English vocabulary
English vocabulary,
by topic.
Animals, school, travel, celebrations: each topic has the key words, their pronunciation and an example in context. Made to help you get ready for The Big Challenge contest and grow your vocabulary every day.
Where to start?
You learn vocabulary better by topic: one subject at a time, with words that go together. It works better than an alphabetical list.
If you are a beginner, start with the everyday topics (school, family, animals). To prepare for the contest, add the English-speaking culture topics (Halloween, the royal family, British food).
Colours
red, blue, green, yellow, dark/light
Numbers from 1 to 100
one, two, three, twenty, hundred
Big numbers
hundred, thousand, million, billion
Months of the year
January, February… December
Days of the week
Monday, Tuesday, weekend
Seasons
spring, summer, autumn/fall, winter
Telling the time
o'clock, quarter past, half past, AM/PM
Adverbs of frequency
always, often, sometimes, never
Opposites
big/small, hot/cold, happy/sad
Physical appearance
tall, slim, blonde, blue eyes
Ordinal numbers and fractions
first, second, 1/2, 2/3
Shapes and sizes
square, round, big, tiny
Dates
today, ago, in, in the morning
Quality adjectives
good, great, awful, awesome
Comparisons
bigger, better, the most, as ... as
Quantities
many, much, few, a lot of
Stages of life
birth, childhood, wedding, retirement
Halloween
pumpkin, ghost, costume, candy
Thanksgiving
turkey, pilgrim, harvest
Christmas
Christmas, tree, presents, carol
New Year
New Year's Eve, resolutions, fireworks
Valentine's Day
love, heart, romance
Easter
Easter, eggs, bunny, chocolate
Mother's Day
Mother's Day, family
Father's Day
Father's Day, gifts, family
Summer
beach, holidays, sun, ice cream
April Fools' Day
April 1st, prank, hoax, practical joke
Boxing Day
December 26th, bank holiday, sales, Premier League
Bonfire Night
November 5th, Guy Fawkes, bonfire, fireworks
Pancake Day
Shrove Tuesday, pancakes, pancake race
St Patrick's Day
March 17th, shamrock, leprechaun, parade
Mardi Gras
New Orleans, Sydney, parades, costumes
The royal family
king, queen, prince, palace
British food
fish and chips, tea, scone
London
Big Ben, Thames, Tube, bus
New York
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Times Square
American food
burger, pancake, hot dog
Independence Day
4th of July, fireworks
Monuments and heritage
Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Statue of Liberty
Town and city
street, building, bank, hospital
Neighbourhood
downtown, suburb, neighborhood
Signs and notices
Exit, No entry, Mind the gap
Public services
town hall, post office, police station
World geography
continents, oceans, countries, capitals
Religions and beliefs
church, mosque, temple, prayer
Black History Month
civil rights, heritage, segregation, freedom
Earth Day
April 22nd, planet, climate change, carbon footprint
Labor Day
first Monday of September, worker, union, long weekend
Memorial Day
last Monday of May, remembrance, veteran, tribute
Super Bowl
NFL, touchdown, halftime show
Burns Night
January 25th, Robert Burns, Burns Supper, Scotland
Notting Hill Carnival
London, Caribbean, parade, street party
Australia Day
January 26th, First Fleet, public holiday, Aussie
School
classroom, teacher, blackboard, homework
Family
mother, father, sister, cousin
House and home
kitchen, bedroom, garden, garage
Clothes
shirt, trousers, shoes, hat
Human body
head, arm, leg, finger
Health
doctor, medicine, sick, hospital
Animals
dog, cat, lion, elephant
Farm animals
cow, sheep, chicken, pig
Wild animals
tiger, bear, wolf, snake
Birds
sparrow, eagle, owl, penguin
Insects
ant, bee, butterfly, spider
Trees and forests
oak, pine, leaves, forest
Weather
sun, rain, wind, snow
Landscapes
mountain, river, beach, forest
Plants and flowers
tree, rose, leaf, grass
Rocks and minerals
gold, silver, diamond, marble
Environment and climate
pollution, climate change, recycling
Renewable energy
solar, wind, nuclear, fossil fuels
Fruit and vegetables
apple, banana, carrot, tomato
Breakfast
cereal, milk, bread, juice
Restaurant
menu, waiter, order, bill
Drinks
water, coffee, tea, juice
Desserts
cake, ice cream, cookie, pie
Sports
football, tennis, swimming, running
Music
guitar, song, concert, band
Cinema
movie, actor, ticket, popcorn
Video games
console, controller, level, online
Reading and books
book, library, story, page
Airport
flight, ticket, luggage, gate
Hotel
room, key, check-in, breakfast
Directions
left, right, straight, turn
Transport
bus, train, car, bike
Shops
buy, sell, price, cash, card
Technology and the internet
computer, mouse, email, website
Social media
post, like, share, follow
Jobs
doctor, teacher, engineer, baker
Tech jobs
developer, UX/UI designer, PM, CTO
Medical jobs
doctor, nurse, surgeon, dentist
Creative jobs
artist, writer, actor, musician
Manual jobs
plumber, carpenter, baker, mechanic
Money and finance
money, salary, bank, mortgage
Office and work
office, meeting, deadline, WFH
Emotions
happy, sad, angry, surprised
Personality
kind, shy, brave, funny
More pages coming soon
Until then, explore verb conjugation, grammar or English for everyday situations.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/vocabulary
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.