http://toefl.magoosh.

com

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
Noun the ability to go into (when Only students have access to the
Access= Acceso Susta somebody or something must university library.
Entrada
ntivo allow you to enter) to go into There is a large amount of oil under the
Ingreso
verb easy something when allowed to enter ice, but we cant access it.
correct (about information, That test is not an accurate test of
Accurate= fiel, adjective Common== not opinions) on target intelligence.
exacto, preciso, comun,
aplicado ordinario

The best students know that to achieve

Achieve=lograr,
realizer, efectuar Verb good grades, they have to study every
easy to accomplish a goal day.
Acquire= Janice isn't a doctor yet, but from her
adquirir, to get (especially when you studies she's slowly acquiring the
conseguir
verb easy will continue to get more) knowledge and skills she'll need
Adequate=adecu A very light jacket will be adequate for Los
ado, acceptable adjective Common good enough for what you need Angeles's warm winter.

to change or move a little and The colors on this TV screen are wrong. I'll
Adjust= ajustar, verb common make better or more accurate adjust them.
regular
the running of something or
Administration=a an organization (business,
dministracion,
direccion school, government, etc) The university administration cancelled all
the person or people in school events after a bad storm left most
noun medium charge of running an buildings without electricity.
Affect=afectar, organization
to change, make different, Which language we speak affects how we
conmover verb easy have an effect think about the world.
Alter=transformar Magazines heavily alter the photos of
, alterar, verb hard to change, to adjust celebrities they publish.
modificar
The menu includes alternatives for
Alternative= students who don't eat meat.
alternative
noun other possibility or option Many words in these flashcards have
adjective medium different, other than the main alternative definitions.
Analyze= option The accountant was too busy with
analizar, to try to understand something paperwork to analyze the report that said
examiner
verb common better by closely looking at its the company had no money.
Annual= anual details Everyone in Manchester was excited
about the annual game between the city's
adjective medium yearly happening every year two soccer teams.
Apparent= After only a few months, it was apparent
supuesto, that the French would not win the war.
aparente,
adjective clearly seen or understood The shark's apparent sleepiness is
evidente
adjective hard seeming (but not definitely actually because of how cold the water is.
true)
Approach= http://toefl.magoosh.com The sign at the park said clearly, "Do not
acceso, approach wild animals! They will bite."
acercamiento,
to come/go closer to The new CEO had a very strange
aproximacion
verb something or someone approach to management, letting his
noun common a way to do something employees sleep whenever they wanted.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
Researchers working in many different
Area= region,
sector, area a range of subjects or studies, a field, area, from psychology to physics, will be
noun hard a discipline able to use the new type of plastic.
Aspect= The three most important aspects to think
aspect, detalle, a feature, a characteristic, a particular about when learning a language are
caracteristica
noun hard part of something grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Assess= to look closely at and figure out the Before buying a house, you should always
valorar, evaluar verb common value or type of something assess the building carefully.

Assist= The box was too big to carry, so John

asistir,ayudar verb easy to help or aid asked the store manager to assist him.
Assume= Ahmed assumed his forgetful professor
asumir, wouldn't remember their meeting, but the
suponer
professor was already waiting for him in
verb common to believe without proof her office.
Attitude= a set way of thinking or a set feeling Zach always has a positive attitude when
actitud, pinion, noun medium about something or someone he has to deal with a problem at work.
postura
to give an event or person credit for The museum director attributed the
Attribute= something, like a work of art or a recently discovered painting to Van Gogh.
atributo,
conceder speech All of his movies have a few attributes in
verb a quality or feature that is an common: for example, there is little
noun medium important part of something conversation and a lot of music.
Authority= control or responsibility over Only Congress has the authority to make
autoridad, noun medium something (people, area, laws, etc) and pass laws for the country.
expert
The advisor was not available too meet all
Available=
disponible day Monday, so the student had to come
adjective easy able to be reached, used, or bought back on Tuesday.
Aware= As Helen drove away form the gas station,
consciente, she wasn't aware that her lights were off
informado
adjective medium to have knowledge of until she turned onto a dark street.
Benefit=ventaj The president flew around the country,
a, beneficio, something good coming from an talking about the benefits of the new
favorecer
noun medium action, agreement, idea, plan, etc. health care law.
Brief= breve, Before we begin class, let me briefly
resumen adjective common short (about time, not length) introduce myself.
Capable= Near the age of twelve months, children
capaz adjective common able to do are capable of walking.
 http://toefl.magoosh.com The hotel is full to maximum capacity
Capacity=
there are no empty rooms.
capacidad,
volumen, Few birds have the capacity to recognize
habilidad the amount or volume something can themselves when looking in a mirror most
noun hold act as though there is a second bird
noun hard ability (especially mental) behind the glass.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence

