🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
1475 words found — page 7 of 31
connection
Elementary
/kəˈnekʃən/
A flight you catch after arriving from another flight
"I have a connection in London before flying to Berlin."
connector
Elementary
/kəˈnek.tər/
A word that joins two ideas or sentences together.
"The word 'and' is a connector that adds ideas."
connotation
Advanced
/ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃən/
An implied or associated meaning beyond the literal definition of a word
"While 'frugal' and 'stingy' share similar meanings, 'stingy' has negative connotations."
Consequently
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkɒnsɪkwəntli/
As a result; therefore.
""He didn't study. Consequently, he failed the exam.""
consistency
Intermediate
/kənˈsɪstənsi/
Keeping the same style, tense, or tone throughout your writing
"Consistency in verb tenses makes your writing sound professional and clear."
consonant
Beginner
/ˈkɑːn.sə.nənt/
A sound made by blocking air in your mouth (b, c, d, f, g, etc.)
"The word 'cat' starts with the consonant sound 'k'."
constituency
Upper Intermediate
/kənˈstɪtʃuənsi/
An area whose people elect a representative to parliament
"The MP promised to address the concerns of her constituency during the campaign."
Contains
Beginner
/kənˈteɪnz/
Has something inside; used on labels to show what's in a product.
"This chocolate contains nuts, so it's not safe for people with nut allergies."
contentious
Upper Intermediate
/kənˈtenʃəs/
Causing or likely to cause disagreement or argument
"The topic of artificial intelligence in education is quite contentious right now."
content words
Elementary
/ˈkɒntent wɜːrdz/
Words that carry main meaning: nouns, verbs, adjectives (not grammar words).
"In 'I am a teacher,' the content words are 'teacher' and 'am.'"
context
Intermediate
/ˈkɒn.tekst/
The situation or information surrounding something that helps you understand it
"If you don't know a word, you can often guess its meaning from context."
context clue
Elementary
/ˈkɒn.tekst kluː/
Information in nearby words that helps you understand an unknown word.
"The words 'ocean' and 'swimming' are context clues for understanding 'beach.'"
context clues
Intermediate
/ˈkɒntekst kluːz/
Information around an unfamiliar word that helps you guess its meaning
"The context clues told me 'resilient' means 'able to recover' without using a dictionary."
continuous passive
Intermediate
/kənˈtɪnjuːəs ˈpæsɪv/
Passive structure showing an action in progress; uses 'being' + past participle.
"The office is being renovated right now (action happening currently)."
contraction
Beginner
/kənˈtrækʃən/
A short form of a word or words, made by leaving out letters or sounds
"The contraction of 'I am' is 'I'm'."
contradiction
Elementary
/ˌkɑːn.trəˈdɪk.ʃən/
When two ideas or statements do not agree with each other.
"It's a contradiction to say 'I love pizza' and 'I hate pizza.'"
contrary to fact
Upper Intermediate
/kən.ˈtrer.i tə fækt/
Describing something that is opposite to what actually happened or is true
"The third conditional is contrary to fact because it describes past situations that didn't happen."
contrast
Elementary
/ˈkɑːn.træst/
A difference between two things that shows they are opposite.
"There is a contrast between hot and cold."
contribution
Intermediate
/ˌkɑːntrɪˈbjuːʃən/
Something that you give or add to help achieve a goal; a valuable addition
"In my previous role, I made significant contributions to increasing team productivity by 30%."
convenient
Elementary
/kənˈviːniənt/
Easy to reach; in a good location for what you need.
"The hotel is convenient — it's near the train station."
conversational
Intermediate
/ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənəl/
Written or spoken in a casual, relaxed style like normal speech between friends
"Blog posts have a conversational tone because the writer wants to feel close to readers."
conversational tone
Intermediate
/ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənəl toʊn/
A friendly, relaxed way of writing that sounds like natural speech
"The travel blog has a conversational tone that makes you feel like the writer is your friend."
conversely
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkɒnvɜːsli/
In the opposite way; considering the opposite point of view
"Some students prefer written exams; conversely, others do better with oral presentations."
convey
Intermediate
/kənˈveɪ/
To communicate or express something to someone
"A formal letter allows you to convey important information in a professional manner."
