English Vocabulary
Pick a CEFR level (A1–C2) — 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 27,237 words
489 words
doctor
A1
/ˈdɑktɚ/
A person who is trained and qualified to treat sick or injured people.
hurt
A2
/hɝt/
To cause physical pain or injury to someone.
sick
A1
/ˈsɪk/
Not healthy; ill.
hospital
A1
/ˈhɑs.pɪ.tl̩/
A place where sick or injured people are treated by doctors and nurses.
pain
A2
/peɪn/
An unpleasant physical feeling caused by illness or injury.
burn
A2
/bɔːn/
To be on fire, or to damage or destroy something with fire or heat.
treat
B1
/tɹiːt/
To behave towards or deal with someone or something in a particular way.
medical
A2
/ˈmɛdɪkl̩/
Relating to medicine or the treatment of illness and injury.
drug
A2
/ˈdrʌg/
An illegal substance taken for pleasure that can be addictive, such as cocaine.
health
A1
/hɛlθ/
The general condition of a person's body and mind.
operation
B1
/ˌɑ.pəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
A piece of surgery done on the body by a doctor.
nurse
A1
/nɝs/
A person trained to care for sick or injured people, usually in a hospital.
surgery
B1
/ˈsɝ.d͡ʒə.ɹi/
Medical treatment in which a doctor cuts into the body to repair or remove something.
medicine
A2
/ˈmɛd.ɪ.sɪn/
A substance you take to treat or cure an illness.
ill
A2
/ɪl/
Not in good health; sick.
suffer
B1
/ˈsʌfɚ/
To feel pain, distress, or hardship.
wound
B1
/wyːnd/
An injury to the body, such as a cut, where the skin is broken.
disease
B1
/dɪˈziz/
An illness that affects people, animals, or plants.
treatment
B1
/ˈtɹiːtmənt/
Medical care given for an illness or injury.
cure
B1
/kjɔː(r)/
To make an illness or a sick person healthy again.
ambulance
B1
/ˈæm.bjə.ləns/
A vehicle that takes sick or injured people to hospital quickly.
commit
B1
/kəˈmɪt/
To do something wrong or illegal, such as a crime.
therapy
B2
/ˈθɛɹ.ə.pi/
Treatment intended to cure or relieve a health problem.
clinic
B1
/ˈklɪn.ɪk/
A place where people go for medical treatment, usually without staying overnight.
procedure
B2
/pɹəˈsid͡ʒɚ/
A fixed series of steps for doing something correctly.
surgeon
B1
/ˈsɝd͡ʒən/
A doctor who is trained to perform operations on patients.
heal
B1
/hil/
To become healthy again after an injury or illness.
injury
B1
/ˈɪn.d͡ʒɚ.i/
Physical harm or damage done to the body.
complaint
A2
/kəmˈpleɪnt/
A statement that you are unhappy or annoyed about something.
illness
B1
/ˈɪl.nəs/
The state of being sick or in bad health.
radiation
B1
/ˌɹæɪ.diˈæɪ.ʃən/
Energy that travels as rays, waves, or particles, such as heat or light.
heroin
C2
/ˈhɛɹ.oʊ.ɪn/
a powerful, highly addictive opioid made from morphine, usually illegal and associated with a high risk of overdose and dependence
coma
B2
/ˈkoʊmə/
A deep, prolonged state of unconsciousness, usually caused by serious injury or illness.
cocaine
C1
/koʊˈkeɪn/
an addictive stimulant drug obtained from coca leaves or made synthetically, used illegally and sometimes medically as a local anesthetic
autopsy
C1
/ˈɔtɑpsi/
a medical examination and dissection of a body after death to determine the cause of death or effects of disease
infection
B1
/ɪnˈfɛkʃən/
An illness caused by harmful germs entering the body.
recovery
B1
/ɹɪˈkʌvəɹi/
A return to good health after illness or injury.
examine
B1
/ɪɡˈzæmɪn/
To look at something carefully and in detail.
psychiatrist
C1
/ˌsaɪˈkaɪ.ə.tɹɪst/
A medical doctor who specializes in treating mental illness.
healing
B1
/ˈhiːlɪŋ/
The natural process of the body repairing itself after injury or illness.
specialist
B1
/ˈspɛʃəlɪst/
A person who knows a lot about one particular subject or area of work.
prescription
B1
/pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/
A written order from a doctor for a medicine or treatment.
vet
B1
/vɛt/
A doctor who treats sick or injured animals.
examination
B1
/ɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃən/
A formal test of knowledge or skill, usually written and taken under timed conditions.
refer
A2
/ɹɪˈfɝ/
To mention or talk about something or someone.
transplant
B1
/tɹænsˈplænt/
to move an organ, tissue, or living cells to another part of a body or into another body
asylum
C1
/əˈsaɪləm/
Protection given by a country to someone who has fled danger in their own country.
physician
B2
/fəˈzɪʃən/
A medical doctor, especially one who treats illness with medicine rather than surgery.
portal
B1
/ˈpɔːɹtl̩/
a grand and imposing entrance (often extended metaphorically)
surgical
C1
/ˈsɝd͡ʒɪkəl/
Relating to or used in surgery.
immune
B2
/ɪˈmjuːn/
Protected against a disease, so you cannot catch it.
antidote
C2
/ˈæn.tɪ.doʊt/
A medicine that stops the harmful effects of a poison.
