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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All 27,899 wordsC2+ is beyond the official CEFR scale: rare, specialist, and literary words kept for reference.
1043 words
atomist
C2
/ˈætəmɪst/
an adherent of atomism, especially the doctrine that matter or reality consists of indivisible elementary particles
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pourparler
C2+
/ˌpʊr.pɑːrˈleɪ/
an informal or preliminary discussion held before formal negotiations
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through-stone
C2+
/ˈθruːˌstoʊn/
a flat horizontal tombstone or grave slab, especially in Scottish and northern English usage
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field-glass
C2+
/ˈfiːldˌɡlæs/
a small portable telescope, often held in one hand, for viewing distant objects outdoors
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spanker-boom
C2+
/ˈspæŋkɚˌbuːm/
the boom attached to the aftermost mast of a traditionally rigged sailing vessel, used to extend and control the foot of the spanker sail
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laborist
C2+
/ˈleɪ.bɚ.ɪst/
a supporter of workers' rights or of a political movement centered on organized labor
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medico-jurist
C2+
/ˌmɛdɪkoʊˈdʒʊrɪst/
dated: a physician or medical expert who applies medical knowledge to legal questions; a specialist in medical jurisprudence
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cetology
C2+
/siːˈtɑː.lə.dʒi/
the branch of zoology concerned with cetaceans, including whales, dolphins, and porpoises
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antigalaxy
C2+
/ˌæn.tiˈɡæl.ək.si/
a hypothetical galaxy composed predominantly of antimatter rather than ordinary matter
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occasionalist
C2+
/əˈkeɪʒənəlɪst/
a supporter of occasionalism, the doctrine that apparent causal interaction between created things occurs only through divine intervention
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quasi-parallelogram
C2+
/ˌkweɪzaɪ ˌpærəˈlɛləˌɡræm/
a figure that resembles or approximately satisfies the defining relations of a parallelogram without being an exact Euclidean parallelogram
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dastardy
C2+
/ˈdæstɚdi/
cowardice or contemptibly cowardly conduct
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water butt
B2
/ˈwɑː.t̬ɚ ˌbʌt/
British: a large outdoor barrel or other container used to collect and store rainwater
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totem pole
C1
/ˈtoʊ.t̬əm ˌpoʊl/
a tall carved and often painted wooden pole made by Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast of North America to represent family lineage, crests, histories, or important events
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mistle thrush
C2
/ˈmɪs.əl ˌθrʌʃ/
a large thrush (Turdus viscivorus) of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia, with pale, boldly spotted underparts, noted for eating and vigorously defending berry-bearing trees, including mistletoe
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citron green
C2
/ˈsɪt.rən ˌɡriːn/
a light greenish-yellow color with a muted or slightly gray cast
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gold latten
C2+
/ˈɡoʊld ˌlæt.ən/
historical: gold formed into thin plates or sheets
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turquoise blue
C2
/ˈtɝː.kwɔɪz ˌbluː/
a light greenish-blue color that is somewhat paler and bluer than typical turquoise
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chalice veil
C2
/ˈtʃæl.ɪs ˌveɪl/
a cloth used to cover a chalice and its associated vessels before or after their use in Christian liturgy, especially at Mass
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cinnamon stone
C2
/ˈsɪn.ə.mən ˌstoʊn/
an orange to reddish-brown gemstone variety of grossular garnet, also called hessonite
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willow wren
C2
/ˈwɪl.oʊ ˌrɛn/
a traditional British name for the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), also formerly applied to the closely related chiffchaff
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crow quill
C2
/ˈkroʊ ˌkwɪl/
a quill from a crow's wing, especially one cut into a fine writing or drawing pen
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merchant exporter
C2
/ˌmɝː.tʃənt ɪkˈspɔːr.t̬ɚ/
a trader or trading business that buys goods from producers and exports them, rather than manufacturing the goods itself
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gum Senegal
C2+
/ˌɡʌm ˌsɛn.ɪˈɡɔːl/
a variety of gum arabic historically exported from Senegal and obtained from acacia trees
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blue peter
C2+
/ˌbluː ˈpiːtɚ/
