🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1214 words found — page 11 of 26
grilled
Beginner
/ɡrɪld/
Cooked on hot metal or over fire
"The grilled chicken is delicious and very popular here."
gripping
Intermediate
/ˈɡrɪpɪŋ/
Holding your attention completely; impossible to stop reading or watching
"This thriller is so gripping that I read it in one sitting."
habit
Elementary
/ˈhæbɪt/
Something you do regularly as part of your routine
"My habit is to drink coffee every morning."
Habit
Beginner
/ˈhæbɪt/
A regular activity that you do without thinking about it.
""Waking up at 6am is a good habit.""
habitat
Intermediate
/ˈhæbɪtæt/
The natural home or environment where a plant or animal naturally lives and grows.
"Logging is destroying the natural habitat of the orangutan."
habitat loss
Intermediate
/ˈhæbɪtæt lɔːs/
The destruction or reduction of natural spaces where animals and plants live.
"Habitat loss is the main reason why many species are disappearing."
hagiography
Advanced
/ˌhæɡiˈɒɡrəfi/
A biography that portrays someone in an excessively favorable way
"Early biographies of kings were often hagiography rather than objective historical accounts."
half past
Beginner
/hɑːf pɑːst/
30 minutes after the hour; the middle point of an hour
"Dinner is served at **half past** six."
handle (a situation)
Intermediate
/ˈhændəl/
Deal with or manage a problem or situation
"She asked, 'How would you handle a difficult client complaint?'"
hanging out
Intermediate
/ˈhæŋɪŋ aʊt/
Spending time together in a relaxed, informal way.
"We're just hanging out at home watching a movie this weekend."
hang up
Beginner
/hæŋ ʌp/
To end a phone call by putting down the phone
"The call was bad, so I hung up and called again."
hasty generalization
Advanced
/ˈheɪsti ˌdʒenərəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/
Drawing a broad conclusion from very limited examples or insufficient evidence
"Claiming all British people are polite based on meeting three polite Britons is a hasty generalization."
have breakfast
Beginner
/həv ˈbrekfəst/
To eat the first meal of the day, usually in the morning.
"I have breakfast with orange juice and toast."
having a great time
Elementary
/ˈhævɪŋ ə ɡreɪt taɪm/
Enjoying yourself very much and having fun during an activity or trip
"We're in Greece and having a great time exploring the islands."
headache
Elementary
/ˈhedˌeɪk/
Pain in your head; a very common health problem
"I drank too much coffee and now I have a headache."
headline
Elementary
/ˈhedˌlaɪn/
The title of a news story that tells you the main idea quickly
"The headline said 'Liverpool Wins Champions League' so I knew the main news immediately."
heat
Elementary
/hiːt/
Make something warm or hot with cooking
"Heat the oil in the pan for 2 minutes before adding vegetables."
Heat
Elementary
/hiːt/
Make something very hot, usually on a stove
"Heat the water until it boils."
heavy rain
Elementary
/ˈhevi reɪn/
A lot of rain falling quickly and strongly
"Heavy rain is expected tomorrow — stay indoors if possible."
hedge
Advanced
/hedʒ/
To avoid making a definite or direct statement; to qualify a claim with cautious language
"The researcher chose to **hedge** her findings by stating they suggest rather than prove a correlation."
Hello
Beginner
/həˈloʊ/
A word used as a greeting.
""Hello! My name is Anna.""
helping verb (auxiliary)
Intermediate
/ˈhelpɪŋ vɜːrb/
A verb that works with the main verb to create specific tenses, like 'is,' 'was,' 'have been.'
"In 'The email was sent,' 'was' is the helping verb."
hesitate
Elementary
/ˈhezɪteɪt/
To pause or wait before speaking because you are thinking.
"He hesitated for a moment before answering the difficult question."
