English Vocabulary
Pick a CEFR level (A1–C2) — A1 is the friendliest place to start — and browse its words grouped by topic: travel, food, the body, emotions, and more. Each word shows its meaning, example sentences, and US/UK pronunciation.
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42 words
sperm
C1
/spɜɹm/
a male reproductive cell that can fertilize an egg cell
donor
C1
/ˈdoʊnɚ/
A person who gives money or goods, especially to a charity.
spine
C1
/spaɪn/
The line of bones down the centre of the back; the backbone.
squadron
C1
/ˈskwɑːdrən/
A body of troops drawn up in a square.
specimen
C1
/ˈspɛsɪmɪn/
A single example of something, used to show what the whole group is like.
revealing
C1
/ɹɪˈvilɪŋ/
Showing or making known something interesting or important.
fungus
C1
/fʊŋ.ɡəs/
Any member of the kingdom Fungi; a eukaryotic organism typically having chitin cell walls but no chlorophyll or plastids. Fungi may be unicellular or multicellular.
spleen
C1
/spliːn/
a dark-red organ near the stomach that filters blood and supports the immune system
glacier
C1
/ˈɡleɪ.ʃɚ/
A large body of ice which flows under its own mass, usually downhill.
incision
C1
/ɪnˈsɪʒən/
A cut made into the body, especially by a surgeon during an operation.
graft
C1
/ɡɹæft/
To join part of one plant onto another so they grow together as one.
hereditary
C1
/həˈɹɛdɪˌtɛɹi/
Of a title, honor or right: legally granted to somebody's descendant after that person's death.
recipient
C1
/ɹəˈsɪp.i.ənt/
A person who receives something.
pulmonary
C1
/ˈpʊlməneri/
relating to, affecting, or occurring in the lungs
diaphragm
C1
/ˈdaɪəˌfɹæm/
the sheet of muscle below the lungs that contracts and relaxes during breathing
dominance
C1
/ˈdɑmɪnəns/
The state of having more power, influence, or success than others.
gastric
C1
/ˈɡæstrɪk/
relating to the stomach, especially its structure, secretions, or disorders
jugular
C1
/ˈdʒʌɡjəlɚ/
one of the large veins in the neck that carry blood from the head back toward the heart
cervical
C1
/ˈsɝvɪkəl/
relating to the neck or to the neck-like part of an organ
cartilage
C1
/ˈkɑɹ.təl.ɪd͡ʒ/
firm, flexible connective tissue found in joints and in structures such as the nose and outer ear
intestinal
C1
/ɪnˈtɛs.tɪ.nəl/
relating to, occurring in, or affecting the intestines
genital
C1
/ˈdʒɛn.ɪ.təl/
of or relating to the external reproductive or sexual organs
rudimentary
C1
/ˌɹuːdɪˈmɛntəɹi/
Basic; involving only the simplest or most essential parts.
clammy
C1
/ˈklæmi/
Unpleasantly cold and damp, often describing skin.
skeletal
C1
/ˈskɛlətəl/
relating to, forming, or attached to a skeleton
molar
C1
/ˈmoʊlər/
one of the broad, flat teeth at the back of the mouth, used for grinding food
buttock
C1
/ˈbʌtək/
either of the two rounded fleshy parts at the back of the pelvis, formed chiefly by the gluteal muscles
tumbler
C1
/ˈtʌmblɚ/
One who tumbles; one who plays tricks by various motions of the body.
septum
C1
/ˈseptəm/
a wall or partition separating two cavities or regions in an animal or plant body
redness
C1
/ˈrɛdnəs/
a response of body tissues to injury or irritation
hamstring
C1
/ˈhæmstrɪŋ/
any of the muscles and tendons at the back of the thigh that bend the knee
bier
C1
/bɪɚ/
a coffin along with its stand
follicle
C1
/ˈfɑlɪkəl/
A small cavity or sac, such as a hair follicle.
lymphatic
C1
/lɪmˈfæt.ɪk/
relating to lymph or to the network of vessels and tissues that carries it through the body
laterally
C1
/ˈlæ.tə.ɹə.li/
in a lateral direction or location
rigidly
C1
/ˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪd.li/
in a rigid manner
exhalation
C1
/ˌɛkshəˈleɪʃən/
the act of breathing air out of the lungs, or a breath that is breathed out
excretion
C1
/ɪkˈskriːʃən/
the biological process by which an organism removes metabolic waste or discharges a substance
gruesomely
C1
In an extremely shocking or horrifying way, often involving violence or blood.
premolar
C1
/ˌpriːˈmoʊlɚ/
a tooth situated between a canine and a molar; in an adult human, one of the eight teeth also called bicuspids
semilunar
C1
/ˌsɛmiˈluːnɚ/
shaped like a half-moon or crescent, especially of an anatomical structure
vertebra
C1
/ˈvɜrtəbrə/
one of the bones that make up the spine