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.
518 words
jellyfish
B2
/ˈdʒɛliˌfɪʃ/
a soft sea animal with a gelatinous body and stinging tentacles
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tail-feather
C1
/ˈteɪlˌfɛðər/
one of the feathers in a bird's tail
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wing-feather
C1
/ˈwɪŋˌfɛðər/
one of the feathers of a bird's wing
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elytron
C2
/ˈɛl.ɪˌtrɑːn/
one of the hardened front wings of a beetle or similar insect that covers and protects the flight wings
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nervure
C2
/ˈnɝvjʊr/
one of the rigid veins that support an insect's wing
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lepidopteron
C2+
/ˌlɛpɪˈdɑptərən/
an insect of the order Lepidoptera, comprising butterflies, moths, and skippers
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zoophagy
C2+
/zoʊˈɑfədʒi/
the feeding on animals or animal matter; carnivorous feeding
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wood sorrel
C2
/ˈwʊd ˌsɔːr.əl/
any herb of the genus Oxalis, especially woodland species with sour sap, compound leaves, and five-petaled white, pink, purple, or yellow flowers
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niata
C2+
/niˈɑː.tə/
an extinct breed of small South American cattle, formerly found in Argentina and Uruguay, distinguished by a very short, broad, upturned muzzle and projecting lower jaw
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tropilla
C2+
/troʊˈpiː.jə/
in Argentina and Uruguay, a group of riding horses kept together, traditionally trained to follow a bell mare
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surmullet
C2+
/ˌsɚˈmʌlɪt/
a red mullet or related goatfish, a brightly colored marine fish with sensory barbels beneath its chin
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aperea
C2+
/ˌɑːpəˌriˈɑː/
a wild South American cavy of the species Cavia aperea, closely related to the domestic guinea pig
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coleoptera
C2+
/ˌkoʊ.liˈɑːp.tə.rə/
beetles collectively; insects of the order Coleoptera, characterized by hardened forewings that protect the flight wings
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phorusrhacos
C2+
/ˌfɔːrəsˈrɑːkɑːs/
an extinct giant flightless predatory bird of the South American genus Phorusrhacos, known from Miocene fossils
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chaise cart
C2+
/ˈʃeɪz ˌkɑɹt/
historical: a light horse-drawn cart or carriage suitable for driving, typically used for local travel
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hen harrier
C2+
/ˈhɛn ˌhɛriɚ/
a long-winged Eurasian bird of prey (Circus cyaneus) whose male is pale gray and whose female is brown; historically also a name for the closely related North American northern harrier
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fishhawk
C2+
/ˈfɪʃˌhɔk/
an osprey, a large bird of prey that dives feet-first to catch fish
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neuration
C2
/nuˈreɪʃən/
the pattern or arrangement of veins, especially in an insect's wing and sometimes in a leaf
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southernwood
C2
/ˈsʌðɚnˌwʊd/
an aromatic shrubby species of wormwood (Artemisia abrotanum), grown for its finely divided leaves and lemon-like scent
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co-adaptation
C2+
/ˌkoʊˌædæpˈteɪʃən/
mutual or coordinated adaptation between species, organs, traits, or genes
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dragonet
C2
/ˈdræɡənɛt/
any small, often brightly colored, scaleless bottom-dwelling marine fish of the family Callionymidae
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cymophane
C2+
/ˈsaɪ.məˌfeɪn/
a translucent yellowish or greenish variety of chrysoberyl displaying chatoyancy, commonly called cat's-eye
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fishbelly
C2+
/ˈfɪʃˌbɛli/
the underside or belly of a fish
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clypeus
C2
/ˈklɪpiəs/
a shieldlike plate on the front of an insect's head, between the frons and the upper lip
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pygidium
C2
/paɪˈdʒɪdiəm/
the terminal dorsal plate or last exposed abdominal segment of certain insects
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horsecloth
C2+
/ˈhɔːrsklɔːθ/
a blanket, rug, or decorative cloth used to cover a horse or forming part of its trappings
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vibrissa
C2
/vɪˈbɹɪsə/
one of the long, stiff, highly sensitive hairs on the snout or face of many mammals; a whisker
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entozoon
C2+
/ˌɛntəˈzoʊɑːn/
historical zoology: an animal parasite living inside another animal, especially an intestinal or tissue-dwelling worm
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honeysucker
C2+
/ˈhʌniˌsʌkɚ/
historical or regional: a sunbird, especially one of the nectar-feeding birds of Africa or southern Asia
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interoperculum
C2+
/ˌɪntəroʊˈpɜːrkjələm/
ichthyology: one of the bones in the opercular series of a bony fish, lying below the preopercle and between neighboring gill-cover bones
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mesothorax
C2
/ˌmɛzəˈθɔˌræks/
the middle of the three segments of an insect's thorax, bearing the second pair of legs and, when present, the forewings
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metasternum
C2
/ˌmɛtəˈstɝnəm/
entomology: the ventral exoskeletal plate of an insect's metathorax
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prosternum
B2
/proʊˈstɝnəm/
entomology: the ventral exoskeletal plate of an insect's prothorax
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musk deer
C2+
/ˈmʌskˌdɪr/
a small tusked, antlerless Asian hoofed mammal of the family Moschidae, whose males have traditionally been hunted for a musk-producing gland
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Great Dane
C2+
/ˌɡreɪt ˈdeɪn/
a very large, tall domestic dog of a smooth-coated breed
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gaggle
C2
/ˈɡæɡl̩/
a group of geese, especially on land or water
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frighten off
A2
to make someone or something go away by causing fear
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prick up
B2
to rise or stand upright, especially in response to a sound
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