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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.
181 words
anarchism
C2
/ˈænəɹˌkɪzəm/
a family of political philosophies and movements skeptical of or opposed to coercive authority, especially the state, and favoring stateless social organization through voluntary cooperation
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egret
C2
/ˈiː.ɡrət/
a long-legged wading bird in the heron family, often white and sometimes bearing long breeding plumes
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titmouse
C2
/ˈtɪtˌmaʊs/
a small songbird of the tit family, especially one of the North American genus Baeolophus; historically also used more broadly for tits
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arnica
C2
/ˈɑrnɪkə/
a plant of the daisy family, especially Arnica montana, traditionally used in herbal remedies
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conger
C2
/ˈkɑŋɡɚ/
any of several large, scaleless marine eels of the genus Conger or family Congridae, found in temperate and tropical coastal waters
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drongo
C2
/ˈdrɑːŋɡoʊ/
an insect-eating Old World passerine bird of the family Dicruridae, typically glossy black with a forked or ornamented tail
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horsefly
C2
/ˈhɔːrsflaɪ/
a large, fast-flying fly of the family Tabanidae whose females bite mammals and feed on blood
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goby
C2
/ˈɡoʊbi/
any of numerous generally small, bottom-dwelling fishes, especially members of the family Gobiidae, many of which have pelvic fins joined into a suckerlike disc
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flycatcher
C2
/ˈflaɪˌkætʃɚ/
any of various small birds that characteristically catch flying insects, especially members of the Old World family Muscicapidae or the New World family Tyrannidae
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bowerbird
C2
/ˈbaʊərˌbɝːd/
an Australasian bird of the family Ptilonorhynchidae, whose males in many species build and decorate display structures to court females
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sedge
C2
/sɛdʒ/
a grasslike plant of the family Cyperaceae, typically with solid triangular stems and growing in wet ground
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viol
C2
/ˈvaɪ.əl/
a member of a family of fretted bowed string instruments, usually with six strings and held vertically, prominent in European music from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries
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auk
C2
/ɔk/
any of a family of compact black-and-white northern seabirds adapted for swimming and diving, including puffins, guillemots, and murres
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matricide
C2
/ˈmeɪtrəˌsaɪd/
the killing of one's mother
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parricide
C2
/ˈpærɪsaɪd/
the killing of one's father, mother, or another close relative
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lapwing
C2
/ˈlæpwɪŋ/
Any of several medium-sized wading birds belonging to the subfamily Vanellinae, within family Charadriidae.
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subsoil
B2
/ˈsʌbsɔɪl/
the layer of soil beneath the topsoil and above the underlying rock or parent material
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glowworm
C2
/ˈɡloʊwɝːm/
the luminous larva or wingless adult female of certain beetles, especially members of the family Lampyridae
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kinswoman
C2
/ˈkɪnzwʊmən/
a female relative; a woman belonging to the same family or kin group
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guillemot
C2
/ˈɡɪləmɑːt/
a northern seabird of the auk family, especially one of the genera Uria or Cepphus, with dark upperparts and strong underwater swimming ability
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orrery
C2
/ˈɔɹəɹi/
a mechanical model that shows the relative positions and movements of bodies in the solar system
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filiation
C2
/ˌfɪliˈeɪʃən/
the relationship of a child to a parent, especially as legally or genealogically established
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consanguinity
C2
/kɑnsæŋˈɡwɪnɪti/
relationship by descent from a common ancestor; blood kinship
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peafowl
C2
/ˈpiːfaʊl/
any of several large pheasant-family birds whose males are peacocks and females are peahens, especially species of Pavo and Afropavo
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cavy
C2
/ˈkeɪvi/
any short-tailed South American rodent of the family Caviidae, including the wild ancestors and relatives of guinea pigs
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homology
C2
/həˈmɑlədʒi/
similarity between structures, genes, or features because they derive from a common evolutionary ancestor
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trogon
C2
/ˈtroʊɡɑːn/
a tropical forest bird of the family Trogonidae, typically with brilliant plumage, a long tail, and a short broad bill
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bee-eater
C2+
/ˈbiːˌiːtɚ/
any brightly colored insect-eating bird of the family Meropidae, known for catching bees and wasps in flight
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motmot
C2+
/ˈmɑːtˌmɑːt/
a tropical American bird of the family Momotidae, usually green or blue-green and often having two long racket-tipped central tail feathers
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ex
C2+
/ɛks/
(informal) a former spouse or partner
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da
C2+
/dɑ/
father (dialectal or informal)
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cognomen
C2+
/kɑɡˈnoʊmən/
a surname, nickname, or family name, especially in ancient Rome
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dada
C2+
/ˈdɑdɑ/
an early-20th-century anti-art movement embracing absurdity; informally, father
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gull
C2+
/ɡʌl/
a seabird of the family Laridae; also, to deceive or cheat someone
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kin
C2+
/kɪn/
one's family and relations collectively
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chive
C2+
/tʃaɪv/
a slender herb of the onion family used to flavor food
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adder
C2+
/ˈædɚ/
a small venomous snake of the viper family
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ancestry
C2+
/ˈænsɛstri/
one's family or ethnic descent; lineage
