🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1214 words found — page 2 of 26
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."
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."
artificial intelligence
Intermediate
/ɑːrˈtɪfɪʃəl ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns/
Smart computer systems that can learn and make decisions
"Artificial intelligence is transforming many different industries."
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."
availability
Elementary
/əˌveɪləˈbɪləti/
The time when you are free and able to do something.
"What is your availability to start work?"
available
Elementary
/əˈveɪləbl/
Free or not being used; able to be obtained or reached.
"Is the apartment available for rent next month?"
awkward
Beginner
/ˈɔː.kwərd/
Uncomfortable, embarrassing, or not smooth; causing an uncomfortable feeling
"There was an awkward silence when nobody knew what to say next."
axiom
Advanced
/ˈæk.si.əm/
A statement accepted as true without proof; a fundamental principle
"Euclid's geometry rests on axioms that were considered self-evident."
axis
Intermediate
/ˈæk.sɪs/
The horizontal or vertical line on a graph that shows measurements or categories.
"The Y-axis shows temperature in degrees, while the X-axis shows months."
axis (axes plural)
Intermediate
/ˈæk.sɪs/
The horizontal or vertical lines on a chart that show measurements or categories
"The x-axis shows months, and the y-axis shows the number of visitors."
background
Elementary
/ˈbækɡraʊnd/
A person's family, education, and past experiences before now.
"She comes from a musical background—both her parents are musicians."
background noise
Elementary
/ˈbækɡraʊnd nɔɪz/
Sounds heard in the background that are not the main sound you're trying to hear.
"I could hear background noise like cars when she called from the street."
backshift
Advanced
/ˈbækʃɪft/
The change of verb tense when converting direct speech to reported speech
"In reported speech, 'I am tired' becomes 'She said she was tired' — that's backshift."
back up (data)
Intermediate
/ˈbæk ʌp/
To save a copy of your files in another location to prevent losing them.
"You should back up your photos to the cloud in case your phone gets lost."
baggage claim
Elementary
/ˈbæɡɪdʒ kleɪm/
The area in an airport where you collect your suitcases after landing.
"Meet me at baggage claim after we land."
bake
Elementary
/beɪk/
To cook food in an oven using dry heat
"Bake the bread for 30 minutes until it is golden brown."
Bake
Elementary
/beɪk/
Cook food using dry heat in an oven
"Bake the cookies at 350°F for 12 minutes."
balcony
Elementary
/ˈbælkəni/
A platform on the outside of a building, usually attached to an apartment
"Our apartment has a small balcony with a view of the park."
ballpark figure
Advanced
/ˈbɔːlpɑːrk ˈfɪɡər/
An approximate estimate or rough calculation, not exact
"Can you give me a ballpark figure for the project costs by Friday?"
bandwagon
Upper Intermediate
/ˈbændwæɡən/
A persuasive technique suggesting that many people agree with an idea, implying readers should too
"Using the bandwagon technique, the opinion piece stated 'Everyone knows that traditional education is outdated.'"