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
Epiphany meaning: a sudden important realization
Sometimes the answer is already there, but you suddenly see it in a new way. That moment can be an epiphany.
Open lessonEsoteric meaning: describe specialised knowledge clearly
A friend may know every rule of a board game, but the rules are not esoteric if a newcomer can learn them from a short guide. Esoteric describes knowledge that usually needs substantial background before it makes sense.
Open lessonEthereal meaning: delicate, light, and almost unreal
A voice, a piece of music, or pale morning light can seem so light and delicate that it feels separate from ordinary life. Ethereal is a word for that impression.
Open lessonEuthanasia: meaning and careful use in English
Euthanasia appears in news reports, ethics classes, and discussions of healthcare law. Because the subject is serious and definitions can depend on the source, careful wording matters.
Open lessonExpedite meaning: make a process happen sooner
A request can be moving too slowly. When someone takes action to help it move sooner, they may expedite it.
Open lessonFacetious: meaning, tone, and use
Joking instead of speaking seriously, often when the joke seems silly or poorly timed.
Open lessonFlamboyant meaning: colorful, showy, and attention-getting
A purple suit with silver boots may be colorful. If it is designed to make everyone look, flamboyant is the more precise word.
Open lessonForeign phrases used in English: meaning, tone, and everyday use
An office message says that a meeting is ad hoc, while a reviewer calls a rule de facto. Neither phrase is English in origin, but both now appear in English writing. You need their current English meaning, not a word-for-word translation.
Open lessonHegemony: meaning and examples in English
One company may have the largest share of a local delivery market, set many of its usual practices, and influence what smaller rivals do. In that market, the company may have hegemony.
Open lessonHeuristic meaning: a practical shortcut for solving problems
When a choice has too many possibilities, people often use a quick rule to narrow them down. That practical shortcut is a heuristic.
Open lessonHolistic: meaning and common contexts
Holistic describes an approach that looks at the entire subject, including its parts and their connections.
Open lessonIndignant: meaning, tone, and examples in English
A passenger is charged twice for the same ticket and asks for an explanation. She is angry, but indignant says more: she believes the charge is unfair.
Open lessonInevitable: meaning and natural examples
A road is closed, and there is no other route to the airport. Arriving late is inevitable.
Open lessonInsane meaning: careful choices for strong language
A friend might say that concert was insane after an exciting night. The same word can sound hurtful when it labels a person, so context matters.
Open lessonInsidious meaning: harm that develops unnoticed
A problem can be serious even when nobody notices it on the first day. Insidious names that slow, hidden kind of harm.
Open lessonIrony meaning: when the result clashes with the expectation
A fire station catches fire. A person who teaches punctuality arrives late. These situations can feel ironic because the result conflicts with what you would reasonably expect.
Open lessonJerk meaning: literal movement, informal speech, and tone
When a bus starts suddenly, a passenger may move with a jerk. In a different conversation, someone might call another person a jerk. The spelling is the same, but the meaning and the effect are very different.
Open lessonLeverage meaning: use an advantage to get a result
A useful skill, a strong relationship, or reliable information can give you an advantage. Leverage is the word for that advantage and for using it well.
Open lessonLogistics meaning: the practical work behind a plan
A conference may have an interesting programme, but it still needs rooms, signs, equipment, travel plans, and someone who knows where everything goes. That practical side is logistics.
Open lessonLoquacious: meaning, tone, and examples
At a networking event, one guest tells a long story to every new person they meet. If the amount and flow of their speech matters, loquacious is a precise word.
Open lessonMelancholy: meaning as an adjective and noun
Melancholy is a lasting, thoughtful sadness. The same word can name the feeling or describe a sad mood.
Open lessonMisogynist meaning: use a sensitive term accurately and responsibly
A strong word needs a clear meaning. Before you call a comment misogynist, make sure you can explain the language or idea that led to that judgment.
Open lessonMundane meaning: ordinary and not very interesting
Paying a bill, answering routine emails, and washing dishes are part of daily life. When one of these things feels ordinary and uninteresting, you can call it mundane.
Open lessonNihilism: meaning and context in English
A character in a novel may say that no moral rule has any real authority and that nothing can make one choice better than another. That character is expressing a nihilistic view, not simply having a bad day.
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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