Learn English Vocabulary, Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

One these pages you’ll find lots of help to help you learn English vocabulary in daily conversations.

Don’t forget our sections on learning English Idioms and Phrasal Verbs too.

Top 3 Articles in Vocabulary and Idioms

Learn How To Improve Your English Vocabulary

Vocabulary For An English Language Course

Vocabulary And Idioms Exercises

General English Vocabulary

These pages give you tips and advice for studying, increasing and practising your vocabulary. There’s also help in using a dictionary, and short-cuts, like how to use prefixes and suffixes to effortlessly increase your word power.

50 British English Slang Expressions
These are very common slang expressions that you’re likely to hear in the UK.

50 Ways To Use Just In English
“Just” is a very common word in English, and here are some ways to use it correctly.

English Dictionary
Check out our new English dictionary! Here you’ll find essential words by level for each letter of the alphabet.

Collocations
Know how to put words together, and in particular, which words to use with prepositions.

Learn Synonyms For Very
Be more precise when you speak English.

Improving your English vocabulary
Useful practice activities for expanding your vocabulary.

English studying vocabulary
Words and phrases associated with studying and exams.

How to use an English dictionary
Learn how to make the most from your dictionary.

American and British vocabulary
Some of the differences between British and American English.

Word building in English
How to make new words by adding prefixes before the word.

Swearing and bad words in English
Get these guidelines about swearing and some common expressions.

Holidays and celebrations vocabulary

Vocabulary associated with holidays, celebrating and having fun! There are pages on how to organise a party, different types of holidays, the vocabulary you need for airports, and how to describe weddings and types of entertainment.

English phrases for having fun
Describing a great party or event.

English vocabulary for parties and social occasions
Office parties, and parties at home.

Learn How to Talk About Demonstrations and Protests in English
Political protest vocabulary.

Travel vocabulary
All the vocabulary associated with different types of travel.

Planning a holiday
Everything you need to know about choosing a holiday in English.

English vocabulary for the beach
What to take with you to the beach.

Scenery vocabulary
Describing the landscape.

At the airport
Useful words and phrases for airports.

Words for entertainment in English
Free time activities.

Film vocabulary
All the words you need to describe films and actors.

Marriage and wedding vocabulary
From wedding proposal to wedding reception.

Vocabulary connected with house and home

In this section there are pages on everything to do with your house: the rooms in the house (along with the furniture), the garden, renovation and decoration, and types of house and house structure.

English names for household objects
Words to describe containers and storage.

English words and phrases for renovating, decorating and cleaning your house
Vocabulary for upgrading and cleaning your house.

English vocabulary: buying a house
A guide to some words and phrases for the house-buying process.

English vocabulary for the kitchen

English bedroom vocabulary

House and garden vocabulary
Different types of house structure, construction and gardening terms.

Keeping pets

Conversations with other people

How you interact with other people is important. These pages give you useful vocabulary to communicate in special situations (what to say at particular times of the year, or in specific contexts), for example.

Describing stories in English
Different types of stories in English.

English euphemisms
How to understand what a euphemism is referring to.

How to respond in special situations
Specific vocabulary for different situations.

Talking about people and emotions

In this section are pages to describe people, behaviours and emotions. There are useful words and phrases to give both physical and character descriptions of people, to talk about people in your family, how people behave with others, and types of friendship.

How to use “look” in English
Describe people and situations; and make comments about people.

English words to talk about cultural heroes
Rock stars, film stars and people you admire.

Talking about your family
Your family tree and your relatives.

Describing people in English
Words and phrases to talk about physical appearance.

12 English similes for describing people
How to use the as…as structure to make interesting comparisons

English words that describe behaviour
An A-Z of English words and phrases that describe behaviour.

Talking about anger in English
Different strengths of anger in English.

English words for emotions
The A-Z of words that describe emotions.

Describing friendship in English
Words and phrases to describe friendship.

English health and body vocabulary

Everything you need to know about medical and health matters. These pages give you essential vocabulary for visiting a doctor or a dentist, talking about diet and food, what you will find in a chemist’s, and words and phrases about pregnancy, babies, and minor illnesses and ailments.

Sports verbs
Useful verbs to describe the actions you do in different sports.

English baby vocabulary
Pregnancy and babies in English.

English medical vocabulary
Words and phrases about injuries, illnesses and going to the doctor.

English drugstore and pharmacy vocabulary
Things you will find in a drugstore, pharmacy (or chemist).

English verbs of body movement
The movements you can make with your eyes, mouth, hands, feet, etc.

English food and diet vocabulary
Food, cooking methods, and diets.

Going to the dentist
Words and phrases for visiting a dentist.

Miscellaneous vocabulary

This section has lots of different pages on diverse subjects, ranging from bugs and insects, to words about finance, driving and accidents, how to use two and three word phrases, and so on. There’s something for everyone here!

Colour vocabulary

Winter weather

Creepy crawlies
Insects that you find in your house or garden.

English vocabulary for money, finance and the economy

Driving vocabulary
Driving in an English-speaking country.

English vocabulary about accidents
How to describe the causes of accidents.

Office vocabulary
Words to help you describe objects in an office.

English words for crime and punishment
An a-z list of words dealing with crime, the courts and punishment.

How to use “make” and “do” in English
When to use make or do.

English two-word phrases
Common two-word phrases.

English three-word phrases
Common three-word phrases.

How to use ain’t
Find out how to use this common word!

How to use ‘actually’ correctly
Make sure you avoid this common mistake!

Onomatopoeia
How to use words like “buzz” or “sizzle” to be interesting in English.

English phrases with ‘half’
Speak more naturally with these common expressions!

Basic English vocabulary course

You and your family
Your job and daily routines
Free time activities
English transport vocabulary
Rooms and furniture
English vocabulary for clothes and shoes

Elementary English vocabulary course

Parts of the body
Describing your skills
Feelings and friendship
Planning a day out
Jobs and work

Bonus Vocabulary Resources

Here are some useful sites for developing and practising your English vocabulary.

The Learners Dictionary site gives you the 3000 most essential words to learn. For exercises check out the British Council site.

Finally, for teachers, this Cambridge University site gives you word lists for each level. You need to subscribe, but it’s free.