cabin, I think of a house made out of whole logs or raw timber. They can be small and dilapidated or run-down, but they can also be very large and grandiose. tent - a collapsable, moveable object that is usually made from a material such as canvas or polyester. A tent can usually be erected in minutes. hut - refers to a small, usually temporary housing made of whatever material is local and abundant, such as palm leaves, rocks, bamboo, straw, and even snow and ice (igloos are a form of hut). Huts can be a form of permanent housing if well-constructed. shelter - shelter can refer to a permanent structure that houses (shelters) homeless people, battered women and their children, or people who are escaping a storm and are "seeking shelter" in a building that is sturdier than their residence. Shelter can also refer to any type of cover that you can find when you are out in the woods, the jungle, homeless in the streets, or wherever you might be. An overpass can be shelter for a homeless person during a storm. A cave can be shelter for someone out in the wilderness. Your car can be your shelter for the night, sheltering you from the animals, the insects, and/or the weather.