🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1475 words found — page 21 of 31
Pour
Elementary
/pɔːr/
Cause liquid to flow from one container to another
"Pour the milk slowly into the mixture."
practical
Intermediate
/ˈpræktɪkəl/
Useful and related to real situations, not just theory.
"The guide gave practical advice about which train to take."
practice
Elementary
/ˈpræktɪs/
To do an activity repeatedly to improve your skills.
"I practice tennis twice a week to get better at the sport."
pragmatic
Advanced
/præɡˈmætɪk/
Dealing with things in a practical, realistic way based on actual circumstances rather than theory
"A pragmatic approach to the budget crisis involved both cost reduction and revenue increase."
pragmatics
Advanced
/præɡˈmætɪks/
The study of how context affects the meaning of language in real communication
"Understanding pragmatics helps you grasp what speakers really mean, not just their words."
precipitate
Advanced
/prɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/
To cause something to happen suddenly or unexpectedly; to bring about abruptly
"The assassination precipitated a chain of events that led to the outbreak of war."
predictable
Intermediate
/prɪˈdɪktəbəl/
Easy to guess or expect because you can see the pattern in advance
"The plot twist wasn't surprising — it was too predictable from chapter three."
preferred
Elementary
/prɪˈfɜːrd/
Something that's good to have but not necessary; more than required
"A Master's degree is preferred, but a Bachelor's degree is acceptable."
prefix
Upper Intermediate
/ˈpriːfɪks/
A group of letters added at the beginning of a word to change its meaning
"The prefix 'un-' in 'unhappy' means the opposite of happy."
premise
Advanced
/ˈpremɪs/
A statement or fact that an argument is based upon, used to support a conclusion
"The first premise of her argument was that all educated citizens vote responsibly."
preposition
Intermediate
/ˌprepəˈzɪʃən/
A word showing the relationship between a noun/pronoun and other words (in, at, about, for).
"I'm interested in learning guitar, not piano."
prescription
Intermediate
/prɪˈskrɪpʃən/
A written order from a doctor for a specific medicine
"I need to fill my prescription at the pharmacy for the antibiotics."
present continuous
Elementary
/ˈprezənt kənˈtɪnjuəs/
A verb tense that describes actions happening right now or at this moment
"The present continuous is formed with am/is/are plus the -ing form of the verb."
presenter
Intermediate
/prɪˈzentə(r)/
A person who introduces and talks about programmes on radio or television
"The radio presenter interviewed a famous author about her new book."
present perfect passive
Intermediate
/ˈprezənt ˈpɜːrfɪkt ˈpæsɪv/
Passive showing a recent action with connection to present; uses 'have/has been' + past participle.
"I have been invited to three weddings this year."
presupposition
Advanced
/ˌprɛsəpəˈzɪʃən/
Information implied as true in reported speech without being explicitly stated
"'He mentioned he was late' presupposes that being late occurred — unlike 'he denied he was late'."
price
Beginner
/praɪs/
The amount of money you need to pay for something.
"The price of this coffee is five dollars."
prior engagement
Elementary
/ˈpraɪər ɪnˈɡeɪdʒmənt/
A formal way to say you already have another planned appointment or commitment.
"I cannot attend because I have a prior engagement that evening."
pristine
Intermediate
/ˈprɪstiːn/
In perfect condition; clean and unspoiled; untouched
"The pristine beaches on the island had never been developed for tourism."
proceed
Elementary
/prəˈsiːd/
To go or move forward to a place
"Please proceed to security checkpoint B."
professional
Beginner
/prəˈfeʃənəl/
Suitable for work or business; proper and serious
"I use professional language when emailing someone I don't know."
Professional background
Intermediate
/prəˈfeʃənəl ˈbækɡraʊnd/
Your education, work experience, and skills that qualify you for a job.
"My professional background includes five years in marketing and two in sales."
proficient
Intermediate
/prəˈfɪʃənt/
Competent and skilled; able to do something well
"The job posting requires candidates to be proficient in Microsoft Excel and data analysis."
profile
Beginner
/ˈproʊfaɪl/
A short description of who someone is, their job, and their interests.
"She created a profile on LinkedIn to find a new job."
prohibited
Beginner
/prəˈhɪbɪtɪd/
Not allowed; forbidden by rule or law.