a blue signal flag with a white central square, flown to show that a merchant vessel is ready to sail
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wax vesta
C2
/ˌwæks ˈvɛstə/
a historical friction match with a wax-coated fiber stem and an ignitable tip
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rhapsodist
C2+
/ˈɹæpsədɪst/
a reciter or interpreter of epic or other poetry; a rhapsode
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harmonist
C2
/ˈhɑːrmənɪst/
a musician or composer skilled in creating, performing, or analyzing harmony
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brown thrasher
C2+
/ˌbraʊn ˈθræʃɚ/
a reddish-brown North American songbird (Toxostoma rufum) with a long tail, streaked underparts, and a varied song
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fallfish
C2
/ˈfɔːlˌfɪʃ/
a large silvery freshwater minnow (Semotilus corporalis) native to streams of northeastern North America
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cloud-compeller
C2+
/ˈklaʊd kəmˌpɛlɚ/
poetic: a cloud-gatherer; an epithet for Zeus or Jove
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highbush blueberry
C2+
/ˈhaɪˌbʊʃ ˈbluːˌbɛri/
a tall, moisture-loving North American blueberry shrub (Vaccinium corymbosum), the principal source of cultivated blueberries
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tu-whit tu-whoo
C2+
/təˌwɪt təˈwuː/
a conventional imitation of an owl's cry, especially the paired calls associated with tawny owls
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wood pewee
C2+
/ˈwʊd ˌpiːwiː/
either of two small North American flycatchers of the genus Contopus, especially the eastern wood pewee (C. virens)
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John's wort
C2+
/ˈdʒɑːnzˌwɝːt/
any of numerous herbs or shrubs of the genus Hypericum, typically bearing yellow five-petaled flowers
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forestaller
C2+
/fɔrˈstɔlər/
historical: a trader who bought or intercepted goods before they reached an open market, especially to resell them at a higher price
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ignis fatuus
C2+
/ˈɪɡnɪs ˈfætʃuəs/
a pale, wandering light sometimes seen at night over marshy ground; a will-o'-the-wisp
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prenomen
C2
/ˌpriːˈnoʊmen/
a variant spelling of praenomen: the first or personal name in an ancient Roman name, preceding the nomen and cognomen
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logographer
C2+
/loʊˈɡɑɡrəfɚ/
an early ancient Greek prose writer who recorded genealogies, legends, local histories, or accounts of peoples and places
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alto-relievo
C2+
/ˌæl.toʊ.rəˈliː.voʊ/
high relief: sculpture in which figures project strongly from the background
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telegony
C2
/təˈlɛɡəni/
historical genetics: the discredited belief that a female's previous mate can influence offspring later conceived with another mate
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stohwasser
C2+
/ˈstoʊˌwɑː.sɚ/
historical: a leather gaiter or legging for the lower leg, fastened by a strap wound around it
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headspring
C2
/ˈhɛdˌsprɪŋ/
a spring or source from which a stream begins; a fountainhead
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twelve-pounder
C2+
/ˌtwɛlvˈpaʊndər/
a cannon classified as firing a projectile weighing twelve pounds
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bisulfate
C2
/baɪˈsʌl.feɪt/
the hydrogen sulfate ion, HSO4-, which is formed when sulfuric acid loses one proton
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farmsteading
C2
/ˈfɑːrmˌstiː.dɪŋ/
chiefly British or Scottish: a farmstead, especially the farmhouse and its surrounding farm buildings considered as a group
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pinweed
C2+
/ˈpɪnˌwiːd/
any of several slender North American herbs of the genus Lechea, with many small leaves and tiny flowers
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forty-rod
C2+
/ˌfɔːrtiˈrɑːd/
historical US dialect: cheap, very strong whiskey
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market-house
C2+
/ˈmɑːrkɪtˌhaʊs/
dated: a building, often municipally owned, in which a public market is held
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paddle-box
C2+
/ˈpædəlˌbɑːks/
nautical: the protective housing over the upper part of a paddle wheel on a steamship
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ain't
C2+
/eɪnt/
nonstandard: am not, is not, or are not
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that's
C2+
/ðəts/
a contraction of that is
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couldn't
C2+
/ˈkʊd.n̩t/
a contraction of could not, used to express inability, impossibility, or a negative past possibility
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they'd
