🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1475 words found — page 24 of 31
rush hour
Elementary
/rʌʃ ˈaʊər/
The busiest time of day for travel (usually morning and evening)
"I always avoid traveling during rush hour—the trains are packed!"
salary
Elementary
/ˈsæl.ə.ri/
Money that an employee earns for working, usually paid yearly or monthly
"The salary for this position is $50,000 per year."
sale
Elementary
/seɪl/
A time when items in a store are sold at lower prices
"There's a big sale at the mall this weekend."
salutation
Intermediate
/sæl.juˈteɪ.ʃən/
A polite greeting at the beginning of a letter or message
"The salutation 'Dear Sir or Madam' is commonly used when you don't know the recipient's name."
sandwich
Beginner
/ˈsænwɪtʃ/
Two pieces of bread with food between them
"A cheese sandwich is quick and easy for lunch."
sarcasm
Advanced
/ˈsɑːrkæzəm/
Harsh or bitter irony expressed in words to mock or insult someone
"When she said 'Great job,' her tone dripped with sarcasm."
sardonic
Advanced
/sɑːrˈdɒnɪk/
Grimly mocking or bitter in a darkly humorous way
"His sardonic comments about the terrible meeting masked his genuine frustration."
satire
Advanced
/ˈsætaɪr/
The use of humor or exaggeration to criticize or mock something
"Swift's essay is a brilliant satire of government policies that harm the poor."
scaffold information
Advanced
/ˈskæfəʊld ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/
To present complex ideas in layers, building from simple to complex concepts gradually
"Experienced presenters scaffold information by starting with familiar concepts before introducing new terminology."
scan
Beginner
/skæn/
To read quickly to find specific information, not every word.
"I scanned the profile to find his phone number."
scanning
Intermediate
/ˈskænɪŋ/
Reading quickly to find specific information without reading every word
"I was scanning the article for the main results of the study."
scattered
Elementary
/ˈskætərd/
A few showers in some places, not everywhere; spread out
"Tomorrow we'll see scattered thunderstorms across the region."
scenic
Intermediate
/ˈsiːnɪk/
Offering beautiful views of landscape or nature; visually impressive
"The scenic train route takes you through mountains and valleys for three hours."
schedule
Beginner
/ˈskedʒuːl/
A plan that shows what happens and when. Similar to timetable.
"My work schedule shows I'm off on Sundays."
school
Beginner
/skuːl/
A place where children go to learn with teachers
"I go to school five days a week."
scope out
Intermediate
/skoʊp aʊt/
To look at or understand the overall size, extent, or nature of something
"Before following instructions, scope out how many steps there are."
scroll
Intermediate
/skroʊl/
To move your finger or mouse up and down on a screen to see more content.
"I scrolled through Instagram for an hour instead of doing my homework!"
Season
Beginner
/ˈsiːzən/
One of the four periods of the year: spring, summer, autumn, or winter.
"My favorite season is summer because the weather is warm and sunny."
security
Elementary
/sɪˈkjʊrəti/
The safety checkpoint where officials check passengers and bags
"You need to go through security before reaching the gates."
security checkpoint
Elementary
/sɪˈkjʊərəti ˈtʃekpɔɪnt/
The place where security staff check your documents and bag before you board
"Please have your passport ready at the security checkpoint."
security gate
Elementary
/sɪˈkjʊərɪti ɡeɪt/
The checkpoint where officers check your ID and bags before boarding
"Please remove your shoes at the security gate."
sedentary lifestyle
Intermediate
/ˈsedənteri ˈlaɪfstaɪl/
A way of living that involves little physical activity or exercise
"Working at a desk all day has made my lifestyle quite sedentary, so I try to walk more."