Challenge= New medicines face many challenges

desafio, reto before they can be put in stores.
In order to get the attention of females,
something difficult males of many animal species will
noun to suggest a fight or argument, to challenge each other in different ways.
verb disagree or try to fight somebody Einstein's writings challenged many ideas
verb easy to say something isn't true of the time.
My professor only gives extra time to finish
Circumstance=
circunstancia the situation, facts or environment essays under special circumstances.
noun easy around an event Normally it's not allowed.
Comment= The professor was angry about the
anotacion, negative comments made about his
apunte,
teaching style.
comentario
an observation, note, or response A smart politician, the prime minister
noun to say a short response or opinion refused to comment on the criticisms of
verb easy about a given topic her newest budget plan.
Michiko committed too many grammar
Commit= to do or perform (something very errors in her essay, and that hurt her
cometer,
perpetrar negative, like a crime) score.
verb
to promise to, to make a final and Before you commit to a university, be sure
verb
unchangeable decision to spend some time on campus.
verb
(usually "be committed to") to give all I'm completely committed to our baseball
hard of your energy to something team's success I'd do anything to win.
Community= a group of people living or working The Spanishspeaking community within
comunidad noun medium together New York City includes millions of people.
Compensate= The pay at Ian's new job was low, but the
Compensar, to help correct a problem with freedom his boss gave him compensated
indemnizar
verb hard another, positive thing for that.
Complex= The science behind the atomic bomb used
dificil, in World War II was highly complex at the
complicado,co
with many different parts and difficult time, but it is simple compared to today's
mplejo
adjective easy to understand, complicated nuclear science.
Component= Many electronics are made of thousands
pieza,compone noun hard a part of a whole of smaller components and wires.
nte, parte
You must learn to concentrate to be
Concentrate= successful on the test.
concentrar
verb to focus attention on something The protests concentrated in the city
verb medium to come together into a smaller space parks.
Concept= http://toefl.magoosh.com
Some concepts within advanced
concepo, idea,
nocion mathematics are hard to show in the real
noun common an abstract idea world.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
Conduct=cond My research team is a conducting a study
ucta, actitud, on how the Internet is changing dating.
comportamient
to organize and manage (for an event We are collecting information from five
o, ejecutar
verb easy that take careful planning and control) countries.
Conflict=conflic an argument, long battle, or difference The conflict in Syria has forced many
to, lucha. noun medium of opinions people to leave the country.
Choque
Consequence= result, effect, what happens because If you hurt the people around you, there
consecuencia noun easy of an event will be unwanted consequences.
Considerable=i large enough or important enough to A considerable number of popular sports
mportante adjective medium get special notice were invented in only the last 100 years.
Consist= verb hard to be made of The U.S. consists of fifty states.
Constant= not changing and not stopping The river flows constantly through the year
Continuo adjective common continuous and never freezes.
Constitute= verb hard to be the pieces that make a whole Fifty states constitute the U.S.A.
representar,
constituir
Constrain= Popular belief says that a pet fish's size is
imponer, constrained by the size of the tank it's in,
obligor
verb hard to limit the activity of, restrict but this is actually false.
Construct= The land flooded every year, so it was
edificar, verb easy to build unsafe to construct buildings on it.
construir
Consume= No country consumes more oil than the
consumir, usar, U.S.A.
agotar
Yeast, which is used to make beer,
verb common to eat, to use consumes sugars to create alcohol.
Contact= An electrical wire in contact with a pool of
Contacto, touching water can be extremely dangerous.
conexion
having possible or normal Liam is still in contact with many of his
communication highschool teachers, surprisingly.
noun communicating (as by email or phone The woman at the help desk told me to
noun especially) to give or get specific contact the student affairs office if I want
verb easy information to change rooms.
When you have difficulty understanding a
Context= new word, look at the context. The
contexto
the information or situation around an sentence around the word might tell the
noun common idea, event, or something that is said meaning.
The zebra's black and white stripes
Contrast=
contrast clearly with the yellow grass
disimilitud
Contraste around it.
to be clearly different from By contrasting the vocabulary of French
verb to look specifically at the differences and Spanish, we can see their different
verb common between two things histories.
 http://toefl.magoosh.com Over the past three years, my parents
Contribute=
have not contributed to my university
Contribuir
Donar to give something (often money), to tuition.
help reach a goal I smoked a lot when I was younger, and
verb to add to the cause of something that's contributed to my health problems
verb medium bigger today.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
to work with or communicate with the A chef at a big restaurant will spend his
Coordinate=
coordinar different people, groups, or pieces time coordinating all the workings of the
Dirijir verb hard involved in a large product kitchen, not cooking.
Core=fondo Although we have made improvements in
Quid brain science, many of the core problems
Centro
adjective central, of fundamental importance remain.
Nucleo
noun hard the center of something The earth's core is made of liquid rock.
Correspond= This new paint for the room does not
Coincidir correspond to the old paint.
Corresponder
My mother and father corresponded for
Conformarse
verb to be a close match almost two years before meeting in
verb medium to send letters back and forth person.
Criteria= A good TOEFL essay includes a few
the measures by which you judge or criteria, including good structure, clear
noun hard decide something ideas, and natural vocabulary.
Culture= the way a group of people living in
cultura one area normally acts, including arts, When living in another country, it can be
Civilizacion
noun style, food, and how people talk to very difficult to become comfortable in the
noun easy and act with each other new culture.
Data= datos We collect data on the oceans'
Informacion noun common information, facts temperatures every year.
Debate= to argue, usually in a formal, polite Watching the presidential debates on TV
debate, disputa verb medium way did not help me decide who to vote for.

