The 2,000-word list for Age 8
A reference for adults choosing language for conversation and shared reading. A child aged 8 is not expected to know or learn all 2,000 words. Advanced entries are optional adult-led reading extensions. Age guidance.
Beginner 1–114 · Intermediate 115–1278 · Advanced 1279–2000 · How to use the bank · Vocabulary growth: why, what and how
Words run alphabetically within each band. Use the letter links or your browser’s Find in Page to locate a word. Every entry is visible below.
Move through this 24-age collection: All 2,000-word lists by age (1–24) · Previous: Age 7 · Next: Age 9 · How to use this bank. These are reference choices, not age-based word quotas.
Beginner: words 1–114
A · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · W
| Sequence and initial | Words, in sequence |
|---|---|
| 0001–0004 · A | acute, app, area, avatar |
| 0005–0013 · C | calculator, cartridge, chance, chatbot, checklist, chipboard, cite, collector, composite |
| 0014–0019 · D | database, denominator, digital, divisible, documentary, draft |
| 0020–0023 · E | ellipse, emoji, even, exponent |
| 0024–0026 · F | fact, fibreboard, format |
| 0027–0027 · G | gasket |
| 0028–0031 · H | hardboard, hardware, histogram, hotspot |
| 0032–0035 · I | inkjet, integer, interface, intersect |
| 0036–0036 · K | keyword |
| 0037–0039 · L | login, logout, lookup |
| 0040–0043 · M | memo, modem, mousepad, multiplier |
| 0044–0047 · N | network, notepad, notification, numerator |
| 0048–0057 · O | oblong, obtuse, offline, online, organiser, original, outbox, outdated, outlier, overview |
| 0058–0066 · P | passcode, pictogram, plasterboard, plywood, preview, prime, printout, privacy, profile |
| 0067–0067 · Q | questionnaire |
| 0068–0084 · R | rearrangement, reboot, recipient, reconnect, record-keeping, recover, reference, reflect, reflex, reinstall, reorder, reset, respondent, restart, robot, router, row |
| 0085–0101 · S | scam, scammer, scanner, scroll, search, shutdown, sidebar, software, sorter, spam, statistics, storage, submenu, subtotal, summary, swipe, symmetry |
| 0102–0107 · T | taskbar, thumbnail, toner, touchpad, translation, trend |
| 0108–0111 · U | unblock, uninstall, update, user |
| 0112–0114 · W | warning, wireless, worksheet |
Intermediate: words 115–1278
A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W
| Sequence and initial | Words, in sequence |
|---|---|
| 0115–0134 · A | abnormal, absorb, abundance, accessible, accumulation, accumulator, achievable, acid, acidic, acknowledgement, acoustic, acquirer, acquisition, acreage, adaptive, add-on, additive, adjudication, adjudicator, administrative |
| 0135–0154 · A | admission, aerospace, affirm, affordability, aggregation, agricultural, ailment, alderman, alderwoman, algebra, algebraic, alien, alkaline, ambiguous, ambulance, ammonia, analysis, animate, annuity, antiseptic |
| 0155–0174 · A | antivirus, aorta, appellant, appellate, appendix, applet, applicable, application, appoint, appraiser, appreciable, appreciably, appropriate, approximate, aquaponics, arbitrary, arbitrate, arbitrator, arc, argument |
| 0175–0187 · A | assert, assume, astigmatism, asymmetric, asymptomatic, attribute, audible, authorisation, automate, automation, avoid, avoidable, axial |
| 0188–0207 · B | bacteria, bankbook, bankcard, banking, barter, baseline, benefaction, beneficiary, beta, bias, bicarbonate, bilateral, bile, binary, binocular, bisect, bisection, bisector, bitmap, blocking |
| 0208–0225 · B | bony, brackish, brainstem, breach, broadband, broadleaved, bronchus, browsing, budget, budgetary, buffer, buffering, bulletin, business, businesslike, buyer, bylaw, byproduct |
| 0226–0245 · C | cache, caloric, campaign, campaigner, candidacy, cardiac, cardinal, caregiver, caregiving, carer, cashflow, cashless, centilitre, cerebellum, checkbox, checkup, chemical, chemistry, chill, chip |
| 0246–0265 · C | chloride, chlorine, circuitry, circulate, civic, civilian, claim, clayey, clientele, clinic, clinical, clinician, cochlea, codec, coinage, coincidental, collaborative, collateral, colon, colour-blind |
| 0266–0285 · C | commercial, commercialise, commodify, commodity, company, comparable, compatibility, compatible, compensate, competition, competitor, compliance, compliant, comply, comprehend, computational, computerise, concave, conciliate, conciliation |
