🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1214 words found — page 12 of 26
humiliated
Intermediate
/hjuːˈmɪlieɪtɪd/
Feeling ashamed or embarrassed, especially in front of other people.
"He felt humiliated when his presentation failed in front of the client."
hungry
Beginner
/ˈhʌŋɡri/
Feeling the need to eat food
"I'm very hungry. Let's go get lunch."
hurt
Elementary
/hɜːrt/
To cause pain; to feel pain (very common in spoken English)
"My back hurts after sitting at my desk all day."
hypothesis
Intermediate
/haɪˈpɑːθəsɪs/
An educated guess or proposed explanation that researchers test in an experiment
"The scientist's hypothesis was that plants grow faster with more sunlight."
hypothetical
Intermediate
/ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl/
Based on a suggested idea or theory, not on reality
"In a hypothetical situation, if you could choose any job, what would you do?"
identification
Beginner
/aɪˌdentɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
The act of saying who or what someone or something is
"His identification of the criminal helped the police catch them."
ideological
Advanced
/aɪdɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl/
Related to a system of beliefs, values, and assumptions that shape how meaning is constructed
"The ideological assumptions embedded in canonical literature often reflected the privileged perspectives of their authors."
I'd like
Beginner
/aɪd laɪk/
A polite way to say what you want; the most common phrase for ordering
"I'd like a coffee with milk, please."
I'll take it
Beginner
/aɪl teɪk ɪt/
A phrase meaning you want to buy something
"'This shirt is perfect!' 'Great, I'll take it.'"
illustrate
Intermediate
/ˈɪləstreɪt/
Show or explain something clearly, often with examples or visuals
"The graph illustrates how remote work has increased over the last three years."
I'm
Beginner
/aɪm/
Short form of 'I am.' Used constantly in speaking to introduce yourself.
"I'm Jack, and I'm a teacher."
imaginary
Intermediate
/ɪˈmædʒɪneri/
Existing only in the mind, not real or true
"If I were an astronaut is an imaginary situation because it's not true."
impenetrability
Advanced
/ɪmˌpenɪtrəˈbɪlɪti/
The quality of being difficult or impossible to understand or see through
"Excessive nominalisation can lead to impenetrability in academic writing."
implications
Upper Intermediate
/ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃənz/
The possible effects or consequences of research findings
"The implications of this study could change how doctors treat the disease."
Important
Beginner
/ɪmˈpɔːrtənt/
Having great significance or value.
""It is important to drink water every day.""
inconvenience
Intermediate
/ˌɪnkənˈviːnjəns/
Trouble, difficulty, or disruption caused to someone
"We apologize for any inconvenience this delay may have caused our customers."
incredible
Elementary
/ɪnˈkredəbəl/
Extremely good or amazing; hard to believe how good something is
"The views from the mountain were incredible."
indefinite
Beginner
/ɪnˈdef.ə.nət/
Not clearly defined; not specific
"We use 'a' and 'an' as indefinite articles for things we mention for the first time."
indent
Elementary
/ɪnˈdent/
To start a line further to the right than the others
"Always indent the first line of a new paragraph."
in-depth coverage
Upper Intermediate
/ɪn ˈdepθ ˈkʌvərɪdʒ/
Detailed and thorough reporting of a news story from multiple angles
"The broadcaster provided in-depth coverage of the peace negotiations throughout the week."
indicative mood
Advanced
/ɪnˈdɪkətɪv muːd/
Verb form stating facts or reality; contrasts with subjunctive and conditional moods
"The indicative 'He is here' differs from the subjunctive 'I wish he were here.'"
indirect question
Intermediate
/ˌɪndəˈrekt ˈkwes.tʃən/
A question phrased as a statement or request rather than with a question mark
"Instead of 'Are you a leader?' the interviewer used an indirect question: 'Tell me about a time you led a team.'"
individual
Beginner
/ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/
Separate; one person or thing at a time
"Please say each letter individually, not all together."
inflection
Upper Intermediate
/ɪnˈflekʃən/
a change in word form to show grammar, like tense or number
"Adding '-ed' to 'walk' is an inflection that shows past tense."
