What do you call a word that can be substituted for person place or thing?

A word that can be substituted for a person, place, or thing is called a noun.

Here's why:

* Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.

* Pronouns are words that stand in for nouns, like "he," "she," "it," "they," and "this."

So, while pronouns can be used to replace nouns, they are not the same thing as nouns themselves.