"Smoking is prohibited in this restaurant."
prohibition
Intermediate
/ˌprəʊhɪˈbɪʃən/
An official rule or law that forbids something; something that is not allowed
"There is a prohibition against smoking in the hospital."
promote / promotion
Elementary
/prəˈmoʊt/ /prəˈmoʊʃən/
To move someone to a higher position or rank at work; the act of advancing
"She got promoted to senior manager after working hard for three years."
promotion
Elementary
/prəˈmoʊ.ʃən/
Moving to a better, higher-ranking position with more responsibility and usually higher pay
"I got a promotion to senior manager after working hard for two years."
pronoun
Beginner
/ˈproʊnaʊn/
A word that replaces a noun (person's name) to avoid repetition
"Instead of saying 'John is happy. John works here,' we use a pronoun: 'He is happy. He works here.'"
pronounce
Beginner
/prəˈnaʊns/
To say a word or sound in a particular way.
"The letter 'V' is pronounced differently than 'B'."
pronunciation
Elementary
/ˌproʊnənsiˈeɪʃən/
The way a word is spoken or sounded out loud.
"The pronunciation of 'watched' is 'wotcht' with a 't' sound at the end."
proofread
Intermediate
/ˈpruːf.red/
To carefully read through written text to find and correct errors
"Always proofread your formal letter before sending it to check for spelling and grammar mistakes."
propaganda
Upper Intermediate
/ˌprɒpəˈɡændə/
Information spread to influence opinions, often containing misleading or false claims
"During wartime, governments often use propaganda to control public opinion."
proper noun
Beginner
/ˈprɒp.ər ˈnaʊn/
A specific name (person, place, day) that always starts with a capital letter.
"Paris, Monday, and Ahmed are proper nouns and need capitals."
proportion
Intermediate
/prəˈpɔːrʃən/
A part or percentage of a total amount
"A large proportion of our customers prefer mobile payment options."
propound
Advanced
/prəˈpaʊnd/
To present or suggest an idea, theory, or question for consideration
"The abstract propounds a novel framework for understanding linguistic variation."
prose
Upper Intermediate
/proʊz/
Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, not poetry
"The novel is written in beautiful prose that flows naturally from page to page."
prosody
Advanced
/ˈprɒsədi/
The rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns in speech
"The prosody of Scottish English is quite distinctive, with its characteristic rising and falling patterns."
protagonist
Intermediate
/proʊˈtæɡənɪst/
The main character in a story or book
"The protagonist's journey from doubt to confidence is the heart of the novel."
pseudo-cleft
Upper Intermediate
/ˈsuːdəʊ kleft/
A cleft-like structure using 'what' instead of 'it', emphasizing a different element
"What I really need is more time to complete the project."
pseudo-passive
Advanced
/ˌsuːdəʊ ˈpæsɪv/
A structure that looks passive but functions like an adjective, describing a state rather than an action
"'The house is sold' as an adjective means it's in a sold state, not that the selling action is happening."
publication
Intermediate
/ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃən/
A newspaper, magazine, or other written material that is printed and distributed to readers
"The BBC is a famous British publication that produces news online and on television."
public transport
Elementary
/ˈpʌblɪk ˈtrænspɔːrt/
Buses, trains, and metro systems available to everyone for a fee
"I use public transport because it's cheaper than driving my own car."
pun
Advanced
/pʌn/
A joke that exploits multiple meanings of a word or words that sound alike
"His terrible puns about linguistics always made the class groan, but secretly we enjoyed them."
punchline
Intermediate
/ˈpʌntʃlaɪn/
The final sentence or phrase that contains the joke or dramatic point of a story
"He took a long pause before the punchline: 'And I realized... he was my boss!'"
punctuation
Elementary
/ˌpʌŋktʃuˈeɪʃn/
Marks like periods, commas, and question marks used in writing to organize sentences
"A period (.) is the most important punctuation mark for ending a simple sentence."
purpose
Intermediate
/ˈpɜːpəs/
The reason why you do something; your goal or objective
"She went to the gym for the purpose of getting fit."
pursue a career
Upper Intermediate
/pərˈsuː ə kəˈrɪr/
To work hard to achieve a professional goal or job path
"She decided to pursue a career in environmental engineering after graduating."