Vocabulary
English vocabulary: learn meanings and use words
Do you want to build your English vocabulary? You can learn new words every day.
The word vocabulary means all the words you know. This page helps you choose natural word pairs and avoid common counting mistakes.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
vocabulary voh-CAB-yuh-lair-ee
Antonyms: choose the opposite that fits the meaning
An antonym gives an opposite meaning. The same word can have different antonyms in different situations.
Open lessonAwesome meaning: everyday praise and formal alternatives
After a good meal, a friend may say, That was awesome. The word sounds friendly and enthusiastic, but a note to a manager often needs a word that explains what was good.
Open lessonCollocations: words that go together naturally
A collocation is a combination of words that occurs together more often than chance would predict.
Open lessonEnglish prefixes: use word beginnings to predict meaning
If a message says that a meeting was rescheduled, the beginning re- gives you a useful clue: the schedule changed again. The rest of the word and the sentence tell you what happened.
Open lessonEnglish suffixes: use word endings to understand vocabulary
You may not know the word washable, but its ending gives you a useful clue. If something is washable, you can wash it.
Open lessonEnglish words with meanings and example sentences
Book can name a text you read or mean reserve. Run can mean move fast on foot or manage a business. Light can name a lamp or describe something that is not heavy.
Open lessonEpic meaning: a long story or something very impressive
A journey can take weeks, include many problems, and end with a dramatic success. In everyday English, someone may call that journey epic.
Open lessonForeign words in English: 12 everyday examples
English uses words from many languages. You may order a menu, play the piano, or send a karaoke song without thinking about where the words began.
Open lessonPhrasal verbs: learn the meaning in context
A colleague says, "Can you look after my bag?" Looking is not the task. The whole phrase look after means take care of.
Open lessonPoke meaning: a small push, touch, and common phrases
If you tap your friend lightly on the arm to get their attention, you might say that you poked them. The action is small and quick, so poke is more exact than push.
Open lessonRoot words: find the part that carries meaning
When you meet a long word, you do not always need to learn every letter as a new item. A familiar part inside it can give you a useful clue.
Open lessonStubborn meaning: use, tone, and helpful alternatives
The wind will not move a stuck window, even when you push it. The window is stubborn. When a person refuses to change their mind after a useful discussion, stubborn can describe that too.
Open lessonSynonyms: choose a similar word that fits the sentence
A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in the same language.
Open lessonVeteran: meaning in service, work, and sports
A former member of the armed forces, an experienced nurse, and a player who has competed for many seasons can all be called a veteran. The sentence tells you which meaning is intended.
Open lessonAd hoc: meaning, spelling, and use
Ad hoc means made or done for a particular need, often because the regular plan does not cover the situation.
Open lessonAdamant meaning: firm and unwilling to change
Sometimes someone says no once. Sometimes they make it clear that no amount of discussion will change their mind. Adamant describes the second situation.
Open lessonAgnostic meaning: religious and general uses in English
A colleague might say, "I am agnostic," when religion comes up. A software team might call its new tool cloud-agnostic. The same word appears in both settings, but the context tells you which sense is meant.
Open lessonAlbeit meaning: although in a formal style
A plan can work well while still having one limit. Albeit lets you add that limit in a compact, formal way.
Open lessonAlchemist meaning: from historical practice to a modern metaphor
A cook takes a few ordinary vegetables and makes a meal that surprises everyone. A reviewer might call her an alchemist. The reviewer does not mean that she practices alchemy; the word is a metaphor for a striking transformation.
Open lessonAlliteration: meaning and examples in English
Bright blue boats bobbed beside the bridge. The repeated /b/ sound gives the sentence a pattern that you can hear. That pattern is alliteration.
Open lessonAloof meaning: distant and not very friendly
At a group dinner, one guest answers politely but stays apart from every conversation. Aloof is a useful word when that distance is noticeable.
Open lessonAmbiguous meaning: when words have more than one possible meaning
A colleague says, "I saw her duck." Did the woman lower her head, or did the speaker see her pet bird? The sentence is ambiguous until the context tells you which meaning fits.
Open lessonAmicable: meaning and common combinations
Amicable describes friendly and calm relations, talks, or agreements, whether or not people had trouble first.
Open lessonApathetic meaning: uninterested or unconcerned
Someone can sit through a discussion without asking a question, sharing an idea, or seeming to care about the result. Apathetic describes that lack of interest or concern.
Open lesson
The short answer
Vocabulary means all the words a person knows or uses. When you count separate items, call them words.
She wants to build her work vocabulary.
Why it works: Here, vocabulary means your entire collection of known words.
3 more examples
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study review
I learned twenty new words from this article.
Use words when you count single language pieces.
Not this:I learned twenty new
vocabulariesfrom this article. What changes: This wrongly counts separate words as whole vocabularies. Say twenty new words. -
work goals
She wants to expand her vocabulary for her new job.
Pair vocabulary with natural action verbs like expand.
Not this:She wants to
make biggerher vocabulary for her new job. What changes: The phrase sounds unnatural because English uses expand your vocabulary instead. -
desk reference
Look up the spelling in your dictionary.