C2+
/ðeɪd/
a contraction of they had when had is an auxiliary verb
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hadn't
C2+
/ˈhæd.n̩t/
a contraction of had not, used with a past participle or in other negative forms of had
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can't
C2+
/kɑːnt/
a contraction of cannot, used to express inability or impossibility
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laws-a-mercy
C2+
/ˌlɔːzəˈmɝːsi/
dated or dialectal: an exclamation of surprise, alarm, or wonder; a minced form of Lord have mercy
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there's
C2+
/ðəɹz/
a contraction of there is
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corn-dodger
C2+
/ˈkɔrnˌdɑdʒər/
historical US: a small cake or dumpling made from cornmeal, baked, fried, or cooked among hot ashes
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orphrey
C2+
/ˈɔɹ.fɹi/
a richly embroidered ornamental band applied to a Christian ecclesiastical vestment, altar frontal, or similar textile
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i'm
C2+
/a(ɪ)m/
a contraction of I am
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mud turtle
C2+
/ˈmʌdˌtɝːtəl/
any of several small freshwater turtles, especially of the genus Kinosternon, that live in muddy ponds, marshes, and slow streams
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mustn't
C2+
/ˈmʌs.n̩t/
a contraction of must not, used to express prohibition or a strong negative necessity
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here's
C2+
/hɪɹz/
a contraction of here is
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emancipist
C2+
/ɪˈmænsəpɪst/
historical Australian English: a transported convict who had completed the sentence or received a pardon
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camp meeting
C2+
/ˈkæmpˌmiːtɪŋ/
a series of Christian revival services, traditionally held outdoors with worshippers camping nearby
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gee whillikins
C2+
/ˌdʒiː ˈwɪlɪkɪnz/
dated and informal, chiefly US: an exclamation of surprise, astonishment, or delight
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water moccasin
C2+
/ˈwɔːtɚˌmɑːkəsɪn/
a venomous semiaquatic pit viper of the southeastern United States, also called the cottonmouth
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entr'acte
C2+
/ˈɑnˌtɹækt/
an interval between two acts of a play, opera, or other theatrical performance
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mica-slate
C2+
/ˈmaɪkəˌsleɪt/
historical geology: a foliated metamorphic rock composed chiefly of mica and quartz, now usually called mica schist
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shagreen
C2
/ʃʌˈɡriːn/
a tough leather with a granular surface, historically made from horsehide and now commonly from shark or ray skin
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finitist
C2+
/ˈfaɪnaɪtɪst/
an adherent of finitism, especially the view that mathematics should use only finite objects or procedures
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sultan tit
C2+
/ˈsʌltənˌtɪt/
a large Asian tit, Melanochlora sultanea, with glossy dark upperparts, yellow underparts, and a prominent crest
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wine lees
C2
/ˈwaɪnˌliːz/
the sediment of yeast, grape matter, and other particles that settles after wine fermentation
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vaporing
C2+
/ˈveɪpərɪŋ/
an instance of boastful talk
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coalheaver
C2+
/ˈkoʊlˌhiːvər/
historical: a laborer employed to unload, carry, or shovel coal
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trompe-l’oeil
C2
/ˌtrɔːmp ˈlɔɪ/
an artistic technique that uses realistic detail to create the illusion that painted objects are three-dimensional
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deteriorationist
C2+
/dɪˌtɪr.i.əˈreɪ.ʃən.ɪst/
A proponent of deteriorationism; one who believes that things tend to grow worse
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Gladstone bag
C2+
/ˈɡlæd.stən ˌbæɡ/
a stiff-sided travelling bag with a hinged frame that opens flat into two equal compartments
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madling
C2+
/ˈmædlɪŋ/
A mad creature; one who acts wildly or foolishly.
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plisky
C2+
/ˈplɪski/
Yorkshire dialect: a mischievous trick, prank, or piece of mischief
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pepper-shaker
B2
/ˈpɛpərˌʃeɪkər/
a small container with perforations in its top, used for sprinkling ground pepper
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porte-cochere
C2+
/ˌpɔrt koʊˈʃɛr/
canopy extending out from a building entrance to shelter those getting in and out of vehicles
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