TOEFL Vocabulary List

• campus — the grounds and buildings of a school
• building — a structure with rooms for people
• entrance — the place where people go in
• exit — the place where people go out
• hallway — an indoor passage between rooms
• stairs — steps connecting different floors
• elevator — a machine carrying people between floors
• floor — one level of a building
• room — an enclosed space inside a building
• desk — a table used for work or study
• counter — a surface where staff serve visitors
• office — a room used for administrative work
• library — a place to borrow or use books
• laboratory — a room equipped for experiments
• classroom — a room where a class meets
• studio — a room for creative or practical work
• auditorium — a large room for talks or performances
• cafeteria — a place where meals are served
• dormitory — a building where students live
• parking — space set aside for vehicles
• shuttle — a vehicle traveling a regular short route
• route — the path used to reach a place
• path — a way for walking or traveling
• corner — the point where two sides meet
• direction — the way toward a destination
• distance — the amount of space between places
• nearby — not far away
• opposite — across from or facing something
• beside — next to something
• behind — at the back of something
• ahead — farther forward
• upstairs — on a higher floor
• downstairs — on a lower floor
• cross — to move from one side to another
• enter — to go into a place
• leave — to go away from a place
• arrive — to reach a place
• depart — to go away from a starting place
• follow — to move along a route or instruction
• return — to come or go back

Campus places and movement: table and quiz →

• schedule — a plan showing times for activities
• calendar — a chart of dates and events
• appointment — an arranged meeting at a set time
• deadline — the last time something can be done
• period — a length of time
• session — a scheduled period of activity
• semester — one main part of an academic year
• term — a defined period of study
• weekend — Saturday and Sunday
• morning — the early part of the day
• afternoon — the part of day after noon
• evening — the later part of the day
• early — before the expected time
• late — after the expected time
• delay — a wait beyond the plan
• cancel — to decide an event will not happen
• postpone — to move an event to a later time
• reschedule — to give an event a new time
• confirm — to make certain a plan is settled
• reserve — to hold a place or item for later use
• register — to put a name on an official list
• enroll — to join a course or program officially
• apply — to request formal consideration
• request — to ask for something formally
• submit — to send work or information for review
• collect — to gather or pick up something
• deliver — to bring something to a person or place
• borrow — to take something with permission and return it
• lend — to let someone use something temporarily
• renew — to extend a period of permission
• available — ready to be used or obtained
• unavailable — not ready to be used or obtained
• open — operating or accessible
• closed — not operating or accessible
• staff — people who work for an organization
• service — help provided to users or customers
• support — help that makes an activity possible
• fee — money paid for a service
• refund — money returned after a payment
• receipt — a record showing payment or delivery

Schedule and campus services: table and quiz →

• course — a planned series of lessons
• class — a group meeting to learn
• lesson — one period or unit of teaching
• lecture — a talk that teaches a subject
• seminar — a small class based on discussion
• workshop — a session for guided practice
• assignment — a task given to a student
• homework — schoolwork completed outside class
• project — a planned piece of work with a goal
• exercise — a task used for practice
• quiz — a short test
• exam — a formal assessment of learning
• grade — a mark that evaluates work
• score — a number showing performance
• credit — recognition toward completing a program
• major — a student's main field of study
• subject — an area that is studied
• topic — the matter being discussed
• chapter — a numbered section of a book
• page — one side of a sheet in a book
• paragraph — a group of sentences about one idea
• sentence — a group of words expressing a thought
• question — words asking for information
• answer — information given in reply
• example — a case used to explain an idea
• detail — a small but meaningful fact
• idea — a thought or plan
• point — one part of an argument or explanation
• main — most important
• basic — simple and necessary as a starting point
• review — to examine again for understanding
• practice — to repeat an activity to improve
• study — to work at learning a subject
• learn — to gain knowledge or skill
• teach — to help someone learn
• explain — to make an idea clear
• describe — to tell what something is like
• summarize — to state the main points briefly
• compare — to examine similarities and differences
• discuss — to exchange ideas about a subject

Classroom work: table and quiz →

• book — a written work with bound pages
• textbook — a book used to teach a subject
• article — a short written work on a topic
• paper — a written assignment or research report
• draft — an early version of a written work
• outline — a plan showing the main parts of a work
• note — a brief written reminder or observation
• notebook — a book of blank pages for writing
• folder — a holder for papers or digital files
• file — a stored document or set of records
• document — a written or electronic record
• form — a sheet with spaces for information
• label — words that identify an item
• title — the name of a work
• heading — words naming a section of text
• list — a series of items written in order
• table — information arranged in rows and columns
• chart — a visual display of information
• graph — a drawing that shows numerical relationships
• map — a drawing showing where places are
• diagram — a drawing that explains parts or steps
• image — a visual representation of something
• photo — a picture made with a camera
• record — stored information about an event
• copy — another version of the same material
• version — one form of something that may change
• edition — a published form of a book
• source — where information comes from
• reference — a source named for support or further reading
• quotation — words repeated from another source
• caption — brief text explaining an image
• link — a connection to another digital page
• website — a collection of related pages online
• screen — the surface where a device displays information
• keyboard — the keys used to enter text
• device — a piece of equipment made for a task
• printer — a machine that puts digital text on paper
• scan — to make a digital image of a document
• download — to copy data from an online source
• upload — to send data from a device to a system

