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
Satire: meaning, tone, and examples in English
A newspaper article may pretend that a city needs a hundred more parking lots to solve every problem. If the writer clearly means the opposite in order to criticize car-centered planning, the article is satire.
Open lessonSchadenfreude meaning: pleasure at another person's misfortune
When a rival makes a mistake, someone may feel a small and uncomfortable pleasure. English has a borrowed German word for that feeling: schadenfreude.
Open lessonSemantic: meaning and use in language
Two sentences can use the same words in a different order and mean different things. The difference is semantic when it changes what the sentence says or implies.
Open lessonSerendipity meaning: a lucky discovery by chance
You go into a bookshop to escape the rain and find the exact guide you needed. That happy, unplanned discovery is serendipity.
Open lessonSerenity meaning: a state of calm and peace
The station is crowded and loud. Then you step into a small garden where the air is still and nobody is rushing. The feeling there is serenity.
Open lessonSuperfluous: meaning and examples in English
A report may include a detail that adds nothing. A bag may contain an item you never use. Superfluous is a formal word for that extra, unnecessary thing.
Open lessonSycophant meaning: praise used to gain favour
A colleague may praise every decision made by a manager. If the praise is meant to win favour rather than express a real opinion, sycophant is a useful word.
Open lessonTentative: plans, suggestions, and uncertain actions
Tentative means not final or certain, or showing caution and hesitation.
Open lessonTrauma meaning: physical injury, emotional harm, and careful use
After a minor delay, Priya says, "That meeting was traumatic." Her friend understands that she means it was unpleasant. In medical and personal contexts, however, trauma has a much stronger meaning. A more precise word can prevent confusion and show care.
Open lessonUbiquitous: meaning, use, and examples in English
You arrive at a large train station and see digital departure boards at every entrance, platform, and waiting area. You could describe the boards as ubiquitous in the station.
Open lessonVague: meaning and how to make a sentence clearer
Vague describes a statement that lacks clear details. It also describes a hazy memory or a dim physical shape.
Open lessonVain meaning: appearance, pride, and common expressions
Someone who checks every reflection before a meeting may care about looking presentable. If admiration becomes the main concern, vain may be the word you need.
Open lessonVulnerable: meaning and respectful use
A glass on the edge of a table, a town near a river in flood, and a person sharing painful news can all be vulnerable in different ways.
Open lessonZeal meaning: energetic commitment to a purpose
Some people enjoy a task. Others throw themselves into it with unusual energy. Zeal names that strong commitment.
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
-
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.
-
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 |
-
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.
Questions & comments
Ask about this lesson, share an example, or help another learner.
