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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110 words
shepherd
C2
/ˈʃɛpəɹd/
a herder of sheep, often on an open range
abigail
C2
/ˈa.bɪ.ɡeɪl/
historical: a lady's maid or female personal attendant
sawyer
C2
/ˈsɔɪ.ɚ/
a person employed to saw wood, especially timber in a sawpit or sawmill
carver
C2
/ˈkɑɹvɚ/
someone who carves the meat
florist
C2
/ˈflɔːrɪst/
a person who grows, arranges, or sells cut flowers and ornamental plants
cutler
C2
/ˈkʌtlɚ/
a person who makes, repairs, or sells knives and other cutlery
undertaker
C2
/ˈʌndə(ɹ)ˌteɪkə(ɹ)/
one whose business is the management of funerals
cinematography
C2
/ˌsɪnɪməˈtɑːgrəfi/
The art and craft of filming a movie, especially the camera work and lighting.
innkeeper
C2
/ˈɪnˌkipɚ/
a person who owns or manages an inn
brewer
C2
/ˈbruːɝ/
the owner or manager of a brewery
seamstress
C2
/ˈsɛm(p).stɹɪs/
A woman who sews clothes professionally.
lackey
C2
/ˈlæ.ki/
A footman, a liveried male servant.
shoemaker
C2
/ˈʃuˌmeɪkɚ/
a person who makes or repairs shoes
sabbatical
C2
/səˈbætɪkəl/
an extended period of authorized leave from regular work, often for study, travel, or research
lumberjack
C2
/ˈlʌm.bɚ.d͡ʒæk/
a person whose work is to fell trees.
barmaid
C2
/ˈbɑrˌmeɪd/
chiefly British: a woman who serves drinks in a bar or pub
servitude
C2
/ˈsərvəˌt(j)ud/
state of subjection to an owner or master or forced labor imposed as punishment
goldsmith
C2
/ˈɡoʊldˌsmɪθ/
a craftsperson who makes, repairs, or sells objects made of gold, especially jewelry
nursemaid
C2
/ˈnɝːsˌmeɪd/
a woman or girl employed to look after young children
gamekeeper
C2
/ˈɡeɪmˌkiːpɚ/
a person employed to manage game animals and their habitat on an estate, especially for hunting
workroom
C2
/ˈwɝːk.ruːm/
a room equipped or set aside for practical, manual, or creative work
redundancy
C2
/ɹɪˈdʌndən(t)si/
The loss of a job because the work is no longer needed, or the act of dismissing such workers.
bonne
C2
/ˈbɑːn/
a French nursemaid or children's governess, especially in an English-speaking household
gravedigger
C2
/ˈɡreɪvˌdɪɡ.ɚ/
a person employed to dig graves and prepare them for burial
woodman
C2
/ˈwʊdmən/
a person whose work is cutting trees or chopping and preparing wood
purser
C2
/ˈpɝsɚ/
a senior crew member on a passenger ship or aircraft responsible for passengers and administrative matters
bricklayer
C2
/ˈbrɪˌkleɪɝ/
a craftsman skilled in building with bricks
tradesman
C2
a merchant who owns or manages a shop
horner
C2
/ˈhɔrnɚ/
historical: a craftsperson who works animal horn into combs, vessels, handles, or other goods
gaucho
C2
/ˈɡaʊ.tʃoʊ/
a skilled horseman and cattle worker of the South American pampas, especially in Argentina and Uruguay
workday
C2
/ˈwɝːkdeɪ/
a day on which a person normally works rather than taking time off
watchmaker
C2
/ˈwɑːtʃˌmeɪkɚ/
a craftsperson or company that makes, maintains, or repairs watches
fishmonger
C2
/ˈfɪʃmʌŋɡər/
a person whose trade is selling fish and seafood
biographer
C2
/baɪˈɑːɡɹəfɚ/
a person who writes an account of someone else's life, especially as a profession
entomologist
C2
/ˌen.t̬əˈmɑː.lə.dʒɪst/
a scientist who specializes in the study of insects
taskmaster
C2
/ˈtæskˌmæstɚ/
a person who imposes hard, continuous, or exacting work on others
drudge
C2
/dɹʌdʒ/
a person made to do hard, dull, or menial work
drover
C2
/ˈdroʊvər/
a person who drives cattle, sheep, or other livestock, especially over a long distance
laundress
C2
/ˈlɔːndrəs/
a woman employed to wash and iron clothes; now dated
furrier
C2
/ˈfɝː.i.ɚ/
a person who prepares, makes, repairs, or sells garments and other goods made of fur
gunsmith
C2
/ˈɡʌnˌsmɪθ/
a craftsperson who makes, modifies, maintains, or repairs firearms
engraver
C2
/ɪnˈɡreɪvɚ/
a craftsperson or artist who cuts words or designs into a hard surface, or prepares engraved plates for printing
washerwoman
C2
/ˈwɑʃɚˌwʊmən/
historical: a woman employed to wash other people's clothes and household linen
teamster
C2
/ˈtiːm.stɚ/
a person who drives a team of draft animals, especially while hauling a wagon or freight
scribbler
C2
/ˈskrɪblər/
historical textile work: a worker who coarsely cards or teases wool before spinning
cowherd
C2
/ˈkaʊˌhɝd/
a person whose work is tending and herding cattle
piecework
C2
/ˈpiːsˌwɝːk/
work for which payment is based on the number of items or units produced rather than the time spent
indolence
C2
/ˈɪndl̩əns/
Habitual laziness; a dislike of work or effort.