Study materials and records: table and quiz →

• student — a person who studies in a school or course
• teacher — a person who helps others learn
• professor — a university teacher or scholar
• instructor — a person who teaches a class or skill
• classmate — a person in the same class
• partner — a person working with another person
• member — a person belonging to a group
• team — people working together toward a goal
• group — people gathered for a shared purpose
• leader — a person guiding a group
• organizer — a person who arranges an activity
• coordinator — a person who connects parts of a plan
• volunteer — a person who helps without being paid
• visitor — a person who comes to a place temporarily
• participant — a person who takes part in an activity
• audience — people who watch or listen to a presentation
• speaker — a person who gives a talk
• listener — a person who pays attention to sound or speech
• writer — a person who creates written work
• reader — a person who reads written material
• editor — a person who improves text before publication
• advisor — a person who gives guidance
• supervisor — a person who oversees work
• assistant — a person who helps someone with a task
• contact — a person to reach for information or help
• introduce — to tell people about someone for the first time
• invite — to ask someone to take part
• join — to become part of a group or activity
• share — to let others use or know something
• help — to make another person's task easier
• ask — to seek information or assistance
• reply — to answer a message or question
• agree — to have the same opinion or accept a plan
• disagree — to have a different opinion
• suggest — to offer an idea for consideration
• recommend — to advise choosing a particular option
• decide — to choose after thinking about options
• choose — to select from available options
• prepare — to get ready for an activity
• contribute — to add work or ideas to a shared effort

People and teamwork: table and quiz →

• message — information sent from one person to another
• email — a message sent electronically
• letter — a written message sent to someone
• notice — a public or formal announcement
• announcement — a statement making news known
• reminder — a message that helps someone remember
• instruction — a direction telling someone what to do
• guide — information that helps someone complete a task
• conversation — an exchange of spoken ideas
• interview — a meeting in which questions are asked
• meeting — a gathering to discuss or decide something
• presentation — a talk given to an audience
• report — an account of facts or findings
• speech — words spoken to an audience
• call — a conversation by telephone or video
• questionnaire — a set of questions used to collect information
• comment — a spoken or written opinion
• feedback — comments intended to improve work
• opinion — a personal judgment about something
• fact — information that can be checked
• reason — an explanation for an action or belief
• purpose — the aim of an action
• meaning — the idea expressed by a word or action
• clarify — to make something easier to understand
• repeat — to say or do something again
• mention — to refer to something briefly
• state — to express something clearly
• tell — to give information in words
• say — to express something aloud
• speak — to communicate with spoken words
• listen — to pay attention to sounds
• hear — to notice a sound
• read — to understand written words
• write — to put words into visible form
• spell — to name or write the letters of a word
• translate — to express meaning in another language
• communicate — to exchange information or ideas
• inform — to give someone information
• respond — to answer or react to something
• announce — to make information known publicly

Messages and conversation: table and quiz →

• problem — a situation needing a solution
• issue — a matter that needs attention
• difficulty — something that is hard to do
• challenge — a demanding task or situation
• mistake — an action or answer that is not correct
• error — a failure to be accurate
• confusion — a lack of clear understanding
• accident — an unplanned event that causes harm or trouble
• damage — harm that makes something less useful
• shortage — a lack of enough of something
• loss — the state of no longer having something
• risk — the chance of an unwanted result
• limit — the greatest amount allowed or possible
• rule — an instruction about what is allowed
• requirement — something that must be done or provided
• permission — approval to do something
• warning — a message about possible danger or trouble
• safe — unlikely to cause harm
• dangerous — likely to cause harm
• careful — taking steps to avoid mistakes or harm
• check — to look at something for accuracy
• noticeable — easy to see or recognize
• missing — not present where expected
• broken — damaged and unable to work properly
• repair — to make a damaged thing work again
• fix — to correct a problem
• solve — to find an answer to a problem
• replace — to put something else in place of an item
• change — to make or become different
• improve — to make something better
• adjust — to make a small change
• avoid — to stay away from a problem or action
• prevent — to stop something from happening
• protect — to keep something from harm
• save — to keep something from being lost or wasted
• need — to require something
• allow — to make an action possible or permitted
• refuse — to say that something will not be accepted
• complain — to express unhappiness about a problem
• apologize — to say one is sorry for a mistake

Problems and solutions: table and quiz →

• today — the present day
• tomorrow — the day after today
• yesterday — the day before today
• recently — not long ago
• soon — after a short time
• later — after the present time
• before — earlier than a time or event
• after — later than a time or event
• during — within the time of an event or period
• while — at the same time as something else
• until — up to a particular time
• since — from a past time to a later time
• always — on every occasion
• usually — on most occasions
• often — many times
• sometimes — on some occasions
• rarely — not often
• never — at no time
• first — coming before all others
• last — coming after all others
• next — following immediately after
• previous — coming before the current one
• current — happening or existing now
• future — time that has not happened yet
• past — time that has already happened
• hour — a period of sixty minutes
• minute — a period of sixty seconds
• daily — happening each day
• weekly — happening each week
• monthly — happening each month
• annual — happening once a year
• several — more than two but not many
• few — a small number
• many — a large number
• enough — as much as is needed
• extra — more than the usual or needed amount
• total — the amount after all parts are added
• average — a value representing a group of numbers
• half — one of two equal parts
• double — twice as much or as many

Time and quantity: table and quiz →

• large — great in size
• small — limited in size
• wide — great from side to side
• narrow — small from side to side
• deep — extending far below a surface
• shallow — not deep
• long — extending far from end to end
• short — limited in length or time
• heavy — having much weight
• light — having little weight
• strong — able to resist force or pressure
• weak — lacking strength or effectiveness
• simple — having few parts or steps
• complex — having many connected parts
• clear — easy to see or understand
• unclear — hard to see or understand
• common — found or happening often
• unusual — different from what is typical
• similar — having many features in common
• different — not the same
• equal — the same in amount or value
• important — having a strong effect or value
• useful — helping achieve a purpose
• necessary — required for a purpose
• possible — able to happen or be done
• impossible — unable to happen or be done
• correct — free from an error
• incorrect — containing an error
• accurate — matching the facts closely
• exact — fully matching a stated amount or description
• general — concerning a broad group or pattern
• specific — concerning one particular thing
• local — related to a nearby area
• global — related to the whole world
• public — open to or involving everyone
• private — limited to particular people
• natural — existing without being made by people
• artificial — made by people rather than nature
• physical — related to matter or the body
• digital — stored or handled by electronic systems

