🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1475 words found — page 22 of 31
push back
Intermediate
/pʊʃ bæk/
Move something to a later date or time; postpone or delay
"Could we push back the deadline? We need another two days to finish."
quaint
Intermediate
/kweɪnt/
Attractively old-fashioned or charming in a small, picturesque way
"The quaint village with cobblestone streets looks like it hasn't changed in 200 years."
qualification
Advanced
/ˌkwɒlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
A limiting condition or statement that restricts the scope of a claim
"Without proper **qualification**, the statement seemed absolute and overstated."
qualifications
Elementary
/ˌkwɒlɪfɪˈkeɪʃənz/
Your education, skills, and experience that make you suitable for a job
"Her qualifications include a degree in engineering and five years of work."
qualify
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkwɑːlɪfaɪ/
To limit or modify a statement so it is less absolute or more accurate
"The expert qualified her statement by noting that the study applied only to urban populations."
quantifier
Intermediate
/ˈkwɒntɪfaɪər/
A word that shows amount or quantity, such as many, much, some, or a lot of
"We use the quantifier many with countable nouns and much with uncountable nouns."
quantitative
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkwɒntɪtətɪv/
Based on numbers and measurements rather than descriptions or opinions
"Quantitative data shows that 75% of participants improved after treatment."
quantity
Beginner
/ˈkwɑːn.tə.ti/
The amount or number of something you want to buy
"Write the quantity next to each item on your list."
quarter
Beginner
/ˈkwɔːtə/
One fourth of something; 15 minutes in time
"The train arrives at **quarter past** five."
quarter past/quarter to
Beginner
/ˈkwɔːtər pɑːst/
Quarter past = 15 minutes after. Quarter to = 15 minutes before the hour.
"The train leaves at quarter past ten tomorrow morning."
question
Beginner
/ˈkwestʃən/
A sentence that asks for information or an answer
"I have a question about the homework."
quotation
Intermediate
/kwəʊˈteɪʃən/
Words spoken by a person, shown in quotation marks in an article
"The mayor said in a quotation, 'This project will change our city.'"
quote
Intermediate
/kwoʊt/
The exact words someone said, used in an article to show their viewpoint
"'I'm very proud of this achievement,' the manager said in a quote from the article."
rain check
Elementary
/reɪn tʃɛk/
A promise to do something together at a later time instead
"I'm busy today, but can we take a rain check for next week?"
raincheck
Elementary
/ˈreɪntʃek/
A promise to do something at a later time when you can't do it now.
"I can't come today, but can I take a raincheck for next week?"
raise awareness
Upper Intermediate
/reɪz əˈweənəs/
To make people know about and understand an important issue
"The campaign aims to raise awareness about climate change among young people."
raise the bar
Advanced
/reɪz ðə bɑːr/
To set higher standards or expectations for quality or performance
"This new campaign really raises the bar for our marketing team."
rapport
Advanced
/ræˈpɔːr/
A feeling of mutual understanding and connection between the speaker and audience
"By making eye contact and using humor, he quickly established rapport with the room."
rapprochement
Advanced
/ˌræprɔːʃˈmɒŋ/
A reduction in tension and reestablishment of friendly relations between opposing parties
"After years of hostility, rapprochement seemed possible once both leaders agreed to meet."
rating
Elementary
/ˈreɪtɪŋ/
A score or number of stars (1-5) that shows how good something is.
"The hotel has a rating of 4 stars out of 5."
rationale
Upper Intermediate
/ræʃəˈnɑːl/
The reasons or logic behind a decision or proposal
"The proposal clearly explains the rationale for choosing this supplier."
reason
Elementary
/ˈriː.zən/
The explanation for why something happens or why someone does something.
"The reason I'm late is because my car broke down."
rebut
Upper Intermediate
/rɪˈbjuːt/
To argue against someone's statement by giving counter-evidence
"When his opponent made a claim, he quickly rebutted it with facts."
receipt
Beginner
/rɪˈsiːt/
A paper showing what you bought and how much you paid
"Can you give me a receipt for this purchase?"
