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.
74 words
brandy
C2
/ˈbɹændi/
distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice
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pony
C2
/ˈpoʊni/
A small serving of an alcoholic beverage, especially beer.
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carver
C2
/ˈkɑɹvɚ/
someone who carves the meat
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porridge
C2
/ˈpɔɹɪd͡ʒ/
A dish made of grain or legumes, milk or water, heated and stirred until thick and typically eaten for breakfast.
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platter
C2
/ˈplætɚ/
a large, shallow dish or tray used for serving food
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pasture
C2
/ˈpæs.t͡ʃɚ/
bulky food like grass or hay for browsing or grazing horses or cattle
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cholera
C2
/ˈkɑːlərə/
an acute intestinal infection caused by Vibrio cholerae, usually spread through contaminated food or water and capable of causing severe watery diarrhea and dehydration
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sup
C2
/sʌp/
a small amount of liquid food
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cobbler
C2
/ˈkɑblɚ/
a pie made of fruit with rich biscuit dough usually only on top of the fruit
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maggot
C2
/ˈmæɡət/
The small, soft, legless larva of a fly, often found in rotting meat or waste.
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sawdust
C2
/ˈsɔːˌdʌst/
Food that is unpleasantly powdery and tasteless.
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aphrodisiac
C2
/ˌæfroʊˈdiziæk/
a food, drug, or other substance believed to increase sexual desire or arousal
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gourd
C2
/ɡɔɹd/
a fruit with a hard rind from a trailing or climbing plant of the squash family, often grown for decoration or practical use
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trotter
C2
/ˈtrɑtər/
a foot of a pig or sheep, especially when prepared as food
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venison
C2
/ˈvɛ.nɪ.sən/
meat from a deer used as food
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apricot
C2
/ˈeɪ.pɹɪ.kɑt/
a small round stone fruit with yellow-orange flesh and lightly fuzzy skin
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pomegranate
C2
/ˈpɑmɪˌɡɹænɪt/
a round fruit with a tough reddish rind and many seeds surrounded by sweet-tart red pulp
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quince
C2
/kwɪns/
a hard, fragrant, yellow pear-shaped fruit usually cooked before eating
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cornbread
C2
/ˈkɔrnˌbrɛd/
bread made chiefly from cornmeal, especially as a traditional food in the United States
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swill
C2
/swɪl/
wet feed, especially for pigs, consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or milk
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esophagus
C2
/ɪˈsɑfəɡəs/
the muscular tube through which food passes from the throat to the stomach
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crayfish
C2
/ˈkreɪˌfɪʃ/
a small freshwater crustacean resembling a lobster, or its flesh used as food
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locust
C2
/ˈloʊ.kəst/
A fruit or pod of a carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua).
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gullet
C2
/ˈɡʌl.ət/
the throat or esophagus, especially considered as the passage through which food is swallowed
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crumpet
C2
/ˈkɹʌm.pɪt/
a small, round British bread made from yeast batter, with holes on top, usually toasted and eaten with butter
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nosh
C2
/nɑʃ/
from Yiddish, a snack or light meal
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dram
C2
/dræm/
a small measure or drink of an alcoholic spirit, especially whisky
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gristle
C2
/ˈɡrɪsəl/
tough, flexible cartilage, especially when encountered in meat
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persimmon
C2
/pəɹˈsɪmən/
an orange or reddish fruit of a tree in the genus Diospyros, sweet when ripe but often astringent when unripe
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sarsaparilla
C2
/ˌsæs.pəˈrɪl.ə/
a sweet carbonated drink traditionally flavored with sarsaparilla, sassafras, or birch oil
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additive
C2
/ˈæd.ɪ.tɪv/
A substance added to food, fuel, or another product to give it certain qualities.
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gizzard
C2
/ˈɡɪzɚd/
a thick-walled muscular part of the digestive tract that grinds food in birds and various other animals
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mealtime
C2
/ˈmiːlˌtaɪm/
the hour at which a meal is habitually or customarily eaten
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distaste
C2
/dɪsˈteɪst/
Aversion of the taste; dislike, as of food or drink; disrelish.
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smokehouse
C2
/ˈsmoʊkˌhaʊs/
a building or enclosed structure in which meat or fish is cured and flavored with smoke
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sweetmeat
C2
/ˈswiːt.miːt/
a small sweet delicacy, such as a confection, candied fruit, or preserve
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caraway
C2
/ˈkærəˌweɪ/
the aromatic, crescent-shaped dried fruit commonly called a seed and used as a spice
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farina
C2
/fəˈriːnə/
a fine meal or flour made from cereal grain or other starchy vegetable material, especially one cooked as a breakfast cereal or pudding
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saltpeter
C2
/ˌsɔːltˈpiː.tɚ/
potassium nitrate, a white crystalline compound used in fertilizers, food preservation, and especially gunpowder
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subsistence
C2
/səbˈsɪstəns/
The food, money, or other things a person needs simply to stay alive.