A dictionary is the tool or book you open to check meanings.
Not this:Look up the spelling in your
vocabulary. What changes: Vocabulary means the words you know or use. A dictionary is the book or app where you look up a word.
Quick check
Which sentence is correct after reading a book chapter?
chapter review
Answer: I wrote down five new words in my notebook.
Show the answer
Answer: I wrote down five new words in my notebook.
You count single items as words. Your whole collection of words is your vocabulary.
Read the full guide
You sit at your kitchen table with an open notebook. A cup of tea sits next to your new English book. You want to remember the new expressions you read today.
Count words, not vocabulary
The problem: I learned ten new words today, but I told my teacher I learned ten new vocabularies and they corrected me.
Think about your daily study list. You learn separate words, while your whole store of language is your vocabulary. Use words when you count the items.
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Not this:
I learned ten new vocabularies this morning.Say: I learned ten new words this morning.
Use words for the separate items you counted. Vocabulary can name a whole set of words.
Your turn
You finished a lesson and wrote down three items. What do you say to your teacher?
classroom summary
Answer: I learned three new words today.
Show the answer
Answer: I learned three new words today.
You count single items as words. Vocabulary represents your whole language store.
Make CAB the strong beat
The problem: The word is long, so I lose the beat and make the wrong part strong.
This long word has five sound parts in the careful form. Put the main stress (the strongest beat) on CAB, the second part.
Start with voh, using the vowel sound in go.
voh-CAB-yuh-lair-ee
Finish with lair-ee and pronounce the r.
voh-CAB-yuh-lair-ee
Your turn
Where does the main sound emphasis fall when you say vocabulary?
speaking aloud
Answer: On CAB: voh-CAB-yuh-lair-ee.
Show the answer
Answer: On CAB: voh-CAB-yuh-lair-ee.
The main sound emphasis is on CAB in the second position.
Use common verb pairs
The problem: I put vocabulary with the wrong verbs because I translate directly from my native language.
Some verbs fit together well. In English, you build or expand your vocabulary. These pairs are common in study talk.
| Natural verb | What you say | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| build | I want to build my vocabulary. | Learn more words step by step |
| expand | She wants to expand her vocabulary. | Add a wider range of words |
| improve | She wants to improve her vocabulary. | Use words more accurately |
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Not this:
I want to make bigger my vocabulary this year.Say: I want to expand my vocabulary this year.
English uses expand or build for language growth.
Your turn
Complete the sentence with the best verb.
work vocabulary goal
Answer: She wants to expand her vocabulary for work.
Show the answer
Answer: expand
Build and expand both go well with vocabulary.
Pick dictionary, word, or vocabulary
The problem: I mix up vocabulary with word and dictionary when planning my English study tasks.
A book or app can help you check a word. Your vocabulary is the store of words you know. Keep the tool and the word store apart.
Use dictionary for the reference book or phone app.
I look up hard words in my dictionary.
Use vocabulary for all the words you understand.
My active vocabulary has grown a lot.
Your turn
You do not understand a term in a newspaper. What do you check?
reading a newspaper
Answer: I check the meaning in my dictionary.
Show the answer
Answer: I check the meaning in my dictionary.
A dictionary is the reference tool where you look up meanings.
Before you go
Question 1 of 2
Arrange the words to form a natural study statement.
study planning
Answer: She wants to build her English vocabulary.
Show the answer
Answer: She wants to build her English vocabulary.
Build her vocabulary is the standard word partnership.
Question 2 of 2 · One new sentence
You are planning your study schedule for next week. Which sentence expresses your goal naturally?
schedule planning
Answer: I set aside twenty minutes every morning to learn new words for work.
Show the answer
Answer: I set aside twenty minutes every morning to learn new words for work.
You learn new words one at a time. Do not say new vocabularies or make bigger.
Remember this
Use words when you count each item. Use common verbs such as build and expand for your whole vocabulary.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English vocabulary: learn meanings and use words"
Should I say five words or five vocabularies?
Say five words when you count separate language items. Vocabulary usually names the whole set of words that someone knows or that belongs to a subject.
I learned five new words today.
My work vocabulary is growing.
Is the plural vocabularies ever correct?
Yes, when you mean different sets of words, such as the vocabularies of two fields or languages. Do not use it to count separate words in one lesson.
Legal and medical vocabularies overlap in some areas.
I wrote down ten new words, not ten vocabularies.
Should I say my vocabulary is or my vocabulary are?
Say my vocabulary is when vocabulary means your whole set of known or used words.
My vocabulary is growing.
Her work vocabulary is useful.
Which verbs naturally go with vocabulary?
Build, expand, and improve are common choices. Build or expand focuses on learning more words; improve can also include using known words more accurately.
I want to build my vocabulary.
She wants to improve her work vocabulary.
How do I pronounce vocabulary?
In American English, say voh-CAB-yuh-lair-ee, with the strongest beat on CAB.
My English vocabulary is growing.
This course teaches travel vocabulary.
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