🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1234 words found — page 5 of 26
cinematography
Intermediate
/ˌsɪnəmətˈɒɡrəfi/
The art of filming and using cameras, lighting, and visuals in a movie
"The cinematography was beautiful, especially the sunset scenes over the ocean."
circle back
Advanced
/ˈsɜːrkəl bæk/
To return to a previous topic or issue for further discussion
"We'll circle back to the budget constraints once we've heard from finance."
circular reasoning
Advanced
/ˈsɜːkjələr ˈriːzənɪŋ/
A logical fallacy where the conclusion is used as evidence to support itself
"The argument that 'this product is the best because it's the most popular, and it's popular because it's the best' is circular reasoning."
circumvent
Advanced
/ˌsɜːkəmˈvent/
To find a way around an obstacle or problem; to avoid something by going around it cleverly
"The company found ways to circumvent the new regulations by restructuring their operations."
civil rights
Upper Intermediate
/ˈsɪvəl ˈraɪts/
Basic freedoms and equal treatment guaranteed to all citizens
"The movement fought for civil rights and equality for all people regardless of race."
claim
Upper Intermediate
/kleɪm/
A statement you make that you will support with evidence
"Each paragraph should develop one main claim with supporting details."
clarification
Beginner
/ˌklær.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
Making something clearer or easier to understand.
"I asked for clarification: did they say 'F' as in Frank or 'V' as in Victor?"
clarity
Beginner
/ˈklærɪti/
The quality of being clear and easy to understand.
"Using 'my' instead of just saying 'coffee' adds clarity about whose coffee it is."
classroom
Beginner
/ˈklɑːsruːm/
A room in a school where a teacher teaches students
"Our classroom has big windows and twenty desks."
clause
Elementary
/klɔːz/
A group of words with a subject and verb that forms part of a sentence
"In 'I went home because it was late,' 'it was late' is a clause."
clear
Beginner
/klɪr/
Easy to understand; not confusing
"Write clear messages so people understand what you mean."
clear skies
Elementary
/klɪr skaɪz/
No clouds; blue sky with sunshine; perfect visibility.
"After the rain stops, we'll have clear skies and sunshine."
clears up
Elementary
/klɪrz ʌp/
Weather becomes sunny and nice after rain or clouds
"The rain should clear up by afternoon."
cleft sentence
Upper Intermediate
/kleft ˈsentəns/
A sentence structure that splits a clause to emphasize a particular part
"It was Sarah who won the award, not her colleague."
climate mitigation
Upper Intermediate
/ˈklaɪmət ˌmɪtɪˈɡeɪʃən/
Actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change
"Carbon taxes are one strategy for climate mitigation."
climate resilience
Upper Intermediate
/ˈklaɪmət rɪˈzɪliəns/
The ability of communities or ecosystems to adapt to climate impacts
"Building climate resilience requires planning and investment in infrastructure."
clinical trial
Intermediate
/ˈklɪnɪkəl ˈtraɪəl/
A research study testing if a medical treatment or drug works safely on people
"The new medicine went through a clinical trial with 1,000 patients."
closes
Beginner
/ˈkloʊzɪz/
Stops working or shuts down at the end of the day.
"The coffee shop closes at 20:00 on weekdays."
closing
Intermediate
/ˈkloʊ.zɪŋ/
The final phrase before your signature in a letter, such as 'Yours sincerely'
"In formal letters, appropriate closings include 'Yours faithfully' or 'Best regards'."
clove
Elementary
/kləʊv/
A single piece of garlic
"Add 3 cloves of garlic to make the sauce taste stronger."
cobblestone
Intermediate
/ˈkɒb.əl.stoʊn/
Round stones historically used to pave streets
"The medieval town's cobblestone streets are beautiful but difficult to walk on in heels."
coffee
Beginner
/ˈkɒfi/
A hot drink made from roasted coffee beans, popular for breakfast
"I'd like a coffee with milk, please."
cognate
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkɒɡneɪt/
words in different languages that have a common origin and similar form
"'Mother' in English and 'Mutter' in German are cognates."
coherence
Upper Intermediate
/kəʊˈhɪərəns/
The quality of being logical and easy to understand; how well ideas connect
"Using linking words improves the coherence of your writing."
coherent
Intermediate
/koʊˈhɪrənt/
Clear, logical, and easy to understand because ideas are well-connected.