| 0286–0305 · C | conciliatory, concurrent, condense, conditional, confederate, confederation, configure, congruence, coniferous, connectivity, consciousness, consensual, consequence, conserve, considerably, constancy, constituency, constituent, constitution, constructive |
| 0306–0325 · C | consul, consular, consulate, consultancy, consultant, consultation, consultative, consumable, consume, consumer, consumption, contagion, contagious, contaminate, continuity, contractor, contractual, controversy, convalesce, convalescence |
| 0326–0345 · C | convex, cornea, corporate, corporation, cortex, cost, costly, councilman, councilwoman, countable, courthouse, courtroom, credit, creditor, creditworthy, critic, critical, criticism, crust, cubic |
| 0346–0348 · C | currency, customisation, customise |
| 0349–0368 · D | dampen, debit, debt, debug, debugger, debugging, decagon, decisive, decisiveness, decrease, decrement, decrypt, deductible, default, defence, deficit, definite, deforestation, dehumidifier, dehumidify |
| 0369–0388 · D | dehydrate, dehydration, delegation, demand, democracy, democratic, democratise, denomination, dental, dentistry, dependent, depositor, depreciate, depreciation, deregulate, desalinate, desalination, destructive, devaluation, devalue |
| 0389–0408 · D | deviant, diagnose, diagnosis, diagnostic, diagrammatic, dialogue, diffuse, dilate, dilation, dimension, diplomatic, discount, discretionary, discriminatory, dishonesty, disinfect, disinfection, disjointed, dislocate, dislocation |
| 0409–0428 · D | dispensable, displace, disproportion, disproportionate, disputant, disputation, dissimilar, distinguishable, distributor, diversification, diversify, divest, divestment, divisibility, dodecahedron, donor, dormant, dosage, dose, downgrade |
| 0429–0432 · D | drop-down, dynamic, dysfunction, dysfunctional |
| 0433–0452 · E | e-commerce, earnings, earthquake, ecologist, economic, economics, economise, economist, economy, ecotourism, effective, effectual, efficient, egalitarian, egalitarianism, elect, elector, electoral, electorate, embed |
| 0453–0472 · E | emit, employ, employability, employable, employee, employer, enactment, encode, encrypt, endanger, endnote, enforce, enforceable, enforcement, enquiry, enterprise, entire, entirety, entitled, entitlement |
| 0473–0492 · E | entrepreneur, enumerate, enumeration, enzyme, equilateral, equitable, erode, erosion, erroneous, estimable, estimator, ethical, ethics, etiquette, evaporate, evenness, evolution, exact, exactitude, examination |
| 0493–0512 · E | examiner, excess, excessive, exchangeable, exchanger, excise, exclusion, excrete, excretion, execution, executive, exempt, exemption, exhaustive, expenditure, expense, expensive, explicit, exponential, exporter |
| 0513–0513 · E | extinct |
| 0514–0533 · F | factorial, factorise, factual, falsehood, fatty, fault, feasibility, feasible, federal, federalism, federate, federation, fee, fertilise, fertility, finance, financial, financier, fingerprint, finite |
| 0534–0553 · F | firewall, fissure, flammable, floating, floodgate, floodwall, floodwater, fluctuate, fluctuation, fluoride, footnote, footprint, forceful, formatting, fragment, fragmentary, fragmentation, fraud, fraudulent, freelance |
| 0554–0562 · F | freelancer, freeware, functional, fund, fundraise, fundraiser, fundraising, fungal, fungus |
| 0563–0582 · G | gall, gallbladder, garnet, gastric, gazette, general, generic, geometric, geoscience, geotag, geothermal, germinate, glacial, glaciation, globalisation, globalise, governance, governor, graciousness, granular |
| 0583–0586 · G | graphic, graphical, guarantor, gypsum |
| 0587–0597 · H | headwater, heterogeneous, hibernate, holistic, homogeneous, humid, humidifier, humidify, hygienic, hyperopia, hypertext |
| 0598–0617 · I | icefall, icosahedron, idealism, idealist, idealistic, identification, igneous, illiquid, illness, illogical, imaginary, imaging, immediacy, immoral, immune, immunisation, immunise, immunity, imperceptible, impersonation |
| 0618–0637 · I | implementation, importer, impossible, impound, imprecision, inaccessible, inadequacy, inadvertent, inaudible, incentivise, inclusivity, income, incompatible, incomprehensible, incredible, increment, indebtedness, indigenous, indispensable, indistinct |
| 0638–0657 · I | ineffective, ineffectual, inefficiency, inefficient, inequity, inevitable, inevitably, infeasible, infect, infection, infectious, infinite, inflammable, infrared, infringe, infringement, inhibit, inoculate, inoculation, inorganic |
