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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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230 words
japan
C2
/dʒəˈpæn/
a hard, usually dark lacquer or enamel used to give wood or metal a durable glossy finish
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amber
C2
/ˈæm.bɚ/
a hard, translucent yellow or brown fossil resin, often used in jewelry and sometimes containing preserved organisms
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blond
C2
/blɑnd/
being or having light colored skin and hair and usually blue or grey eyes
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sal
C2
/sæl/
salt, especially in traditional chemical or pharmaceutical names such as sal volatile
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pier
C2
/pɪɹ/
A raised platform built from the shore out over water, supported on piles; used to secure, or provide access to shipping; a jetty.
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jasper
C2
/ˈd͡ʒæs.pɚ/
an opaque, impure variety of chalcedony occurring in red, yellow, brown, green, and other colors and used as a gemstone or ornamental stone
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lace
C2
/ˈleɪs/
draw through eyes or holes
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residue
C2
/ˈɹɛzɪdjuː/
A small amount of something that is left behind after the rest is gone.
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splinter
C2
/ˈsplɪn.tɚ/
A small, thin, sharp piece of wood, glass, or metal.
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serge
C2
/sɝːdʒ/
a strong twill-weave fabric, traditionally made of wool or worsted and often used for suits and uniforms
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muck
C2
/mʌk/
dirt, mud, manure, or other wet and unpleasant matter
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firewood
C2
/ˈfa.ə(ɹ).wʊd/
wood used for fuel
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clot
C2
/klɑt/
to coalesce or unite in a mass
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plateau
C2
/plæˈtoʊ/
A comparatively stable level after a period of increase. (of a varying quantity)
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slab
C2
/slæb/
A large, flat, thick piece of solid material such as stone, concrete, or wood.
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commodity
C2
/kəˈmɑdəti/
A raw material or basic product that is bought and sold in large amounts, such as oil or grain.
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shawl
C2
/ʃɔl/
A square or rectangular piece of cloth worn as a covering for the head, neck, and shoulders, typically by women.
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yarn
C2
/jɑɹn/
A story, a tale, especially one that is incredible.
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garret
C2
/ˈɡæɹɪt/
An attic or semi-finished room just beneath the roof of a house.
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gunny
C2
/ˈɡʌni/
a coarse, strong fabric made from jute or hemp, especially for sacks
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rosewood
C2
/ˈroʊzˌwʊd/
a dense, dark reddish or purplish hardwood with a strongly marked grain, valued for furniture and decorative work
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opal
C2
/ˈoʊpəl/
a translucent form of hydrated silica, often used as a gemstone and prized for flashes of changing color
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cashmere
C2
/ˈkæʃ.mɪr/
very fine, soft fiber obtained from the undercoat of cashmere goats
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krypton
C2
/ˈkɹɪp.tɑːn/
the colorless, odorless noble-gas chemical element with symbol Kr and atomic number 36
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sawdust
C2
/ˈsɔːˌdʌst/
Food that is unpleasantly powdery and tasteless.
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nitrate
C2
/ˈnaɪ.treɪt/
a salt or ester of nitric acid, containing the nitrate ion or nitrate group
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keyhole
C2
/ˈkiˌhoʊl/
the hole where a key is inserted
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musk
C2
/mɐsk/
A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes.
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beryl
C2
/ˈbɛr.əl/
a hard mineral that is the chief ore of beryllium and occurs in gemstone varieties such as emerald and aquamarine
M
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tweed
C2
/twiːd/
a rough, closely woven woolen cloth, usually in mixed colors and often used for jackets and suits
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pyre
C2
/ˈpaɪɚ/
A large pile of wood on which a dead body is burned as a funeral rite.
