IELTS vocabulary — Advanced (≈ band 7+)
Band 7+ IELTS vocabulary
This page lists the Advanced level words in our collection, roughly matching CEFR C1 to C2 and IELTS band 7 and above. These are less frequent, more precise words such as empirical, biodiversity, rehabilitation and methodology. They appear regularly in IELTS Reading passages and, used correctly, they help a Writing or Speaking answer reach the higher bands.
At this level, precision matters more than quantity. Examiners do not reward rare words for their own sake; they reward words used naturally and accurately, with the right collocation and style. A single well-chosen verb, such as facilitate or inhibit, can be more effective than a sentence full of complicated vocabulary. Advanced words also carry a formal tone, so think about register: obtain suits an essay, while "get" is fine in conversation.
The list draws on the academic deck and on the more specialised words in our topic decks. Many are academic words from the New Academic Word List, which is based on a large collection of university texts. Recognising them quickly is a major advantage in Reading, where the meaning of one key word can decide a question.
How to use this level: if you are aiming for band 7 or higher, add ten to fifteen new cards per day. Each new word returns the next day for an overnight review, then at growing intervals as you remember it. Pay attention to the part of speech and example on each card, and add your own note when a word is tricky; the note field is saved on your device and comes back with the card. It is better to learn fewer advanced words well than many words poorly.
The level labels are our own estimate based on CEFR tags and word frequency. They are a planning aid, not an official IELTS measure.
Word list
| Word | Pronunciation | Part of speech | Definition | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| acute | /əˈkjuːt/ | adj. | strong; very serious or severe | C1 |
| ageing | /'eidʒiŋ/ | n. | n acquiring desirable qualities by being left undisturbed for some time; n the organic process of growing older and showing the effects of increasing age | L3 |
| aggregate | /'ægrigət/ | n. | a sum total amount of something | L3 |
| algorithm | /'ælgəriðm/ | n. | a step-by-step problem-solving feature | L3 |
| amenity | /ə'mi:niti/ | n. | n pleasantness resulting from agreeable conditions | L3 |
| amplitude | /'æmplitju:d/ | n. | the breadth, width or largeness of something | L3 |
| antibody | /'æntibɒdi/ | n. | a defense provided by the body against disease | L3 |
| apprentice | /ə'prentis/ | n. | works for an expert to learn a trade; be or work as an apprentice | L3 |
| approximation | /əˌprɒksɪˈmeɪʃən/ | n. | something that is similar, but not an exact copy | C1 |
| arbitrary | /ˈɑːbɪtrəri/ | adj. | unsupported | C1 |
| array | /əˈreɪ/ | n. | a large group of people or things; a regular order or arrangement; in maths: a series of figures. | C1 |
| automate | /'ɔ:təmeit/ | v. | v make automatic or control or operate automatically | L3 |
| automation | /.ɒ:tə'meiʃən/ | n. | the act of implementing the control of equipment with advanced technology; the condition of being automatically operated or controlled | L3 |
| autonomy | /ɔːˈtɒnəmi/ | n. | the power to make independent decisions | C1 |
| backpacker | /'bæk.pækə/ | n. | a hiker who wears a backpack | L3 |
| biased | /'baiəst/ | adj. | favoring one person or side over another | L3 |
| biodiversity | n. | the variation in an environment, the number of different types of life found there | L3 | |
| burglary | /'bə:^ləri/ | n. | entering a building unlawfully with intent to commit a felony or to steal valuable property | L3 |
