🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1214 words found — page 1 of 26
24-hour time
Beginner
/ˌtwɛntiˈfɔr aʊər taɪm/
A way to write time from 00:00 to 23:59 (instead of AM/PM).
"In 24-hour time, 14:00 means 2 PM."
abbreviation
Beginner
/əˌbriːviˈeɪʃən/
A short way to write a word or phrase, like 'PM' for afternoon.
"People use abbreviations like 'ASAP' to write emails faster."
ability
Elementary
/əˈbɪləti/
The skill, strength, or knowledge to do something
"She has the ability to speak five languages."
abstract
Upper Intermediate
/ˈæbstrækt/
A summary of a research paper or article, usually at the beginning
"The abstract gives a quick overview of the study's main findings."
abstraction
Advanced
/æbˈstrækʃən/
The quality of being theoretical or conceptual rather than concrete or specific
"Nominalisation increases the level of abstraction in academic discourse."
accent
Intermediate
/ˈæksent/
The way people pronounce words based on where they're from
"She has a strong Scottish accent that I find beautiful."
accomplish
Elementary
/əˈkɒmplɪʃ/
To successfully complete something important; to achieve.
"He accomplished his dream of becoming a pilot at age 25."
Accomplish
Beginner
/əˈkʌmplɪʃ/
To successfully achieve or complete something.
""We accomplished our goal ahead of schedule.""
accomplishment
Intermediate
/əˈkɒmplɪʃmənt/
A successful completion of something; an achievement
"Learning a new language is a great accomplishment."
account for
Intermediate
/əˈkaʊnt fɔːr/
Represent a particular percentage or amount; explain something
"Social media accounts for about 60% of our marketing budget this year."
achieved
Elementary
/əˈtʃiːvd/
Successfully accomplished or reached something important
"She achieved her dream of becoming a professional athlete."
achievement
Elementary
/əˈtʃiːvmənt/
Something important that someone succeeds in doing through effort.
"Graduating from university was her greatest achievement."
Achievement
Intermediate
/əˈtʃiːvmənt/
Something you successfully accomplished, usually something difficult or impressive.
"Her greatest achievement was leading a team that increased sales by 40%."
acknowledge
Beginner
/əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/
To recognize someone or something and show you understand or accept it.
"Using someone's name when you meet them acknowledges that you care about them."
across the street
Beginner
/əˈkrɔːs ðə strit/
On the opposite side of a road or street
"The bank is across the street from the post office."
actively
Intermediate
/ˈæk.tɪv.li/
In a way that involves effort and concentration, not passively
"To improve, you should actively listen and take notes rather than just play podcasts in the background."
activity
Elementary
/ækˈtɪv.ə.ti/
Something you do; an action or experience.
"Swimming and visiting museums are fun activities to do on vacation."
adaptability
Intermediate
/əˌdæptəˈbɪləti/
The ability to change and adjust to new situations
"Adaptability is a key quality employers look for today."
address
Elementary
/əˈdres/
The name and location of the person who will receive the postcard
"Write the address clearly on the back of the postcard."
ad hominem
Advanced
/æd ˈhɒmɪnem/
An argument that attacks the person making a claim rather than addressing the claim itself
"Dismissing the economist's proposal because she once made a prediction that proved wrong is an ad hominem attack."
adjective
Elementary
/ˈædʒɪktɪv/
A word that describes a person, thing, or idea by giving information about its qualities
"In the sentence 'The red car is beautiful,' both 'red' and 'beautiful' are adjectives."
advice
Elementary
/ədˈvaɪs/
Suggestions or recommendations about what to do (uncountable)
"Thank you for all the advice you gave me!"
affirmative
Beginner
/əˈfɜːmətɪv/
A positive statement that says something is true
"The affirmative sentence is 'I am a student', not 'I am not a student'."
affix
Upper Intermediate
/ˈæfɪks/
a prefix or suffix added to a root word to change its meaning
"The affix 'un-' can change 'happy' to 'unhappy'."
afternoon
Beginner
/ˌæf.tərˈnuːn/
The time of day from lunchtime until evening, roughly 12 PM to 6 PM.
