🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1214 words found — page 22 of 26
stilted
Advanced
/ˈstɪltɪd/
Formal and unnatural-sounding; lacking ease and natural flow
"His stilted writing made the email sound robotic rather than professional and warm."
stipulate
Advanced
/ˈstɪpjuleɪt/
To specify or require as a condition; to state explicitly
"The methodology stipulates that all data must be anonymized before analysis."
Stir
Elementary
/stɜːr/
Mix something by moving a spoon around in circles repeatedly
"Stir the sauce slowly for two minutes."
stomachache
Elementary
/ˈstʌməkˌeɪk/
Pain in your stomach or belly area
"I ate too much pizza and now I have a stomachache."
storage
Intermediate
/ˈstɔːrɪdʒ/
The space on a device where files, apps, and photos are saved.
"My phone storage is full, so I need to delete some old apps."
Storage
Beginner
/ˈstɔːrɪdʒ/
Instructions for how and where to keep a product fresh and safe.
"The storage instructions say to keep this medicine in a cool, dry place away from sunlight."
straight
Beginner
/streɪt/
In a direct line, without turning left or right.
"Go straight for two blocks, then turn left."
stress
Upper Intermediate
/stres/
To give special importance or attention to something when speaking
"I want to stress how important punctuality is in this job."
stressed (emphasis)
Intermediate
/strest/
Words spoken louder or with more force to show they are important or deserving attention
"The presenter stressed the word 'urgent' when announcing the emergency alert."
stress (verb)
Intermediate
/stres/
Emphasize something by speaking it with stronger tone or repetition
"The boss stressed the importance of meeting the Friday deadline."
student
Beginner
/ˈstjuːdənt/
A person who learns at a school or university
"There are thirty students in my classroom."
stylistic device
Upper Intermediate
/staɪˈlɪstɪk dɪˈvaɪs/
A technique writers use to create a particular effect or mood
"Inversion is a powerful stylistic device that makes formal writing more memorable."
subgenre
Intermediate
/ˈsʌbdʒenrə/
A smaller category within a larger genre (example: cozy mystery is a subgenre of crime fiction)
"Paranormal romance is a subgenre that combines supernatural elements with love stories."
subject
Beginner
/ˈsʌbdʒekt/
The person, thing, or idea that is doing the action or being described in a sentence
"In the sentence 'She is happy', 'she' is the subject."
subject line
Beginner
/ˈsʌbdʒekt laɪn/
The title of an email that tells you what the email is about.
"The subject line says 'Coffee tomorrow?' so I know what to expect."
subjunctive mood
Advanced
/səbˈdʒʌŋktɪv muːd/
Verb form expressing wishes, demands, or hypothetical situations rather than facts
"The CEO insisted that the proposal be submitted by Friday, using the subjunctive mood."
submit
Intermediate
/səbˈmɪt/
To give or send something formally, especially to a person in authority
"Please submit your report before 3 PM, or it won't be counted as on time."
subordinate clause
Upper Intermediate
/səˈbɔːdənət klɔːz/
A clause that cannot stand alone and depends on a main clause
"Only when you practice daily will you improve—this subordinate clause is inverted for effect."
subsequently
Upper Intermediate
/ˈsʌbsɪkwəntli/
After something else; at a later time
"The first attempt failed; subsequently, the team revised their approach."
substance
Elementary
/ˈsʌbstəns/
A material or matter that is uncountable, like coffee, paper, or air.
"How much of this substance do we need for the experiment?"
substantiate
Upper Intermediate
/səbˈstænʃieɪt/
To provide evidence or facts to support or prove a claim
"The researcher substantiated her hypothesis with three years of experimental data."
substantive
Upper Intermediate
/səbˈstæntɪv/
Containing important information or meaning; significant
"Your summary should include only the most substantive points from the text."
suburb
Elementary
/ˈsʌbɜːrb/
A residential area on the edge of a city, usually quieter than the center
"I live in the suburbs, about 20 minutes from downtown."
suburbs
Elementary
/ˈsʌb.ɜːrbz/
Areas on the edge of a city, usually quieter and less crowded than the city center.