| calculus | /'kælkjuləs/ | n. | a type of mathematics used for calculating such things as the slopes of curves | L3 |
| censorship | /'sensəʃip/ | n. | n counterintelligence achieved by banning or deleting any information of value to the enemy; n deleting parts of publications or correspondence or theatrical performances | L3 |
| characterization | /,kæriktərai'zeiʃən/ | n. | the way someone or something is described | L3 |
| chromosome | /'krəuməsəum/ | n. | cell structures that carry the genetic material that is copied and passed to the next generation. | L3 |
| chronic | /ˈkrɒnɪk/ | adj. | over a long time; serious | C1 |
| coefficient | /ˌkəʊɪˈfɪʃənt/ | adj. | a number multiplied by a variable in an algebraic expression. | C2 |
| cognitive | /ˈkɒɡnətɪv/ | adj. | the process of knowing and remembering | C1 |
| colonial | /kəˈləʊniəl/ | adj. | of a system where one country controls another | C1 |
| computation | /ˌkɒmpjuˈteɪʃən/ | n. | the act of calculating; method of computing | C1 |
| conception | /kənˈsepʃən/ | n. | an idea or notion; the first stage in pregnancy | C1 |
| conditional | /kən'diʃənl/ | adj. | depending (on) | L3 |
| contaminate | /kənˈtæmɪneɪt/ | v. | make something dirty or unsafe by adding harmful substances | C1 |
| convergence | /kən'və:dʒəns/ | n. | coming together | L3 |
| corpus | /'kɒ:pəs/ | n pl. | a body; in linguistics: a body of words | L3 |
| correspondence | /ˌkɒrəˈspɒndəns/ | n. | Communication by letters, emails or text messages | C1 |
| cortex | /'kɒ:teks/ | n. | the outer part of an organ or structure | L3 |
| cultivate | /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/ | v. | To prepare land for crops or grow plants | C1 |
| cyber | /'saibə/ | adj. | L3 | |
| degrade | /dɪˈɡreɪd/ | v. | to treat someone without respect; to reduce in amount or strength | C1 |
| denote | /dɪˈnəʊt/ | v. | be a name or symbol for | C1 |
| deter | /dɪˈtɜː/ | v. | To discourage an action by making it seem difficult or risky | C1 |
| deterrent | /di'tə:rənt/ | adj. | tending to deter | L3 |
| deviation | /ˌdiːviˈeɪʃən/ | n. | not standard or normal; in statistics: the difference between one of a set of values and some fixed value, usually the mean of the set. | C1 |
| differential | /difə'renʃəl/ | adj. | difference; diversity | L3 |
| diplomacy | /dɪˈpləʊməsi/ | n. | Managing relations between countries through discussion and negotiation | C1 |
| discourse | /ˈdɪskɔːs/ | n. | talk, conversation | C1 |
| discrete | /dɪˈskriːt/ | adj. | separate; composed of distinct parts | C1 |
| dissertation | /ˌdɪsəˈteɪʃən/ | n. | an in-depth paper submitted for a doctorate degree | C1 |
| domain | /dəˈmeɪn/ | n. | a field of action, thought or influence; an area of knowledge | C1 |
| embed | /ɪmˈbed/ | v. | to place or set inside rock, etc | C1 |
| empirical | /ɪmˈpɪrɪkəl/ | adj. | based on observation or experiment | C1 |
| encode | /in'kəud/ | v. | to change a message or information into code | L3 |
| enforce | /ɪnˈfɔːs/ | v. | Make sure that people obey a law or rule | C1 |
| enrolment | /in'rəulmənt/ | n. | n the act of enrolling | L3 |
| entity | /ˈentəti/ | n. | something that is real | C1 |
| enzyme | /'enzaim/ | n. | a protein made by cells | L3 |
| equilibrium | /ˌiːkwɪˈlɪbriəm/ | n. | a state of balance | C1 |
| erosion | /ɪˈrəʊʒən/ | n. | The gradual removal of soil or rock by natural forces | C1 |
| expenditure | /ɪkˈspendɪtʃə/ | n. | amount of money used during a certain time | C1 |
| explicit | /ɪkˈsplɪsɪt/ | adj. | definite; clearly stated; specific | C1 |
| facilitate | /fəˈsɪlɪteɪt/ | v. | To make an action or process easier | C1 |
| fertiliser | /'fə:tilaizə/ | n any substance such as manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertile | L3 | |