to politely say no to an invitation or I declined dinner because I had plans to

Decline=
offer eat with my family instead.
Decadencia
Deterioro to become less, fewer, or smaller For ten years, the number of fish in the
Disminuir verb (usually of something good) river has declined.
verb a slow continuous loss of value, Many people say that America is in
noun medium power, or strength decline.
Deduce= By analyzing the bones, we can deduce
deducir, inferior to come to a conclusion through logic when the animal lived and, maybe, how it
verb hard and evidence, to figure out died.
Demonstrate= to show an example of, to prove with At eight years old, Mozart demonstrated
Demostrar,mos verb common evidence his musical ability in London.
trar,probar
to get or create from All plastics are derived from oil.
Derive=proveni
r de, proceder (usually "be derived from") to come Many European languages are derived at
de verb hard from, originate from least partly from Latin.
Despite=sin even with (when an event is
embargo, a preposition common surprising because of some difficulty) We enjoyed our vacation despite the rain.
pesar de
Discrete=separ http://toefl.magoosh.com
separate, not the same thing and with Your left arm and right arm are controlled
ado, distinto adjective hard no parts in common by two discrete areas of the brain.
Distinct=distint There are at least five distinct types of
o,claro,diferent adjective medium clearly different from turtle living on the island.
e
Distribute=repa The teacher distributed tests to the class,
rtir, distribuir and the students were happy to see they
verb medium to give out something did well.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
The student population is incredibly
Diverse=divers
o,diferente,desi diverse at South State University, with
gual adjective hard having many different types students from 30 different countries.
Element=elem The element of his speech that I didn't like
ento, a part of something, usually part of an was at the end, when he talked about
componente
noun medium idea religion.
Emerge=surgir, After a winter spent sleeping, the bear
aparecer verb hard to come out of emerges from its cave.
Emphasize=ac Most modern art emphasizes creativity
entuar,recalcar verb common to place extra importance on one part and emotion, not skill.
Enable=autoriz The classes in college will enable you to
ar,permitir verb medium to make something possible find a good job.
Enforce=impon Although smoking is not allowed on school
er, hacer campus, the ban isn't enforced, and many
cumplir
verb hard to make people follow (a rule or law) students smoke freely.
Entity=entidad The male angler fish will attach
permanently to the female, and in time,
noun hard a thing that exists or acts as one unit the two fish will become a single entity.
Rashim used a chart to find that his 6.7
Equivalent=
equivalente GPA in his home country was equivalent
adjective medium equal to a 3.2 GPA in the United States.
Establish=esta to build, to create (of a system,
blecer, fundar organization, or ideanot a real, The U.S. government was established in
verb common physical thing) the late 1700s.
Estimate=valor to determine roughly the value or
acion,aprox,cal number of something, to guess a Be careful to not forget any costs for the
cular
verb medium number using some information year when you estimate your budget.
Evaluate=valor Students are evaluated by their grades on
ar,tasar, to form an idea of the the amount, tests, homework, essays, and inclass
evaluar
verb easy number or value of something interaction.
Evident=evide Dogs' feeling are usually evident in their
nte, claro adjective easy clearly seen or understood, obvious actions.
Exclude=exclui to not include, to not put in a list or I eat almost anything, excluding spicy
r,eliminar verb hard group foods. I hate hot pepper.
Blowing air into a balloon will cause it to
Expand=exten
der,ampliar to make larger to give more detail on expand, but if you blow too much air, it will
verb easy a subject explode!
Expose=descu to show or reveal something that was The politician's crimes were exposed and
brir,expone verb medium hidden he was forced to leave his position.
External=exter outsidehttp://toefl.magoosh.com
(especially of a body or Uncontrollable, external events can cause
no, exterior adjective hard system) even a very careful company to fail.
Facilitate=facili
tar,simplificar
Classical music, unlike many types of
music, will generally facilitate learning and
verb hard to make easy or easier improve memory.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
Factor=factor Two of the largest factors affecting
a fact that influences or changes a children's healthy growth are food and
noun hard result relationships with parents.
Feature=aspec The sound made by "r" is one of the most
to,rasgo,caract difficult features of spoken English.
eristica
The university's new student housing
noun an important characteristic, a property features larger rooms than the old building
verb common to include as an important piece did.
Focus=centrar I could not focus on my homework in the
se,enfocar library because someone was playing
to look at, think about, or give music very loudly.
attention to The focus of Justin's essay was not clear
verb the center of attention the most to the professor, so he received a low
noun easy important part grade.
Framework= Ellen's business plan may have failed, but
Armazon a structure for a building, system, or it formed the framework for her next,
noun hard idea successful plan.
Function=funci I dropped my phone into a swimming pool,
on,calidad to work to do what something should but, amazingly, it still functions.
verb do The hair on the human head has no clear
noun common what something does, its purpose function.
Alive believes that women are
Fundamental= fundamentally different from men.
Esencial,funda
mental The fundamental beliefs of most religions
adjective common basic, central extremely important are peaceful.
Kenya has beautiful weather and,
Furthermore=
Ademas,aparte furthermore, does not have long nights in
de adverb common also, in addition, what's more the winter.
Generate= to create, to produce (especially
Generar verb hard energy) Movement generates heat.
Grant=beca,ot
orgar,conceder The government has recently granted us
access to information that was secret
before.
