TOEFL Vocabulary Success Guide

The TOEFL iBT (Internet-Based Test) assesses English proficiency for non-native speakers applying to universities. This guide provides essential vocabulary and strategies for all four sections.

Understanding TOEFL Vocabulary

What Makes TOEFL Vocabulary Unique

The TOEFL tests academic English used in university settings:

Lecture vocabulary (biology, history, astronomy, psychology)
Campus life terms (registration, dormitory, syllabus)
Academic discussion language (agree, disagree, clarify, expand on)
Reading passage vocabulary (compare, contrast, illustrate, demonstrate)

Score Range: 0-30 per section (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing)
Target Score: Most universities require 80-100 total (20-25 per section)

Essential TOEFL Vocabulary by Section

Reading Section Vocabulary

Signal Words (Understanding Relationships)

Addition/Similarity:

Additionally, Furthermore, Moreover, Similarly, Likewise, Also

Contrast:

However, Nevertheless, Nonetheless, Conversely, In contrast, On the other hand, Although, Despite, While

Cause/Effect:

Because, Since, As a result, Consequently, Therefore, Thus, Hence, Lead to, Result in, Cause

Example:

For instance, For example, Such as, Specifically, Particularly, Including

Sequence:

First, Second, Finally, Initially, Subsequently, Eventually, Prior to, Following

Academic Disciplines

Science:

Hypothesis - A proposed explanation for observation
Theory - A well-substantiated explanation
Experiment - A scientific procedure to test a hypothesis
Data - Facts and statistics collected for analysis
Evidence - Information supporting a conclusion
Phenomenon - An observable fact or event
Evolve - Develop gradually over time
Adapt - Adjust to new conditions

Social Sciences:

Culture - The customs and beliefs of a group
Society - An organized group of people
Community - A group sharing common interests
Tradition - A long-established custom
Innovation - A new method or idea
Migration - Movement from one place to another
Urbanization - The process of becoming more like a city
Demographics - Statistical data about populations

Arts & Humanities:

Context - The circumstances surrounding something
Perspective - A particular attitude toward something
Interpretation - Explanation of the meaning
Symbolism - The use of symbols to represent ideas
Theme - The main idea or message
Genre - A category of artistic work
Depict - Show or represent in a picture or story
Convey - Communicate or express

Listening Section Vocabulary

Campus Conversations

Academic Settings:

Office hours - Time when professors are available to students
Syllabus - Course outline with assignments and schedule
Prerequisites - Required courses before taking another course
Drop/Add - Removing or adding courses during registration
Midterm - Exam in the middle of the semester
Final - Last exam of the course
Grade point average (GPA) - Measure of academic performance
Transcript - Official record of courses and grades

Housing & Facilities:

Dormitory/Dorm - Student residence hall
Roommate - Person sharing your room
Meal plan - Prepaid food service arrangement
Campus - University grounds and buildings
Library - Building with books and study resources
Laboratory/Lab - Room for scientific experiments
Auditorium - Large room for lectures or performances
Cafeteria - Dining hall

Lecture Vocabulary

Professor Language:

Emphasize - Give special importance to
Illustrate - Explain or make clear with examples
Elaborate - Provide more details
Clarify - Make easier to understand
Demonstrate - Show clearly by example or experiment
Recap/Summarize - Give a brief statement of main points
Digress - Temporarily leave the main subject
Conclude - Arrive at a judgment or opinion

Student Language:

Confused - Unable to understand clearly
Follow - Understand what someone is saying
Make sense - Be comprehensible or logical
Get it - Understand (informal)
Miss - Fail to hear or understand
Catch - Understand or hear
Wonder - Want to know; be curious about
Assume - Suppose to be true without proof

Speaking Section Vocabulary

Opinion & Agreement

Expressing Opinions:

In my opinion - Personal viewpoint phrase
From my perspective - How I see it
I believe that - Statement of personal belief
It seems to me - My impression is
I would argue that - Strong opinion statement

Agreement:

I agree with - Share the same opinion
I think so too - Agreement with previous statement
That makes sense - Logical agreement
Absolutely - Complete agreement
Definitely - Without doubt

Disagreement (Polite):

I see your point, but - Acknowledge then disagree
I'm not sure I agree - Gentle disagreement
I have a different view - Alternative perspective
That may be true, however - Partial agreement then contrast

Describing & Explaining

Preferences:

Prefer - Like better than another option
Rather - More willingly; preferably
Tend to - Usually do something
Favor - Prefer or support
Lean toward - Incline in a direction

Advantages & Disadvantages:

Benefit - An advantage or profit
Advantage - A favorable circumstance
Drawback - A disadvantage or problem
Disadvantage - An unfavorable circumstance
Pro and con - Advantage and disadvantage
Trade-off - A balance between two things
Upside - A positive aspect (informal)
Downside - A negative aspect (informal)

Writing Section Vocabulary

Transition Words

Introducing Ideas:

To begin with, First of all, Initially, Primarily

Adding Information:

Furthermore, Moreover, In addition, Additionally, Besides

Providing Examples:

For instance, For example, Such as, Particularly, Specifically

Contrasting:

However, Nevertheless, On the other hand, In contrast, Conversely

Showing Results:

Therefore, Thus, Consequently, As a result, Hence

Concluding:

In conclusion, To sum up, Overall, In summary, Ultimately

Academic Verbs

Analysis:

Analyze - Examine in detail
Evaluate - Assess the quality or importance
Compare - Identify similarities
Contrast - Identify differences
Examine - Inspect closely
Investigate - Carry out research into
Explore - Inquire into or discuss in detail
Assess - Evaluate or estimate

Argument:

Argue - Give reasons or evidence for something
Claim - State that something is true
Assert - State a fact or belief confidently
Maintain - Continue to say that something is true
Contend - Assert something as true
Propose - Put forward for consideration
Suggest - Put forward for consideration (less strong)
Recommend - Advise as a course of action

TOEFL Study Strategy

8-Week Preparation Plan

Weeks 1-2: Foundation

Daily: 30 minutes vocabulary

Learn 15 new words/day from general academic lists
Practice pronunciation of new words
Write example sentences using new words
Review previous day's words

Daily: 30 minutes practice

Complete 1 reading passage
Listen to 1 campus conversation
Practice describing a familiar topic (1 minute)

Weeks 3-4: Building Skills

Daily: 45 minutes vocabulary

Learn 12 new words/day from subject-specific lists
Group words by theme (science, campus, etc.)
Use flashcards with example sentences
Record yourself saying new words

Daily: 45 minutes practice

Complete 2 reading passages
Listen to 1 lecture, taking notes
Practice integrated speaking tasks
Write practice paragraph using new vocabulary

Weeks 5-6: Integration

Daily: 1 hour vocabulary

Learn 10 new words/day
Review 20-30 old words
Focus on words you've encountered in practice tests
Create word families (derive → derivative → derivation)

Daily: 1 hour practice

Complete full Reading section (3-4 passages)
Complete full Listening section (conversations + lectures)
Practice all speaking tasks (1-4)
Write one complete essay

Weeks 7-8: Refinement

Daily: 30 minutes vocabulary

Review all learned words
Focus on "trouble words" list
Practice using words in sentences
Final pronunciation review

Daily: 2 hours practice

Take full practice tests
Review all mistakes
Identify vocabulary gaps
Practice weak sections

Memory Techniques for TOEFL

1. Word Association Link new words to words you know:

Dormitory → "dorm" where you "sleep" (dormir in some languages)
Syllabus → "silo" (container) that holds course information

2. Visual Learning Create mental images:

Migrate → Visualize birds flying to warmer places
Urbanization → Picture buildings growing taller in a city

3. Word Families Learn related forms together:

Analyze (verb) → Analysis (noun) → Analytical (adjective)
Create (verb) → Creation (noun) → Creative (adjective) → Creatively (adverb)

