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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.
351 words
circumference
C2
/sɚˈkʌmfɹəns/
the boundary line encompassing an area or object
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fixture
C1
/ˈfɪks.t͡ʃɚ/
A piece of equipment fixed in place in a building, such as a sink or light, that is sold with the house.
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crossover
C2
/ˈkrɔːsˌoʊ.vɚ/
a crossing or transition from one place, group, activity, or system to another
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backwoods
C2
/ˈbækˌwʊdz/
a remote, sparsely settled, and often wooded region, especially in North America
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guidebook
A2
/ˈgaɪdˌbʊk/
A book that gives information about a place, especially for tourists.
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distillery
C1
/dɪˈstɪl.ɚ.i/
a place equipped for producing alcoholic spirits by distillation
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governance
C1
/ˈɡʌvəɹnəns/
The way in which an organization or country is managed and controlled.
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incubation
C1
/ɪnkjuˈbeɪʃən/
Sleeping in a temple or other holy place in order to have oracular dreams or to receive healing.
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depository
C1
/dɪˈpɑzɪtɔɹi/
a place, building, or institution where things are deposited for storage, safekeeping, or preservation
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alcove
C2
/ˈæl.koʊv/
a small recessed area opening from a larger room or other interior space
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suburbia
C1
/səˈbɝ.bi.ə/
The suburbs of a city, considered as a place and way of life.
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thorax
C2
/ˈθɔɹæks/
The region of the mammalian body between the neck and abdomen as well as the cavity containing the heart and lungs.
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abrasion
C2
/əˈbreɪ.ʒən/
an area of skin scraped or worn away by friction
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bloodstain
B2
/ˈblʌdˌsteɪn/
a mark or discolored area left by blood on a surface or material
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topography
C2
/təˈpɑɡɹəfi/
The shape and physical features of an area of land, such as hills and valleys.
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habitation
C2
/ˌhæb.ɪˈtæɪ.ʃən/
The state of people living in a place.
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lek
C2
/lɛk/
a place where males of certain animal species gather to perform courtship displays and compete for mates
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tarsus
C2
/ˈtɑɹsəs/
anatomy: the ankle region of a vertebrate foot between the leg and metatarsus, including its small bones
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shrubbery
C2
/ˈʃɹʌbəɹi/
A planting of shrubs; a wide border to a garden where shrubs are thickly planted; or a similar larger area with a path winding through it.
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agora
C2
/ˈæɡərə/
the central public meeting place and marketplace of an ancient Greek city
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dado
C2
/ˈdeɪdoʊ/
the lower part of an interior wall when it is decorated or finished differently from the area above it
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seaport
B2
/ˈsiːˌpɔːrt/
a coastal town or harbor with facilities where seagoing ships load, unload, or take shelter
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acreage
C2
/ˈeɪkərɪdʒ/
An area of land, measured in acres.
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castellan
C2
/ˈkæstələn/
the governor, keeper, or resident commander of a castle or fortified place
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farmyard
C2
/ˈfɑɹmˌjɑɹd/
the open area beside or among the buildings of a farm
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lowland
B2
/ˈloʊˌlænd/
An area of land that is low and fairly flat.
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prehistory
C2
/ˌpriːˈhɪstəri/
the period before written records exist for a society or region
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confluence
C2
/ˈkɑnˌflu.əns/
a place where things merge or flow together, especially rivers
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subcontinent
B2
/səbˈkɑːntɪnənt/
A large area of land that is part of a continent but treated as separate, especially southern Asia.
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divider
B2
/dɪˈvaɪdər/
a partition, barrier, or other object that separates one area or group from another
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fortification
C1
/ˌfɔː(ɹ)tɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
a defensive wall, earthwork, or other structure built to protect a place from attack
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tannery
C2
/ˈtænəɹi/
A place where people tan hides to make leather.
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outcrop
B1
/ˈaʊt.kɹɑp/
a place where bedrock or another geological deposit is exposed at the ground's surface
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emigrant
C2
/ˈɛmɪɡɹənt/
someone who leaves one country to settle in another
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wold
C2
/woʊld/
an open, rolling tract of upland country, especially one used as a regional name in England
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dockyard
C2
/ˈdɑːˌkjɑːrd/
A place where ships are repaired or outfitted.
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aborigine
B1
/ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ə.ni/
a member of the original people of a country, especially Australia, before others arrived
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champaign
C2
/ʃæmˈpeɪn/
literary or archaic: an extensive area of level, open countryside; a plain
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shipboard
C2
/ˈʃɪpˌbɔːrd/
a ship considered as a place where people live, meet, or travel, chiefly in the phrase on shipboard
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sunspot
C1
/ˈsʌnˌspɑt/
a temporary dark region on the Sun's photosphere that is cooler than its surroundings and has intense magnetic activity
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hinterland
C2
/ˈhɪntɚˌlænd/
a remote region far from cities or major centers of activity
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graveside
C1
/ˈɡreɪv.saɪd/
the area immediately beside or around a grave
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burgomaster
C2
/ˈbɝːɡəˌmæstɚ/
the mayor or chief magistrate of a town in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, or certain other European countries
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diggings
C2
/ˈdɪɡ.ɪŋz/
an area where miners dig for gold or other valuable minerals
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wetland
B1
/ˈwɛtˌlænd/
An area of land where the soil is soaked or covered with water, such as a marsh or swamp.
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militarism
C2
/ˈmɪl.ə.tɚ.ɪ.zəm/
the belief or policy that a country should maintain powerful armed forces and use them to gain political or economic advantage
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sickbed
C1
/ˈsɪkˌbɛd/
the bed or bedside place occupied by a person who is ill
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rookery
C2
/ˈrʊk.ɚ.i/
a breeding colony or nesting place of rooks, penguins, seals, or other social animals
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self-government
C2+
/ˈsɛlfˈgʌvɝnmənt/
The governance of a region by its own populace; autonomy.