| 0658–0677 · I | inpatient, inshore, insolvent, installer, instalment, instruction, insubstantial, insufficient, insurable, insurance, insured, insurer, integral, intelligence, intentional, interactive, intercept, interchangeable, interdependent, interest-bearing |
| 0678–0697 · I | interfere, internet, interrelated, intestinal, intranet, invader, invalid, invaluable, invasion, inverse, inversion, invest, investigation, investigator, investment, investor, invisibility, invoice, involuntary, irregularity |
| 0698–0704 · I | irrelevant, irreparable, irreplaceable, irresponsible, irrigate, isosceles, iterative |
| 0705–0706 · J | judgemental, judiciary |
| 0707–0708 · K | keystroke, kilolitre |
| 0709–0728 · L | laser, law, lawful, lawmaker, lawmaking, leeward, legislate, legislation, legislative, legislator, liability, licence, licensing, likelihood, likely, liquidity, livestream, loamy, locator, logistics |
| 0729–0731 · L | loser, lossless, lossy |
| 0732–0751 · M | magistracy, magnesium, magnification, magnitude, mainframe, maintainable, malware, manifest, manifesto, marginal, markdown, marketable, marketer, marketing, markup, massless, maximal, mayoral, measurable, mechanics |
| 0752–0771 · M | medication, medicinal, membrane, merchandise, merchandising, messaging, metamorphic, meteorologist, meteorology, mica, microbe, micrometre, migrant, migrate, mineralise, mineralogy, minimal, minister, ministry, misinterpret |
| 0772–0789 · M | mistaken, misunderstanding, modal, moderator, modular, monarchical, monarchy, monetary, monetise, motherboard, multilateral, multiplicative, multitask, multitasking, municipality, mutual, mutually, myopia |
| 0790–0809 · N | nanometre, nation, nationality, nationhood, navigable, needless, negligible, negligibly, negotiator, neighbourly, nerve, netiquette, networking, neural, neuron, neutral, newsletter, niche, nitrogen, nonagon |
| 0810–0824 · N | noncompliance, nonessential, nonflammable, nonprofit, nonspecific, nonuniform, normalisation, normalise, normality, notate, notation, noticeably, numeric, numerical, nursing |
| 0825–0844 · O | objector, observable, observer, occupational, octahedron, ocular, oddness, onyx, opal, openness, opt, optical, optimal, optimum, orbiter, ordinal, ordinance, organic, outpatient, overdraft |
| 0845–0849 · O | overdraw, overestimate, oversupply, ovoid, ownership |
| 0850–0869 · P | parallelism, parliamentarian, parliamentary, partial, participation, payable, payee, payroll, payslip, pension, pensioner, percent, percentile, perceptible, periodical, permaculture, permafrost, permanence, permissible, pertinent |
| 0870–0889 · P | petitioner, philanthropist, philanthropy, phishing, phosphate, phosphorus, physicist, physiotherapy, plagiarise, plaintiff, planar, plasma, platelet, plausible, plebiscite, plug-in, podcast, policy, policymaker, policymaking |
| 0890–0909 · P | pollinate, polyhedral, polyhedron, populate, positional, possible, postpaid, potassium, practicality, practice, practitioner, pragmatic, pragmatism, pragmatist, precautionary, precedent, precise, predictable, prejudice, prejudicial |
| 0910–0929 · P | premium, prepaid, prepay, prepayment, prescribe, prescription, preserve, pressroom, preventable, prevention, preventive, price, printhead, procedural, procedure, processing, processor, procure, procurement, productive |
| 0930–0949 · P | productivity, professional, professionalism, profit, profitability, profitable, profound, prognosis, programmable, programmer, programming, progression, prohibit, prohibition, project, projector, proofread, proofreading, propagate, property |
| 0950–0966 · P | proposal, proprietary, proprietor, prosecute, prosecution, prosecutor, provider, provincial, provision, pseudonym, pulmonary, pulsate, purchase, purchaser, purposeful, purposeless, pyramidal |
| 0967–0970 · Q | quadrant, qualify, quartzite, quotation |
| 0971–0990 · R | radial, radiate, radical, randomly, raster, ratification, ratify, real, rebate, rebut, receiver, reception, receptive, receptor, recharge, reciprocal, reciprocate, reckoning, recompense, rectum |
| 0991–1010 · R | recuperate, recuperation, redistribute, redistribution, redraft, refer, referendum, referral, reforestation, reformat, refundable, regenerate, regulate, regulation, regulator, regulatory, rehabilitation, reinfection, reinvest, reinvestment |
