Vocabulary Lists

CollectionPoetry Slam!Poems and Novels-in-Verse for National Poetry Month

20 WordsTricky Terms for April Fool's Day: April 1
40 WordsPassover Vocabulary: April 1–9
12 WordsEaster Vocabulary: April 5
10 WordsOur Twist on National Grilled Cheese Day: April 12
15 WordsTax Day: April 15
30 WordsNational Exercise Day: April 18
16 Words"Easter, 1916" by W.B. Yeats
20 WordsTree Terminology for Arbor Day: April 28
12 WordsInternational Jazz Day: April 30

CollectionRhyme’s ReasonEssential Literary Terms for National Poetry Month

35 Words"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
15 Words"Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson
18 Words"The Monument" by Elizabeth Bishop
32 Words"Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
20 Words"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning
17 Words"The Flea" by John Donne
30 Words"The Canonization," by John Donne
14 Words"Death, be not proud" by John Donne
14 Words"To an Athlete Dying Young" by A. E. Housman
15 Words"Musée des Beaux Arts" by W.H. Auden
24 Words"The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
15 Words"Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Wallace Stevens
10 Words"Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 10th, 1666" by Anne Bradstreet
30 Words"Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant
14 Words"Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll
20 Words"Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
15 Words"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
14 Words"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Parts V-VII
18 Words"Man Listening to Disc" by Billy Collins
10 Words"On Turning Ten" by Billy Collins
18 Words"Yet Do I Marvel" by Countee Cullen
15 Words"The Railway Train" by Emily Dickinson
10 Words"We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" by Emily Dickinson
20 Words"A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" by John Donne
12 Words"Song: Go and catch a falling star" by John Donne
27 Words"The Love Song J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. Eliot
15 Words"Mending Wall," by Robert Frost
20 Words"Birches" by Robert Frost
20 Words"The Death of the Hired Man" by Robert Frost
20 Words"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot
15 Words"The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot
30 Words"The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, Part III
19 Words"The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, Parts IV–V
15 Words"Digging" by Seamus Heaney
20 Words"Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats
13 Words"Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson
30 Words"Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats
25 Words"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
16 Words"To Althea, from Prison" by Richard Lovelace
20 Words"Paradise Lost" by John Milton, Book I
15 Words"The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter" by Ezra Pound
25 Words"Planetarium" by Adrienne Rich
18 Words"Chicago" by Carl Sandburg
12 Words"Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley
17 Words"The Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes
15 Words"Song VII (Sing the song of the moment...)" by Rabindranath Tagore
15 Words"Morning Song" by Sylvia Plath
40 Words"Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman, List 1
35 Words"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d" by Walt Whitman
10 Words"On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Phillis Wheatley
15 Words"A Noiseless Patient Spider" by Walt Whitman
15 Words"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman
16 Words"Easter, 1916" by W.B. Yeats
10 Words"The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats
15 Words"Death of a Naturalist" by Seamus Heaney
25 Words"The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe
10 Words"The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats
15 Words"We Are Many" by Pablo Neruda
13 Words"Ode to the Table" by Pablo Neruda
10 Words"Sonnet 55" by William Shakespeare
13 WordsSonnet 18
12 Words"Sonnet 116"
15 Words"The Village Blacksmith" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
15 Words"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas

24 WordsPoetry: Genres
25 WordsPoetry: Structure and Meter
35 WordsPoetry: Literary Devices
24 WordsSome Helpful Poetry Terms
23 WordsReading: Literature - Poetry - Introductory
40 WordsReading: Literature - Poetry - Middle School
91 WordsReading: Literature - Poetry - High School
13 WordsReading: Literature - Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
30 WordsReading: Literature - Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Middle School
64 WordsReading: Literature - Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - High School

Featured Literature:

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Adventures of Don QuixoteArgentina Palacios
Don Alonzo, who was an old man living in Spain during the Middle Ages, thought he was the heroic knight Don Quixote de...
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Legendary Frybread Drive-InIntertribal StoriesCynthia Leitich Smith
Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In is a magical place where Indigenous teens can find love, support, comfort, and...
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Red Flags and ButterfliesSheryl Azzam
Tenth-grader Lexie is applying to a fine arts high school, but her unsupportive father and a confusing new relationship...
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The Undead Fox of Deadwood ForestAubrey Hartman
Clare the fox helps other animals find their rightful place in the Afterlife — until Gingersnipes the badger enters his...
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Sisters in the WindAngeline Boulley
This novel follows Ojibwe teenager Lucy Smith as she faces the horrors of her past in the foster system.
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An Elephant in the GardenMichael Morpurgo
In the midst of WWII, Lizzie, Karli, and their mother are forced to flee their home to escape the bombings. But theirs...
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"We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar

In this poem, Paul Laurence Dunbar, a son of former slaves, suggests that some people wear masks in...

