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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C2+ is beyond the official CEFR scale: rare, specialist, and literary words kept for reference.

226 words

Animals

226 words

/ˈpɪɡˌwiːd/ any of various common weedy plants, especially amaranths or goosefoots, some formerly used as pig fodder or leafy food Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈdʌnək/ A small European and Asian passerine bird, Prunella modularis; the hedge sparrow or hedge warbler. Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈspɪrəkəl/ zoology: an external respiratory opening in an insect or another air-breathing arthropod, connected to the tracheal system Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈtɪtmən/ dialectal or historical: the smallest or weakest animal in a litter; a runt Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈmʌskˌmɛlən/ a sweet, aromatic melon of the species Cucumis melo, including cantaloupes and related varieties Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈkɔːr.ə.laɪn/ a branching bryozoan or hydroid that resembles coral, especially in older zoological writing Meaning Off Sound Off

/ɪˈkaɪnəs/ a sea urchin, especially one described by the older zoological name Echinus Meaning Off Sound Off

/proʊˈθɔræks/ the front of the three segments of an insect's thorax, bearing the first pair of legs but no wings Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈʃiːpˌkoʊt/ chiefly British or historical: a pen or small shelter for sheep Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈsɝːsɪŋɡəl/ a broad strap or girth passed around a horse or other pack animal to secure a saddle, blanket, or load Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈkærəŋkəl/ a small fleshy outgrowth forming a normal part of an animal, such as a bird's wattle or a growth near the eye Meaning Off Sound Off

/oʊˈpɝ.kjə.ləm/ a hard flap or plate that covers an opening in an animal, such as a fish's gills or a snail's shell Meaning Off Sound Off

/skuːˈtɛlə/ a small horny plate or scale on a bird's foot or toe Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈkoʊtʃˌmeɪkɚ/ historical: a craftsperson or business that builds horse-drawn coaches and carriages Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈmɛlənɪzəm/ an unusually high amount of dark melanin pigment in an animal or person, making the skin, fur, feathers, or eyes darker than usual Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈɡoʊtˌsʌkɚ/ a dated name for a nightjar, a crepuscular or nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈpɛltri/ animal pelts or furs collectively, especially raw, undressed skins traded as a commodity Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈsiːˌfaʊəl/ a bird that lives or feeds at sea or along the coast; a seabird Meaning Off Sound Off

/ɡuːˈsændər/ the common merganser, Mergus merganser, a large fish-eating diving duck of northern rivers and lakes Meaning Off Sound Off

/əˈnɑfəˌlaɪn/ a mosquito of the genus Anopheles or a closely related genus, including species that transmit malaria Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈstoʊntʃæt/ any of several small Old World insect-eating birds of the genus Saxicola, especially the European stonechat Meaning Off Sound Off

nidification C2

/ˌnɪdəfəˈkeɪʃən/ nest-building by birds or other animals Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈɛl.ɪˌtrɑːn/ one of the hardened front wings of a beetle or similar insect that covers and protects the flight wings Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈnɝvjʊr/ one of the rigid veins that support an insect's wing Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈwʊd ˌsɔːr.əl/ any herb of the genus Oxalis, especially woodland species with sour sap, compound leaves, and five-petaled white, pink, purple, or yellow flowers Meaning Off Sound Off

/nuˈreɪʃən/ the pattern or arrangement of veins, especially in an insect's wing and sometimes in a leaf Meaning Off Sound Off

southernwood C2

/ˈsʌðɚnˌwʊd/ an aromatic shrubby species of wormwood (Artemisia abrotanum), grown for its finely divided leaves and lemon-like scent Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈdræɡənɛt/ any small, often brightly colored, scaleless bottom-dwelling marine fish of the family Callionymidae Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈklɪpiəs/ a shieldlike plate on the front of an insect's head, between the frons and the upper lip Meaning Off Sound Off

/paɪˈdʒɪdiəm/ the terminal dorsal plate or last exposed abdominal segment of certain insects Meaning Off Sound Off

/vɪˈbɹɪsə/ one of the long, stiff, highly sensitive hairs on the snout or face of many mammals; a whisker Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˌmɛzəˈθɔˌræks/ the middle of the three segments of an insect's thorax, bearing the second pair of legs and, when present, the forewings Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˌmɛtəˈstɝnəm/ entomology: the ventral exoskeletal plate of an insect's metathorax Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈɡæɡl̩/ a group of geese, especially on land or water Meaning Off Sound Off