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upland
C1
/ˈʌplənd/
The area in the interior of a country with a generally higher elevation.
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clime
C2
/klaɪm/
a region considered in relation to its climate, especially in literary use
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rectus
C2
/ˈrɛktəs/
any of several relatively straight muscles, usually named more fully for their location, such as the rectus abdominis or rectus femoris
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charnel
C2
/ˈtʃɑɹnəl/
a place or repository where dead bodies or human bones are kept; a charnel house
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gula
C2
/ˈɡjulə/
anatomy and zoology: the upper front of the neck beneath the chin; the throat region
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Gehenna
C2
/ɡɪˈhɛnə/
a place or state of extreme suffering or misery
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penumbra
C2
/pəˈnʌm.bɹə/
A region around the edge of a sunspot, darker than the sun's surface but lighter than the middle of the sunspot.
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coppice
C2
/ˈkɑː.pɪs/
an area of woodland managed by periodically cutting trees or shrubs near the base so that new shoots provide a recurring supply of wood
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prescience
C2
/ˈpɹɛʃəns/
Knowledge of events before they take place.
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piggery
C2
/ˈpɪɡəri/
a place where pigs are kept or raised
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depopulation
C1
/diːˌpɑpjəˈleɪʃən/
a substantial decline in the number of people living in a place
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estancia
C2
/eˈstɑːn.si.ə/
a large ranch or rural estate in Spanish-speaking South America, especially Argentina or Uruguay
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quadrilateral
C2
/ˌkwɑdɹəˈlætəɹəl/
An area defended by four fortresses supporting each other.
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insula
C2
/ˈɪnsələ/
a region of the cerebral cortex folded deep within the lateral sulcus, involved in integrating bodily sensation, emotion, and other functions
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cicerone
C2
/ˌsɪsəˈroʊni/
a guide who conducts visitors around a place and explains its history, art, or antiquities
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mudflat
C2
/ˈmʌdˌflæt/
a broad, level area of mud beside a sea, estuary, or river, often exposed at low tide
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corvée
C2
/kɔːrˈveɪ/
historical: unpaid labor that a feudal tenant was required to perform for a lord, often in place of rent or tax
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lodgment
C2
/ˈlɑːdʒ.mənt/
a place of shelter or a secure position gained in a particular place
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peregrination
C2
/ˌpɛr.ə.ɡrəˈneɪ.ʃən/
a long journey or period of wandering from place to place
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mudbank
C2
/ˈmʌdˌbæŋk/
a raised or exposed area of mud beside or within a body of water
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caryatid
C2
/ˌkɛriˈætɪd/
a sculpted female figure used as an architectural support in place of a column or pillar
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centromere
C2
/ˈsɛntɹəˌmɪɹ/
the constricted region of a chromosome where the kinetochore forms and sister chromatids remain joined during cell division
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harborage
C2
/ˈhɑːrbərɪdʒ/
shelter, refuge, or a place that provides safety and lodging
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outport
C2
/ˈaʊtˌpɔːrt/
chiefly British or historical: a port other than a country's main port, especially a British port outside London
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woodlot
C2
/ˈwʊdˌlɑːt/
a limited area of woodland, often privately managed as a source of firewood, posts, or timber
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doghole
C2+
/ˈdɔɡˌhoʊl/
derogatory: a mean, cramped, or squalid dwelling or place considered fit only for dogs
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brickfield
C2
/ˈbrɪkˌfiːld/
chiefly British, historical: a place where clay is dug and bricks are made or fired; a brickyard
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vicinage
C2
/ˈvɪsənɪdʒ/
archaic or literary: the surrounding district or neighborhood
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callosity
C2
/kəˈlɑːsəti/
an area of skin or other tissue that has become thick and hard, especially through repeated pressure or friction
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sally port
C2
/ˈsæli ˌpɔːrt/
a small gate or passage in a fortified place through which defenders can make a sortie
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bolthead
C2+
/ˈboʊltˌhɛd/
the enlarged head of a bolt, shaped to be turned or to hold the bolt in place
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denizen
C2+
/ˈdɛnɪzən/
an inhabitant or occupant of a particular place
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bog
C2+
/bɑɡ/
an area of soft, waterlogged, spongy ground; to become stuck
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expanse
C2+
/ɪkˈspæns/
a wide, open, continuous area of something
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expatriate
C2+
/ɛksˈpeɪtriɪt/
a person living outside their native country
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abode
C2+
/əˈboʊd/
a place of residence; a dwelling
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ambience
C2+
/ˈæmbiəns/
the character or atmosphere of a place
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environs
C2+
/ɪnˈvaɪrənz/
the surrounding area or district of a place
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fatherland
C2+
/ˈfɑðɚˌlænd/
one's native country, especially regarded with patriotic emotion
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flora
C2+
/ˈflɔrə/
the plants of a particular region, period, or environment
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juncture
C2+
/ˈdʒʌŋktʃər/
a particular point in events or time; a place where things join
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locus
C2+
/ˈloʊkəs/
a particular position or place; the set of points satisfying a condition
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residency
C2+
/ˈrɛzɪdənsi/
the fact of living in a place, or a period of specialized training
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sanctuary
C2+
/ˈsæŋktʃuɛri/
a place of refuge, safety, or worship
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streetcar
C2+
/ˈstritˌkɑr/
a passenger vehicle running on rails along city streets; a tram
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battleground
C2+
/ˈbætəlˌɡraʊnd/
a place where a battle is or was fought; an arena of conflict
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bookmarker
C2+
/ˈbʊkˌmɑrkɚ/
a strip or object placed in a book to mark one's place
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