| finite | /ˈfaɪnaɪt/ | adj. | having limits; lasting for a limited time | C1 |
| fluctuate | /ˈflʌktʃueɪt/ | v. | Rise and fall irregularly in level, amount, or value | C1 |
| fluctuation | /ˌflʌktʃuˈeɪʃən/ | n. | A change in level or amount, especially up and down | C1 |
| franchise | /ˈfræntʃaɪz/ | n. | permission to trade under another company's name, or that business | C1 |
| generalize | /'dʒenərəlaiz/ | v. | To apply a particular idea to a large group | L3 |
| glacier | /'gleiʃə/ | n. | a slowly moving mass of ice | L3 |
| gradient | /'greidiənt/ | n. | a measure of how steep something is | L3 |
| graph | /græf/ | n. | image expressing numerical data in lines or shapes | L3 |
| hacker | /'hækə/ | someone who plays golf poorly; a programmer who breaks into computer systems in order to steal or change or destroy information as a form of cyber-terrorism | L3 | |
| healthcare | /'helθkεə/ | n. | the preservation of mental and physical health by preventing or treating illness through services offered by the health profession | L3 |
| hierarchy | /ˈhaɪərɑːki/ | n. | a system for organizing people or things according to their importance | C1 |
| hypothesis | /haɪˈpɒθəsɪs/ | n. | idea that leads to further study or discussion | C1 |
| ideology | /ˌaɪdiˈɒlədʒi/ | n. | ideas or beliefs which form theory and policy | C1 |
| illiterate | /ɪˈlɪtərət/ | adj. | Unable to read or write | C1 |
| induction | /ɪnˈdʌkʃən/ | n. | bringing about, or causing | C1 |
| inference | /ˈɪnfərəns/ | n. | an opinion that you form based on information you already have | C1 |
| influencer | n. | One who, or that which, influences. | L3 | |
| inhibit | /ɪnˈhɪbɪt/ | v. | to make it difficult for a process to start or continue in a normal way | C1 |
| initiate | /ɪˈnɪʃieɪt/ | v. | to start | C1 |
| integral | /ˈɪntɪɡrəl/ | adj. | part of something | C1 |
| ion | /'aiən/ | n. | a charged atom | L3 |
| irrigation | /ˌɪrɪˈɡeɪʃən/ | n. | supplying land with water using pipes | C1 |
| itinerary | /ai'tinərəri/ | n. | n an established line of travel or access; n a guidebook for travelers | L3 |
| labour | /'leibə/ | n. | n a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages; n concluding state of pregnancy | L3 |
| lateral | /'lætərəl/ | adj. | on the side; moving sideways | L3 |
| lexical | /'leksikl/ | adj. | about words | L3 |
| locus | /'ləukəs/ | n. | a place or location; in genetics: the location of a gene on a chromosome | L3 |
| longitudinal | /.lɒndʒi'tju:dinəl/ | adj. | going from the top to the bottom of something | L3 |
| magnitude | /ˈmæɡnɪtjuːd/ | n. | size or importance | C1 |
| marginal | /ˈmɑːdʒɪnəl/ | adj. | very small; on the edge; not important | C1 |
| maternal | /mə'tə:nl/ | adj. | having to do with being a mother | L3 |
| mediate | /ˈmiːdieɪt/ | v. | to bring about an agreement between persons or groups, act as a helper | C1 |
| membrane | /'membrein/ | n. | a thin covering of tissue. | L3 |
| methodology | /ˌmeθəˈdɒlədʒi/ | n. | system of practices or techniques to show how to do tasks | C1 |
| monopoly | /məˈnɒpəli/ | adv. | complete control of the market for a service or product | C1 |
| morphological | /,mɔ:fə'lɔdʒikəl/ | adj. | the study of form and structure | L3 |
| morphology | /mɒ:'fɒlədʒi/ | n. | the study of the forms and structures of plants, animals and words | L3 |
| mutation | /mjuːˈteɪʃən/ | n. | a change; in genetics: any event that changes genetic structure | C1 |
| neural | /'njuərəl/ | adj. | about the nerves or nervous system | L3 |
| neuron | /'njuərɔn/ | n. | a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system. | L3 |