to agree to give (something that was I disagree that snakes make good pets,
verb asked for) but I'll grant that they're easy to take care
verb hard to admit, to say something is true of.
Hence=por lo The evidence is false hence, the
tanto, por adverb common therefore, so, as a result conclusion is also false.
consiguiente
Hypothesis= an idea which explains something but The hypothesis that the Earth is growing
Hipotesis noun common is unproven was shown to be false.
Identify= http://toefl.magoosh.com
to name, to show or figure out what Scientists have not been able to identify
Identificar, verb common something is the language written on the rocks.
Localizar
Illustrate= Peter illustrated his point by telling a short
Ilustrar,
ejemplificar verb common to explain with an example story.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
The end of the war had a large impact on
Impact= economic growth.
Impacto,
My father's advice hugely impacted my
consecuencia
university decision.
noun an effect that changes a situation The impact of a car crash can send a
verb to affect strongly driver who doesn't wear a seat belt
noun hard the force of being hit hard through the window.
Imply= to communicate without saying The president implied that he would not
implicar, specifically, to hint at an idea to lead support the new law against selling
suponer
verb easy to a clear conclusion tobacco, but he didn't say it clearly.
Indicate= The way you speak and act indicates your
Indicar, verb common to be a sign of, to show emotions.
representar
Individual= Joan was surprised that the ten books she
individual, ordered from the Internet came together,
particular
adjective easy single or separated only one of but in individual boxes.
Initial= inicial My initial plan was to study until midnight
and wake up late, but then I fell asleep
adjective medium at the beginning early.
Two animals in Australia (platypuses and
Instance=caso,
ejemplo echidnas) are the only instances of
noun common an example, a case animals with hair that lay eggs.
Institute=institu In January, we will institute a plan to make
to, instuir car accidents less frequent.
to start (a rule or system) The National Cancer Institute was created
verb a group or organization that studies or to learn more about, and hopefully cure,
noun hard works for something specific the many types of cancer.
Integrate=integ It is difficult or even impossible to
rar smoothly integrate a small, foreign culture
verb hard to become a part of into the main culture of a country.
Internal=intern The US government has had lots of
o found or happening inside (a body, problems ever since internal messages
adjective medium organization, etc) were published on news websites.
Interpret=interp The students could not interpret the
retar to figure out or explain the meaning of extremely old book because the pages
verb medium something were hard to read.
 http://toefl.magoosh.com
to spend money, energy, or time on
Invest=invertir something hoping for good results
later If you want to learn another language, you
to spend money in the hopes of will have to invest a lot of your free time.
making more money, usually in Jamie invested in an education company
property, financial shares, or some that he thought would succeed and make
verb medium other activity him rich.
Doctors are investigating a newly
Investigate=inv
estigar,buscar to try to find answers to questions discovered plant that might help to fight
verb common about something, to research cancer.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
Involve=enred The study of architecture involves both art
ar,envolver verb common to include, to have as a part and science.
Issue=edicion, In order to define what jazz music is, we
asunto,decreta need to look at a few different issues.
r
Monarchies (governments with kings or
noun a topic or situation to talk about queens) often have several common
noun common a problem issues.
Justify=justifica to give a good reason for an action or Although Milos explained for a long time,
r, confirmer situation (especially one that seems he could not justify borrowing his brother's
verb hard bad) car without asking.
Label=etiqueta a name or phrase given to a group of The meaning of the label "punk" has
,calificar things to identify them (often changed greatly in the last 30 years.
noun negative) Children are often unkind and label others
verb easy to give a label to something who look different as outsiders.
Labor=trabajo, Juan was surprised at how much labor
mano de obra noun medium work effort was needed to finish his project on time.
Layer=capa Layers of paint on the steel bridge will
something that covers something else protect it from rust.
noun to put something on top of something Sebastian layered the sandwich with all
verb medium else my favorite meats and cheeses.
Lecture=sermo a long speech about one topic
n, conferencia noun (especially in a classroom) Professor Jackson's lectures are too long
verb common to give a long speech about a topic I always fall asleep.
Link=enlace, The news story linked the president's
conexion,asoci to create a connection between two or success with the improved economy.
ar
verb more things What is the link between success in life
noun medium a connection between two things and in education?
Maintain=mant China has maintained a friendship with the
ener, U.S., although the two countries often
sostener,prese have different needs and ideas.
rvar to continue These roads are so badly maintained that
to keep alive, to keep in good state or they're difficult to drive on.
verb condition Until his death, Christopher Columbus
verb to continue to say although people maintained that he had sailed to Asia, not
verb easy disagree America.
Major=mayor,i The exam score is a major part of the final
mportante,gran adjective easy very important, or large in size class grade.
de
Maximize=aum http://toefl.magoosh.com In order to maximize the number of people
entar al to make as big as possible to use or that can fit on the plane, the airline took
maximo
verb easy do as completely as possible out the restrooms.
Mental=mental Many mental problems are still not well
understood. We often don't know what
causes them nor how to stop them from
adjective easy of the mind happening.
Method=metod The Spanish method of making chocolate
o,procedimient noun common how to do something, a process created a completely new drink.
o

