This week on The Missing Workbook
1 new learner
12 reviews
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.
Choose your level
All 27,899 wordsC2+ is beyond the official CEFR scale: rare, specialist, and literary words kept for reference.
418 words
definiendum
C2+
/dɪˌfɪniˈɛndəm/
the term that is being defined in a definition
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
distracter
C2+
/dɪsˈtræktər/
a wrong but plausible answer option in a multiple-choice test
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
elocution
C2+
/ˌɛləˈkjuʃən/
the skill of clear and expressive speech
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
epithet
C2+
/ˈɛpɪˌθɛt/
a descriptive word or phrase characterizing a person or thing, often abusive
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
ey
C2+
/eɪ/
a dialectal or archaic word for an island, especially a small one
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
fam
C2+
/fæm/
informal term for one's family or close friends
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
filibuster
C2+
/ˈfɪləˌbʌstɚ/
a prolonged speech used to obstruct a legislative vote
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
footy
C2+
/ˈfʊti/
informal term for football (soccer or Australian rules)
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
gal
C2+
/ɡæl/
informal term for a girl or woman
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
generality
C2+
/ˌdʒɛnəˈræləti/
a general or vague statement; the quality of being general
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
gloss
C2+
/ˈɡlɔs/
a brief explanation of a word, or a shine on a surface
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
guaranty
C2+
/ˈɡɛrənti/
a formal pledge to answer for another's debt or obligation
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
hanky
C2+
/ˈhæŋki/
an informal term for a handkerchief
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
haw
C2+
/hɔː/
the fruit of the hawthorn; to hesitate in speech with a drawling sound
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
hon
C2+
/hʌn/
an informal term of affection, short for honey
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
icebox
C2+
/ˈaɪsˌbɑks/
an insulated cabinet cooled by ice; an early or informal term for a refrigerator
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
inequation
C2+
/ˌɪnɪˈkweɪʒən/
a mathematical statement that two quantities are not equal; an inequality
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
infix
C2+
/ˈɪnfɪks/
an affix inserted within a word, or to fix something firmly inside
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
insolence
C2+
/ˈɪnsələns/
rude and disrespectful behavior or speech
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
interlocution
C2+
/ˌɪntɚloʊˈkjuʃən/
dialogue or conversation; an interchange of speech
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
jabberwocky
C2+
/ˈdʒæbərˌwɑki/
meaningless or nonsensical language
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
lingua
C2+
/ˈlɪŋɡwə/
a tongue or tongue-like part; a language (as in lingua franca)
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
mam
C2+
/mæm/
a familiar or dialectal word for one's mother
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
mantra
C2+
/ˈmæntrə/
a repeated word or phrase used in meditation or as a guiding principle
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
meed
C2+
/mid/
a deserved reward or recompense; an archaic term for due praise
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
missive
C2+
/ˈmɪsɪv/
a written message or letter, especially a formal one
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
modifier
C2+
/ˈmɑdəˌfaɪər/
a word or element that qualifies or limits the meaning of another
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
muttering
C2+
/ˈmʌtərɪŋ/
low, indistinct, often discontented speech
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
numeral
C2+
/ˈnumərəl/
a symbol or word denoting a number
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
oxymoron
C2+
/ˌɑksiˈmɔrɑn/
a figure of speech combining contradictory terms
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
papa
C2+
/ˈpɑpə/
an affectionate or childish term for one's father
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
pard
C2+
/ˈpɑrd/
an archaic word for a leopard or panther
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
portmanteau
C2+
/pɔrtˈmæntoʊ/
a large traveling bag; a word blending two others (e.g. smog)
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
prescriptionist
C2+
/prɪˈskrɪpʃənɪst/
one who advocates strict rules of correct usage, especially in language
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
prosody
C2+
/ˈprɑsədi/
the patterns of rhythm, stress, and intonation in speech or verse
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
qualifier
C2+
/ˈkwɑləˌfaɪɚ/
a word or thing that limits or modifies the meaning of another
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
reremouse
C2+
/ˈrɪrˌmaʊs/
an archaic or dialectal word for a bat (the flying mammal)
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
retort
C2+
/rɪˈtɔrt/
a sharp or witty reply; to answer back sharply
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
roy
C2+
/rɔɪ/
an archaic or dialectal word for a king
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
sass
C2+
/sæs/
impudent or cheeky talk; to speak impertinently to someone
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
sia
C2+
/ˈsiə/
a dialectal or archaic spelling of "say" used in northern English speech
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
slander
C2+
/ˈslændər/
a false spoken statement that damages someone's reputation
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
specs
C2+
/spɛks/
informal term for spectacles or for technical specifications
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
spud
C2+
/spʌd/
an informal word for a potato
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
suppletion
C2+
/səˈpliʃən/
in linguistics, the use of an unrelated form to complete a word's paradigm
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
sweetie
C2+
/ˈswiti/
a term of endearment, or informally a piece of candy
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
tosh
C2+
/tɑʃ/
British informal term for nonsense or rubbish
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
treacher
C2+
/ˈtrɛtʃɚ/
archaic term for a traitor or deceiver
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
treacle
C2+
/ˈtriːkəl/
British term for molasses; cloying sentimentality
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