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lint
C2
/lɪnt/
loose short fibers or fuzzy fluff shed by cloth and yarn
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turquoise
C2
/ˈtɝ.k(w)ɔɪz/
an opaque blue-green mineral containing hydrated copper and aluminium phosphate, valued as a gemstone
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crepe
C2
/kɹeɪp/
a light, thin fabric with a finely wrinkled or crinkled surface
M
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pellet
C2
/ˈpel.ɪt/
a solid missile discharged from a firearm
M
S
khaki
C2
/xɑki/
a dull yellowish-brown color or sturdy cloth, especially as used for military uniforms
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ladle
C2
/ˈleɪdəl/
remove with or as if with a ladle
M
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strychnine
C2
/ˈstrɪk.niːn/
a highly poisonous crystalline alkaloid obtained from plants such as nux vomica and formerly used medicinally and as a pesticide
M
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topaz
C2
/ˈtoʊˌpæz/
a hard aluminium fluorosilicate mineral, often transparent and cut as a gemstone in colorless, yellow, blue, pink, brown, or other varieties
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crucible
C2
/ˈkɹuː.sɪ.bəl/
a vessel made of material that does not melt easily
M
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beeswax
C2
/ˈbiːzˌwæks/
the wax produced by honeybees to build honeycomb, used in candles, polish, and other products
M
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brine
C2
/ˈbɹaːn/
to soak in salty water
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chiffon
C2
/ʃɪˈfɑːn/
a very light, sheer fabric woven from silk or synthetic fibers
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enamel
C2
/ɪˈnæməl/
the hard, white outer covering of the crown of a tooth
M
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turpentine
C2
/ˈtɝː.pən.taɪn/
a volatile liquid distilled from pine resin and used as a solvent, paint thinner, and source of chemical compounds
M
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palladium
C2
/pəˈleɪdiəm/
a rare, lustrous, silvery-white chemical element with atomic number 46 and symbol Pd
M
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corrosive
C2
/kəˈroʊsɪv/
able to destroy or damage a material gradually through chemical action
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synthesis
C2
/ˈsənθəsəs/
The combining of separate ideas, things, or influences into a single, coherent whole.
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moonstone
C2
/ˈmuːnˌstoʊn/
a translucent feldspar gemstone that displays a floating pearly or bluish sheen called adularescence
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iridium
C2
/ɪˈɹɪd.i.əm/
a chemical element (symbol Ir) with an atomic number of 77: a very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group.
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nitroglycerin
C2
/ˌnaɪ.troʊˈɡlɪs.ɚ.ɪn/
a dense, oily, highly explosive liquid made by nitrating glycerol and used in explosives such as dynamite
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cellophane
C2
/ˈsɛləfeɪn/
a thin, transparent wrapping film made from regenerated cellulose
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alabaster
C2
/ˈæl.əˌbæs.tɚ/
a fine-grained, usually pale and translucent form of gypsum or calcite used for carving
M
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staunch
C2
/stɔn(t)ʃ/
stop the flow of a liquid
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lye
C2
/laɪ/
a strongly alkaline solution, traditionally made by leaching water through wood ashes
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condensation
C2
/kənˌɖɛnˌse.ʃən/
The process by which a gas, especially water vapor, turns into a liquid.
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combustible
C2
/kəmˈbʌstəbəl/
capable of catching fire and burning
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lapis
C2
/ˈlæp.ɪs/
lapis lazuli, especially when used as a gemstone, pigment source, inlay, or decorative material
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alum
C2
/ˈæləm/
any of a class of crystalline double sulfates, especially potassium or ammonium aluminum sulfate, used in dyeing, tanning, water treatment, and as an astringent
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sulfate
C2
/ˈsʌlfeɪt/
Any salt or ester of sulfuric acid.