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ragout
C2
/ɹæˈɡuː/
a richly seasoned stew of meat, poultry, fish, or vegetables cooked slowly in a sauce
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cud
C2
/kʌd/
food brought back from a ruminant's stomach to the mouth and chewed again
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confection
C2
/kənˈfɛkʃən/
A sweet food such as a cake, candy, or pastry, often elaborately decorated.
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tureen
C2
/təˈrin/
a large, deep, usually covered serving dish for soup, stew, or similar food
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laver
C2
/ˈleɪvɚ/
an edible red seaweed, especially one used to make laverbread or as sheets for wrapping food
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sumac
C2
/ˈsuːmæk/
any of various shrubs or small trees with divided leaves and dense clusters of reddish fruit
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albacore
C2
/ˈæl.bə.kɔːr/
a large long-finned tuna (Thunnus alalunga) of warm and temperate oceans, valued as food for its pale flesh
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cupbearer
C2
/ˈkʌpˌberər/
historical: a trusted court official who poured and served wine or another drink to a ruler
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coster
C2
/ˈkɑː.stɚ/
dated British: a street seller of fruit, vegetables, or other goods; a costermonger
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pottle
C2
/ˈpɑtəl/
a small pot or food container, especially one used for fruit; chiefly British and Commonwealth English
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whalebone
C2
/ˈweɪlˌboʊn/
baleen, the flexible keratin plates in certain whales' mouths that filter food from water
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negus
C2
/ˈniːɡəs/
a hot drink of wine, usually port, mixed with water, sugar, citrus, and spices
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mangosteen
C2
/ˈmæŋ.ɡoʊ.stin/
a round tropical fruit with a thick purple rind and sweet, juicy white segments
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trivet
C2
/ˈtrɪv.ɪt/
a small stand or heat-resistant mat placed under a hot dish or pan to protect a table or work surface
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pottage
C2
/ˈpɑtɪdʒ/
a thick soup or stew made by slowly boiling vegetables, grains, and sometimes meat
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hogshead
C2
/ˈhɑɡzˌhɛd/
a large barrel or cask, especially one used for alcoholic drink or other liquids
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forcemeat
C2
/ˈfɔɹsmiːt/
a finely ground and seasoned mixture of meat or fish used as a stuffing
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megalosaurus
C2
/ˌmɛɡəloʊˈsɔːrəs/
a large meat-eating theropod dinosaur of the genus Megalosaurus, known from Middle Jurassic fossils in England
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viand
C2
/ˈvaɪ.ənd/
an item or dish of food, especially a choice dish; now chiefly literary and often plural
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costermonger
C2
/ˈkɑːstərˌmʌŋɡər/
a street vendor who sells fruit and vegetables from a cart, barrow, or stall
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hawfinch
C2
/ˈhɔːfɪntʃ/
a large Eurasian finch with a very powerful bill used to crack hard seeds and fruit stones
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potman
C2
/ˈpɑtˌmæn/
a man employed in a public house to serve drink, collect empty pots or glasses, and perform other tasks
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jorum
C2
/ˈd͡ʒoʊɹəm/
a large drinking bowl or vessel, together with the drink it holds
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charqui
C2
/ˈtʃɑːrki/
meat, especially beef, preserved by cutting it into strips and drying it
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saltcellar
C2
/ˈsɑːltˌsɛlɚ/
a small container or open dish for holding and serving salt at the table
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victual
C2
/ˈvɪtəl/
food or provisions, especially supplies kept for a journey, military force, or household
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verjuice
C2
/ˈvɝdʒuːs/
a sharply acidic juice pressed from unripe grapes, crab apples, or other sour fruit and used in cooking
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cirripede
C2
/ˈsɪrəˌpiːd/
a marine crustacean such as a barnacle, with feathery appendages for catching food
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metheglin
C2
/mɪˈθɛɡlɪn/
a mead flavored with herbs or spices, historically sometimes prepared as a medicinal drink
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epergne
C2
/iˈpɝn/
an ornamental table centerpiece with a central bowl and branching dishes or holders for fruit, sweets, flowers, or candles
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galactagogue
C2
/ɡəˈlæk.tə.ɡɑɡ/
a drug, food, herb, or other substance believed to stimulate the production of breast milk
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peck at
C2
to eat small amounts of food with little enthusiasm
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subsist on
C2
to stay alive using only a limited amount of food or other resources
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tuck away
C2
to eat a substantial quantity of food with enjoyment
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