"Her essay was coherent — each paragraph flowed naturally into the next."
cold front
Elementary
/koʊld frʌnt/
A weather system that brings much colder temperatures suddenly
"A cold front is moving in tonight; bring a warm coat!"
Collaborate
Intermediate
/kəˈlæbəreɪt/
To work together with others to produce something.
""The two companies decided to collaborate on the new project.""
colleague
Elementary
/ˈkɒl.iːg/
A person who works with you at the same job or company
"My colleague Tom and I often work on projects together."
collocation
Advanced
/ˌkɒləˈkeɪʃən/
A natural combination of words that are frequently used together and sound natural to native speakers
"The collocation 'make a decision' is more common in English than 'do a decision,' which sounds unnatural."
colloquial
Advanced
/kəˈloʊkwiəl/
Language that is informal and used in everyday conversation
"Saying 'gonna' instead of 'going to' is colloquial and inappropriate in academic writing."
colloquial expression
Intermediate
/kəˈloʊkwiəl ɪkˈspreʃən/
Informal words or phrases used in everyday speech, not formal writing
"Saying 'ngl' (not gonna lie) is a colloquial expression common in informal blogs."
colloquialism
Advanced
/kəˈloʊkwiəlɪzəm/
An informal word or phrase used in casual speech but not in formal writing
"Saying 'gonna' instead of 'going to' is a common colloquialism that can confuse language learners."
Colour
Beginner
/ˈkʌlər/
The appearance of things as a result of the light they reflect (red, blue, green, etc.)
"What colour is your favourite car?"
comfortable
Elementary
/ˈkʌmfərtəbl/
Giving you a feeling of ease; not too hard or too soft
"The bed was very comfortable, and I slept well all night."
comma
Elementary
/ˈkɒm.ə/
A punctuation mark (,) used to separate ideas or items in a sentence
"Put a comma before 'but' when joining two complete sentences."
commentary
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkɒməntri/
An explanation or opinion given about news events by an expert or analyst
"The economic commentary explained why stock prices fell during the market crash."
commute
Elementary
/kəˈmjuːt/
To travel regularly between your home and work or school
"My commute takes 45 minutes every morning on the train."
comparative
Elementary
/kəmˈperətɪv/
A word or phrase used to compare two people or things, showing that one has more or less of a quality
"The comparative form of 'big' is 'bigger.'"
compelling
Intermediate
/kəmˈpelɪŋ/
So interesting or exciting that it keeps your attention completely.
"The author's writing style is so compelling that I finished the book in two days."
Compensation package
Intermediate
/ˌkɒmpənˈseɪʃn ˈpækɪdʒ/
Total payment and benefits (salary, bonus, insurance, vacation) an employer offers
"What does the compensation package include—salary, health insurance, and vacation days?"
complaint
Intermediate
/kəmˈpleɪnt/
A formal expression of dissatisfaction about something that went wrong
"I filed a complaint with the restaurant because my food arrived burnt."
complement
Elementary
/ˈkɒmplɪment/
A word or phrase that describes the subject and comes after certain verbs like 'is' or 'be'
"In 'The weather is hot,' the word 'hot' is a complement that describes the subject."
completed action
Elementary
/kəmˈpliːtɪd ˈækʃən/
An action that is finished and happened in the past
"She finished her homework is a completed action."
comprehension
Intermediate
/ˌkɒm.prɪˈhen.ʃən/
The ability to understand something
"Regular podcast listening improves your listening comprehension skills."
concede
Upper Intermediate
/kənˈsiːd/
To admit or accept that something is true, especially something you previously denied
"The debater conceded that the government's policy had some merit, despite its flaws."
concession
Advanced
/kənˈseʃən/
Acknowledging a point that seems to contradict your main argument
"Although she lacked experience, she got the job—a concession the hiring committee made reluctantly."
concise
Intermediate
/kənˈsaɪs/
Written or expressed in very few words; brief and clear
"Your opening paragraph should be concise and clearly state the purpose of your letter."
Concise
Upper Intermediate
/kənˈsaɪs/
Giving a lot of information clearly in few words.
""Please keep your answers concise — no more than 50 words.""