🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1475 words found — page 6 of 31
cogent
Advanced
/ˈkoʊdʒənt/
Clear, logical, and convincing; compelling in argument or reasoning
"While her thesis is interesting, the evidence she provides is not cogent enough to support her claims."
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?"
comedic timing
Advanced
/kəˈmedɪk ˈtaɪmɪŋ/
The precise moment of delivering a punchline or funny remark for maximum effect
"What made his storytelling brilliant wasn't just the jokes but his impeccable comedic timing."
come up
Intermediate
/ˌkʌm ˈʌp/
When something unexpected happens that prevents you from doing something planned.
"Sorry I missed the meeting — something came up at work."
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."
commitment
Elementary
/kəˈmɪtmənt/
A promise or responsibility to do something at a specific time
"I have a work commitment on Friday, so I can't come."
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."
compelling narrative
Advanced
/kəmˈpelɪŋ ˈnærətɪv/
A story or account that is gripping and holds the reader's attention
"Publishers seek manuscripts with a compelling narrative that hooks readers immediately."
compelling narrative arc
Advanced
/kəmˈpelɪŋ ˈnærətɪv ɑːrk/
A story structure that keeps the audience emotionally engaged from beginning to end
"Her presentation had a compelling narrative arc that moved the audience from skepticism to enthusiasm."
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."
compromise
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkɒmprəmaɪz/
An agreement where both sides give up something to reach a solution
"We couldn't agree on the price, so we reached a compromise at $500."
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.""
concluding remarks
Upper Intermediate
/kənˈkluːdɪŋ rɪˈmɑːks/
Final comments or summary statements at the end of a presentation
"In her concluding remarks, she thanked the audience for their attention."
concluding sentence
Intermediate
/kənˈkluːdɪŋ ˈsentəns/
The final sentence that wraps up the paragraph's main idea
"A strong concluding sentence summarizes your point or leads to the next paragraph."
conclusion
Elementary
/kənˈkluːʒən/
The final sentence that summarizes the main point
"The conclusion sentence repeats the main idea in a different way."
condense
Upper Intermediate
/kənˈdɛns/
To make something shorter while keeping the main points
"You need to condense this 500-word article into a 100-word summary."
condition
Intermediate
/kənˈdɪʃ.ən/
A situation or requirement that must exist or be true for something else to happen.
"The condition is that you must submit the report before Friday, or it won't count."
conditional
Intermediate
/kənˈdɪʃənəl/
A sentence structure showing a condition and its result using 'if'
"We use conditionals when we talk about possibilities and imaginary situations."
conditional (or condition)
Intermediate
/kənˈdɪʃənəl/
Something that depends on something else happening first; an 'if-then' situation.
"The condition for joining the club is that you must attend at least two meetings per month."
conditions
Elementary
/kənˈdɪʃənz/
The state of the weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy, etc.)
"Weather conditions will be cloudy with occasional sunshine."
conference
Elementary
/ˈkɑːn.fɚ.ents/
A formal meeting where people gather to discuss business or professional topics
"My manager is attending a business conference in New York next month."
confirm
Beginner
/kənˈfɜːrm/
To say that something is correct or true.
"Can you confirm the spelling is E-M-I-L-Y?"
confirmation
Intermediate
/ˌkɒnfəˈmeɪʃən/
A statement or action that shows something is true or correct
"Can I get confirmation that you received the email?"
conflict
Intermediate
/ˈkɑːnflɪkt/
A disagreement or a time clash when two events are scheduled at the same time.
"I can't attend the meeting on Tuesday—I have a conflict with another appointment."
conjugation
Elementary
/ˌkɒndʒuˈɡeɪʃən/
The different forms a verb takes depending on time, person, or other grammar rules
"The conjugation of 'go' in past tense is 'went' for all persons (I went, you went, he went)."
connect ideas
Elementary
/kəˈnekt aɪˈdiːz/
Join sentences together using words like and, then, after that
"I had breakfast, and then I went to the park."
connecting flight
Elementary
/kəˈnektɪŋ flaɪt/
A second or later flight you take after landing from your first flight
"My connecting flight to Berlin leaves in three hours."