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
Minor=menor,i The old actress was sad she had only a
nsignificante adjective easy not very important small in size minor role in the new movie.
Modify=alterar, to make small changes or add to in The first bicycles were slow and difficult to
cambiar verb common order to make better use, but they were modified over time.
Monitor=monit We have been carefully monitoring the
or,controlar to watch the quality or progress of amount of salt in our oceans for the last 50
something over time years.
verb something or somebody which Heart rate monitors can be used for both
noun hard monitors medicine and exercise.
Studying late into the night might help you
Negate=negati
vo,falso learn more, but sleeping less negates the
verb hard to make not true or not effective positive effects.
Network=comp a system of connected pieces The typhoon destroyed the network of
lejo,red (especially for transportation or roads, which has made it hard to bring
noun medium communication) supplies and first aid to the town.
Nevertheless= The decision was dangerous.
sin adverb common however, regardless Nevertheless, Hitler attacked Russia.
embargo,no
obstante
Notion=nocion, I think the professor's notion of fun was
idea noun medium a belief an idea different from the students' notion of fun.
Objective=obje The objective of the TOEFL is to measure
tivo,imparcial, your total English ability.
meta
a goal We can objectively measure how spicy a
noun based in fact, not an opinion, not from pepper is, but how we feel about that
adjective hard personal beliefs or ideas spiciness is not objective.
Obtain=sacar,o After lots of looking, Jorge obtained a job
btener,adquirir verb medium to get or secure something and apartment in New York City.