trimester
C2+
/traɪˈmɛstɚ/
a period of three months, especially of a pregnancy or academic term
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
tum
C2+
/tʌm/
an informal or childish word for the stomach
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
twelvemonth
C2+
/ˈtwɛlvmʌnθ/
an archaic term for a period of one year
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
undern
C2+
/ˈʌndɚn/
an archaic term for the forenoon or, later, the afternoon meal-time
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
untruth
C2+
/ʌnˈtruθ/
a statement that is not true; a lie or falsehood
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
verity
C2+
/ˈvɛrɪti/
a true statement or principle; the quality of being true
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
watchword
C2+
/ˈwɑtʃ.wɝd/
a word or phrase serving as a guiding principle or as a password
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
equivocation
C1
/ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃən/
the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
harangue
C1
/həˈræŋ/
a lengthy and aggressive speech or lecture
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
inflection
C1
/ɪnˈflɛkʃən/
a change in the form of a word to show grammatical features
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
quine
C2
/kwaɪn/
a self-replicating program or statement that outputs its own source code
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
affidavit
C1
/ˌæf.ɪˈdeɪ.vɪt/
A written statement that someone swears to be true, used as evidence in a court of law
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
illiberality
C2
An illiberal word or action
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
conferva
C2
/kənˈfɝvə/
an obsolete or historical botanical term for threadlike freshwater algae, formerly grouped in the genus Conferva
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
lameter
C2+
/ˈleɪ.mɪ.tɚ/
a dated Scottish and dialectal term for a person who has difficulty walking; now potentially offensive
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
lipspeech
C2+
/ˈlɪpˌspiːtʃ/
speech articulated with the lips and mouth, especially when contrasted with signing or with the visual interpretation of speech by lip-reading
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
cadeau
C2+
/kaˈdoʊ/
a gift or present; a consciously French or literary term in English
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
aliorelative
C2+
/ˌeɪ.li.oʊˈrɛl.ə.tɪv/
in logic, a relation that no term bears to itself; an irreflexive relation
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
enclitic
C2
/ɪnˈklɪt.ɪk/
a clitic that is phonologically dependent on and attaches to the preceding word
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
sockdolager
C2+
/ˌsɑːkˈdɑːlədʒɚ/
dated US informal: a decisive blow, overwhelming answer, or event that settles a matter
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
Santali
C2
/sænˈtɑːli/
an Austroasiatic language spoken chiefly by Santal communities in eastern India, Bangladesh, and Nepal
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
laconism
C2+
/ˈlækəˌnɪzəm/
extreme brevity in speech or writing
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
wanker
C1
/ˈwæŋkə/
A strongly offensive British and Commonwealth insult for a person regarded as stupid, annoying, or self-important.
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
agree on
A1
to reach a shared decision or consensus about something
Prepositional verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
agree to
A1
to accept or consent to a proposal or plan
Prepositional verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
agree with
A1
to share the same opinion as someone, or to think something is correct
Prepositional verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
ask about
A1
to inquire or seek information concerning something
Prepositional verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
ask for
A1
to request or seek something from someone
Prepositional verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
bandy about
C2
to mention or discuss something casually without careful consideration
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
beg off
A2
to ask to be excused from something you had agreed to do
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
blurt out
B2
to say something suddenly without first thinking about whether to say it
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
brush aside
A2
to dismiss something without giving it proper attention or consideration
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
brush off
A2
to reject or dismiss a person or concern with little consideration
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
bugger off
C2+
to go away, used as a rude British command
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
buzz off
B2
to go away immediately, especially as a rude informal command
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
check off
A1
to mark an item on a list to show that it has been examined or completed
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
chew up
B2
to criticize someone severely and angrily
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
chime in
C2
to join a conversation by adding a comment
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
clue in
A2
to give someone information that helps them understand a situation
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
come across
A1
to communicate a message or impression so that other people understand it
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
confer with
C1
to consult someone for advice or discussion
Prepositional verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
confide in
C1
to tell someone private information because one trusts them
Prepositional verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
dash off
B2
to write something quickly, with little time spent revising it
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
disagree with
A2
to hold a different opinion from someone or about something
Prepositional verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
dredge up
C2
to bring an unpleasant event or memory back into discussion
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
drown out
B1
to make a sound impossible to hear by producing a louder sound
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
explain away
A2
to give an explanation intended to make a troubling fact seem unimportant
Phrasal verb
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off