What does vocabulary mean?
Word: Vocabulary
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Vocabulary means all the words a person knows and uses; also the words that belong to a language or to one subject.
Synonyms: words
How do you spell vocabulary?
Syllables: vo - cab - u - la - ry
Tricky part: Students swap the u and the l (vocabluary), or start the word with va instead of vo (vacabulary).
Watch out for: vocabluary, vacabulary, vocabolary
Memory tip: Find the word cab in the middle: vo, cab, then u. The u comes before the l, never after it.
Vocabulary in a sentence
Example 1: Reading a newspaper every day has made Ines's vocabulary much richer.
Example 2: Cricket has its own vocabulary, with words like googly and yorker.
Example 3: Our teacher writes five new vocabulary words on the board each Monday.
Fun Fact
Vocabulary goes back to Latin vox, 'voice', the root that also gave English voice and vowel. When the word first appeared in English, it meant a list of words with their meanings.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
vocabul_r_
a) a, i
b) e, y
c) e, i
d) a, y
Show answer
d) a, y. The ending is ary, as in dictionary and library.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) vocabulary
b) grammer
c) sentance
d) pronounciation
Show answer
a) vocabulary. Grammar ends in ar, pronunciation drops the o of pronounce, and sentence has ence at the end.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
vocabulary
a) lexicon
b) grammar
c) punctuation
d) alphabet
Show answer
a) lexicon. A lexicon is the stock of words in a language, which is what a vocabulary is.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
urlvcyaabo
a) vocabulary
b) voluntary
c) valuable
d) vocational
Show answer
a) vocabulary. Voluntary needs an n and a t, vocational needs t, i and n, and valuable needs a second l and an e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which habit helps most to build a wider vocabulary?
a) copying one page every day
b) watching the same film again
c) typing faster on a keyboard
d) reading a new book every week
Show answer
d) reading a new book every week
2. Which word belongs to the vocabulary of chess?
a) dribble
b) wicket
c) checkmate
d) penalty
Show answer
c) checkmate