Receipt
Elementary
/rɪˈsiːt/
A printed or digital paper showing what you bought and how much you paid
"Always keep your receipt in case you need to return the item."
reception
Elementary
/rɪˈsepʃən/
The front desk or main entrance area of a building
"Please report to reception when you arrive at the office."
recipe
Elementary
/ˈresəpi/
Written instructions for making food
"I followed a recipe online to make cookies."
recipient
Intermediate
/rɪˈsɪp.i.ənt/
The person who receives a letter or message
"Always address the recipient by their correct title and surname in formal correspondence."
reckon
Intermediate
/ˈrekən/
Think or believe something (casual, common in British English)
"I reckon we should leave early to avoid traffic."
recommend
Elementary
/ˌrekəˈmend/
To suggest that someone should use or visit something because it is good.
"I recommend this hotel to all my friends."
recommendation
Intermediate
/ˌrekəmenˈdeɪʃən/
A suggestion that something is good, useful, or worth trying based on experience
"My doctor gave me a recommendation to exercise three times a week."
reconcile
Intermediate
/ˈrekənsaɪl/
To settle a disagreement and restore friendly relations
"After weeks apart, the friends decided to reconcile and forgive each other."
rectify
Intermediate
/ˈrektɪfaɪ/
Correct or fix something that is wrong or mistaken.
"We hope to rectify this situation as soon as possible."
reductionist
Advanced
/rɪˈdʌkʃənɪst/
Oversimplifying complex issues by breaking them down into overly simplistic components
"His reductionist argument fails to account for the socioeconomic factors that shape policy outcomes."
redundancy
Upper Intermediate
/rɪˈdʌndənsi/
Unnecessary repetition or duplication of information
"Saying 'high price' and then 'moreover expensive' creates redundancy."
redundant
Upper Intermediate
/rɪˈdʌndənt/
Unnecessary because it repeats something already said
"Remove redundant phrases—saying 'as mentioned earlier' twice weakens your message."
refer to
Beginner
/rɪˈfɜːr tuː/
To point to or indicate something or someone; to mean
"The pronoun 'she' refers to a female person."
reformulate
Upper Intermediate
/ˌriːˈfɔːmjuleɪt/
To create or express something again in a new form
"I reformulated my argument to make it more persuasive and logical."
refund
Intermediate
/ˈriːfʌnd/
Money returned to you because a product was defective or service was poor
"Since the software didn't work, I requested a full refund."
refuse
Elementary
/rɪˈfjuːz/
To say no or not allow something
"The teacher refused to let us leave early."
refute
Advanced
/rɪˈfjuːt/
To prove a claim or argument to be false or wrong
"The philosopher attempted to refute his opponent's reasoning with careful logic."
refute (writing)
Upper Intermediate
/rɪˈfjuːt/
To prove that an argument or statement is wrong
"You must refute opposing claims with solid reasoning and facts."
regional
Intermediate
/ˈriːdʒənəl/
Related to or belonging to a specific area or part of a country
"Regional differences in English can make communication challenging sometimes."
register
Upper Intermediate
/ˈredʒɪstər/
The level of formality in language appropriate to different situations
"Using 'thus' is appropriate in academic register but sounds unnatural in casual conversation."
regret
Upper Intermediate
/rɪ.ˈɡret/
A feeling of sadness or disappointment about something you wish you had done differently
"She regrets not taking that job offer five years ago."
regular plural
Beginner
/ˈreɡjələr ˈplʊrəl/
A noun that becomes plural by following standard rules (adding -s or -es).
"The word 'cat' becomes 'cats' — that's a regular plural."
Regular verb
Elementary
/ˈreɡjələr vɜːrb/
A verb that forms its past tense by adding -ed to the base form.
"Work, watch, and play are regular verbs: **worked, watched, played**"
relationship
Beginner
/rɪˈleɪʃənʃɪp/
The way two people are connected, usually by blood or marriage.
"What's your relationship to her? Is she your sister?"