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argon
C2
/ˈɑːr.ɡɑːn/
the chemical element with symbol Ar and atomic number 18, a colorless, odorless, largely unreactive noble gas that forms about 0.93 percent of Earth's atmosphere
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myrrh
C2
/mɝː/
a fragrant reddish-brown gum resin obtained from Commiphora trees and used in incense, perfume, and traditional medicine
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teak
C2
/tiːk/
a hard, durable, oily, yellowish-brown timber valued for outdoor furniture, flooring, and shipbuilding
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rawhide
C2
/ˈrɑː.haɪd/
animal hide, especially cattle hide, that has been cleaned but not tanned
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fluoride
C2
/ˈflɔːr.aɪd/
a compound in which fluorine is combined with a more electropositive element or chemical group
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pumice
C2
/ˈpʌm.ɪs/
a very light, porous volcanic glass formed when gas-rich lava cools rapidly
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lacquer
C2
/ˈlæk.ɚ/
a liquid or resinous coating that dries to form a hard, smooth, glossy surface on wood, metal, or another material
M
S
brocade
C2
/brəˈkeɪd/
a rich, heavy fabric woven with a raised ornamental design, traditionally using gold or silver thread
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S
cesium
C2
/ˈsiːziəm/
the soft, highly reactive alkali-metal chemical element with atomic number 55 and symbol Cs
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alkaline
C2
/ˈæl.kə.laɪn/
relating to or containing an alkali
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snakeskin
C2
/ˈsneɪkˌskɪn/
the skin shed by or removed from a snake, especially leather prepared from snake skin
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rasp
C2
/ɹæsp/
The sound made by this tool when used, or any similar sound.
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acetylene
C2
/əˈsɛtəˌlin/
a colorless, highly flammable gas used especially for welding and cutting metals; ethyne
M
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sheepskin
C2
/ˈʃiːpˌskɪn/
the skin of a sheep, especially when tanned as leather or used with the fleece still attached
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quicksilver
C2
/ˈkwɪkˌsɪlvɚ/
the metallic element mercury, especially when seen in its mobile liquid form
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tarpaulin
C2
/tɑrˈpɔlɪn/
a large sheet of strong waterproof material used to cover and protect things
M
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emulsion
C2
/ɪˈmʌl.ʃən/
a dispersion of tiny droplets of one liquid in another liquid with which it does not normally mix
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beryllium
C2
/bəˈrɪl.i.əm/
the chemical element with symbol Be and atomic number 4, a hard, gray, low-density alkaline-earth metal valued for its stiffness and transparency to X-rays
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patina
C2
/pəˈtiː.nə/
a thin surface layer produced by oxidation or other chemical change, especially the green coating on aged copper or bronze
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liquefy
C2
/ˈlɪ.kwɪ.faɪ/
make (a solid substance) liquid, as by heating
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sulphuric
C2
Relating to or containing sulphur, as in sulphuric acid.
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talc
C2
/tælk/
an extremely soft hydrous magnesium silicate mineral with a greasy or soapy feel, used in ceramics, paint, paper, plastics, and powders
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ochre
C2
/ˈoʊkər/
a natural earth pigment containing iron oxide, ranging from yellow to reddish brown
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metallurgy
C2
/ˈmɛt.əˌlɝ.dʒi/
the science and technology of extracting metals, refining and alloying them, and controlling their properties during processing
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pewter
C2
/ˈpjuːtər/
a grey, workable alloy consisting chiefly of tin mixed with small amounts of other metals
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bearskin
C2
/ˈbɛrˌskɪn/
the pelt of a bear, especially when used as a rug or covering
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S
puce
C2
/pjuːs/
a color varying from dark purplish brown to dark red
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vitriol
C2
/ˈvɪtɹiəl/
cruel and bitter criticism; savagely hostile or abusive language
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horsehair
C2
/ˈhɔːrs.her/
hair taken from a horse's mane or tail, used in brushes, bows, upholstery, and other products
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S
saltpeter
C2
/ˌsɔːltˈpiː.tɚ/
potassium nitrate, a white crystalline compound used in fertilizers, food preservation, and especially gunpowder
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S
mote
C2
/moʊt/
a tiny particle or speck, especially one visible in the air
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fluorine
C2
/ˈflɔːr.iːn/
the chemical element with symbol F and atomic number 9, whose elemental form is an extremely reactive, toxic, pale-yellow halogen gas
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peridot
C2
/ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.dɑt/
a transparent yellow-green or olive-green gem-quality variety of the mineral olivine
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carbolic
C2
/kɑrˈbɑlɪk/
phenol, especially when used as an antiseptic or disinfectant
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crag
C2
/kɹæɡ/
A rocky outcrop; a rugged steep cliff or rock.
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reagent
C2
/riˈeɪ.dʒənt/
a substance or mixture used to cause, detect, measure, or investigate a chemical reaction
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