"Let's have coffee together Tuesday afternoon."
agent
Intermediate
/ˈeɪdʒənt/
The person or thing that performs the action in a passive sentence; comes after 'by'.
"In 'The cake was baked by Maria,' Maria is the agent."
agent deletion
Advanced
/ˈeɪdʒənt dɪˈliːʃən/
The removal of the person or entity performing an action in a sentence, often creating passive or nominalised constructions
"Agent deletion in 'Analysis was conducted' leaves unclear who performed the analysis."
ago
Elementary
/əˈɡoʊ/
A time in the past; used to show how far back something happened
"I ate lunch two hours ago."
Aisle
Beginner
/aɪl/
A passage between shelves in a supermarket or large shop
"The bread is in aisle three, next to the milk."
albeit
Advanced
/ɔːlˈbiːɪt/
Although; even though—used to introduce a qualifying clause that softens a statement
"The proposal was approved, albeit with some significant modifications requested by the board."
align with
Intermediate
/əˈlaɪn wɪð/
To match or correspond with something; to have similar goals or values
"My career goals align with the company's focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility."
all day
Elementary
/ɔːl deɪ/
During the entire day from morning to evening
"I studied English all day on Saturday."
Allergic to
Beginner
/əˈlɜːrdʒɪk tu/
Having a negative physical reaction to something; important to mention when ordering
"I'm allergic to peanuts. Does this dessert have peanuts in it?"
allocate
Upper Intermediate
/ˈæləkeɪt/
To distribute or assign something (like money or resources) for a specific purpose
"The company will allocate €50,000 to improve our marketing strategy."
allowed
Elementary
/əˈlaʊd/
Permitted; you have permission to do something
"We are not allowed to use phones in the classroom."
alphabet
Beginner
/ˈæl.fə.bet/
The set of all letters used in writing a language.
"Children learn the English alphabet in school."
always
Beginner
/ˈɔːlweɪz/
Every time; at all times; without exception
"She always arrives on time for meetings."
amazing
Elementary
/əˈmeɪ.zɪŋ/
Extremely good; wonderful and surprising in a positive way.
"The weather here is amazing — sunny and warm every day!"
ambiguity
Upper Intermediate
/æmˈbɪɡjuəti/
Unclear meaning; something that can be understood in more than one way
"The ambiguity at the end of the story makes readers interpret it differently."
Ambiguous
Intermediate
/æmˈbɪɡjuəs/
Having more than one possible meaning or interpretation.
""The instructions were ambiguous, so nobody knew what to do.""
ameliorate
Advanced
/əˈmɪliəreɪt/
To make something better or improve a situation or condition
"The new policy measures aimed to ameliorate working conditions in the factory."
amenities
Elementary
/əˈmenətiz/
Extra services and features a hotel offers (pool, gym, breakfast, WiFi)
"This hotel has excellent amenities — free breakfast, a swimming pool, and a gym."
anaphora
Advanced
/əˈnæfərə/
A rhetorical device where the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences
"Martin Luther King Jr.'s use of anaphora with 'I have a dream' created a powerful and memorable rhythm."
ancient
Elementary
/ˈeɪndʒənt/
Very old, from a long time ago in history
"Rome has many ancient buildings from thousands of years ago."
ankle
Elementary
/ˈæŋ.kəl/
The joint where your foot connects to your leg
"I twisted my ankle playing basketball yesterday."
announcement
Elementary
/əˈnaʊnsmənt/
Official information shared with everyone, usually over speakers
"They made an announcement about the delayed flight."
answer
Beginner
/ˈæn.sər/
To pick up the phone and respond when someone calls you
"My mother didn't answer her phone this morning."
antibiotic
Intermediate
/ˌæntɪbaɪˈɒtɪk/
A medicine that kills harmful bacteria and treats bacterial infections
"The doctor prescribed antibiotics to treat my bacterial throat infection."