aspirin
B1
/ˈæsp(ɪ)ɹɪn/
A common drug used to reduce pain, fever, and swelling.
diagnosis
C1
/daɪəɡˈnəʊsɪs/
The act of identifying a disease or medical condition, or the conclusion reached.
psychiatric
C1
/ˌsaɪ.kiˈæt.ɹɪk/
Relating to mental illness and its treatment.
potion
B1
/ˈpoʊʃən/
a drink believed to have medicinal, magical, or poisonous effects
consultant
B2
/kənˈsɐl.tənt/
An expert who is paid to give professional advice.
intervention
C1
/ɪntɚˈvɛnʃən/
The act of becoming involved in a situation in order to change or help it.
douche
C2
/duːʃ/
offensive slang: an unpleasant, contemptible, or obnoxious person
swollen
B1
/ˈswoʊ.lən/
Larger than normal, often because of injury or illness.
vaccine
B2
/vækˈsin/
A substance given to people or animals to protect them from a particular disease.
contagious
C2
/kənˈteɪdʒəs/
capable of being transmitted from one person or organism to another, especially through direct or indirect contact
hangover
B2
/ˈhæŋˌoʊ.vɚ/
unpleasant physical or mental effects, such as headache, nausea, and fatigue, felt after drinking too much alcohol
indication
B2
/ɪndɪˈkeɪʃən/
A sign that something exists, is true, or may happen.
asthma
C1
/ˈæzmə/
a long-term respiratory condition in which narrowed, inflamed airways cause wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath
pneumonia
B2
/nuˈmoʊniə/
A serious illness in which the lungs become inflamed, usually caused by an infection.
clinical
C1
/ˈklɪnɪkəl/
Relating to the treatment of patients in a clinic or hospital.
mend
B1
/mɪnd/
To repair something that is broken, torn, or damaged.
diabetes
B2
/ˌdaɪ.əˈbiː.tiːz/
diabetes mellitus, a group of metabolic disorders marked by persistently high blood glucose because insulin is absent or ineffective
remedy
B1
/ˈɹɛmədi/
A medicine or treatment that cures an illness or relieves pain.
serum
B1
/ˈsɪɹəm/
the clear, pale fluid that remains after blood has clotted and blood cells and clotting proteins have been removed
overdose
B2
/ˈoʊvɚˌdoʊs/
an excessive and potentially dangerous or fatal amount of a drug or medicine
orderly
B1
/ˈɔɹdɚli/
Neat, tidy, and well arranged.
infirmary
B1
/ɪnˈfɝməɹi/
a room, ward, or clinic within an institution where sick or injured people receive care
suicidal
C1
/ˌsu.əˈsaɪ.dəl/
relating to suicide, or experiencing thoughts or intentions of ending one's own life
traumatic
C1
/tɹɔˈmætɪk/
Deeply shocking and emotionally painful.
screening
B2
/ˈskɹiːnɪŋ/
The process of testing or checking people or things to find any with a particular feature or problem.
scalpel
C2
/ˈskælpəl/
a small knife with a very sharp blade, used especially in surgery and dissection
sedative
C1
/ˈsɛdətɪv/
a drug that calms a person or reduces nervous system activity, sometimes causing sleep
hiccup
C2
/ˈhɪk.ʌp/
an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm followed by a sudden closure of the vocal cords and a short sound
lotion
A2
/ˈloʊʃən/
a liquid or light cream applied to the skin for cosmetic, soothing, or medical purposes
nauseous
C2
/ˈnɔʃəs/
feeling sick and likely to vomit; affected by nausea
gruesome
C1
/ˈɡɹusəm/
Extremely unpleasant and shocking, usually involving death, injury, or blood.
insulin
B2
/ˈɪnsəlɪn/
a hormone produced by pancreatic beta cells that regulates blood glucose and other aspects of metabolism
damaging
C1
/ˈdæmɪdʒɪŋ/
Causing harm or injury.
dangerously
B1
/ˈdeɪndʒɝəsli/
In a way that could cause harm or injury.
malaria
B2
/məˈlɛəɹi.ə/
A serious disease spread by mosquito bites that causes fever and chills.
postmortem
C1
/ˌpoʊstˈmɔːrtəm/
a medical examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death
paramedic
B2
/ˌpæɹəˈmɛdɪk/
A person trained to give emergency medical care, often before a patient reaches hospital.
hormone
B2
/ˈhoɹmoʊn/
a chemical messenger produced in one part of an organism and carried to other cells or tissues, where it regulates their activity
symptom
B1
/ˈsɪm(p)təm/
A sign of an illness that a person feels or notices, such as pain or a fever.
prescribe
B2
/pɹɪˈskɹaɪb/
To officially tell a patient to use a particular medicine or treatment.
childbirth
C2
/ˈtʃaɪld.bɝːθ/
the process or event of giving birth to a baby at the end of pregnancy
syphilis
C1
/ˈsɪfəlɪs/
a sexually transmitted bacterial infection caused by Treponema pallidum that can progress through several stages if untreated
ulcer
C1
/ˈʌlsɚ/
an open sore on the skin or a mucous membrane in which tissue has been damaged or destroyed
dementia
C2
/dɪˈmɛnʃə/
a syndrome involving progressive decline in memory, reasoning, language, or other cognitive abilities