Features and relationships: table and quiz →

• begin — to start an activity
• finish — to bring an activity to an end
• continue — to keep doing something
• stop — to end an activity or movement
• start — to begin doing something
• complete — to finish all required parts
• plan — to decide how to do something
• organize — to arrange parts in a useful order
• arrange — to put things in a particular order
• manage — to direct or handle a task
• use — to put something to work for a purpose
• create — to make something new
• build — to make something by joining parts
• make — to produce or cause something
• find — to discover or locate something
• search — to look carefully for something
• look — to direct attention toward something
• observe — to notice something by watching carefully
• show — to make something visible or clear
• include — to have something as a part
• remove — to take something away
• add — to put something together with something else
• connect — to join things together
• separate — to move things apart
• divide — to split into parts
• sort — to arrange by type or order
• count — to find the number of items
• measure — to find size or amount with a standard
• calculate — to find an answer using numbers
• estimate — to make a reasoned approximate guess
• detect — to discover something that is not obvious
• remember — to bring past information to mind
• forget — to fail to keep something in mind
• understand — to know the meaning of something
• identify — to recognize and name something
• select — to choose from a group
• focus — to give attention to one thing
• consider — to think carefully about something
• expect — to think something is likely to happen
• result — what happens because of an action

Everyday learning and change: table and quiz →

• analyze — to examine parts to understand a whole
• argument — a reasoned case supporting a position
• assert — to state a position with confidence
• assumption — an idea accepted without direct proof
• attribute — to connect an effect to a cause
• contend — to argue that a particular claim is true
• claim — a statement presented as true
• conclude — to reach a judgment from information
• context — circumstances that give something meaning
• contrast — to show meaningful differences
• counterargument — a reasoned objection to a position
• debate — a structured exchange of opposing views
• define — to state the meaning or limits of a term
• demonstrate — to show clearly through evidence or action
• emphasize — to give special attention to a point
• evaluate — to judge the quality or value of something
• evidence — information used to support a conclusion
• examine — to inspect closely and carefully
• illustrate — to explain by giving an example
• imply — to suggest without stating directly
• infer — to reach a conclusion from clues
• interpret — to explain the meaning of something
• justify — to give good reasons for a choice or view
• perspective — a particular way of viewing a subject
• predict — to say what is likely to happen
• premise — a statement on which an argument depends
• qualify — to limit or add conditions to a claim
• relevance — the connection of information to a question
• reliable — likely to be accurate and dependable
• represent — to stand for or describe something
• significance — the importance of a finding or event
• speculate — to form an idea without enough evidence to be sure
• substantiate — to support a claim with evidence
• suppose — to consider something as possible or true
• theory — an organized explanation of observations
• valid — well supported or logically acceptable
• viewpoint — a position from which someone judges a matter
• warrant — an assumption connecting evidence to a claim
• weigh — to compare the strength of different factors
• withdraw — to take back a claim or request

Argument and interpretation: table and quiz →

• abstract — a short summary of a research work
• accuracy — how closely a measurement matches reality
• assess — to judge after examining evidence
• baseline — a starting measure used for comparison
• category — a group whose members share a feature
• code — to assign labels to information for analysis
• compile — to bring information together in one place
• correlate — to vary together in a measurable way
• criteria — standards used to make a judgment
• database — an organized collection of information
• dataset — a set of records used for analysis
• distribution — the way values are spread across a group
• experiment — a planned test of an idea
• factor — a condition that can influence a result
• finding — an outcome discovered through investigation
• frequency — how often something happens
• generate — to produce something through a process
• isolate — to separate one factor for close study
• indicator — a sign or measure of a condition
• conduct — to carry out a study or other organized activity
• method — a planned way of doing something
• model — a simplified representation of a system
• monitor — to watch or measure over time
• objective — based on evidence rather than personal preference
• observation — information gathered by watching or measuring
• parameter — a value or boundary defining a system
• pattern — a repeated arrangement or trend
• percentage — a number expressed out of one hundred
• precision — how closely repeated measurements agree
• procedure — an ordered set of actions
• ratio — a relationship between two amounts
• replicate — to repeat a study or result under similar conditions
• sample — a selected part of a larger group
• scale — a range or system used for measuring
• survey — questions used to collect information from people
• trend — a general direction of change
• variable — a feature that can take different values
• verify — to check whether something is true
• volume — an amount of space or material
• yield — the amount produced by a process

Research and data: table and quiz →

• accelerate — to increase speed or rate
• adapt — to change in response to conditions
• alter — to make something different
• arise — to come into existence
• capacity — the amount something can hold or do
• cause — something that makes an event happen
• compensate — to make up for a loss or weakness
• consequence — a result that follows an action
• constraint — a limit on what can be done
• cycle — a repeating sequence of events
• decline — to become smaller or weaker
• derive — to obtain from a source or process
• develop — to grow or become more advanced
• disrupt — to interrupt normal activity
• effect — a change produced by a cause
• emerge — to become visible or known
• enable — to make an activity possible
• enhance — to improve the quality or amount
• expand — to grow in size or range
• exposure — contact with an influence or condition
• fluctuate — to rise and fall irregularly
• influence — the power to affect a result
• interact — to affect one another through contact
• maintain — to keep in the same condition
• modify — to change part of something
• occur — to take place
• persist — to continue despite difficulty or time
• phase — one stage in a process
• promote — to encourage growth or activity
• recover — to return to an earlier or healthy state
• reduce — to make smaller or less
• reinforce — to make something stronger
• mediate — to affect how one thing influences another
• restore — to bring back a previous condition
• restrict — to limit what is possible or allowed
• shift — to move or change position
• stabilize — to make something less likely to change
• trigger — to cause a process to begin
• vary — to differ or change
• transform — to change greatly in form or character