goatherd
C2
/ˈɡoʊthɝːd/
a person who tends, guards, and guides a herd of goats
wheelwright
C2
/ˈwiːlˌraɪt/
a craftsperson who builds and repairs wheels, especially traditional wooden spoked wheels
scullion
C2
/ˈskʌljən/
historical: a low-ranking kitchen servant who performed menial work such as cleaning pots and dishes
farrier
C2
/ˈfɛɹi.ɚ/
a craftsperson who trims and shoes horses' hooves
majordomo
C2
/ˌmeɪ.dʒɚˈdoʊ.moʊ/
historical: the chief servant or steward in a wealthy or royal household
navvy
C2
/ˈnæv.i/
a laborer employed in heavy excavation or construction work, especially on canals, roads, or railways; chiefly British and historical
pedlar
C2
someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals)
dustman
C2
/ˈdʌstˌmæn/
a person employed to collect household refuse; an old-fashioned British term for a refuse collector
charwoman
C2
/ˈtʃɑːrwʊmən/
a woman hired, traditionally by the day or hour, to clean a house or other building; dated
stonecutter
C2
/ˈstoʊnˌkʌtɚ/
a person who cuts, carves, or dresses stone
ostler
C2
/ˈɑslɚ/
historically, a worker at an inn or stable who cared for travelers' horses
lamplighter
C2
/ˈlæmˌplaɪtɝ/
A person employed to light streetlights at dusk and snuff them at dawn.
shipwright
C2
/ˈʃɪp.raɪt/
a craftsperson who builds or repairs ships, especially wooden ones
millwright
C2
/ˈmɪlˌraɪt/
historical: a craftsperson who designs, builds, or repairs mills and their machinery
carder
C2
/ˈkɑrdɚ/
a worker who cards wool or other fiber, disentangling and aligning it before spinning
ratcatcher
C2
/ˈrætˌkætʃɚ/
a person employed to catch or destroy rats and other vermin
commissionaire
C2
/kəˌmɪʃəˈnɛr/
chiefly British, historical: a uniformed attendant or doorman at a hotel, theater, office, or other public building
métier
C2
/meɪˈtjeɪ/
an occupation or field of work for which a person is particularly well suited
directress
C2
/dəˈrɛktrəs/
A female director.
currier
C2
/ˈkʌɹɪɚ/
a craftsperson who dresses and finishes tanned leather by scraping, softening, coloring, and treating it
distiller
C2
/dɪˈstɪlər/
a person who makes distilled spirits or purifies liquids by distillation
pieman
C2
/ˈpaɪˌmæn/
a man who makes or sells pies, especially a street vendor
bootmaker
C2
/ˈbuːtˌmeɪ.kɚ/
a craftsperson or manufacturer who makes boots
computerize
C2
/kəmˈpjuːtɝˌaɪz/
To start using computers to do a job or run a system that was once done by hand.
woodchopper
C2
/ˈwʊdˌtʃɑpɚ/
a person whose work is cutting trees or chopping wood
slavey
C2
/ˈsleɪ.vi/
dated, informal, and often offensive: a female domestic servant who performs general or menial household work
costumier
C2
/kɑːsˈtuːmieɪ/
a person or company that designs, makes, supplies, or hires out costumes, especially for theatre
ambassadress
C2
/æmˈbæsədrəs/
dated: a female ambassador or a woman acting as an emissary
shikari
C2
/ʃɪˈkɑː.riː/
a hunter or skilled tracker, especially in the Indian subcontinent
coppersmith
C2
/ˈkɑpərˌsmɪθ/
a craftsperson who makes or repairs objects of copper
ploughboy
C2
/ˈplaʊˌbɔɪ/
historical: a boy employed to guide draught animals pulling a plough or to assist a ploughman
shoemaking
C2
/ˈʃuːˌmeɪkɪŋ/
the craft, trade, or process of making shoes
raftsman
C2
/ˈræftsmən/
dated: a person who operates, travels on, or works aboard a raft
costermonger
C2
/ˈkɑːstərˌmʌŋɡər/
a street vendor who sells fruit and vegetables from a cart, barrow, or stall
heaver
C2
/ˈhiːvə(ɹ)/
a worker who lifts or carries heavy freight, especially at a dock
dairymaid
C2
/ˈdɛriˌmeɪd/
historical: a woman or girl employed to milk cows and perform other dairy work
artel
C2
/ɑːrˈtɛl/
a traditional Russian or Soviet cooperative association of workers or craftspeople
pastrycook
C2
/ˈpeɪstriˌkʊk/
a cook or shopkeeper who specializes in pastries, cakes, and desserts
coadjutor
C2
/ˌkoʊəˈdʒuːtɚ/
a person who works jointly with and assists another; a helper or colleague
parlourmaid
C2
/ˈpɑːr.lərˌmeɪd/
historical: a domestic maid responsible for receiving visitors, serving meals, and caring for reception rooms
hydrographer
C2
/haɪˈdrɑːɡrəfər/
a specialist who surveys, measures, and charts oceans, rivers, coasts, and other bodies of water, especially for navigation
gunmaker
C2
/ˈɡʌnˌmeɪkər/
One who manufactures guns.
potman
C2
/ˈpɑtˌmæn/
a man employed in a public house to serve drink, collect empty pots or glasses, and perform other tasks
roundsman
C2
/ˈraʊndz.mən/
historically, a poor-law laborer sent in rotation by an English parish to work for local employers, with the parish supplementing the wage
stipendiary
C2
/staɪˈpɛndiˌɛri/
receiving a fixed stipend or salary, especially for clerical, judicial, or public service
hosier
C2
/ˈhoʊʒɚ/
a person who makes or sells stockings, socks, and other hosiery
brickmaker
C2
/ˈbrɪkˌmeɪkɚ/
a person who makes bricks, especially by preparing clay and molding, drying, or firing it
whaleman
C2
/ˈweɪl.mən/
historical: a man employed in whaling, especially a crew member aboard a whaling ship; loosely, any whaler