These are words 76 to 100 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
76
phonological
adjective
Children develop phonological awareness early.
collocationsphonological awareness · phonological rules · phonological system
connected with the sound system of a language
Watch out: Phonological is about sounds. Syntactic is about grammar.
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77
nucleus
noun
The nucleus of an atom contains protons.
collocationsthe nucleus of · cell nucleus · atomic nucleus
the central part of an atom or a living cell
Watch out: The plural is nuclei: /ˈnjuːkliaɪ/.
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78
onset
noun
The onset of winter came early this year.
collocationsthe onset of · early onset · at the onset
the beginning of something, especially something unpleasant
Watch out: Onset is usually followed by of.
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79
integration
noun
Integration of new students takes time.
collocationssocial integration · the integration of · full integration
the process of joining parts together so that they work as a whole
Watch out: The verb is integrate, with the stress on the first syllable.
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80
dominant
adjective
English is the dominant language in business.
collocationsthe dominant language · a dominant role · dominant culture
stronger, more important or more common than others
Watch out: The verb is dominate. Do not say dominant someone.
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81
pathway
noun
A nerve pathway carries signals to the brain.
collocationsa neural pathway · career pathway · a pathway to
a path, or a series of steps or connected parts that lead to a result
Watch out: In science, a pathway is a chain of linked steps.
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82
coordinate
verb
A manager must coordinate the teams.
collocationscoordinate efforts · coordinate with · coordinate activities
to organise different people or parts so they work well together
Watch out: As a noun, coordinate means a position on a map or graph.
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83
calculation
noun
A quick calculation showed the total cost.
collocationsa quick calculation · make a calculation · by my calculation
the act of working something out with numbers
Watch out: The verb is calculate.
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84
precede
verb
A short talk will precede the film.
collocationsprecede the · directly precede · precede by
to come before something in time, order or position
Watch out: Do not confuse precede with proceed, which means to go on.
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85
subset
noun
Vowels are a subset of all speech sounds.
collocationsa subset of · a small subset · subset of data
a smaller group that belongs to a larger group
Watch out: A subset is part of a bigger set.
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86
syntactic
adjective
Word order is a syntactic feature.
collocationssyntactic structure · syntactic rules · a syntactic error
connected with the way words are arranged to form sentences
Watch out: Syntactic is about grammar structure. Semantic is about meaning.
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87
orientation
noun
New students attend an orientation week.
collocationsorientation day · an orientation programme · political orientation
an introduction to a new place or job, or a person's basic leanings
Watch out: British speakers also say orientate.
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88
proposition
noun
The business proposition was clear.
collocationsa business proposition · an attractive proposition · put forward a proposition
an idea or plan offered for consideration, or a statement that can be true or false
Watch out: A proposition is a statement. A proposal is a plan offered.
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89
inequality
noun
There is great inequality between rich and poor.
collocationsincome inequality · social inequality · reduce inequality
an unfair difference between groups in wealth, status or chances
Watch out: The opposite is equality.
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90
identical
adjective
The two samples looked identical.
collocationsidentical twins · identical to · virtually identical
exactly the same
Watch out: Use identical to or identical with. Never identical than.
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91
prevalence
noun
The prevalence of obesity has risen.
collocationsthe prevalence of · high prevalence · prevalence rate
how common something is in a place or group
Watch out: The adjective is prevalent: obesity is prevalent.
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92
differential
adjective
A differential equation shows how something changes.
collocationsdifferential equation · differential treatment · a differential rate
showing or depending on a difference
Watch out: As a noun it also means a gap between rates, such as a wage differential.
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93
generalise
verb
It is unwise to generalise from one case.
collocationsgeneralise about · generalise from · tend to generalise
to make a broad statement from only a few examples
Watch out: In British English, both generalise and generalize are accepted.
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94
beam
noun
The roof rests on a wooden beam.
collocationsa wooden beam · a steel beam · a beam of light
a long strong bar that holds up a roof or floor, or a narrow line of light
Watch out: A beam can be wood or a ray of light.
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95
pulse
noun
The nurse checked the patient's pulse.
collocationscheck your pulse · a pulse rate · a short pulse
the regular beat of blood in the body, or a short burst of energy
Watch out: Pulse also means seeds such as beans and lentils.
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96
norm
noun
Shaking hands is the norm in many countries.
collocationsthe social norm · cultural norms · the norm
a usual or accepted way of behaving in a group
Watch out: A norm is a pattern in a group, not a rule written down.
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97
trait
noun
Honesty is a trait that she shares with her mother.
collocationsa personality trait · a family trait · a genetic trait
a particular quality in a person's character or in an animal or plant
Watch out: The t at the end is not silent in British English: /treɪt/.
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98
prediction
noun
The weather prediction was wrong.
collocationsmake a prediction · accurate prediction · a prediction of
a statement about what will happen in the future
Watch out: Say make a prediction, not do a prediction.
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99
correspondence
noun
Her correspondence with the editor lasted years.
collocationsofficial correspondence · a correspondence between · email correspondence
letters or emails between people, or a close match between two things
Watch out: A correspondent is a reporter who writes for a newspaper.
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100
essentially
adverb
The two plans are essentially the same.
collocationsessentially the same · is essentially · essentially a
in the most important or basic way
Watch out: Essentially often comes before the main point.
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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).
awareness is the ability to hear the separate sounds inside spoken words.
The is the central part of an atom, where protons and neutrons are found.
The of winter came early this year, with the first snow in October.
The of new immigrants into local schools and workplaces takes patience and time.
English is the language in world business, used more than any other.
A nerve carries signals from the eye to the brain in a fraction of a second.
A manager must the work of several teams so that they do not repeat each other.
After a quick , she found that the total cost was forty pounds.
In a dictionary, the letter A will B, because it comes first in the alphabet.
Vowels are a of all the sounds in a language, a smaller group inside the larger one.
A error is a mistake in word order or sentence structure, such as Went she home.
New students attend an day to learn where the library and classrooms are.
The business was clear: lower prices and better service for every customer.
There is great between rich and poor families in the city.
The two samples are : nobody can tell them apart, even under a microscope.
The of obesity has risen, because more people are affected than before.
In calculus, a equation describes how a quantity changes from moment to moment.
It is unwise to from just one example, because it may not be typical.
The roof is held up by a strong wooden that runs across the room.
The nurse checked the patient's by feeling the wrist for the beat of the heart.
In some cultures it is the to remove your shoes at the door, because everyone does it.
Honesty is a personality that she shares with her mother.
The weather said it would rain all day, but the day stayed dry.
The between the two companies lasted for years and filled many boxes with letters.
Both plans are the same, apart from the colour of the cover.
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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.