4. Contextual Learning Always learn words in phrases:

❌ Just: "Conduct"
✅ Better: "Conduct research," "Conduct an experiment"

Common TOEFL Mistakes to Avoid

Vocabulary Errors

1. Using Too-Informal Language

Writing Section:

❌ "The author talks about" → ✅ "The author discusses"
❌ "Kids in school" → ✅ "Students" or "Children"
❌ "A lot of" → ✅ "Numerous," "Many," "A significant amount"
❌ "Stuff" → ✅ "Things," "Materials," "Items"

2. Confusing Similar Words

Affect (verb: to influence) vs. Effect (noun: result)
Accept (receive) vs. Except (excluding)
Lose (stop having) vs. Loose (not tight)
Than (comparison) vs. Then (time)

3. Using Words Incorrectly

❌ "I very agree" → ✅ "I strongly agree"
❌ "Make research" → ✅ "Conduct research" or "Do research"
❌ "According to me" → ✅ "In my opinion"
❌ "Nowadays people" → ✅ "Today, people" or "Currently, people"

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Signal Words

Choose the correct signal word:

Many students prefer living on campus. _____, others choose off-campus apartments for more independence.

A) Similarly
B) However
C) Therefore
D) For example

Answer: B) However (shows contrast between preferences)

Exercise 2: Academic Vocabulary

Complete the sentence:

The professor will _____ the main points from today's lecture at the end of class.

A) emphasize
B) elaborate
C) summarize
D) digress

Answer: C) summarize (give brief statement of main points)

Exercise 3: Campus Vocabulary

What is a "syllabus"?

Answer: A document outlining the course schedule, assignments, grading policy, and required readings for a class.

200 Essential TOEFL Words

Top Priority (Learn First)

Academic Basics (25 words): Analyze, Compare, Contrast, Demonstrate, Describe, Develop, Discuss, Evaluate, Examine, Explain, Identify, Illustrate, Indicate, Interpret, Maintain, Occur, Provide, Require, Show, State, Suggest, Support, Theory, Topic, View

Signal Words (25 words): Additionally, Although, Because, Consequently, Conversely, Despite, Furthermore, However, In addition, In contrast, Moreover, Nevertheless, On the other hand, Similarly, Specifically, Subsequently, Therefore, Thus, While, Yet

Campus Life (20 words): Assignment, Campus, Course, Deadline, Dormitory, Enroll, Facility, Faculty, Finals, Grade, Laboratory, Lecture, Library, Major, Midterm, Professor, Registration, Semester, Syllabus, Tuition

High Priority

Science (30 words): Adapt, Analyze, Climate, Conduct, Data, Demonstrate, Develop, Environment, Establish, Evidence, Evolve, Experiment, Hypothesis, Impact, Indicate, Method, Observation, Occur, Phenomenon, Population, Process, Research, Result, Significant, Species, Study, Theory, Variable

Discussion & Opinion (20 words): Agree, Argue, Assert, Assume, Believe, Claim, Conclude, Consider, Disagree, Opinion, Perspective, Point out, Propose, Recommend, Seem, Suggest, Think, View, Wonder

Final TOEFL Tips

✅ DO:

Learn words in context (phrases and sentences)
Focus on academic vocabulary over everyday words
Practice using new words in speaking and writing
Review regularly using spaced repetition
Learn word families (verb, noun, adjective forms)
Pay attention to word stress and pronunciation

❌ DON'T:

Try to memorize dictionary definitions
Learn only isolated words without context
Use informal or slang expressions in formal sections
Ignore collocations (word combinations)
Forget about pronunciation
Wait until the last week to learn vocabulary

Additional Resources

TOEFL Official Guide - ETS official test prep book
WordWell Collections - Academic Vocabulary, Business & Professional
Quizlet TOEFL sets - Community-created flashcards
TED Talks - Academic listening practice
Academic journals - Reading practice with authentic texts
TOEFL subreddit - Test-taker community

Remember: Consistent daily practice is more effective than cramming. Focus on understanding and using words correctly, not just memorizing definitions. Good luck!