This week on The Missing Workbook
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Word
English Vocabulary
Pick a CEFR level (A1–C2, plus C2+ for rare words beyond the CEFR scale) — 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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View all levelsC2+ is beyond the official CEFR scale: rare, specialist, and literary words kept for reference.
167 words
odalisque
C2
/ˈoʊdəlɪsk/
historical: an enslaved female attendant in an Ottoman palace or harem; in Western writing, often inaccurately treated as a concubine
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swash
C2
/swɑːʃ/
the surge or wash of water against a shore, or the sound it makes
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orang
C2
/ɔˈræŋ/
dated: a shortened form of orangutan, the large arboreal ape native to Borneo and Sumatra
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gree
C2
/ɡriː/
dialectal or archaic: one step in a flight of stairs
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millwright
C2
/ˈmɪlˌraɪt/
historical: a craftsperson who designs, builds, or repairs mills and their machinery
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marl
C2
/mɑːrl/
a loose earthy deposit made chiefly of clay and calcium carbonate, often containing shell fragments
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firkin
C2
/ˈfɝkɪn/
a small wooden cask used especially for butter, ale, or other provisions
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arcanum
C2
/ɑrˈkeɪnəm/
a secret, mystery, or piece of knowledge known only to initiates or specialists
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clew
C2
/kluː/
an archaic or literary spelling of clue: a fact or sign that helps solve a problem or find something
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gamecock
C2
/ˈɡeɪmˌkɑk/
a rooster bred and trained for cockfighting
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commissionaire
C2
/kəˌmɪʃəˈnɛr/
chiefly British, historical: a uniformed attendant or doorman at a hotel, theater, office, or other public building
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delf
C2
/delf/
historical and dialectal: Delftware or other glazed earthenware, especially plates, dishes, and tea things
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alga
C2
/ˈæl.ɡə/
one of a diverse group of chiefly aquatic photosynthetic organisms, ranging from microscopic single cells to large seaweeds and lacking the organs of land plants
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puncheon
C2
/ˈpʌntʃən/
US historical: a split log or heavy slab smoothed on one face and used especially for flooring
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catafalque
C2
/ˈkæt.ə.fɑːlk/
a raised, often decorated platform or framework on which a coffin rests during a funeral or lying in state
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danseuse
C2
/dænˈsɜːz/
dated: a female professional dancer, especially a ballet dancer
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schema
C2
/ˈskiː.mə/
an organized pattern, framework, or abstract form that can be applied to particular cases
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parterre
C2
/pɑːɹˈtɛɚ/
a formal ornamental garden laid out in symmetrical flowerbeds divided by paths
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tomtit
C2
/ˈtɑmˌtɪt/
chiefly British: a small tit, especially the blue tit
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impasto
C2
/ɪmˈpæs.toʊ/
painting: the technique of applying paint thickly enough for brush or palette-knife marks to remain visibly raised
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caddis
C2
/ˈkædɪs/
a caddisfly or its aquatic larva, which often builds a portable case from sand, twigs, or other debris
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flapdoodle
C2
/ˈflæpˌduːdəl/
informal, often dated: foolish, pretentious, or insincere talk; nonsense
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jings
C2
/dʒɪŋz/
dated or dialectal: an exclamation of surprise or emphasis
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pipit
C2
/ˈpɪpɪt/
a small, slender, usually brown and streaked ground-feeding songbird, chiefly of the genus Anthus, found in open country
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crants
C2
/krænts/
obsolete: a garland or wreath, especially one carried before a maiden's bier and afterward hung over her grave
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condottiere
C2
/ˌkɑːn.dəˈtjɛr.eɪ/
historical: the commander of a mercenary company in Italy or elsewhere in Europe, especially from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries
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whitecap
C2
/ˈwaɪtˌkæp/
a wave whose crest has broken into white foam
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conjuncture
C2
/kənˈdʒʌŋk.tʃɚ/
a combination of events or circumstances, especially one creating a critical situation
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tret
C2
/trɛt/
historical commerce: an allowance in weight made to a buyer for waste, dust, or deterioration after tare had been deducted
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dey's
C2
/deɪz/
eye dialect: there is, there are, or they are
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crossbill
C2
/ˈkrɑːsˌbɪl/
any finch of the genus Loxia whose upper and lower bill tips cross, an adaptation for extracting seeds from conifer cones
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rencontre
C2
/rɑːnˈkɑːntrə/
literary or archaic: a chance or unexpected meeting or encounter
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runnel
C2
/ˈɹʌnəl/
a small stream or rivulet
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hartshorn
C2
/ˈhɑːrtsˌhɔrn/
dated: a solution or preparation of ammonia formerly used as smelling salts
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macaco
C2
/məˈkɑːkoʊ/
a historical common name for the black lemur, Eulemur macaco, and formerly for several related lemurs
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billycock
