Vocabulary Lists
Explore our library of over 10,000 curated lists.
CollectionOne May At A Time: An Efflorescence of VocabularyExplore These Lists From the May Calendar
- 25 WordsMay the 4th Be With You – Star Wars Words: May 4
- 20 WordsCinco de Mayo – Words to Celebrate Mexico: May 5
- 13 WordsMotherlode – A Mother's Day Lexicon: May 9
- 12 WordsCollectable Words for National Packrat Day: May 17
- 20 Words"Twelve Days in May" by Larry Dane Brimner, Landmark Events Before the Twelve Days in May: May 4–15
- 27 WordsMemorial Day Words: May 31
CollectionAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthResources for Teachers and Students
- 128 WordsEast Asia - Introductory
- 186 WordsEast Asia - Middle School
- 187 WordsEast Asia - High School
- 110 WordsSoutheast Asia - Introductory
- 170 WordsSoutheast Asia - Middle School
- 171 WordsSoutheast Asia - High School
- 54 WordsPacific Islands - Introductory
- 84 WordsPacific Islands - Middle School and High School
- 99 WordsChinese History - Introductory
- 179 WordsChinese History - Middle School and High School
- 61 WordsJapanese History - Introductory
- 94 WordsJapanese History - Middle School and High School
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I Can Make This PromiseA twelve-year-old girl searches for the truth about her family's Native American heritage. -
The Woman in WhiteIn this 19th-century novel, a drawing teacher unravels a complicated mystery involving mistaken identity and family... -
After Tupac and D FosterIn 1995, a new arrival to their New York City neighborhood changes the lives of Neeka and her best friend. -
Henry IV, Part 2King Henry IV worries that his son Hal, who associates with criminals, is not fit to become King of England. -
ResistanceA Jewish teenager joins the resistance movement against the Nazis during World War II. -
Emily of New MoonAfter the death of her father, Emily Starr moves to New Moon Farm to live with her aunts and cousin. Read the full text...
"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
22-year-old Amanda Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in American history when she read her...
20 Words
"The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol
In this classic Russian short story, a low-level bureaucrat's life is upended when he attempts to...
35 Words
"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell
In this short story, the narrator and other girls raised by wolves try to adapt to life in human...
45 Words
"The Palace Thief" by Ethan Canin
In this story, a classics teacher at an elite prep school must interrogate his own ethics when he...
45 Words
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The Far Away BrothersTwo Teenage Immigrants Making a Life in AmericaIn this nonfiction account, adapted for young adults, twin brothers Ernesto and Raúl make a difficult journey from El... -
All ThirteenThe Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer TeamThis award-winning nonfiction book details the rescue of twelve soccer players and their coach from a flooded cave in... -
Terrible Typhoid MaryA True Story of the Deadliest Cook in AmericaThis biography details the life of Mary Mallon, a cook and "healthy carrier" of typhoid who inadvertently spread the... -
The Grand EscapeThe Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th CenturyThis riveting book tells the true story of a group of prisoners of war who escaped from Germany during World War I. -
The Blind SideThis biography follows Michael Oher from his troubled childhood to his successful career as a professional football... -
You Call This Democracy?How to Fix Our Government and Deliver Power to the PeopleThis nonfiction book examines voting in the United States and identifies ways to make government more democratic and to...
"The Origin of Species by Natural Selection" by Charles Darwin: Essential Words
Charles Darwin expounded his theories on evolution in "The Origin of Species by Natural Selection."...
13 Words
"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
George Orwell reflects on imperialism as he recounts an incident that occurred when he was a police...
30 Words
"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan
In this essay, novelist Amy traces her development as a writer by reflecting on the ways she and her...
20 Words
"Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
This 19th-century transcendentalist essay argues that spending time in nature helps people resist...
30 Words
Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 1
Whether you're hoping to improve your comprehension of reading assignments or simply looking to...
10 Words
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
Whether you're preparing for a standardized test, hoping to improve your comprehension of reading...
25 Words
ASVAB Word Knowledge
The Word Knowledge section of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a vocabulary...
100 Words
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
How can you perform well on the new reading section of the SAT if you don’t fully understand the...
25 Words
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
On the New SAT, all of the Reading Test questions are multiple choice and are based on reading...
25 Words
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
Context is king — that’s the lesson you need to internalize as you begin preparing for the...
25 Words
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
Before you can answer a question on the PARCC English Language Arts/Literacy section, you first need...
45 Words
In the Know: Cogn, Conn
Knowledge is power, so learn these words that derive from the Latin roots cogn and conn, meaning...
12 Words
Perfect Ten: Dec, Cent, Mille
These words derive from the Latin roots dec ("ten"), cent ("hundred"), and mille ("thousand"). Start...