Obvious=obvio The results of the election were so clear

,logico,evident that the loser admitted defeat before
e
adjective easy easily understood or seen voting was finished.
Occupy=ocupa The dentist's office occupied the entire
do,ocupar verb easy to be in or on a space, to fill a space fourth floor of the building.
Occur=ocurrir,s The sinking of the Titanic occurred on
uceder,acontec verb easy to happen April 14, 1912.
er
Orient=orientar http://toefl.magoosh.com
(usually "to be oriented") to move into
a position in line with some specific The statues appear to be oriented toward
point the sunrise.
verb (usually "to orient yourself") to explore It took a few weeks to orient myself in the
verb hard and become comfortable with new job, but I feel comfortable now.
Overall=sobret Some words might be new and difficult,
odo, en but the overall meaning of the sentence is
general
clear.
looking at or including all pieces or Overall, Americans eat a lot of beef,
adjective factors especially compared to people in other
adverb common in general, for the most part countries.
Participate=par to join or take part in (a conversation, The teacher was surprised when every
ticipar verb easy a game, etc.) student participated in the math game.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
Perceive=ente If hunters are skilled, the animals will not
nder,comprend verb hard to be aware of, to sense or feel perceive their presence.
er
Period=punto,p Computer technology changed a lot in the
eriodo period between the 1980s and the year
noun easy a range or amount of time 2000.
Perspective=p Young children's drawings do not have
unto de clearly defined perspective you may see
vista,perspecti
three walls of an outside of a building, for
va
example.
how you see something from a Many Hollywood movies, when watched
specific place from a woman's perspective, have clearly
noun hard a point of view or opinion sexist characters.
Phase=fase,et a period of time in a longer process of There are at least three different phases in
apa noun hard change a frog's development from egg to adult.
Philosophy= Philosophy has always tried to answer the
Filosofia the study of knowledge or a set of question "What is the meaning of life?"
theories knowledge and thought My philosophy is that if you can do
noun a basic idea of a person or something today, you shouldn't wait until
noun medium organization that affects their actions tomorrow.
Cleaning up the campus garden was
Physical=fisico tiring, physical work.
,corporal
adjective of the body (not mental) Katerina doesn't like paying for music
adjective easy concrete (not abstract) without a physical copy, such as a CD.
Policy=politica, a rule made by an organization, School policy does not allow alcohol on
poliza noun hard government, or company campus.
Potential=pote possible ability that might be used in
ncial the future Wind and solar energy have the potential
noun having the ability to do something in to replace oil.
adjective medium the future China is potentially the next world leader.
Because the pirates weren't certain of the
Precise=precis
o precise location of the gold, they dug
adjective medium exact carefully defined holes all over the island.
Charlie Chaplin predicted that movies
Predict=predec
ir,pronosticar to say something will happen in the would never become popular. He was
verb common future wrong, clearly.
Previous=pasa http://toefl.magoosh.com Soojin thought her science class was
do,anterior happening before the one happening really hard after studying only literature in
adjective easy now (of a thing, event, or date) the previous year.
Primary=princi The primary cause of unhappiness is not
pal,esencial noun easy first in importance about moneyit is bad health.
Principle=princi The principles at the heart of the new
pal,esencial a rule or idea that makes the base for religion are the same as many central
noun hard a system (often moral) beliefs of Christianity.
Prior=previo,an The new CEO of Yahoo called the prior
terior CEO of the company to get a better
adjective medium happening or being before understanding of the company.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
Proceed=oper We will not proceed with the construction
ar,proceder,av until someone tells us it is safe to build
anzar,diriguirse
verb medium to begin or continue with some action here.