Cause, process, and change: table and quiz →

• access — the ability to use or reach something
• allocate — to assign resources for a purpose
• asset — a useful resource or item of value
• consumer — a person who uses goods or services
• community — people linked by place or interest
• competition — effort by rivals to gain the same goal
• cost — money or effort required for something
• demand — the amount people want or need
• diversity — the presence of varied kinds or groups
• economy — the system of producing and using resources
• employment — paid work and the state of having it
• enterprise — an organized business or undertaking
• equity — fairness in treatment or access
• expense — money spent to obtain something
• fund — money set aside for a purpose
• income — money received from work or other sources
• industry — businesses producing a type of goods or service
• infrastructure — basic systems that support a society
• investment — resources used now for a hoped-for future gain
• labor — work done to produce goods or services
• market — a system where buyers and sellers exchange goods
• mobility — the ability to move between places or positions
• network — a set of connected people or systems
• occupation — a person's usual kind of work
• population — all members of a group in an area
• poverty — a lack of resources for basic needs
• production — the making of goods or services
• profit — money left after business costs are paid
• resource — something available for use
• revenue — money received by an organization
• rural — related to the countryside
• scarcity — a situation with less supply than desired
• sector — one part of an economy or society
• standard — an accepted level or measure
• subsidy — financial support for an activity
• supply — the amount available for use or sale
• trade — the exchange of goods or services
• transport — the movement of people or goods
• urban — related to a city
• welfare — people's health and material well-being

Society and economy: table and quiz →

• agency — an organization serving a particular purpose
• authority — the power or right to make decisions
• benefit — an advantage gained from an action
• budget — a plan for spending available money
• committee — a group assigned to consider a matter
• compliance — acting according to a rule or request
• consent — agreement to let something happen
• contract — a formal agreement between parties
• convention — an accepted practice or formal gathering
• coordinate — to organize separate efforts together
• delegate — to give a task to another person
• enforce — to make people follow a rule
• ethics — principles used to judge right action
• facility — a place or equipment serving a purpose
• funding — money provided to support a project
• guideline — advice about how to act
• incentive — something that encourages an action
• initiative — a new effort started to address a need
• institution — an established organization or practice
• mandate — an official order or assigned responsibility
• negotiate — to discuss terms in search of agreement
• obligation — a duty that must be fulfilled
• official — a person with a formal position
• operate — to function or manage an activity
• organization — people structured around a common purpose
• oversight — supervision of a process or institution
• policy — a set of principles guiding decisions
• priority — something given attention before other things
• program — an organized set of related activities
• proposal — a plan offered for consideration
• protocol — a set of rules for a procedure
• regulate — to control through rules or standards
• regulation — an official rule governing conduct
• representative — a person acting for others
• responsibility — a duty to act or account for results
• stakeholder — a person or group affected by a decision
• strategy — a planned approach to a long-term goal
• transparent — easy for others to see or understand
• voluntary — done by choice rather than requirement
• waive — to give up a requirement or right

Institutions and policy: table and quiz →

• abundance — a large amount of something
• agriculture — the growing of crops and raising of animals
• anatomy — the structure of a living body
• biodiversity — the variety of living things in an area
• breed — to produce young through reproduction
• cell — the smallest living unit of an organism
• climate — long-term patterns of weather in an area
• compete — to seek a limited resource against others
• conserve — to use carefully so something remains
• consume — to use up a material or resource
• decompose — to break down into simpler substances
• diet — the foods an organism usually eats
• ecosystem — living things and their physical surroundings
• endangered — at serious risk of disappearing as a species
• environment — conditions surrounding an organism or activity
• evolve — to change across generations
• extinct — no longer existing as a living species
• fertile — able to support growth or reproduction
• habitat — the natural home of a species
• herbivore — an animal that eats plants
• inherit — to receive traits from earlier generations
• invasive — nonnative and causing harm in a new environment
• marine — related to the sea
• migrate — to move seasonally or to a new region
• nutrient — a substance needed for growth and health
• organism — an individual living thing
• predator — an animal that hunts other animals
• prey — an animal hunted by another animal
• reproduce — to produce offspring
• resilience — the ability to recover from disturbance
• species — a group of related organisms classified as one kind
• symbiosis — a close relationship between different species
• territory — an area occupied or defended by an organism
• vegetation — the plants growing in an area
• wildlife — animals living outside human care
• pollinate — to transfer pollen so plants can reproduce
• seedling — a very young plant
• soil — the upper layer of earth where plants grow
• microbe — a living thing too small to see unaided
• photosynthesis — the process by which plants use light to make food

Living systems and ecology: table and quiz →

• atmosphere — the layer of gases around a planet
• circulation — movement around a system or path
• deposit — to leave material on a surface
• erosion — the gradual removal of soil or rock
• fault — a break in rock along which movement occurs
• fossil — preserved remains or traces of ancient life
• friction — resistance when surfaces move against each other
• geology — the study of Earth's materials and history
• glacier — a large mass of ice that moves slowly
• gravity — the force pulling objects toward one another
• groundwater — water held below the land surface
• humidity — the amount of water vapor in the air
• layer — a level of material above or below another
• mass — the amount of matter in an object
• mineral — a natural solid with a characteristic composition
• particle — a very small piece of matter
• pressure — force applied per unit of surface area
• radiation — energy traveling as waves or particles
• react — to change through interaction with another substance
• sediment — material carried and laid down by water or wind
• surface — the outer or upper part of something
• temperature — a measure of how hot or cold something is
• thermal — related to heat
• tectonic — related to movement of Earth's crustal plates
• terrain — the physical features of land
• vapor — a substance in its gas form
• velocity — speed in a given direction
• volcano — an opening where molten rock can reach the surface
• wave — a moving disturbance that carries energy
• weathering — the breaking down of rock at the surface
• compress — to press into a smaller space
• absorb — to take in energy or material
• density — the mass contained in each unit of volume
• evaporate — to change from liquid to gas
• filter — to separate material by passing through a barrier
• fluid — a substance that flows
• reflect — to send light or sound back from a surface
• rotate — to turn around a center
• solar — related to the sun
• transmit — to send energy or information through a medium