12 Words

"Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar

In this poem, the speaker knows what the caged bird feels. Read the full text here.

"Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou

This poem compares the movements and songs of a caged bird to those of a free bird. Read the full...

CollectionCompelling Coming-of-Age-Memoirs

"Rosa Parks" by Nikki Giovanni

This poem is dedicated to the Pullman Porters who started the chain of events that led to Rosa Parks...

15 Words

Featured Non-Fiction:

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The Hiding PlaceCorrie ten Boom, John Sherrill and Elizabeth Sherrill
Holland native Corrie ten Boom had an unremarkable life until Nazi Germany invaded her family's world during World War...
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Death in the JungleMurder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of JonestownCandace Fleming
This work of nonfiction tells the tragic story of the Peoples Temple, an American cult founded by Jim Jones.
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White LiesHow the South Lost the Civil War, Then Rewrote the HistoryAnn Bausum
This historical nonfiction book aims to debunk false narratives about the Confederacy that were popularized by white...
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WoodsongGary Paulsen
The author invites the young reader into the grueling experience of training for and running the Alaskan Iditarod...
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American SpiritsThe Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad that Haunted a NationBarb Rosenstock
This nonfiction book tells the story of Maggie, Kate, and Leah Fox, three sisters living in Civil War America who became...
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Stealing Little MoonThe Legacy of the American Indian Boarding SchoolsDan SaSuWeh Jones
In this work of biographical nonfiction, Dan SaSuWeh Jones recounts his family's history at Chilocco Indian Agricultural...
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"Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

This 19th-century transcendentalist essay argues that spending time in nature helps people resist...

30 Words

"The Fallacy of Success" by G.K. Chesterton

In this essay from the collection All Things Considered, the English novelist, philosopher, and...

"Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry" by Rudolfo Anaya

In this essay, the award-winning author of Bless Me, Ultima shares his thoughts on how descriptions...

CollectionAmerican History and Government: Essential Vocabulary

"The Origin of Species by Natural Selection" by Charles Darwin: Essential Words

Charles Darwin expounded his theories on evolution in "The Origin of Species by Natural Selection."...

13 Words

Featured Textbooks & Curricula:

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25 WordsAmerican History I
20 WordsAmerican History II
20 WordsAmerican History III
15 WordsGovernment
20 WordsCivics I
20 WordsCivics II

Featured Test Prep:

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Core Tier 2 VocabularyHigh-Frequency, High-Utility Academic Words
Mastering these common words is essential success in the classroom and beyond. Students will encounter this foundational...
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 1

Whether you're hoping to improve your comprehension of reading assignments or simply looking to...

CollectionRipped from the Headlines: April 2026Our Weekly Roundups of Current Events Vocabulary

Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1

Whether you're preparing for a standardized test, hoping to improve your comprehension of reading...

25 Words

The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 1

20 Words

ASVAB Word Knowledge

The Word Knowledge section of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a vocabulary...

100 Words

12 WordsApril Vocabulary Words
10 WordsThis Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 29–April 4, 2026

Featured Current Events:

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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 29–April 4, 2026

Stories about making intergenerational connections; a cooperative whale birth; and an eerily red sky...

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 22–March 28, 2026

Stories about recycled pickleballs, the resurgence of cursive writing, and a smelly advertising...

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 15–March 21, 2026

Stories about Mardi Gras Indians, a liquid planet, and a truly terrible movie all contributed words...

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 8–March 14, 2026

Stories about a scientific sneaker test, newly discovered "extinct" marsupials, and fruit-loving...

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 1–March 7, 2026

Stories about a heroic rescue, a fiery orange waterfall, and clownfish peer pressure all contributed...

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 22–February 28, 2026

Stories about fake chocolate, an injured eagle, and a women's ice hockey victory all contributed...

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 15–February 21, 2026

Stories about a pickleball brawl, figure skating's Blade Angels, and the Lunar New Year all...

