IELTS technology vocabulary
Technology questions in IELTS are rarely about how machines work; they are about how technology changes people and society. You might discuss whether social media brings people together or isolates them, whether automation will destroy jobs, or how artificial intelligence should be regulated. In Speaking Part 1, the examiner may simply ask which device you use most or which website you visit every day.
This deck gives you precise words for those discussions. Start with the basic contrast between hardware and software, then add application, platform, network and wireless. For data and privacy, learn data, database, privacy, security and hacker, which help with the very common question of whether companies collect too much personal information. To describe progress, use innovation, invention and breakthrough: an invention is a new thing, an innovation is a new way of doing things, and a breakthrough is a sudden important discovery.
The future of work is another frequent theme. Automation, robot and algorithm let you explain how routine tasks are being taken over by machines, while automate is the verb you need for sentences such as "Many factories have automated their production lines." Words like virtual and digital are useful for education and shopping questions: virtual classrooms, digital payments, online services.
Be careful with spelling and style. British English writes programme for a television or study programme, while program is used for computer software in both British and American English. Avoid informal shortcuts such as "AI stuff" or "apps and things" in writing; choose the exact noun instead.
Study these 49 words Take a quiz
49 technology words with definitions
| Word | Pronunciation | Part of speech | Definition | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| technology | /tekˈnɒlədʒi/ | n. | use or knowledge of science in industry, engineering, etc. | A2 |
| digital | /ˈdɪdʒɪtəl/ | adj. | using electronic signals or computers | A2 |
| internet | /ˈɪntənet/ | n. | The worldwide network connecting computers and other devices | A1 |
| online | /ˌɒnˈlaɪn/ | adj. | connected to the internet | A2 |
| device | /dɪˈvaɪs/ | n. | object, machine, or equipment for a specific use | B1 |
| software | /ˈsɒftweə/ | n. | market for software is expected to expand | A2 |
| hardware | /ˈhɑːdweə/ | n. | the physical parts of a computer or electronic system | B2 |
| computer | /kəmˈpjuːtə/ | n. | a machine for storing information and accessing the internet | A1 |
| smartphone | /ˈsmɑːtfəʊn/ | n. | A mobile phone with internet access and computer-like functions | A2 |
| application | /ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃən/ | n. | formal request for a job, building permission, etc. | B1 |
| data | /ˈdeɪtə/ | n. | facts or information used to calculate or analyze | B2 |
| database | /ˈdeɪtəbeɪs/ | n. | information stored in a computer in an organized way | B2 |
| network | /ˈnetwɜːk/ | n. | system of connections | B1 |
| wireless | /'waiəlis/ | n. | transmission by radio waves; having no wires | L2 |
| innovation | /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/ | n. | new invention or idea that is created | B2 |
| invention | /ɪnˈvenʃən/ | n. | something new that someone has designed or created | B1 |
| 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 |
| robot | /ˈrəʊbɒt/ | n. | a mechanical creature that acts like a human | A2 |
| artificial | /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəl/ | adj. | not made by people; not created by nature | B2 |
| intelligence | /ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns/ | n. | ability to learn, think about, and understand things | B2 |
| algorithm | /'ælgəriðm/ | n. | a step-by-step problem-solving feature | L3 |
| virtual | /ˈvɜːtʃuəl/ | adj. | Created by computers or experienced through an online connection | B2 |
| cyber | /'saibə/ | adj. | L3 | |
| privacy | /ˈprɪvəsi/ | n. | Freedom from unwanted access to personal information or private life | B2 |
| security | /sɪˈkjʊərəti/ | n. | things done to protect people, buildings, a country, etc., from harm | B1 |
| 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 | |
| download | /ˌdaʊnˈləʊd/ | v. | to copy data from the internet onto your device | A2 |
| upload | /ˌʌpˈləʊd/ | v. | to transfer files from a device to an online system | B1 |
| website | /ˈwebsaɪt/ | n. | a set of internet pages that give information about a particular person or organization | A1 |
| social | /ˈsəʊʃəl/ | adj. | involving activities among people especially free time activities | A2 |
| media | /ˈmiːdiə/ | n. | means of communication (tv, newspapers, internet) | B2 |
| platform | /ˈplætfɔːm/ | n. | a raised area for people to stand on | A2 |
| gadget | /ˈɡædʒɪt/ | n. | A small device designed to perform a particular useful task | B2 |
| electronic | /ɪˌlekˈtrɒnɪk/ | adj. | operating by use of electricity; digital | B1 |
| engineer | /ˌendʒɪˈnɪə/ | n. | professional who designs and builds machines, roads, and other complicated structures | A2 |
| engineering | /ˌendʒɪˈnɪərɪŋ/ | n. | using science to design and build machines, structures, or systems | B1 |
| programme | /ˈprəʊɡræm/ | n. | an organised set of activities with a particular purpose | A2 |
| program | /ˈprəʊɡræm/ | n. | planned set of actions; a schematic system | A2 |
| technical | /ˈteknɪkəl/ | adj. | of practical use of machines or science in industry | B1 |
| breakthrough | /ˈbreɪkθruː/ | n. | An important discovery or advance that overcomes a difficult problem | B2 |
| laboratory | /ləˈbɒrətri/ | n. | a place for doing research and experiments | B1 |
| satellite | /ˈsætəlaɪt/ | n. | A device orbiting Earth or another body, collecting or transmitting information | B2 |
| machine | /məˈʃiːn/ | n. | piece of equipment used to do work | A1 |
| automate | /'ɔ:təmeit/ | v. | v make automatic or control or operate automatically | L3 |
| update | /ˌʌpˈdeɪt/ | v. | to change something by adding the most recent information | B1 |
| storage | /ˈstɔːrɪdʒ/ | n. | a safe place to keep something until it is needed | B2 |
| screen | /skriːn/ | n. | flat surface on a computer, or tv that shows images | A2 |
| interface | /ˈɪntəfeɪs/ | n. | a shared boundary between two persons or systems through which information is communicated. | B2 |
| user | /ˈjuːzə/ | n. | person that uses a service or thing (e.g., a website) | A2 |
How to use these words in Writing and Speaking
Use the flashcards for a few minutes each day. Today's new words come back tomorrow for an overnight review, then at growing intervals. To make the words active, pick a question such as "Do the advantages of the internet outweigh the disadvantages?" and plan an answer using at least six words from this deck.
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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.