Earth and physical systems: table and quiz →

• archive — a collection of historical records
• artifact — an object made or used by people in the past
• chronology — events arranged by when they happened
• civilization — a complex society with lasting institutions
• colonial — related to control of a region by another power
• craft — a skill used to make things by hand
• custom — a shared way of behaving in a group
• documentary — a factual film or program
• dynasty — a series of rulers from one family
• empire — a group of territories controlled by one power
• era — a period with recognizable features
• heritage — traditions and achievements passed down
• historian — a person who studies and explains the past
• identity — the qualities by which a person or group is known
• inscription — words carved or written on a lasting surface
• language — a system used to express meaning
• legend — an old story passed between generations
• literacy — the ability to read and write
• manuscript — a handwritten or unpublished text
• monument — a structure built to remember a person or event
• motif — a recurring design or idea in a work
• narrative — an account of connected events
• oral — spoken rather than written
• origin — the starting point of something
• portrait — an image showing a person
• preserve — to keep something from being lost or damaged
• ritual — an action repeated as part of a tradition
• sculpture — a three-dimensional work of art
• settlement — a place where people establish a community
• symbol — an object or mark standing for an idea
• textile — cloth produced by weaving or similar methods
• tradition — a practice passed from one generation to another
• urbanization — the growth of towns and cities
• vernacular — everyday language used by a community
• visual — related to sight or images
• genre — a recognized type of artistic work
• patron — a person who supports an artist or institution
• revival — a return of interest in an older practice
• style — a recognizable way of making or expressing something
• theme — a recurring central idea

History, language, and culture: table and quiz →

• attention — mental focus on a particular thing
• behavior — the way a person or animal acts
• cognition — mental activity involved in knowing
• collaborate — to work with others on a task
• comprehension — understanding of what is read or heard
• concentration — sustained attention to one thing
• confidence — belief in one's ability or judgment
• cue — a signal that helps someone remember or act
• curriculum — the subjects and skills taught in a program
• diagnose — to identify the nature of a problem
• distraction — something that pulls attention away
• engage — to take part actively or hold interest
• expertise — specialized knowledge or skill
• habit — a behavior repeated regularly
• hypothesis — a testable idea about a possible explanation
• motivation — a reason or desire to act
• perceive — to become aware through the senses or mind
• performance — how well an action or task is done
• preference — a stronger liking for one option
• process — a series of actions leading to an outcome
• recall — to bring stored information back to mind
• recognize — to know something has been seen or learned before
• reflective — involving careful thought about experience
• retain — to keep information or a skill over time
• retrieve — to get information back from memory or storage
• routine — a repeated pattern of actions
• skill — an ability developed through learning or practice
• stimulus — something that causes a response
• task — a piece of work to be completed
• technique — a specific way of doing a task
• transfer — to apply learning in a new situation
• tutor — a person who teaches an individual or small group
• mentor — an experienced person who guides someone else
• novice — a person new to a field or skill
• reflection — careful thought about an experience
• reinforcement — an effect that makes a behavior more likely
• sequence — an ordered series of steps or events
• spontaneous — happening without prior planning
• stress — mental or physical strain from demands
• workload — the amount of work assigned or expected

Learning, memory, and behavior: table and quiz →

• admission — permission to enter a program or institution
• accommodation — a change that helps someone meet a need
• accreditation — formal recognition that standards are met
• appeal — a formal request to review a decision
• attendance — being present at a scheduled activity
• bursar — a school official responsible for financial affairs
• citation — a reference identifying an information source
• credential — a qualification showing training or skill
• degree — an academic award after a program of study
• department — an organizational unit for a subject or service
• elective — a course chosen rather than required
• eligibility — meeting the conditions to participate
• extension — extra time allowed for a task
• faculty — teachers and scholars at an institution
• fellowship — funding awarded for study or research
• grant — money given for a particular purpose
• internship — temporary work intended to provide experience
• orientation — an introduction to a new place or program
• placement — assignment to a role or course level
• portfolio — a collection showing someone's work
• practicum — supervised practical work in a course
• prerequisite — a required course or condition before another
• residence — the place where someone lives
• scholarship — funding awarded to support study
• syllabus — an outline of a course and its requirements
• transcript — an official record of courses and grades
• tuition — the charge for instruction in a school
• waiver — official removal of a requirement or charge
• withdrawal — the act of leaving a course or program
• work-study — paid work connected to student aid
• enrollment — the state or number of people registered
• advising — guidance on courses or academic choices
• commute — to travel regularly between home and school or work
• disability — a condition affecting some everyday activities
• inquiry — a request for information
• interdisciplinary — involving more than one academic field
• probation — a period of conditional enrollment after weak performance
• placement test — an assessment used to assign course level
• registrar — a university official who maintains student records
• waitlist — a list of people waiting for an available place