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chickadee
C2+
/ˈtʃɪkəˌdiː/
a small North American songbird of the tit family with a dark cap
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consort
C2+
/ˈkɑnsɔrt/
a spouse, especially of a reigning monarch; to associate with
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fatherling
C2+
/ˈfɑðərlɪŋ/
a little or dear father (an archaic affectionate term)
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helpmeet
C2+
/ˈhɛlpˌmit/
a helpful companion or partner, especially a spouse
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kindred
C2+
/ˈkɪndrəd/
one's family and relations; related or similar in nature
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lineage
C2+
/ˈlɪniɪdʒ/
direct descent from an ancestor; ancestry
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maternity
C2+
/məˈtɜrnɪti/
the state of being a mother; motherhood
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nanny
C2+
/ˈnæni/
a person employed to care for a family's children; a female goat
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progenitor
C2+
/proʊˈdʒɛnɪtɚ/
an ancestor or originator of a line or movement
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provider
C2+
/prəˈvaɪdɚ/
one who supplies something or supports a family
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bandfish
C2+
/ˈbændˌfɪʃ/
a small elongated red marine fish of the family Cepolidae
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forebear
C2+
/ˈfɔrbɛr/
an ancestor
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forefather
C2+
/ˈfɔrfɑðɚ/
an ancestor, especially a male one
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genitor
C2+
/ˈdʒɛnɪtɚ/
a biological father or male progenitor
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heirloom
C2+
/ˈɛrˌluːm/
a valued object passed down through generations of a family
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helpmate
C2+
/ˈhɛlpˌmeɪt/
a companion and helper, especially a spouse
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ma
C2+
/mɑ/
(informal) mother
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pater
C2+
/ˈpeɪtər/
father, used as a dated or jocular British term
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relativeness
C2+
/ˈrɛlətɪvnəs/
the quality of being relative rather than absolute
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sib
C2+
/sɪb/
a sibling or blood relative; related by kinship
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sis
C2+
/sɪs/
an informal term for sister
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spirea
C2+
/spaɪˈriə/
a flowering shrub of the rose family with clustered white or pink blooms
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stepbrother
C2+
/ˈstɛpˌbrʌðɚ/
a son of one's stepparent by an earlier marriage
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stepchild
C2+
/ˈstɛpˌtʃaɪld/
a child of one's spouse from a previous relationship
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stepdaughter
C2+
/ˈstɛpˌdɔtɚ/
a daughter of one's spouse by a former partner
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stepniece
C2+
/ˈstɛpˌnis/
a niece by marriage; the daughter of a stepsibling
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stepsister
C2+
/ˈstɛpˌsɪstɚ/
a daughter of one's stepparent by an earlier marriage
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stepson
C2+
/ˈstɛpˌsʌn/
a son of one's spouse by a former partner
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water ouzel
C2
/ˈwɑː.t̬ɚ ˌuː.zəl/
a dipper: any of the small aquatic songbirds of the genus Cinclus (family Cinclidae) that wade and dive in swift streams, especially the white-throated dipper in Eurasia or the American dipper in North America
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tyrant flycatcher
C2
/ˈtaɪ.rənt ˌflaɪˌkætʃ.ɚ/
any bird of the large New World family Tyrannidae, whose members typically have a broad, flattened bill and feed mainly on insects
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prepotency
C2
/ˌpriːˈpoʊtənsi/
an unusual ability of one parent, individual, or strain to transmit its characteristics strongly to offspring
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stirp
C2
/stɝp/
a line of descent from a common ancestor; a stock or lineage
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elater
C2
/ˈɛlətɚ/
a click beetle of the family Elateridae, able to spring into the air with a clicking movement when placed on its back
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phalanger
C2
/fəˈlændʒɚ/
an Australasian arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, including the cuscuses and brushtail possums
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elecampane
C2
/ˌɛləkæmˈpeɪn/
a tall Eurasian plant of the daisy family, Inula helenium, formerly valued for its aromatic medicinal root
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plantain-eater
C2+
/ˈplæntɪnˌiːtɚ/
a fruit-eating African bird of the turaco family Musophagidae; now especially either of the grey plantain-eaters in the genus Crinifer
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chevrotain
C2+
/ˈʃɛvrəˌteɪn/
a very small, hornless, deerlike ruminant of the family Tragulidae, native to tropical Africa or Asia; a mouse deer
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pickney
C2
/ˈpɪk.ni/
Caribbean, especially Jamaican, informal: a child
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cheat on
B1
to have a sexual relationship with someone other than one's partner
Prepositional verb
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drift apart
C1
to gradually become less close and lose regular contact
Phrasal verb
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grow apart
A1
to become less close in a personal relationship over time
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help through
A1
to support someone in getting through a difficult period or situation
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lean on
B1
to rely on someone for help or emotional support
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lust after
C1
to feel strong sexual desire for someone
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run across
A1
to meet someone by chance
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smooth over
A2
to make an awkward disagreement seem less serious without fully addressing it
Phrasal verb
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take after
A1
to resemble a family member in appearance or character
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