| node | /nəud/ | n. | an intersection or junction point in a network; a part on a plant where a new leaf grows | L3 |
| nonlinear | /nɒn'liniə/ | adj. | not in a line | L3 |
| notation | /nəu'teiʃən/ | n. | a set of written signs or shapes that are used in music or mathematics | L3 |
| nucleus | /ˈnjuːkliəs/ | n pl. | control center of a cell | C1 |
| numeracy | /'njumərəsi/ | n. | skill with numbers and mathematics | L3 |
| occurrence | /əˈkʌrəns/ | n. | specific instance of something happening | C1 |
| olympic | L3 | |||
| onset | /ˈɒnset/ | n. | the beginning | C1 |
| optimal | /ˈɒptɪməl/ | adj. | best | C1 |
| orientation | /ˌɔːriənˈteɪʃən/ | n. | the ability to locate oneself in your environment with reference to time, place, and people | C1 |
| overcrowded | /ˌəʊvəˈkraʊdɪd/ | adj. | v cause to crowd together too much; v crowd together too much | L3 |
| overlap | /ˌəʊvəˈlæp/ | v. | To lie over or cover a part of something else | C1 |
| pandemic | /pæn'demik/ | adj. | an epidemic that is geographically widespread; epidemic over a wide geographical area | L3 |
| parameter | /pəˈræmɪtə/ | n. | a characteristic or constant factor, a limit. | C1 |
| partition | /pɑːˈtɪʃən/ | n. | a wall, screen, or piece of glass used to separate one area from another | C1 |
| periodic | /ˌpɪəriˈɒdɪk/ | adj. | happening regularly, but not frequently | C1 |
| pharmaceutical | /ˌfɑːməˈsuːtɪkəl/ | adj. | relating to medicines or their production | C1 |
| phonological | adj. | concerning sound | L3 | |
| physician | /fɪˈzɪʃən/ | n. | a medical doctor | C1 |
| plagiarism | /'pleidʒiərizm/ | n. | a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work; the act of plagiarizing | L3 |
| plateau | /ˈplætəʊ/ | n. | A large area of flat land higher than surrounding land | C1 |
| precede | /prɪˈsiːd/ | v. | to go before | C1 |
| prevalence | /'prevələns/ | n. | widespread, common, general | L3 |
| probe | /prəʊb/ | v. | a system or piece of equipment that is used to get information; in medicine: a long thin instrument used for looking inside your body | C1 |
| processed | adj. | subjected to a special process or treatment; prepared or converted from a natural state by subjecting to a special process | L3 | |
| proposition | /ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃən/ | n. | an idea; a suggestion | C1 |
| prosperity | /prɒˈsperəti/ | n. | The state of being economically successful and financially secure | C1 |
| quantitative | /ˈkwɒntɪtətɪv/ | adj. | the describing or measuring of quantity. | C1 |
| receptor | /ri'septə/ | n. | a device that receives information; in physiology: a nerve ending that changes stimuli into impulses | L3 |
| redundancy | /rɪˈdʌndənsi/ | n. | Job loss because an employer no longer needs the position | C1 |
| regime | /reɪˈʒiːm/ | n. | a system of management; a form of government | C1 |
| repertoire | /ˈrepətwɑː/ | n. | a collection of skills or accomplishments. | C1 |
| semantic | /si'mæntik/ | adj. | the different meanings of words | L3 |
| spatial | /ˈspeɪʃəl/ | adj. | about space | C1 |
| specification | /ˌspesɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ | n. | a detailed description of the design and materials used to make something. | C1 |
| spectrum | /ˈspektrəm/ | n. | the wavelengths of colors from red to violet | C1 |
| sphere | /sfɪə/ | n. | a round 3D object. e.g. a ball | C1 |
| stabilise | /'steibilaiz/ | v. | v support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace; v become stable or more stable | L3 |
| startup | the act of setting in operation | L3 | ||
| stimulus | /ˈstɪmjələs/ | n pl. | something that makes a change. | C1 |
| subset | /'sʌbset/ | n. | a small set which is part of a larger set | L3 |