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 7–February 14, 2026

Stories about crime-fighting llamas, Buddhist monks walking for peace, and Ilia Malinin's quadruple...

CollectionWe the PeopleFounding U.S. Documents

30 WordsThe Declaration of Independence
35 WordsDeclaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
15 WordsPreamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
40 WordsThe Constitution of the United States
40 WordsThe Bill of Rights
40 WordsThe Federalist Papers, No. 1 by Alexander Hamilton
60 WordsThe Federalist Papers, No. 10 by James Madison
35 WordsThe Federalist Papers, No. 14 by James Madison
40 WordsThe Federalist Papers, No. 51 by James Madison

Featured Historical Documents:

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Common SenseThomas Paine
In this pamphlet, Paine urges the American colonists to fight for independence from Great Britain and form a new...
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The Freedom of Information Act (2016)

Considered an important part of American democracy, this act was first signed into law in 1966, but...

25 Words

The Mayflower Compact (1620)

Seen as a forerunner to the U.S. Constitution, the signers of The Mayflower Compact agreed to work...

20 Words

The Bill of Rights

Learn these words to better understand the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution ratified by...

13th Amendment (1865)

The 13th Amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865. It abolished slavery and involuntary servitude,...

CollectionPresidential ParlanceInspiring and Thought-Provoking Words from U.S. Presidents

14 WordsAbraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
40 WordsRichard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
25 WordsJohn F. Kennedy's Address to the American People on the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
60 WordsDwight D. Eisenhower, "The Military-Industrial Complex" (1961)
30 WordsFranklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
35 WordsHerbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
30 WordsTheodore Roosevelt on "New Nationalism" (1910)
30 WordsJimmy Carter on "The Crisis of Confidence" (1979)
30 WordsLyndon B. Johnson on "The Great Society" (1964)
35 WordsTheodore Roosevelt on "The Man with the Muck Rake" (1906)
50 WordsRonald Reagan, "Tear Down This Wall" (1987)
50 WordsFranklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941)

Featured Speeches:

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William Jennings Bryan's "A Cross of Gold" SpeechJuly 8, 1896
On July 8, 1896, William Jennings Bryan, a former Congressman from Nebraska, rose to address the Democratic National...
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural AddressMarch 4, 1933
In the very depths of the Great Depression, a new president took office. Franklin D. Roosevelt would serve longer than...
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Harry Truman's Inauguration Address

Harry Truman delivered this speech on January 20, 1949. Check out some of the vocabulary we've...

30 Words

In the Words of Abraham Lincoln

In honor of Honest Abe's birthday, we've compiled vocabulary from his numerous speeches and...

20 Words

Mandela's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Address

In 1993, Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize with South African President F.W. de Klerk....

CollectionElements of the UniverseExplore the Cosmos with These Word Roots

Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)

On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States naval base located at...

30 Words

CollectionTolkien Reading Day

12 WordsCosm, Cosmo ("Universe")
12 WordsTerr, Terra ("Earth")
12 WordsGeo ("Earth")
18 WordsHydr, Hydro ("Water")
10 WordsAqua ("Water")
10 WordsIgn, Igni ("Fire")
12 WordsPyr, Pyro ("Fire")
12 WordsAer, Aero ("Air")
12 WordsAether ("Sky")
12 WordsAster, Astro ("Star")
12 WordsSol ("Sun")

Featured Roots & Affixes:

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Just Do It: Act

This vocabulary list features words with the Latin root act, meaning "do."

19 Words

A Cut Above: Sect, Sec

This vocabulary list features words with the Latin roots sect and sec, meaning "cut."

11 Words

Shake It Up: Alter

This vocabulary list features words with the Latin root alter, meaning "one of two, other of the...

11 Words

Total Recall: Mem

Don't forget this list of words derived from the Latin memoria meaning "memory or remembrance."

16 Words

English Words Derived from Arabic

All of the English words on this lists have Arabic origins. While some, like caliph and imam,...

22 Words

English Words Derived from Indigenous Languages of the Americas

Here are 15 common English words whose roots come from indigenous languages of the Americas. The...

15 Words

In the Know: Cogn, Conn

Knowledge is power, so learn these words that derive from the Latin roots cogn and conn, meaning...

12 Words

Perfect Ten: Dec, Cent, Mille

These words derive from the Latin roots dec ("ten"), cent ("hundred"), and mille ("thousand"). Start...

14 Words