🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1214 words found — page 10 of 26
follow up
Upper Intermediate
/ˈfɒloʊ ʌp/
To contact someone again to check progress or get a response
"If you don't hear back within three days, follow up with a polite reminder email."
follow-up probe
Intermediate
/ˈfɑːloʊ ʌp ˈproʊb/
An additional question asking for more details about a previous answer.
"After I explained my role, the interviewer asked a follow-up probe: 'How did the team respond?'"
forbidden
Intermediate
/fərˈbɪdən/
Not allowed; prohibited by rules or law.
"Smoking is forbidden in this office building."
forecast
Elementary
/ˈfɔːrkæst/
A prediction about what will happen, usually about weather
"The weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow, so I'll bring an umbrella."
foreground
Elementary
/ˈfɔːɡraʊnd/
The part of a picture that is closest to you, in front
"There's a dog in the foreground of the photo."
formal
Beginner
/ˈfɔːrməl/
Polite and serious, used in professional or official situations; not casual.
"I use formal language when emailing my boss, not 'Hey!'"
formal writing
Beginner
/ˈfɔːrməl ˈraɪtɪŋ/
Professional writing like emails, letters, or job applications that follows strict rules
"In formal writing, spell out numbers below one hundred."
format
Beginner
/ˈfɔːrmæt/
The way something is arranged or structured; the pattern used for writing dates or numbers
"British and American date formats are different."
fossil fuels
Intermediate
/ˈfɒsəl ˈfjuːəlz/
Energy sources like coal, oil, and gas formed from dead plants and animals
"We need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels to fight climate change."
fragile
Beginner
/ˈfrædʒaɪl/
Easily damaged or broken; needing careful handling.
"This box is fragile, so please handle it gently."
fragment
Intermediate
/ˈfræɡmənt/
A sentence that's incomplete but used intentionally for effect in informal writing
"The blogger wrote 'Incredible. Absolutely incredible.' — these fragments show her excitement."
free
Beginner
/friː/
Not busy; available to do something.
"Are you free tomorrow at 3 PM? I want to meet you."
free time
Elementary
/friː taɪm/
Time when you are not working or studying; leisure time
"In my free time, I enjoy reading books and watching films."
freezing
Elementary
/ˈfriːzɪŋ/
Extremely cold, around 0°C or below; water turns to ice.
"Be careful walking—it's freezing outside and the paths are icy."
Frequently
Beginner
/ˈfriːkwəntli/
Often; many times.
""She frequently visits her grandparents on weekends.""
fresh
Elementary
/freʃ/
Recently made or picked, not old
"We buy fresh vegetables from the market every morning."
Friday
Beginner
/ˈfraɪdeɪ/
The last day of the work week; people are excited because the weekend is coming.
"Happy Friday! Only 2 more hours until I leave work."
friendly
Elementary
/ˈfrendli/
Kind and pleasant to talk to; liking to be with other people
"Our new teacher is very friendly and helps us learn easily."
Friendly
Beginner
/ˈfrendli/
Kind and pleasant to others.
""The teacher is very friendly.""
from
Beginner
/frɒm/
Preposition showing where someone is originally or where they come from.
"I'm from Portugal, but I live in London now."
fronted
Upper Intermediate
/ˈfrʌntɪd/
Moved to the beginning of a sentence, usually for emphasis
"The fronted object at the start of the sentence immediately catches the reader's attention."
fronting
Upper Intermediate
/ˈfrʌntɪŋ/
Moving a word or phrase to the beginning of a sentence for emphasis
"Fronting allows writers to draw attention to information they consider important."
frost
Elementary
/frɔːst/
Thin layer of ice on ground and plants when temperature drops below 0°C.
"There's frost on the grass this morning—drive carefully to work."
frustrated
Intermediate
/frʌˈstreɪtɪd/
Annoyed or angered by inability to change something or lack of progress
"I felt frustrated when the website kept crashing during checkout."
full stop
Beginner
/ˌfʊl ˈstɒp/
The punctuation mark (.) that ends a sentence; also called a period.
"I finished my homework. — See the full stop at the end?"
full-time
Elementary
/ˈfʊl taɪm/
Working 40+ hours per week as a regular permanent job
"This full-time position requires you to work Monday to Friday."
furious
Intermediate
/ˈfjʊriəs/
Extremely angry; filled with intense rage or anger
"My mom was furious when she saw the damage to her car."
gate
Elementary
/ɡeɪt/
The specific door where passengers board or exit an airplane.
"Flight BA 247 is boarding at gate 15."
gender
Beginner
/ˈdʒendər/
Whether someone is male (he) or female (she); grammatical category
"In English, the pronouns 'he' and 'she' show gender."
gerund
Intermediate
/ˈdʒerənd/
A verb form ending in -ing that acts as a noun in a sentence.
"Swimming is great exercise for your muscles."
get-passive
Advanced
/ɡet ˈpæsɪv/
A casual passive form using 'get' instead of 'be', often implying something happened to someone
"He got fired last week instead of 'He was fired last week.'"
get up
Beginner
/ɡet ʌp/
Leave your bed and stand up in the morning
"I get up and immediately drink coffee."
give an example of
Intermediate
/ɡɪv ən ɪɡˈzæmpəl əv/
Provide a specific instance or story that shows what you mean
"The interviewer said, 'Can you give an example of when you handled conflict?'"
glitch
Intermediate
/ɡlɪtʃ/
A small technical problem that makes something not work correctly for a moment.
"There was a glitch in the system, but it's working fine now."
go + activity (-ing form)
Elementary
/ɡəʊ/
Used with activities ending in -ing to talk about doing that activity (go swimming, go hiking).
"I go swimming twice a week at the local pool."
go ahead
Elementary
/ɡoʊ əˈhɛd/
Permission to continue or do something; an invitation to speak.
"Do you have any questions? Go ahead and ask."
go + -ing (go swimming, go running)
Elementary
/ɡoʊ/
Verb structure for outdoor physical activities.
"I go running in the park every morning before work."
gossip
Intermediate
/ˈɡɒsɪp/
Informal talk or news about other people's personal affairs.
"Sarah and I spent hours gossiping about what happened at the party."
go straight
Beginner
/ɡoʊ streɪt/
Continue forward in the same direction without turning
"Go straight ahead for two blocks."
go swimming
Elementary
/ɡoʊ ˈswɪmɪŋ/
To visit a place to swim for exercise or enjoyment
"Let's go swimming at the beach this summer!"
go to bed
Beginner
/ɡoʊ tu bed/
Lie down in bed to sleep at night
"I usually go to bed at 11pm on weeknights."
go to work
Beginner
/ɡoʊ tə wɜːrk/
To travel to your job or office where you work.
"I go to work by bus every morning."
gradual
Intermediate
/ˈɡræd.ʒu.əl/
Happening or changing slowly over time; not sudden.
"There has been a gradual shift toward remote work in many companies."
grandparent
Beginner
/ˈɡrænpeərənt/
Your parent's mother or father; grandmother or grandfather.
"My grandmother is 85 years old and still very active."
greet
Beginner
/ɡriːt/
To say hello to someone or welcome them when you meet them.
"She greeted me with a warm smile at the door."
greeting
Beginner
/ˈɡriːtɪŋ/
A polite word or phrase said when meeting someone for the first time or seeing them again.
"A friendly greeting can make someone feel welcome on their first day."
greetings
Elementary
/ˈɡriː.tɪŋz/
A friendly opening words to say hello to someone
"Greetings from Thailand! I'm having the best time."
grew up
Elementary
/ɡruː ʌp/
Became an adult; spent childhood in a particular place or way
"He grew up in London with his three brothers."