See you later
Beginner
/siː juː ˈleɪtər/
A casual way to say goodbye to someone you'll see again soon
"My friend said 'See you later!' as she left the café."
see your point
Intermediate
/siː jɔːr pɔɪnt/
To understand and acknowledge someone's argument or reason, even if you don't agree
"I see your point about cost, though quality matters to me more."
semantics
Advanced
/səˈmæntɪks/
The study of meaning in language; how words convey different meanings
"The semantics of 'argue' versus 'discuss' reveal subtle differences in attitude."
semantic shift
Advanced
/səˌmæntɪk ʃɪft/
A change in a word's meaning over time due to usage or cultural changes
"The word 'awful' underwent semantic shift from 'full of awe' to 'very bad.'"
semicolon
Advanced
/ˈsɛmɪkoʊlən/
A punctuation mark (;) connecting closely related independent clauses
"She studied hard for years; her success was inevitable."
sensationalism
Upper Intermediate
/senˈseɪʃənəlɪzəm/
The practice of presenting information in an exaggerated way to shock or excite
"The tabloid's sensationalism about the scandal turned out to be mostly false."
sentence
Beginner
/ˈsen.tens/
A group of words that expresses a complete thought with a capital letter and full stop.
"This is a sentence. It has a subject and verb and makes sense."
sentiment
Intermediate
/ˈsentɪmənt/
A feeling or emotional reaction; an opinion or attitude
"The book captures the sentiment of loss and grief in a way that feels real."
separable
Intermediate
/ˈsepərəbəl/
Able to be divided or split, used to describe phrasal verbs where an object can go between the verb and particle
"In the phrasal verb 'turn down', the object is separable: 'turn the offer down'."
sequence
Beginner
/ˈsiːkwəns/
A series of things in a particular order; the order in which things happen
"It's important to remember the sequence of steps."
sequential marker
Intermediate
/sɪˈkwɛnʃəl ˈmɑːrkər/
Words like 'first,' 'next,' 'then' that show the order of steps in instructions
"Listen for sequential markers to understand what comes before and after each step."
serve
Elementary
/sɜːrv/
Give food to someone to eat
"Serve the soup in bowls while it is still hot."
server down
Intermediate
/ˈsɜrvər daʊn/
When a computer system that provides a service stops working; the service is unavailable.
"Instagram was down this morning, so nobody could post anything."
set the scene
Intermediate
/set ðə siːn/
Describe the background and context before the main action of your story
"Let me set the scene: it was midnight, and I was alone in the office."
severability clause
Advanced
/sɪˌverəˈbɪləti klɔːz/
A legal provision stating that if one part of a contract is invalid, the rest remains enforceable
"The severability clause ensures that the entire agreement won't be voided if one section is deemed unconstitutional."
Shape
Beginner
/ʃeɪp/
The outline or form of something (circle, square, triangle, etc.)
"This pizza is a perfect circle shape."
sharp decline
Intermediate
/ʃɑːrp dɪˈklaɪn/
A sudden, steep drop or decrease in something
"There was a sharp decline in office attendance after the company allowed remote work."
shattered
Intermediate
/ˈʃætərd/
(British) Extremely tired; exhausted.
"After the 12-hour flight, I was absolutely shattered and went straight to bed."
shift
Elementary
/ʃɪft/
A period of time during which a person works, like morning or night shift
"I work the evening shift, from 3 PM to 11 PM."
short notice
Intermediate
/ʃɔːrt ˈnoʊtɪs/
Very little time between when something is announced and when it happens
"I'm sorry for the short notice, but can we move the meeting to tomorrow?"
should
Intermediate
/ʃʊd/
Modal verb expressing advice, recommendations, or what you think is the right thing to do
"You should eat breakfast before your exam."
sibling
Beginner
/ˈsɪblɪŋ/
Your brother or sister; the word for both together.
"I have two siblings — one brother and one sister."
sign
Beginner
/saɪn/
A written or visual message displayed publicly to give information or instructions.
"The sign on the door says 'CLOSED'."
Signal phrase
Intermediate
/ˈsɪɡnəl freɪz/
Words or expressions that prepare a listener for what's coming next, like opinion or disagreement
"Phrases like 'honestly' and 'to be frank' are signal phrases that introduce personal thoughts."
signal word
Intermediate
/ˈsɪɡnəl wɜːrd/
A word that shows connection or importance (however, therefore, but, shows)
"The word 'however' is a signal word that introduces a contrast."
signature
Beginner
/ˈsɪɡnətʃər/
Your name written at the end of an email to show who wrote it
"I always include my full signature at the end of professional emails."