"We moved to the suburbs because it's more peaceful for raising kids."
suffix
Advanced
/ˈsʌfɪks/
A letter or group of letters added at the end of a word to form a new word or change its grammatical function
"Common nominalisation suffixes include -tion, -ment, -ance, and -ity."
Summer
Beginner
/ˈsʌmər/
The warmest season of the year, usually June, July, and August in the Northern Hemisphere.
"In summer, I go to the beach almost every weekend."
sunny
Elementary
/ˈsʌn.i/
When the sun is shining brightly and there are no clouds
"It's a sunny day today — let's go to the park!"
superlative
Elementary
/suːˈpɜːrlətɪv/
A word or phrase used to describe something as the best, worst, or most extreme in a group
"The superlative form of 'fast' is 'the fastest.'"
supporting detail
Intermediate
/səˈpɔːrtɪŋ ˈdiːteɪl/
A sentence or piece of information that explains or proves your main point.
"In my essay about climate change, I used scientific studies as supporting details."
supporting details
Intermediate
/səˈpɔːtɪŋ ˈdiːteɪlz/
Examples, facts, or explanations that prove your main idea
"The paragraph uses three supporting details to explain why exercise is healthy."
supporting sentence
Intermediate
/səˈpɔːrtɪŋ ˈsentəns/
Sentences in a paragraph that provide examples, details, or evidence for the main idea.
"Each supporting sentence in the paragraph gave specific examples of why the restaurant was excellent."
surge
Intermediate
/sɜːrdʒ/
A sudden, sharp increase in something.
"There was a surge in online shopping during the pandemic."
surrounded by
Elementary
/sərˈaʊndɪd baɪ/
Completely or almost completely surrounded; with something all around
"The table is surrounded by comfortable chairs."
sustainable
Intermediate
/səˈsteɪnəbəl/
Able to be continued without harming the environment or using up resources.
"Sustainable fashion brands use organic cotton and ethical labor practices."
syllable
Elementary
/ˈsɪləbl/
A unit of sound in a word; a word or part of a word spoken as one breath
"The word 'beautiful' has three syllables: beau-ti-ful."
symptom
Intermediate
/ˈsɪmptəm/
A sign or indication that someone has an illness or disease
"Fever is a common symptom of the flu."
synonyms
Intermediate
/ˈsɪnənɪmz/
Words with similar or the same meaning.
"'Happy' and 'delighted' are synonyms."
syntactic embedding
Advanced
/sɪnˈtæktɪk ɛmˈbɛdɪŋ/
The grammatical process of placing a clause inside another clause in reported speech
"Syntactic embedding allows us to nest reported speech within complex sentence structures."
tactful
Upper Intermediate
/ˈtæktfəl/
Showing skill in dealing with others without causing offense
"The moderator handled the heated exchange tactfully by focusing attention on facts."
tailor
Upper Intermediate
/ˈteɪlər/
To customize or adjust something to fit specific needs or requirements
"You should tailor your cover letter to match the job description."
Take care
Beginner
/teɪk keər/
A friendly way to say goodbye that shows you care about someone's wellbeing
"Before hanging up the phone, my mom always says 'Take care!'"
take it offline
Advanced
/teɪk ɪt ˈɔːflaɪn/
To continue a conversation privately rather than in a group setting
"This is getting complex—let's take it offline and discuss one-on-one."
take responsibility
Upper Intermediate
/teɪk rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪləti/
To accept that you are accountable for something
"He finally took responsibility for the mistake instead of blaming others."
take the bus/train/taxi
Elementary
/teɪk ðə bʌs/
To travel somewhere using public transport or a taxi
"I take the bus to work every morning."
Tall
Beginner
/tɔːl/
Having great height, especially used for people or buildings
"My father is very tall — he's over 6 feet."
tangible
Upper Intermediate
/ˈtændʒəbl/
Real and able to be seen, touched, or clearly understood
"The speaker provided tangible examples from everyday life to support her abstract theory."
teacher
Beginner
/ˈtiːtʃər/
A person whose job is to teach students in a school
"My English teacher is very kind and helpful."
technical term
Intermediate
/ˈteknɪkəl tɜːrm/
A specialized word used in a specific field like science or medicine.
"The article explained the technical term 'photosynthesis' in simple language."