Academic and campus administration: table and quiz →

• ambiguous — open to more than one reasonable meaning
• anomalous — unexpected in relation to an established pattern
• appraise — to judge quality after close examination
• axiom — a principle accepted as a starting point
• causal — involving one event producing another
• caveat — a warning about a limit or condition
• coherent — forming a clear and connected whole
• concede — to acknowledge a point made by another person
• confound — to make an effect hard to attribute to one cause
• consensus — general agreement among a group
• contradict — to state or show the opposite of a claim
• corroborate — to strengthen a claim with independent evidence
• critique — a careful evaluation of strengths and weaknesses
• deductive — moving from general rules to a particular conclusion
• delineate — to describe the exact limits or features
• discrepancy — a difference between results that should agree
• equivocal — unclear or open to conflicting interpretations
• fallacy — an error in the logic of an argument
• generalize — to apply a finding beyond the cases observed
• hypothetical — based on an imagined situation for analysis
• inductive — moving from particular cases toward a general rule
• juxtapose — to place things side by side for comparison
• nuance — a subtle difference in meaning or judgment
• paradox — a seeming contradiction that may contain truth
• plausible — reasonable enough to be believed
• presuppose — to take an idea for granted in advance
• reconcile — to make conflicting ideas fit together
• refute — to show that a claim is mistaken
• rigorous — careful and strict in method or reasoning
• salient — especially noticeable or important
• scrutinize — to examine with close and critical attention
• scope — the range of subjects covered by a study or claim
• synthesis — a new whole formed from several ideas
• tentative — offered with uncertainty and open to change
• tenable — able to be defended with sound reasons
• undermine — to weaken support for a claim or system
• unequivocal — leaving no reasonable doubt about meaning
• untenable — impossible to defend with good evidence
• soundness — the quality of a deductive argument with valid reasoning and true premises
• defensible — able to be supported by sound reasons

Advanced reasoning and argument: table and quiz →

• aggregate — to combine individual values into a whole
• ascertain — to determine something with reasonable certainty
• benchmark — a reference point used to judge progress
• bias — a systematic influence that distorts a judgment
• calibrate — to adjust an instrument against a standard
• census — a count of every member of a population
• cohort — a group sharing an experience during one period
• confidential — kept from people without permission to know
• control — a condition used to judge the effect of a change
• cross-sectional — comparing groups at one point in time
• denominator — the lower number in a fraction
• deviation — a difference from an expected value or path
• diagnostic — used to identify the source of a problem
• empirical — based on observation or measurement
• extrapolate — to estimate beyond the observed range
• incidence — the rate at which new cases occur
• interval — a space or period between two values
• longitudinal — following the same subjects over time
• magnitude — the size or strength of something
• marginal — small in amount or located at an edge
• metadata — information describing a set of other data
• outlier — a value far from most other values
• prevalence — the share of a group with a condition
• proxy — a substitute measure for something hard to observe
• quantify — to express an amount in numbers
• randomized — assigned by chance to reduce selection bias
• reproducible — able to yield similar results when repeated
• robustness — the ability of a result to hold under changes
• sampling — the selection of a smaller group for study
• sensitivity — how strongly a result changes with an input
• skew — to pull a distribution away from a balanced shape
• stratify — to divide a group into meaningful layers
• threshold — a level at which an effect begins or changes
• triangulate — to check a finding using different methods
• uncertainty — the amount of doubt around an estimate
• variance — a measure of how spread out values are
• comparable — similar enough to support a fair comparison
• generalizable — applicable beyond the particular cases studied
• selection — the process of choosing cases for study
• unobserved — not directly seen or measured

Advanced research and measurement: table and quiz →

• autonomous — able to function without direct outside control
• bottleneck — a narrow point that slows an entire process
• cascade — a chain of effects in which one leads to another
• coalesce — to join into a single whole
• contingency — a possible event requiring a backup plan
• convergence — movement toward a shared point or result
• decentralize — to spread control away from one center
• destabilize — to make a system less steady
• diffuse — to spread through an area or population
• diminish — to become smaller in force or importance
• dormant — inactive but able to become active again
• dynamic — continually changing through interacting forces
• equilibrium — a state in which opposing forces balance
• escalate — to grow quickly in intensity or scale
• exacerbate — to make a problem more severe
• facilitate — to make a process easier to carry out
• framework — a basic structure for organizing ideas
• impede — to slow or block progress
• incremental — occurring through a series of small changes
• inertia — resistance to a change in motion or state
• interdependent — relying on one another
• latent — present but not yet visible or active
• mechanism — the process by which an effect occurs
• mitigate — to reduce the severity of a problem
• offset — to balance one effect with an opposite effect
• pervasive — spread widely through a system
• reconfigure — to arrange parts in a new pattern
• robust — able to withstand stress or variation
• simultaneous — happening at the same time
• sustain — to keep a process going over time
• systemic — affecting a whole connected system
• transient — lasting only a short time
• ubiquitous — found almost everywhere in a setting
• volatile — likely to change suddenly and sharply
• asymmetric — unequal between two sides or directions
• intermittent — starting and stopping at intervals
• residual — remaining after the main part is gone
• self-sustaining — able to continue through its own processes
• oscillate — to move repeatedly between two states
• viable — able to work or survive under real conditions

