These are words 151 to 175 of the top 400 words of the New Academic Word List: words that appear again and again in university texts and in the Academic IELTS Reading and Writing tasks. For each word, read the example, try to guess the meaning, then reveal it and mark honestly how you did. Then say the word aloud, record yourself and compare it with the model voice. When you have finished, try the gap quiz and save your results.
The New Academic Word List was compiled by Charles Browne, Brent Culligan and Joseph Phillips (2013) from academic texts, and its words are ranked by the authors. We teach the top 400 in rank order. How the list was made
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The words
151
substitution
noun
The coach made a substitution at half time.
collocationsmake a substitution · a substitution for · sugar substitution
the act of putting one person or thing in the place of another
Watch out: Substitute takes for: use honey as a substitute for sugar.
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152
explicitly
adverb
The sign explicitly bans phones.
collocationsexplicitly stated · explicitly said · explicitly forbidden
in a clear and direct way
Watch out: The opposite is implicitly.
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153
evident
adjective
It was evident that she was tired.
collocationsclearly evident · become evident · it is evident that
easy to see or understand
Watch out: Evident is followed by that: it is evident that.
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154
conceptual
adjective
A conceptual model shows how ideas connect.
collocationsconceptual framework · conceptual model · conceptual understanding
connected with ideas and concepts
Watch out: A concept is an idea.
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155
detection
noun
Early detection saves lives.
collocationsearly detection · fire detection · detection of
the act of finding or noticing something that is hard to see
Watch out: The verb is detect, with the stress on the second syllable.
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156
interact
verb
Children interact with each other at school.
collocationsinteract with · interact socially · interact closely
to communicate or act together with someone or something
collocationsmediate between · mediate a dispute · mediate in
to help two sides to agree by talking to both
Watch out: Mediate takes between two sides.
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169
specification
noun
Check the phone's specification before you buy.
collocationstechnical specification · meet the specification · a detailed specification
a detailed description of what something must be or do
Watch out: Specifications is often used in the plural.
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170
classify
verb
Scientists classify animals into groups.
collocationsclassify as · classify into · classify according to
to put things into groups according to type
Watch out: Classify takes into groups or as a type.
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171
physician
noun
She trained as a physician.
collocationsa family physician · a qualified physician · consult a physician
a doctor, especially one who treats illness without surgery
Watch out: Do not confuse physician with physicist, who studies physics.
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172
computation
noun
The computation took several hours.
collocationscomplex computation · computation of · a computation error
the act of calculating, especially with a computer
Watch out: The verb is compute.
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173
oral
adjective
The speaking test is an oral exam.
collocationsoral exam · oral skills · oral history
spoken, not written, or connected with the mouth
Watch out: Oral is about the mouth or speaking. Aural is about hearing.
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174
mid
adjective
We arrived in mid-July.
collocationsmid-July · mid-morning · mid-century
in the middle of a period or place
Watch out: Write mid with a hyphen: mid-July.
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175
indicator
noun
Unemployment is an indicator of economic health.
collocationsa key indicator · an indicator of · economic indicator
a sign or measure that shows the state of something
Watch out: In British English a car indicator is the flashing light.
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Gap quiz
Each sentence has one gap. Drag a word into the gap, or tap a word and then tap the gap. The words are the ones you have just practised, and some of them have changed shape (for example, is or made).
In football, a happens when one player leaves the pitch and another takes his place.
The notice says that mobile phones are not allowed, using clear and direct words.
It was from her wide smile that she was very pleased with the news.
A model is made of ideas and arrows on a page, not a physical object you can touch.
Early of the disease greatly improves the chance of recovery.
Children learn language when they with adults and other children every day.
Damage to the brain's network, the web of nerve cells, can affect memory.
A illness lasts for a very long time, sometimes for the whole of a person's life.
Music is an part of the festival; without it, the festival would not be complete.
Saliva contains an that starts to break down food in the mouth.
The baby grew inside her from the moment of to the day of birth.
She is still friendly with her -husband, although they divorced years ago.
The party's is based on equality, free education and public health care.
A single joins with an egg to begin the life of a new animal.
research uses numbers and counts, while other research uses interviews and descriptions.
A football is shaped like a , round from every side.
Political made investors leave the country and take their money with them.
A neutral judge was asked to between the two sides and help them reach an agreement.
The for the phone lists its screen size, memory and battery life.
Scientists animals into groups according to the features they share.
She trained as a and now treats patients in a large city hospital.
The was so complex that the computer needed several hours to finish it.
The IELTS Speaking test is an test, not a written one.
We arrived in -July, exactly halfway through the summer.
The price of bread is a useful of how fast prices are rising in general.
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Word list: New Academic Word List 1.2 by Charles Browne, Brent Culligan and Joseph Phillips (2013), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. The list gives the words and their order; the meanings, examples and exercises on this page are our own.