Hesitation markers
Intermediate
/ˌhezɪˈteɪʃn ˈmɑːrkərz/
Words like 'um', 'uh', 'well' that show a speaker is thinking, not lying
"Native speakers use hesitation markers—they're completely normal and natural."
hidden gem
Intermediate
/ˈhɪd.ən dʒem/
A special place that is not well-known but worth discovering
"That family-run restaurant is a hidden gem — locals love it but tourists never find it."
highlight
Upper Intermediate
/ˈhaɪlaɪt/
To draw attention to or make something stand out as important
"The report highlights the main reasons for the company's success."
historiography
Advanced
/ˌhɪstəriˈɒɡrəfi/
The study of historical writing and methods; how history is interpreted and recorded
"Modern historiography challenges many assumptions made by Victorian historians."
hit me up
Intermediate
/hɪt mi ʌp/
Informal: contact me or call me
"If you're free this weekend, hit me up and we can grab coffee."
hit the nail on the head
Upper Intermediate
/hɪt ðə neɪl ɑn ðə hed/
To say something that is exactly right or to identify the real problem
"You hit the nail on the head when you said the project failed due to poor planning."
hobby
Beginner
/ˈhɑːbi/
An activity someone enjoys doing in their free time.
"His hobby is photography — he takes pictures every weekend."
hold on
Elementary
/həʊld ɒn/
Wait a moment; ask someone to wait while you do something or get someone
"Hold on, I need to find a pen to write down your number."
homonym
Advanced
/ˈhɒmənɪm/
Words spelled or pronounced the same but with completely different meanings
"The word 'bank' is a homonym: you can deposit money at a bank or sit by a riverbank."
honest
Elementary
/ˈɒnɪst/
Always telling the truth; not lying or cheating
"An honest person always tells you the real truth, even when it's difficult."
host
Intermediate
/hoʊst/
A person who presents a radio or TV programme and talks to guests
"The radio host interviewed three different people about their experiences."
hover around
Intermediate
/ˈhʌv.ər əˈraʊnd/
To stay near or at a particular level without going much higher or lower.
"Unemployment rates have been hovering around 4% for the past six months."
How
Beginner
/haʊ/
Question word used to ask about the manner or way something is done
"How are you today?"
How about you?
Beginner
/haʊ əˈbaʊt juː/
A casual way to ask the same question back or show interest in someone's opinion or situation
"I'm a teacher. How about you—what's your job?"
How are you?
Beginner
/haʊ ɑːr juː/
A polite question to ask about someone's health or how they're feeling
"Every morning, my teacher asks 'How are you?' before the lesson starts."
How do I get to...?
Beginner
/haʊ duː aɪ ɡet tuː/
A question asking for directions or the way to reach a place
"How do I get to the airport from here?"
however
Elementary
/haʊˈevər/
A word showing contrast; introduces an opposing idea or problem
"The room was very comfortable; however, the noise from the street was terrible."
How far is it?
Beginner
/haʊ fɑːr ɪz ɪt/
Question asking about the distance to a place
"How far is the station? It's about 10 minutes walk."
How many
Elementary
/haʊ ˈmɛni/
A question asking about the number of countable items or people.
"How many students failed the exam?"
How much
Elementary
/haʊ mʌtʃ/
A question asking about the quantity of something uncountable or the price.
"How much milk do you need for the recipe?"
How much is it?
Beginner
/haʊ mʌtʃ ɪz ɪt/
A question you ask to find out the price of something
"I saw a nice coat and asked the shop assistant, 'How much is it?'"
How much is that?
Beginner
/haʊ mʌtʃ ɪz ðæt/
A question to ask the price of something
"'How much is that coffee?' 'It's £3.50.'"
How's it going?
Beginner
/haʊz ɪt ˈɡoʊɪŋ/
A friendly, casual way to ask how someone is doing
"When I ran into my friend at the store, I asked 'How's it going?'"
humid
Elementary
/ˈhjuːmɪd/
Air contains a lot of moisture; feels sticky and uncomfortable.
"The weather is humid today—my hair is all frizzy."
humidity
Elementary
/hjuːˈmɪdəti/
The amount of water/moisture in the air; high = feels sticky
"The humidity is 85% today—it feels very sticky outside."