Complex processes and systems: table and quiz →

• acclimate — to become adjusted to a new environment
• allele — one form of a gene at a particular position
• ancestral — related to earlier generations
• aquatic — living or occurring in water
• biome — a large region defined by climate and living communities
• camouflage — features that help an organism blend into surroundings
• carnivore — an animal that eats other animals
• coexist — to live in the same area at the same time
• colony — a group of organisms living closely together
• commensal — benefiting one species without clearly affecting another
• dispersal — movement of organisms or seeds to new areas
• endemic — naturally found in one particular region
• forage — to search for food in the environment
• gene — a unit of inherited biological information
• genome — an organism's complete set of genetic material
• germinate — to begin growing from a seed or spore
• host — an organism that supports another organism
• immune — able to resist a particular disease or effect
• keystone — having an unusually large ecological influence
• lineage — a chain of descent through generations
• metabolic — related to the chemical processes of life
• mutualism — a relationship in which both species benefit
• niche — the role of a species in its environment
• offspring — young produced by a parent organism
• parasite — an organism living on or in a host at its expense
• phenotype — observable traits shaped by genes and environment
• pioneer — among the first organisms to occupy an area
• propagation — the spread or reproduction of an organism
• predation — the act of hunting and eating another organism
• sedentary — remaining in one place rather than moving widely
• succession — gradual change in a biological community over time
• taxonomy — the classification of living things
• trophic — related to feeding roles in an ecosystem
• vascular — having vessels that move fluids through a body
• viability — the ability to live or develop successfully
• vulnerability — susceptibility to harm or disturbance
• coevolution — reciprocal evolutionary change between species
• depletion — a large reduction in the amount of a resource
• fermentation — chemical breakdown driven by microorganisms
• regeneration — renewal of lost or damaged living tissue

Advanced life science and ecology: table and quiz →

• abrasion — wear caused by repeated rubbing or scraping
• accretion — growth through gradual addition of material
• aerosol — a gas containing suspended droplets or tiny solid particles
• albedo — the fraction of light a surface reflects
• aquifer — an underground layer that stores or carries water
• arid — having very little moisture or rainfall
• buoyancy — the upward force that supports an object in fluid
• combustion — a burning reaction that releases heat
• condensation — the change from gas to liquid
• convection — transfer of heat through moving fluid
• crust — the outer solid layer of a planet
• crystalline — having atoms arranged in a regular pattern
• delta — land built from sediment at a river mouth
• discharge — the flow rate of water past a given point
• drought — a long period with too little rainfall
• geochemical — related to chemicals in Earth's materials
• hydrology — the study of water and its movement
• impermeable — not allowing liquid to pass through easily
• isotope — a form of an element with a different neutron count
• landform — a natural shape of the land surface
• magma — molten rock beneath Earth's surface
• mantle — the thick layer between a planet's crust and core
• moraine — rock and soil left behind by a glacier
• permeable — allowing liquid to pass through
• precipitation — water falling from the atmosphere
• reservoir — a place where water or another material is stored
• salinity — the amount of dissolved salt in water
• seismic — related to earthquakes or ground vibrations
• stratum — one layer of rock or other material
• subduction — movement of one crustal plate beneath another
• turbulence — irregular, swirling movement of a fluid
• watershed — land that drains into one river system
• altitude — height above a reference level
• capillary — a very thin tube through which liquid can move
• coastal — located near the sea
• insulate — to reduce the movement of heat or electricity
• refraction — the bending of a wave as it enters a new medium
• soluble — able to dissolve in a liquid
• viscosity — a fluid's resistance to flowing
• sublimation — a solid changing directly into gas

Advanced Earth and physical science: table and quiz →

• accountability — the duty to explain actions and accept consequences
• austerity — a policy of sharply limiting public spending
• bureaucracy — an administrative system with formal rules
• civic — related to citizens and public life
• coalition — a group joined for a shared purpose
• collective — done or shared by members of a group
• commodity — a basic good bought and sold in markets
• constituency — the people represented by an official or group
• demographic — related to the features of a population
• deregulate — to remove government controls from an activity
• disparity — a large or meaningful difference
• displacement — the forced movement of people from a place
• entrepreneurship — the creation of new business ventures
• externality — a cost or benefit affecting a third party
• fiscal — related to public money and taxation
• inequality — unequal access to resources or opportunities
• jurisdiction — the area or matter under an authority's control
• monopoly — a market controlled by one seller
• norm — a behavior expected within a group
• ordinance — a rule made by a local government
• participatory — involving people in making decisions
• privatize — to move an activity into private ownership
• procurement — the formal process of obtaining goods or services
• reciprocity — a pattern of giving and receiving in return
• redistribution — the movement of resources among groups
• sanction — a penalty used to enforce a rule
• sovereignty — independent authority over a territory
• taxation — the collection of money by a government
• tenure — the right to hold a position or property over time
• underrepresented — present in a smaller share than expected
• workforce — all people available for or engaged in work
• advocacy — public support for a cause or policy
• bilateral — involving two sides or parties
• equitable — fair in its treatment or distribution
• legislation — laws made through a governing body
• lobbying — efforts to influence official decisions
• ratify — to formally approve an agreement
• reform — a change intended to improve an institution
• socialize — to teach or learn a group's expected behavior
• subsidize — to support an activity with money

Advanced society, economy, and policy: table and quiz →

• aesthetic — related to artistic beauty or taste
• allegory — a story whose events represent broader ideas
• allusion — a brief reference to another work or event
• anthropology — the study of human societies and cultures
• archaeology — the study of past societies through material remains
• antiquity — the distant past, especially ancient civilizations
• authenticity — the quality of being genuine rather than copied
• canon — works broadly treated as important in a field
• codex — an early book made of bound pages
• dialect — a regional or social variety of a language
• diaspora — a people dispersed beyond an ancestral homeland
• embellish — to add decorative or sometimes exaggerated details
• ethnography — a close study of a community's practices
• etymology — the study of word origins and histories
• folklore — traditional stories and beliefs shared by a group
• iconography — the symbols and images used in an art tradition
• indigenous — originating in a region before later arrivals
• intertextual — connecting one text with other texts
• linguistic — related to language or its study
• metaphor — a comparison that treats one thing as another
• oral history — a record of the past based on spoken accounts
• patronage — support given to artists or institutions
• provenance — the known history of an object's ownership
• reconstruction — a reasoned rebuilding of something from evidence
• repertoire — the works or skills a performer can present
• rhetoric — the use of language to persuade an audience
• satire — art that uses humor to criticize people or systems
• temporal — related to time or its order
• transcription — a written record made from speech or sound
• vernacularization — the shift toward using everyday local language
• chronicle — a record of events in time order
• conservationist — a person working to protect cultural or natural things
• curator — a person who manages a collection or exhibition
• inscribe — to write or carve words on a surface
• medium — the material or method used to make art
• mythology — a set of traditional stories from a culture
• ornamentation — decorative additions to an object or work
• restoration — work that returns an object toward an earlier state
• ritualized — carried out according to a repeated formal pattern
• syncretism — the blending of different cultural traditions

