These are words 301 to 325 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
301
preliminary
adjective
The preliminary results look good.
collocationspreliminary results · preliminary findings · preliminary study
coming before the main stage, and often not final
Watch out: Preliminary results may still change.
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302
philosophical
adjective
They had a philosophical discussion.
collocationsphilosophical question · philosophical debate · a philosophical approach
connected with the study of ideas about life, knowledge and right and wrong
Watch out: Philosophical can also mean calm about bad luck.
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303
pre
prefix
Children go to pre-school before primary school.
collocationspre-school · pre-war · pre-exam
a word part meaning before
Watch out: Pre usually joins to a word with a hyphen or no gap.
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304
transaction
noun
The bank records every transaction.
collocationsa bank transaction · complete a transaction · a business transaction
an act of buying, selling or moving money
Watch out: Transaction is about money or trade.
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305
prominent
adjective
She is a prominent lawyer.
collocationsa prominent role · prominent figure · prominent feature
well known or easy to see
Watch out: Stress the first syllable: /ˈprɒmɪnənt/.
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306
indigenous
adjective
Indigenous people lived there long before settlers.
collocationsindigenous people · indigenous culture · indigenous species
belonging naturally to a place and its first people
Watch out: Indigenous can describe plants and animals too.
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307
render
verb
The injury rendered him unable to work.
collocationsrender useless · render unable · render a service
to cause someone or something to be in a particular state
Watch out: Render is followed by an adjective: render it useless.
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308
independently
adverb
Each student worked independently.
collocationswork independently · act independently · independently of
without help or control from others
Watch out: Say independently of, not independently from, in formal writing.
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309
symbolic
adjective
The dove is symbolic of peace.
collocationssymbolic of · symbolic meaning · a symbolic act
acting as a symbol, or standing for an idea
Watch out: Symbolic is followed by of.
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310
utilise
verb
Plants utilise sunlight to make food.
collocationsutilise resources · utilise space · fully utilise
Watch out: Strictly speaking, introduces an exact view.
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316
unity
noun
The team showed great unity.
collocationsnational unity · unity of · in unity
the state of people being joined and working as one
Watch out: The adjective is united.
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317
psychiatric
adjective
He was treated at a psychiatric hospital.
collocationspsychiatric hospital · psychiatric care · psychiatric illness
connected with the treatment of mental illness
Watch out: A psychiatrist is a doctor. A psychologist studies the mind.
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318
critique
noun
She wrote a critique of the report.
collocationswrite a critique · a critique of · a harsh critique
a detailed written judgement of how good or bad something is
Watch out: The stress is on the second syllable: /krɪˈtiːk/.
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319
differentiation
noun
Product differentiation helps sales.
collocationsproduct differentiation · differentiation between · cell differentiation
the act of making or showing a difference
Watch out: The verb is differentiate.
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320
closure
noun
The closure of the factory put hundreds out of work.
collocationsfactory closure · road closure · the closure of
the shutting of a place, or a feeling that something painful has ended
Watch out: Closure can also mean emotional peace.
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321
minimise
verb
We want to minimise the risk of error.
collocationsminimise risk · minimise the impact · minimise costs
to make something as small as possible
Watch out: The opposite is maximise.
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322
selective
adjective
The university is highly selective.
collocationsselective school · selective memory · highly selective
choosing carefully, or accepting only the best
Watch out: A selective school chooses its pupils.
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323
availability
noun
Check the availability of rooms.
collocationscheck availability · availability of · limited availability
whether something can be obtained or used
Watch out: The adjective is available.
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324
depict
verb
The painting depicts a battle.
collocationsdepict as · depict a scene · accurately depicted
to show something in a picture or in words
Watch out: Depict is for pictures and descriptions.
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325
cue
noun
The actor waited for his cue.
collocationstake your cue · on cue · a visual cue
a signal for someone to do something
Watch out: Cue and queue sound the same.
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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).
The results are not final, and more tests will follow next month.
They had a discussion about the meaning of life and what is right and wrong.
Children aged three often attend -school before they begin primary school.
The bank records every , such as a payment or transfer, made from your account.
She is a lawyer, well known across the whole country.
The people of the region lived there long before the settlers arrived.
The injury will him unable to work for several months.
Each student worked , without help from anyone else.
The white dove is of peace, because it stands for that idea.
Plants sunlight to make their own food.
A response, such as a faster heartbeat, shows that the body is under stress.
She gave an answer: she hinted at it rather than saying it plainly.
Milk is rich in , a mineral that helps to keep bones strong.
The school meets in the hall every Monday morning.
Smoking is forbidden in the building, and there are no exceptions.
The team showed great , working together as one group.
He was treated at a hospital for a serious mental illness.
She wrote a careful of the report, judging its strengths and weaknesses.
The of the two products, making each look and work differently, helps sales.
The of the factory put hundreds of people out of work.
We want to the risk of error by checking every number twice.
The university is highly and accepts only a few students each year.
Check the of rooms before you travel, because hotels fill up quickly.
The painting is meant to a famous battle, showing soldiers and horses.
The actor waited for his before he walked onto the stage.
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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.