C2
/ˈbɪl.iˌkɑːk/
dated British: a stiff felt hat with a rounded crown, similar to a bowler hat
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culverin
C2
/ˈkʌlvəɹɪn/
a long-barreled cannon used chiefly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
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parlourmaid
C2
/ˈpɑːr.lərˌmeɪd/
historical: a domestic maid responsible for receiving visitors, serving meals, and caring for reception rooms
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rodomontade
C2
/ˌɹɑː.də.mənˈteɪd/
formal or literary: vain, boastful, or pretentious talk or behavior
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coign
C2
/kɔɪn/
archaic spelling of quoin: an external corner or projecting angle of a wall, especially one emphasized with contrasting masonry
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coccus
C2
/ˈkɑːkəs/
a bacterium with a spherical or roughly spherical shape
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plastron
C2
/ˈplæstrən/
the lower, usually flatter part of a turtle's or tortoise's shell
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fardel
C2
/ˈfɑɹdəl/
archaic or literary: a bundle carried as a load; figuratively, a burden
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piastre
C2
/piˈæstɚ/
historical: a coin or monetary unit of varying value, especially a Spanish piece of eight or an Ottoman currency unit
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elogium
C2
/ɪˈloʊdʒiəm/
a formal expression of praise; an encomium or eulogy
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chrysolite
C2
/ˈkɹɪs.əˌlaɪt/
a yellow-green or golden-green gem variety of olivine, now generally called peridot
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tumbril
C2
/ˈtʌmbɹɪl/
historical: a cart used to carry condemned prisoners to execution, especially to the guillotine during the French Revolution
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charivari
C2
/ʃɑːɹɪˈvɑːɹi/
historical: a noisy mock serenade made with pots, pans, and other instruments, traditionally directed at newlyweds or a disapproved couple
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poniard
C2
/ˈpɑn.jɚd/
historical: a dagger with a slender blade, often of triangular or square cross section
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houri
C2
/ˈhʊri/
in Islamic tradition, one of the beautiful companions of the blessed in Paradise
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sardius
C2
/ˈsɑːɹ.di.əs/
historical or biblical: sard, a translucent brownish-red to deep orange-red variety of chalcedony used as a gemstone
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womenkind
C2
/ˈwɪmɪnkaɪnd/
women considered collectively; womankind
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blackcock
C2
/ˈblækˌkɑk/
chiefly British: a male black grouse, distinguished by glossy dark plumage and a lyre-shaped tail
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transfinite
C2
/tɹænsˈfaɪnaɪt/
A transfinite number.
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polypus
C2
/ˈpɑː.lɪ.pəs/
dated medical: a polyp, especially a growth projecting from a mucous membrane
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gemmule
C2
/ˈdʒemˌjuːl/
a small asexual reproductive bud or resistant cluster of cells, especially one produced by a sponge or another simple organism
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habitude
C2
/ˈhæb.ɪ.tuːd/
formal or historical: a habitual disposition, customary mode of behaviour, or established way of acting
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flota
C2
/ˈfloʊtə/
historical: a fleet of Spanish ships, especially the convoy that carried goods and treasure between Spain and its American colonies
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nurserymaid
C2
/ˈnɝː.sɚ.iˌmeɪd/
historical, chiefly British: a female domestic servant employed to care for young children, often as an assistant to a nurse or nanny
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benzoline
C2
/ˈben.zə.liːn/
a historical name for a volatile petroleum or coal-tar solvent, used especially for cleaning and removing grease
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chaldron
C2
/ˈtʃɔːldrən/
historical: any of several British dry measures, especially a coal measure varying locally from about 32 to 72 imperial bushels
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wastel
C2
/ˈwɑstəl/
historical: a fine white bread or cake made from carefully sifted wheat flour
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tintinnabulum
C2
/ˌtɪntɪˈnæbjʊləm/
a small tinkling bell, especially a historical bell used to summon members of a religious community
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habergeon
C2
/ˈhæbərdʒən/
historical: a short, sleeveless or short-sleeved coat of mail, lighter than a hauberk
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whinstone
C2
/ˈwɪnˌstoʊn/
chiefly British: hard, dark basaltic rock or traprock, often quarried for road stone
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fucus
C2
/ˈfjuːkəs/
a brown seaweed of the genus Fucus, common on rocky seashores and including bladderwrack
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phonolite
C2
/ˈfoʊnəˌlaɪt/
a fine-grained volcanic rock composed chiefly of alkali feldspar and nepheline, some varieties of which ring when struck
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platyrrhine
C2
/ˈplætɪˌraɪn/
a New World monkey of the primate group Platyrrhini, including capuchins, marmosets, howler monkeys, and their relatives
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cretin
C2
/ˈkɹiːtɪn/
historical and offensive: a person with congenital hypothyroidism, formerly described using this term
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gack
C2
/ɡæk/
informal: a written representation of a sudden choking, coughing, or gagging sound
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batshit
C2
/ˈbæt.ʃɪt/
vulgar: the droppings of bats
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