Advanced history, arts, and language: table and quiz →

• affect — emotion or mood considered as a mental influence
• analogy — a comparison used to explain a relationship
• aptitude — a natural or developed capacity to learn a skill
• automaticity — performing a learned action with little attention
• connotation — an association a word carries beyond its basic meaning
• deliberation — careful thought before a decision
• denotation — the direct or literal meaning of a word
• discourse — connected spoken or written communication
• elicitation — the act of drawing out information or a response
• volition — the capacity to choose and act deliberately
• formative — intended to guide improvement during learning
• heuristic — a practical shortcut for making a judgment
• inhibition — the ability to hold back a response
• intuition — understanding reached without deliberate reasoning
• metacognition — awareness of one's own thinking and learning
• mnemonic — a device that helps memory
• morphology — the structure and formation of words
• perception — the process of interpreting sensory information
• pragmatic — concerned with practical use or context
• priming — the influence of earlier exposure on a later response
• referent — the thing a word or phrase points to
• sociolect — a variety of language associated with a social group
• scaffolding — temporary support that helps a learner master a task
• schema — an organized mental pattern for understanding
• semantic — related to meaning in language
• syntax — the arrangement of words into sentences
• stereotype — an oversimplified belief about a group
• subconscious — occurring without deliberate awareness
• transferability — the degree to which a skill works in new settings
• verbal — related to words or spoken expression
• associative — involving links between ideas or experiences
• cognitive load — the mental effort a task requires
• cohesion — the connection among parts of a text
• elaboration — the addition of detail to deepen understanding
• fluency — the ability to perform smoothly and readily
• interference — one mental process disrupting another
• recursive — repeatedly applying a rule to its own output
• retention — continued memory of learned information
• paralinguistic — communicating through vocal cues beyond words
• working memory — the limited mental space for active information

Advanced cognition and discourse: table and quiz →

• abolish — to formally put an institution or practice to an end
• accrue — to build up gradually over time
• adjudicate — to decide a dispute through a formal process
• assimilate — to absorb into a larger system or body of knowledge
• catalyze — to cause or speed up a change
• characterize — to describe the defining qualities of something
• circumscribe — to set clear limits around a claim or action
• codify — to arrange rules or ideas into a formal system
• consolidate — to combine parts into a stronger whole
• construe — to understand a statement in a particular way
• decipher — to work out the meaning of something unclear
• discern — to notice a difference that is hard to see
• discriminate — to distinguish between different things
• embody — to give a visible form to an idea
• engender — to cause a condition or feeling to develop
• enumerate — to state items one by one
• entail — to involve as a necessary consequence
• envisage — to imagine a possible future situation
• exemplify — to serve as a clear example of something
• formulate — to develop and state an idea precisely
• gauge — to judge the size or level of something
• integrate — to bring parts together into a working whole
• invoke — to refer to an idea or authority for support
• legitimize — to make an action seem acceptable or lawful
• mobilize — to organize resources or people for action
• preclude — to make an outcome impossible
• proliferate — to increase rapidly in number
• rationalize — to provide reasons for an action or system
• recast — to present an idea in a new form
• rectify — to correct a mistake or unfair condition
• render — to cause something to become a particular state
• revitalize — to give new strength or activity to something
• stipulate — to state a condition as part of an agreement
• suppress — to hold back or prevent expression
• transcend — to go beyond a usual limit
• underscore — to emphasize the importance of something
• uphold — to support a rule or decision as valid
• augment — to increase by adding to what exists
• circumvent — to find a way around a barrier or rule
• culminate — to reach a final and often important stage

Advanced academic action verbs: table and quiz →

• algorithm — an ordered procedure for solving a problem
• analog — using a continuous physical signal or form
• amplitude — the height or strength of a wave
• bandwidth — the capacity of a connection to carry data
• binary — based on two possible states or values
• circuit — a closed path through which electricity moves
• coefficient — a number multiplying a variable in an expression
• component — one part of a larger system
• computational — related to processing information by calculation
• continuum — a range with no sharp breaks between points
• discrete — separate and individually distinct
• encryption — the coding of information to restrict access
• exponential — changing by the same proportion over equal intervals
• fraction — a number representing part of a whole
• geometry — the study of shapes and spatial relationships
• gradient — the rate of change across distance or values
• interface — the point where people or systems interact
• iteration — one repetition of a process
• logarithm — the exponent needed to raise a base to a stated number
• matrix — a rectangular arrangement of values
• optimization — finding the best result under given limits
• output — what a system produces
• probability — the chance that an event will happen
• proportional — changing in a consistent ratio
• resolution — the level of detail a display or measure can show
• simulation — a model that imitates a real process
• spatial — related to position or space
• spectrum — a continuous range of related values
• statistical — related to analysis of numerical data
• substrate — a base material on which a process occurs
• throughput — the amount a system can process in a period
• topology — the arrangement of connections in a system
• trajectory — the path followed by a moving object or process
• unit — a standard amount used for measurement
• vector — a quantity with size and direction
• virtual — created by a computer rather than physically present
• approximation — a value close to an exact one
• digitize — to convert information into digital form
• input — information or material put into a system
• wavelength — the distance between matching points on a wave

Quantitative and technology language: table and quiz →