| subsidy | /ˈsʌbsədi/ | n. | Money provided to support activities or keep prices lower | C1 |
| substitution | /.sʌbsti'tju:ʃən/ | n. | a person or thing acting or serving in place of another; to put (a person or thing) in the place of another. | L3 |
| sustainability | /sə,stenə'bɪlɪti/ | n. | the property of being sustainable | L3 |
| syllable | /'siləbl/ | n. | a unit of speech | L3 |
| syllabus | /'siləbəs/ | n. | the teaching schedule for a course in a school or university | L3 |
| syndrome | /ˈsɪndrəʊm/ | n. | a group of signs and symptoms that accompany a disease | C1 |
| syntactic | /sin'tæktik/ | adj. | grammatical | L3 |
| syntax | /'sintæks/ | n. | the study of a system, such as the system of words in a sentence | L3 |
| synthesis | /ˈsɪnθəsɪs/ | n pl. | building something complex from simple parts | C1 |
| taxation | /tækˈseɪʃən/ | n. | The system or process of collecting money through taxes | C1 |
| temporal | /ˈtempərəl/ | adj. | concerning time | C1 |
| tertiary | /ˈtɜːʃəri/ | adj. | Relating to education at college or university level | C1 |
| theorem | /'θiərəm/ | n. | a statement that can be proved | L3 |
| thereby | /ˌðeəˈbaɪ/ | adv. | by that means; because of that | C1 |
| thesis | /ˈθiːsɪs/ | n. | a long essay; a position taken in an argument supported by a set of reasons | C1 |
| threshold | /ˈθreʃhəʊld/ | n. | a level or point at which something would start or stop happening. | C1 |
| trajectory | /trə'dʒektri/ | n. | the path followed by an object moving through space | L3 |
| transformation | /ˌtrænsfəˈmeɪʃən/ | n. | a complete change in shape or form of something | C1 |
| transmission | /trænzˈmɪʃən/ | n. | an electronic signal that has been sent by radio waves; a force that has been transferred from one machine to another | C1 |
| unskilled | /.ʌn'skild/ | adj. | not having or showing or requiring special skill or proficiency | L3 |
| utility | /juːˈtɪləti/ | n. | being useful; a public service such as gas, water, or electricity that is used by everyone | C1 |
| utterance | /ˈʌtərəns/ | n. | something that is said | C1 |
| vandalism | /'vændəlizm/ | n. | willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others | L3 |
| variability | /.vєəriə'biliti/ | n. | (statistics) degree scores depart from the mean | L3 |
| variance | /ˈveəriəns/ | n. | (statistics) amount of difference in distributions | C1 |
| variant | /ˈveəriənt/ | n. | thing that differs from something of the same kind | C1 |
| vector | /'vektə/ | n. | a quantity that has both size and direction. | L3 |
| velocity | /vəˈlɒsəti/ | n. | speed in a given direction | C1 |
| wellbeing | n. | a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous | L3 | |
| wholesale | /'həulseil/ | n. | the selling of goods to merchants; sell in large quantities | L3 |
Other topics
- Foundation (≈ band 4–5)
- Intermediate (≈ band 5.5–6.5)
- Environment
- Education
- Health
- Technology
- Work & careers
- Business
- Economy & money
- Society & family
- Crime & law
- Government & politics
- Media & news
- Cities & housing
- Travel & tourism
- Science & research
- Food & farming
- Arts, culture & sport
- Graphs & trends (Task 1)
- Academic words
Data sources and credits
- Headwords and English definitions: New General Service List 1.2 & New Academic Word List 1.2 — Browne, C., Culligan, B. & Phillips, J., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Phonetics, CEFR levels, example sentences and Chinese glosses: Word Atlas — Word Atlas contributors — CC BY 4.0. Modified: fields selected, senses shortened, Chinese converted to Traditional characters.
- More phonetics and Chinese translations: ECDICT (MIT)
- Scheduling: ts-fsrs (MIT)
- The topic decks and all page texts are our own.