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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127 words
tu-whit tu-whoo
C2+
/təˌwɪt təˈwuː/
a conventional imitation of an owl's cry, especially the paired calls associated with tawny owls
wood pewee
C2+
/ˈwʊd ˌpiːwiː/
either of two small North American flycatchers of the genus Contopus, especially the eastern wood pewee (C. virens)
hen harrier
C2+
/ˈhɛn ˌhɛriɚ/
a long-winged Eurasian bird of prey (Circus cyaneus) whose male is pale gray and whose female is brown; historically also a name for the closely related North American northern harrier
fishhawk
C2+
/ˈfɪʃˌhɔk/
an osprey, a large bird of prey that dives feet-first to catch fish
estivate
C2+
/ˈestəveɪt/
to spend a hot or dry period in a dormant or inactive state
chewink
C2+
/tʃɪˈwɪŋk/
an eastern towhee, a large New World sparrow with reddish sides and, in the male, black upperparts
carunculated
C2+
/kəˈrʌŋkjəˌleɪtɪd/
having one or more caruncles, especially fleshy growths on the head or neck of a bird
cephalopodic
C2+
/ˌsɛfələˈpɑːdɪk/
belonging to, characteristic of, or resembling a cephalopod
homopterous
C2+
/həˈmɑptərəs/
relating to the Homoptera, a former grouping of insects including cicadas, aphids, and scale insects
stridulate
C2+
/ˈstrɪdʒəˌleɪt/
to make a shrill chirping, creaking, or grating sound by rubbing specialized body parts together
peetweet
C2+
/ˈpiːˌtwiːt/
a North American name for the spotted sandpiper, derived from its call
amadavat
C2+
/ˈæmədəˌvæt/
a variant name for the red avadavat, a small South and Southeast Asian estrildid finch whose breeding male is red with white spots
stercovorous
C2+
/ˌstɝːˈkɑːvərəs/
feeding on dung, especially as an insect or other small animal
mud turtle
C2+
/ˈmʌdˌtɝːtəl/
any of several small freshwater turtles, especially of the genus Kinosternon, that live in muddy ponds, marshes, and slow streams
annelidous
C2+
/əˈnelɪdəs/
relating to or resembling annelids, the segmented worms that include earthworms and leeches
fishbelly
C2+
/ˈfɪʃˌbɛli/
the underside or belly of a fish
edental
C2+
/iːˈdentəl/
having no teeth, or having very few teeth
water moccasin
C2+
/ˈwɔːtɚˌmɑːkəsɪn/
a venomous semiaquatic pit viper of the southeastern United States, also called the cottonmouth
titlark
C2+
/ˈtɪtˌlɑːrk/
an old or regional name for a pipit, especially the meadow pipit of Europe and western Asia
culpeo
C2+
/kʊlˈpeɪoʊ/
a large foxlike South American canid of the Andes and Patagonia, Lycalopex culpaeus
plantain-eater
C2+
/ˈplæntɪnˌiːtɚ/
a fruit-eating African bird of the turaco family Musophagidae; now especially either of the grey plantain-eaters in the genus Crinifer
chevrotain
C2+
/ˈʃɛvrəˌteɪn/
a very small, hornless, deerlike ruminant of the family Tragulidae, native to tropical Africa or Asia; a mouse deer
entozoon
C2+
/ˌɛntəˈzoʊɑːn/
historical zoology: an animal parasite living inside another animal, especially an intestinal or tissue-dwelling worm
foretarsus
C2+
/ˌfɔrˈtɑrsəs/
the tarsus or distal foot segment of a foreleg, especially in an arthropod
honeysucker
C2+
/ˈhʌniˌsʌkɚ/
historical or regional: a sunbird, especially one of the nectar-feeding birds of Africa or southern Asia
interoperculum
C2+
/ˌɪntəroʊˈpɜːrkjələm/
ichthyology: one of the bones in the opercular series of a bony fish, lying below the preopercle and between neighboring gill-cover bones
nidify
C2+
/ˈnɪdəˌfaɪ/
formal or zoological: to build a nest or engage in nesting
hoolock
C2+
/ˈhuːlɑk/
any gibbon of the genus Hoolock, native to forests of northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and nearby regions
musk deer
C2+
/ˈmʌskˌdɪr/
a small tusked, antlerless Asian hoofed mammal of the family Moschidae, whose males have traditionally been hunted for a musk-producing gland
sultan tit
C2+
/ˈsʌltənˌtɪt/
a large Asian tit, Melanochlora sultanea, with glossy dark upperparts, yellow underparts, and a prominent crest
Great Dane
C2+
/ˌɡreɪt ˈdeɪn/
a very large, tall domestic dog of a smooth-coated breed