The Britannica Dictionary
mobile search
Home
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
×
Britannica Homepage
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
The Britannica Dictionary
3,000 Core Vocabulary Words
Our editors have identified 3,000 English words that are most important to know. Study this list to improve your vocabulary.
Featured topics
100 Essential Words for the TOEFL
: 100 must-have words to study for the TOEFL test
Sports
: Words for popular American sports
Air Travel
: Useful words for traveling on airplanes and through airports
The Environment
: Vocabulary related to environmental science and climate change
Family members
: Relatives and other important people
Jobs/Professions
: Types of jobs and careers
Legal English
: Vocabulary for court trials and other legal proceedings
Words for emotions
: Different feelings that people have
Parts of the Body
: External parts of the human body
Noncount nouns
: Nouns that cannot be counted or be plural
Time adverbs
: Words that tell when and how often
Health
: Words for common medical problems
Personality types
: Adjectives that describe behavior and personality
Periods of time
: Long and short amounts of time
Employment
: Words for work in a company
Academic writing
: About the structure and content of academic writing
College and university life
: Vocabulary for college and university students
Economics
: Concepts in economics
Weather
: Terms that describe weather conditions
Browse the full list alphabetically
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
ASK THE EDITOR
If I say,"My father was a doctor," does this mean that he is no longer living, or that he changed his career?
See the answer »
QUIZZES
Vocabulary Quiz
Test your word power
Take the Quiz »
Name That Thing
Take our visual quiz
Test Your Knowledge »
WORD OF THE DAY
lethargic
:
feeling a lack of energy
Learn More »