Core competencies
Intermediate
/kɔːr kɒmˈpiːtənsiz/
Your main skills and abilities that are essential for a job
"What would you say are your core competencies for this role?"
correspondent
Upper Intermediate
/ˌkɒrɪˈspɒndənt/
A journalist who reports news from a particular location or about a specific topic
"Our correspondent in Tokyo will tell us about the economic situation in Japan."
corroborate
Advanced
/kəˈrɒbəreɪt/
To confirm or support with evidence or authority
"Multiple studies corroborate the findings published in this groundbreaking paper."
cost an arm and a leg
Upper Intermediate
/kɔst ən ɑːrm ənd ə leg/
To be very expensive
"That new smartphone costs an arm and a leg, but it's worth the investment."
Cost / Price
Elementary
/kɔst/ /praɪs/
The amount of money you need to pay for something
"The price of this coffee is £3, but it costs more at the airport."
cough
Elementary
/kɔːf/
When air suddenly comes out of your lungs noisily; a symptom of a cold
"My grandfather has a bad cough; he needs to see a doctor."
couldn't agree more
Intermediate
/ˈkʊdənt əˈɡriː mɔːr/
An emphatic way to show strong agreement with someone's opinion.
"You're right about the new office being too cold—I couldn't agree more!"
countable
Intermediate
/ˈkaʊntəbl/
Able to be counted; nouns that have singular and plural forms
"Apples are countable nouns because you can say one apple, two apples, three apples."
countable noun
Elementary
/ˈkaʊntəbl naʊn/
A noun that can be counted individually (apple, book, person, chair)
"How many apples do you need? Apples are countable nouns."
counterargument
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkaʊntər.ɑːrɡjəmənt/
An argument or evidence that opposes another argument
"She presented a strong counterargument to the proposal, citing historical precedents."
counterargument (writing)
Upper Intermediate
/ˌkaʊntərˈɑːrɡjumənt/
An opposing viewpoint or argument that you acknowledge and refute
"Address the counterargument before explaining why your position is stronger."
counterfactual
Advanced
/ˌkaʊntərˈfæktʃuəl/
A statement about something contrary to fact, often expressing what could have happened
"His counterfactual reasoning—'If I had known earlier'—reveals the subjunctive structure."
count me in
Elementary
/kaʊnt mi ɪn/
A casual way to say you want to join or participate in something
"Are you going to the game? Count me in!"
courtesy
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkɜːrtəsi/
Polite and respectful behavior toward other people
"Always show courtesy in your tone, even when dealing with difficult clients."
cousin
Beginner
/ˈkʌzən/
The child of your parent's brother or sister.
"My cousin Ahmed lives in Cairo, and I see him at family parties."
cozy
Elementary
/ˈkoʊzi/
Warm, comfortable, and pleasant; small but pleasant
"My room is small but cozy—it feels like home."
crash
Intermediate
/kræʃ/
When an app or program suddenly stops working completely.
"My phone keeps crashing whenever I try to open the email app."
credentials
Intermediate
/krəˈden.ʃəlz/
Qualifications, experience, or achievements that prove someone's ability or suitability
"In your application letter, present your credentials clearly to show why you're qualified for the position."
credibility
Upper Intermediate
/krɛˈdɪbɪlɪti/
The quality of being trustworthy, believable, and having legitimate authority on a subject
"The author's credibility improved when she cited peer-reviewed research to support her argument."
credible
Intermediate
/ˈkred.ə.bəl/
Believable; seeming real and reasonable
"The character's motivation wasn't credible—her actions didn't match her personality."
credible source
Upper Intermediate
/ˈkredəbl ˈsɔːrs/
Information from someone or something that is reliable and trustworthy
"She cited credible sources to back up her argument about the financial crisis."
critique
Intermediate
/krɪˈtik/
A detailed evaluation or judgment, often identifying both strengths and weaknesses
"Her critique of the film was fair — she praised the acting but criticized the weak dialogue."
crowd
Elementary
/kraʊd/
a large group of people in one place
"There was a big crowd of tourists at the train station."
crowded
Elementary
/ˈkraʊdɪd/
Full of many people; not much space
"The subway is always crowded during rush hour."