🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1475 words found — page 2 of 31
ambivalent
Advanced
/æmˈbɪvələnt/
Having mixed or contradictory feelings or opinions about something
"Researchers remain ambivalent about the treatment's effectiveness, as evidence is mixed across studies."
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."
anchor
Intermediate
/ˈæŋkə/
A strong central point that holds your understanding together and helps organize new information.
"His opening statement became the anchor for the entire 45-minute presentation about climate change."
ancient
Elementary
/ˈeɪndʒənt/
Very old, from a long time ago in history
"Rome has many ancient buildings from thousands of years ago."
anecdote
Advanced
/ˈænɪkdoʊt/
A short, interesting story about a real person or event, often used to illustrate a point
"He opened his presentation with a funny anecdote about his first day at university."
ankle
Elementary
/ˈæŋ.kəl/
The joint where your foot connects to your leg
"I twisted my ankle playing basketball yesterday."
annotate
Upper Intermediate
/ˈænəˌteɪt/
To add notes or comments to written or spoken information
"I always annotate my lecture notes with key definitions and examples."
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."
anticipate
Intermediate
/ænˈtɪsɪpeɪt/
To expect something to happen; to look forward to
"I anticipate that the project will be completed by Friday."
anxious
Intermediate
/ˈæŋkʃəs/
Worried or nervous about future events; feeling uneasy
"I've been anxious about my presentation all week."
Anything else
Elementary
/ˈeniθɪŋ els/
Phrase meaning 'do you want to buy something more?' from shopkeeper
"That'll be £12. Anything else today?"
anyway
Intermediate
/ˈeniweɪ/
A connecting word to move the story forward or change the topic
"I was waiting for an hour, but anyway, he finally arrived and apologized."
apartment
Elementary
/əˈpɑːrtmənt/
A flat; a set of rooms for living in, usually in a larger building
"I live in a small apartment in the city center."
apartment / flat
Elementary
/əˈpɑːr.tənt/ /flæt/
A set of rooms for living in, usually in a larger building shared with other families.
"I live in a small apartment in the city center."
apostrophe
Beginner
/əˈpɑːstrəfi/
A punctuation mark (') used in contractions and possessives, but not in 'my, your, his, her'.
"Don't confuse 'his' (no apostrophe) with 'his' — they're the same and never have an apostrophe."
appear
Elementary
/əˈpɪr/
To seem or look a particular way
"The woman appears to be very happy in this picture."
appendix
Upper Intermediate
/əˈpendɪks/
Extra information placed at the end of a document, like charts, tables, or detailed lists
"Put all the statistical tables in the appendix so the main text remains readable."
applicant
Upper Intermediate
/ˈæplɪkənt/
A person who officially asks for a job or position
"The company received hundreds of applicants for the marketing position."
application deadline
Elementary
/ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃən ˈdedlaɪn/
The last date you can send your application for a job
"The application deadline for this position is March 15th, so apply soon!"
apply
Elementary
/əˈplaɪ/
To send a request to a company asking for a job
"I want to apply for the engineer position at that company."
apply for
Elementary
/əˈplaɪ fɔːr/
To formally request something, like sending a CV for a job position
"I'm applying for a new job at the tech company next week."
appreciate
Beginner
/əˈpriː.ʃi.eɪt/
To recognize the value of something or feel grateful for it.
"I appreciate good music and honest people."
apprehensive
Intermediate
/ˌæprɪˈhensɪv/
Worried or anxious about something that might happen in the future.
"I'm apprehensive about my job interview—what if they ask difficult questions?"
archaic
Advanced
/ɑːrˈkeɪɪk/
Old-fashioned or belonging to an earlier historical period
"The historian struggled with the archaic language used in 17th-century documents."
around
Beginner
/əˈraʊnd/
Approximately; roughly (not exactly). Used when time is not precise.
"The bus arrives around 3 o'clock."
arrives
Beginner
/əˈraɪvz/
Comes to a place; reaches a destination.
"The bus arrives at the station at 9:45."
article
Beginner
/ˈɑːr.tɪ.kəl/
A small word (a, an, the) that comes before a noun
"In English, we use the article 'the' for specific nouns."
articulate
Upper Intermediate
/ɑːrˈtɪkjuleɪt/
To express ideas clearly and effectively; to speak distinctly
"Articulate your career goals clearly in the opening paragraph."
articulatory
Advanced
/ɑːrˈtɪkjələtɔːri/
Relating to how sounds are produced using the mouth, lips, tongue, and teeth
"Articulatory differences in how speakers produce 'r' sounds explain much of the variation between Irish and English accents."
artificial intelligence
Intermediate
/ɑːrˈtɪfɪʃəl ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns/
Smart computer systems that can learn and make decisions
"Artificial intelligence is transforming many different industries."
As far as I'm concerned
Intermediate
/əz fɑr əz aɪm kənˈsɜrnd/
A phrase meaning 'in my personal judgment' or 'from my perspective'; signals a strong personal opinion
"As far as I'm concerned, the best time to learn English is when you're actually using it."
assertion
Upper Intermediate
/əˈsɜːʃən/
A statement that someone makes, claiming it is true, especially without providing evidence
"The politician's assertion that unemployment had decreased was challenged by the opposition."
assume
Intermediate
/əˈsuːm/
To take control or responsibility; to suppose something is true
"She will assume the role of manager starting next week."
athletic
Elementary
/æθˈletɪk/
Good at sports; involving physical exercise and strength.
"My brother is very athletic — he plays basketball and runs marathons."
atmosphere
Intermediate
/ˈæt.məs.fɪr/
The mood or feeling created by the writer's style and descriptions
"The gothic atmosphere in the horror novel made me feel genuinely scared."
attach
Intermediate
/əˈtætʃ/
Fasten or add a document, photo, or file to an email or form.
"I'll attach screenshots of the broken product to my email."
attention
Elementary
/əˈtenʃən/
Notice or focus; used to start an important announcement
"Attention passengers! Your luggage is at the information desk."
attentive
Upper Intermediate
/əˈtentɪv/
Paying close attention to what someone is saying or doing
"An attentive listener remembers the small details others miss."
at (time)
Beginner
/æt/
Used before a specific time to say when something happens
"I have lunch at 12:30pm every day."
authentic
Intermediate
/ɔːˈθen.tɪk/
Real and genuine, not fake or artificial
"Listening to authentic English podcasts helps you learn how native speakers really talk."
authenticity
Intermediate
/ɔːˌθenˈtɪsəti/
The quality of being genuine and real, not fake or copied
"Readers love blog posts because of their authenticity — they sound like real people sharing real experiences."
authorial intent
Advanced
/ɔːˈθɔːrɪəl ɪnˈtent/
The intended meaning or purpose the author sought to convey through their writing
"Critics debate whether the ambiguous ending reflects authorial intent or invites multiple interpretations."
automation
Intermediate
/ˌɔːtəˈmeɪʃən/
Using machines or computers to do work instead of people
"Automation in factories has changed how products are made."
auxiliary verb
Elementary
/ɔːɡˈzɪliəri vɜːrb/
A helping verb used with the main verb to form tenses, such as am, is, are
"In the sentence 'She is reading,' 'is' is the auxiliary verb."