14 Words
Power Suffix: -scope
Have a close look at this list of words that include the suffix -scope, meaning "an instrument for...
10 Words
English Words Derived from Arabic
All of the English words on this lists have Arabic origins. While some, like caliph and imam,...
22 Words
Power Suffix: -escence
Learn this list of words that include the suffix -escence, meaning the "process or state of being."
12 Words
Power Suffix: -acy
Derived from Latin, the English suffix -acy in English means "the state of" or "the quality or...
18 Words
More English Words Derived from Yiddish
English has borrowed many words from Yiddish, which is itself an amalgam of German, Russian, Hebrew...
15 Words
Body Parts: Neur ("Nerve")
You've got a lot of nerve — so learn this list of words that derive the Latin word neuron, meaning...
12 Words
The Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris officially concluded the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain....
30 Words
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
This introduction to the United States Constitution lays out the foundational principles of the...
15 Words
Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
The full title of this declaration includes a focus on citizenship, and it was published two years...
35 Words
"The Declaration of Sentiments" (1848)
The Declaration of Sentiments was presented in July 1848 at the first Women's Rights Convention in...
30 Words
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Shortly before the inauguration of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams appointed many judges and justices....
40 Words
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
In 1951, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) recruited 13 parents...
35 Words
The Constitution of the United States
The Constitution is, quite simply, the basis of American democracy. The document details what the...
40 Words
The Federalist Papers, No. 70 by Alexander Hamilton
Published on March 18, 1788, this essay argues that the executive office should be led by a strong...
40 Words
President Biden's Inaugural Speech (January 2021)
On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, Joseph R. Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United...
40 Words
"Ideas Live On" by Benazir Bhutto (2007)
In this speech, Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, argues for the importance of...
25 Words
Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
At just 272 words long, Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" is widely considered to be one of the...
14 Words
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Beyond Vietnam" (1967)
In this speech, delivered at Riverside Church in New York City, King expresses his opposition to the...
45 Words
"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
In this powerful speech delivered on July 5, 1852, abolitionist Frederick Douglass argued that the...
50 Words
Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
Sojourner Truth's speech at the 1851 Women's Rights Convention in Ohio asked a question that could...
20 Words
President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)
President Trump delivered his second State of the Union Address on February 5, 2019. The President...
25 Words
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
Learn the vocabulary that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used to inspire a generation to break free...
30 Words
Joyous Kwanzaa! Vocabulary Worth Celebrating
Kwanzaa was created by Maulana Karenga in 1966 by as a celebration of African-American culture. It...
14 Words
Celestial Words To Mark The Winter Solstice
The shortest day of the year, December 21, gives us an occasion to learn some vocabulary associated...
13 Words
Punctuation Matters
These punctuation terms are good to know, period. Learn what an apostrophe’s purpose is; find out...
15 Words
Words Every Pirate Should Know
International Talk Like A Pirate Day is celebrated on September 19. In the swashbuckling spirit,...
15 Words
Like A Boss: Words for the Person in Charge
Coming up with just the right word to describe the person in charge won't be a boss battle if you...
10 Words
Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
Whether you're talking about a one-time gig or a lifetime spent advancing in your career, the words...
14 Words
Did You Planet? Words With Surprisingly Spacey Origins
The stars and planets have given us lots of words, but some of them are unexpected. How many of...
10 Words
Over The Moon: Planetary Vocabulary
Planets and their moons have complex relationships as they spin through space around the sun. These...
21 Words
This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for December 26, 2020—January 1, 2021
Stories about the Nashville bombing, Brexit becoming reality, and the discovery of a 2,000-year-old...
20 Words
This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for December 19–25, 2020
Stories about astronomical events, a major hack attack, and one of soccer's biggest records falling...
18 Words
This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for December 12–18, 2020
Stories about good and bad pandemic news, a couple of big spending bills in Congress, and the search...
18 Words
This Week In Words: November 28–December 4, 2020
Stories about a more normal 2021, the discovery of "a prehistoric Sistine Chapel," and exciting news...
20 Words
This Week In Words: November 21–27, 2020
A special Thanksgiving week edition comes to your table stuffed with words for cooking, eating,...
15 Words
This Week In Words: November 14–20, 2020
Bad news about the virus, good news about vaccines, a brilliant meteor shower, and a car made of...
20 Words
Alex Trebek (1940–2020) Tribute List
Alex Trebek, who hosted the hit TV quiz show Jeopardy! from 1984 until this year, died of pancreatic...
13 Words
This Week In Culture: Current Events Vocab for October 31–November 6, 2020
Stories about a struggle over soup, ancient female hunters, and a whale's weight training all...
10 Words
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