informal
Beginner
/ɪnˈfɔːrməl/
Relaxed and casual, used with people you know well
"Saying 'Hey!' is informal, but 'Good morning, sir' is formal."
information
Elementary
/ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃn/
Facts or details about something (uncountable)
"How much information do you need for your project?"
in front of
Elementary
/ɪn frʌnt əv/
In the forward direction or ahead of something
"There's a car in front of the house."
ingredient
Elementary
/ɪnˈɡriːdiənt/
Something you need to make food, like flour, eggs, or milk
"The main ingredient in this cake is chocolate."
Ingredients
Beginner
/ɪnˈɡriːdiənts/
All the things inside a product; what it's made from.
"The ingredients in this juice are water, sugar, and orange flavor."
in-law
Beginner
/ˈɪn.lɔː/
A relative gained through marriage, like mother-in-law or brother-in-law.
"My brother-in-law is my sister's husband."
in progress
Elementary
/ɪn ˈprɒɡres/
An action that has started and is still continuing or happening
"The construction work is in progress on our street."
inquiry
Intermediate
/ɪnˈkwaɪ.ə.ri/
A question or request for information about something
"I am writing to make an inquiry about the availability of the listed apartment."
inseparable
Intermediate
/ɪnˈsepərəbəl/
Cannot be separated or divided, used to describe phrasal verbs where the particle cannot be separated from the verb
"The phrasal verb 'look after' is inseparable; you must say 'look after the children'."
insight
Upper Intermediate
/ˈɪnsaɪt/
A clear understanding or discovery about something that wasn't obvious before
"The economist provided valuable insights into how inflation affects everyday consumers."
instruction
Beginner
/ɪnˈstrʌkʃən/
An explanation of how to do something; a direction or command
"The teacher gave clear instructions for the homework."
intelligent
Elementary
/ɪnˈtelɪdʒənt/
Smart; able to learn and understand things quickly
"She is an intelligent student who always gets top grades."
intelligible
Intermediate
/ɪnˈtelɪdʒəbəl/
Able to be understood clearly; easy to comprehend
"Even with a strong accent, his speech was perfectly intelligible."
intent
Intermediate
/ɪnˈtent/
The real purpose or meaning behind what someone is asking or saying
"Understanding the interviewer's intent helps you give a relevant answer."
intention
Intermediate
/ɪnˈtenʃən/
Your plan or purpose for doing something in the future
"My intention is to finish university before moving abroad."
interest
Beginner
/ˈɪntrəst/
Something you like to learn about or do.
"Her main interests are cooking and travel."
interested in
Elementary
/ˈɪntrəstɪd ɪn/
When something attracts your attention and makes you want to know more or do it.
"She's very interested in photography and takes amazing pictures."
intertextuality
Advanced
/ɪntətɛkstjuˈælɪti/
The relationship between texts through quotation, allusion, and reference that creates layers of meaning
"The intertextuality in Salman Rushdie's *Midnight's Children* requires readers familiar with Indian mythology and colonial history."
interview
Elementary
/ˈɪntərvjuː/
A conversation where one person asks questions to learn about another person.
"I have a job interview next Monday at 9 AM."
in the background
Elementary
/ɪn ðə ˈbækɡraʊnd/
Far away in a picture or scene, behind other things
"You can see mountains in the background of the photo."
in the middle
Elementary
/ɪn ðə ˈmɪdəl/
In the center or equally distant from all sides
"There's a big table in the middle of the room."
in the morning/afternoon/evening
Beginner
/ɪn ðə ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/
During that part of the day. Morning = 6-12, afternoon = 12-6, evening = 6-night.
"I work in the morning and have free time in the afternoon."
intonation
Intermediate
/ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/
The rise and fall of your voice when speaking; how you say something.
"The interviewer's intonation changed when I mentioned my salary expectations."
Intonation
Intermediate
/ˌɪntəˈneɪʃn/
The rise and fall of your voice when speaking; shows meaning and emotion
"Listen to the intonation—a rising tone at the end means they're asking a question."