Project= Cleaning out the storage room was a big

proyecto a plan or task to reach a specific goal project, but it's nice to see it empty, now.
to predict the measurement of Based on this year's success, Apple is
something in the future from present projecting similar growth next year, too.
noun measurements Hoping to communicate with aliens,
verb to send out, to throw (of light, energy, scientists have been projecting radio
verb common etc) messages into space for many years.
Proportion=pro Cartoons of people often have
porcion,parte the size or amount of something exaggerated proportions, such as very
noun hard compared to the whole or other parts large eyes or hands.
Pursue= The baby elephant ran, but the pack of
perseguir,aspir lions pursued it.
er,buscar
Man pursued the dream of flight for
verb to follow, to chase hundreds of years before the modern
verb hard to try to achieve (a dream or goal) airplane was invented.
the distance between two things (like
Range=Zona,a area, time, or intelligence) The range of scores on the test was big.
lcance,variar
noun to be between a set minimum and In the company, the age of people ranges
verb medium maximum from 25 to 75.
React=Reaccio Mothers react quickly to their babies cries,
nar verb easy to respond, act in answer to even in the middle of the night.
Although most of the Japanese exchange
Region=Regio students come from Osaka, in the south,
n,zona,distrito
Akiko comes from the northern region of
noun easy an area of land Japan.
to put your name or other information If you'd like to buy a meal plan, you can
Register=Regi in a list for something register at the student affairs office.
stro,certificar,m
atricular verb to identify and show on a tool for The bomb was so strong that far away
verb common measuring weather balloons registered the heat.
Regulate=Reg to have control over a process so that Parents regulate the amount of time kids
ular,ajustar verb medium it functions properly spend playing games on their phones.
Reject=Rechaz to say no to something offered, to After applying to ten schools, Lucas was
ar verb easy refuse or decline rejected by nine of them.
 http://toefl.magoosh.com I think Professor McGarry can give you
Relevant=perti
nente,relaciona closely connected to the topic and some relevant books to help you write that
do adjective easy therefore important essay.
In many countries, children rely on their
Rely=
to depend on, to need in order to parents for food, money, and housing until
verb easy continue well they are over 20 years old.
The grocery store removed all of the milk
Remove=Quita
r,eliminar after the government said it was unsafe to
verb easy to take away or take out drink.
Require=Requ verb to need for a specific purpose to set All life, plants and animals included,
erir,necesitar verb common as the minimum requires water.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
After growing up on an island, Malika
Research=inve hoped to research ocean temperatures in
stigacion,invest
igar to find or search for more information graduate school.
about something Dr. Stanislaus was famous for his
verb information collected about something research on changes in health education
noun easy (usually academic) over the past 100 years.
Reside=Residir verb medium to live in a place I reside in California.
,vivir,habitar
Resolve=resolu Even after meeting for hours, the
cion,determinar to agree to decide to solve a government leaders still could not resolve
,solucionar
verb easy problem or argument their argument over new taxes.
Many of the richest countries have
Resource=recu some saved material that can be used surprisingly few natural resources and
rso,medio
for a purpose (especially money, must buy oil or gas from other countries.
anything used to make energy such Never forget to make use of the library
as oil, or information sources such as during your studies it's full of great
noun easy books) resources.
Waiters who respond to customers'
Respond=resp questions with a smile generally get more
onder,contesta
r money.
If you scare a turtle, it will respond by
verb easy answer react hiding in its shell.
Restrict= to limit, to make some actions Access to this parking area is restricted:
Reducir,limitar, verb common impossible only university students may use it.
restringir

Retain=Retene Originally from France, Jean retains a hint

r,conservar verb hard to keep, continue to have or contain of her French accent even today.
Role=papel,rol Student class president is an important
noun medium a job or function a position role.
Scheme=esqu Microsoft's marketing scheme for their
ema,plan,cons new tablet computer was less than
piracion
successful.
a large plan The modern scheme for naming different
the system by which something is types of plants and animals started around
noun hard arranged 1800.
Section=seccio http://toefl.magoosh.com Every ant's body has three sections: a
n,division one of a number of pieces which head, a thorax (where the legs are), and
noun easy come together to create a whole an abdomen (the back).
Secure=seguro to attach something so that is won't Please tightly secure the surfboards on
,asegurado verb medium come off top of the car.
Seek=pedir,int Across many different cultures' stories,
entar verb hard to look for, to try to find heroes seek more than just gold or fame.
There are four different math courses you
Select=selecci may select from in your first year.
onar,selecto,ex
clusivo Harvard students are a select group of
verb to choose very intelligent, successful students who
adjective common chosen as the best from a group are often from rich families.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence

Shift=cambio,t Please help me shift the table so it is

urno,mover easier for people to sit down.
verb to move something a short distance The recent shift that the coach made is
noun medium a small change in position or direction helping the team win more games.
Significant=exp important or big enough that you Most animals spend a significant amount
resivo,revelado adjective common should notice or pay attention of their time looking for food.
r,considerable

Site=sitio,exteri The people of the city voted for a site

ores,terreno downtown as the location of the new
noun medium the location of something sports stadium.
Source=raiz,fu Do not trust books that give information
ente,principio without listed sources. The facts could be
noun easy where something comes from false.
Specify=especi The king told the hero that he could marry
ficar,declarer to say which one or clearly point to one of the princesses but did not specify
verb easy which one which daughter.
Stable=firme,e not likely to change, fall, or move
stable secure (as in employment, finances, Make sure the ladder is stable before you
adjective medium housing, etc) climb up it!
The status of women has slowly improved
Status=Estado, the rank or social class of someone or over the past 100 years, and it continues
rango,condicio
n something to improve.
the current situation that something is What's the status of the new library? Are
noun medium in they finished building it yet?
Strategy=Estra The debate team spent the evening
tegia a plan of action to reach a desired discussing their strategy for defeating the
noun easy goal other team
Stress=Acento, If you stress the wrong words or sounds
tension,enfasis when speaking English, you may not be
verb to place extra importance on one part understood.
noun extra importance placed on one part Final exams are soon, and so stress levels
noun common pressure, strain, tension worry are high among students.
Subsequent=s http://toefl.magoosh.com Both the winter and the subsequent spring
ubsecuente were surprisingly dry, with neither snow
adjective hard immediately after nor rain.
to take out and put something else in
Substitute=sus the same place (usually something Because we didn't have any, we
tituto,reemplaz
ar worse) substituted the sugar with juice.
verb something that goes in the place of Many cigarette smokers who try to quit
noun common the normal thing use chewing gum as a substitute.
Sufficient=bast Because of weather changes, last year
ante,suficiente farms couldn't grow sufficient rice to feed
adjective common enough in amount for what you need the country.
Sustain=soste to help something continue, to keep No animals or plants can sustain life
ner,sufrir verb medium going without water.

Part of
Word Speech Difficulty Definition Example Sentence
Theory=Teoria an idea or belief about how/why There are many theories about why we
noun common something works dream.
Tradition=tradi a set of beliefs or a culture that is
cion,cultura passed from family to family over a Chris's favorite tradition is eating ham on
noun medium long period of time Christmas.
Transfer=trasla Sally transferred all of her money from
do,transferir to pass from one person or thing to American National Bank when she heard
verb easy another they were closing.
Trend=tendenc noun the direction or way in which Today's computer culture is trending
ia verb common something is changing toward more touchscreen technology.
Underlying=su There is no single way to put an end to
byacente,por drug addiction since there are many
debajo,oculto
adjective hard forming the basis for something underlying causes.
Valid=Valido Many people have said the artist Jackson
Pollack's work didn't require much skill,
adjective hard from a reasonable or correct basis and that idea is somewhat valid.
Vary=variar,ca to be a different size, amount, or
er,cambiar,difer character when compared to The restaurants in this area vary greatly in
enciar
verb medium something else in a similar group quantity and price.
Welfare=asiste A perfect government would care more
ncia,social,bien how healthy and happy a person or about the welfare of its people than
estar
noun hard group is anything else.
Whereas=aunq although (used to contrast two Lemons are very sour whereas most fruits
ue,mientras q conjunction common different things) are sweet.

Additional Resources:
Magoosh TOEFL Online Flashcards: Includes all the words listed above. Also available as apps for
Android and iPhone!
Magoosh TOEFL Blog
Magoosh TOEFL Online Prep: Lesson videos and practice questions with video explanations
Magoosh TOEFL YouTube Channel
http://toefl.magoosh.com

Happy studying! :)