| 1011–1030 · R | relevance, relevant, render, rendering, renegotiate, renegotiation, repayable, repayment, rephrase, replaceable, replacement, reporting, representation, republic, republican, residency, residential, responsive, responsiveness, resultant |
| 1031–1042 · R | retail, retina, retire, retiree, retirement, revenue, rhomboid, rift, rightful, rights, robotic, robotics |
| 1043–1062 · S | salary, saline, salinity, saltwater, sanction, sanitary, sanitise, sanitiser, saver, saving, savings, scalene, scarcity, scattergram, scatterplot, sceptic, scrollbar, seabed, seafloor, seawater |
| 1063–1082 · S | secant, sector, sedimentary, segment, seismic, seismograph, seismologist, seismology, self-care, self-employed, semicircular, sensory, services, servitude, shareholder, shareware, shortfall, silica, silty, skeletal |
| 1083–1102 · S | snowbank, snowfield, snowmelt, sodium, solvency, sonar, spaceplane, spatial, specialist, speciality, specificity, speech, startup, statehood, static, statistical, statistician, steppe, sterile, sterilise |
| 1103–1122 · S | stimulant, stimulate, stimulation, stipend, stockholder, stockist, stockpile, streaming, subconscious, subcontract, subcontractor, subdomain, subheading, subsidence, substitution, subtitle, subtopic, subtract, subtractive, summation |
| 1123–1133 · S | superficial, supplement, surcharge, surplus, surveying, survive, survivor, symptom, symptomatic, syndrome, synthetic |
| 1134–1153 · T | tactile, taiga, tangent, tangential, tariff, tax, taxable, taxation, taxpayer, tectonic, tessellate, testify, testimony, tethering, tetrahedron, therapeutic, therapy, thermal, thoroughness, thrift |
| 1154–1173 · T | thrifty, timestamp, tonnage, topaz, topical, trachea, tracker, tradable, trade, transact, transaction, transient, transitory, translational, transmit, transmitter, trapezoid, treaty, tremor, triangulate |
| 1174–1181 · T | triangulation, tribunal, trisect, troubleshoot, troubleshooting, truncate, truncation, tundra |
| 1182–1201 · U | ultrasound, ultraviolet, unaffordable, unambiguous, unattached, unattainable, unavoidable, uncategorised, uncompressed, unconditional, unconscious, unconsciousness, uncontaminated, uncountable, underemployed, underemployment, underestimate, undernutrition, undersupply, underwrite |
| 1202–1221 · U | underwriter, unelected, unemployed, unemployment, unenforceable, unethical, unexpected, unhygienic, uniformity, unilateral, uninsured, unintentional, unjustified, unlawful, unlicensed, unlikely, unnecessary, unnoticeable, unproductive, unprofitable |
| 1222–1240 · U | unpublished, unrealistic, unreasonable, unreliable, unresolved, unsanitary, unsecured, unspecified, unsuitable, unsystematic, untaxed, unwarranted, unwilling, unworkable, upgrade, upheaval, uplift, urinary, usable |
| 1241–1260 · V | vaccinate, vaccination, vaccine, valuation, valuer, variant, variation, various, vector, vending, ventricle, vertex, viable, virus, visibility, visionary, vocational, volcanic, volumetric, voter |
| 1261–1278 · W | warrant, warranty, webcast, wellbeing, wellness, whitecap, whiteout, whitewater, wholesale, widget, willingness, windless, windstorm, windward, withdrawal, wordiness, wording, workable |
Advanced — optional adult-led reading: words 1279–2000
A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Z
| Sequence and initial | Words, in sequence |
|---|---|
| 1279–1298 · A | abiotic, abrade, abrasion, abridgement, absorbency, accretion, acidity, acuity, addendum, adhesion, aeronaut, aeronautical, aeronautics, aeroponics, affirmation, affluent, afforest, afforestation, agriculturist, agroecology |
| 1299–1318 · A | agroforestry, agronomist, agronomy, algal, algorithmic, alkali, alkalinity, alluvial, alluvium, ambiguity, ambulatory, ammeter, ammonium, amorphous, amperage, ampere, amplification, amplifier, amplify, annotation |
| 1319–1338 · A | antecedent, anticipate, anticyclone, aphelion, apogee, arbitration, archival, aridity, artesian, assertion, assessor, asthenosphere, astrologer, astrology, astrophysicist, asynchronous, atomic, attribution, audiology, auricle |
| 1339–1343 · A | authentic, authenticate, authentication, authorship, azurite |
| 1344–1363 · B | bacterial, ballistic, ballistics, bandwidth, barometric, benthos, beryl, bibliography, biochemical, biochemistry, biodegrade, biofuel, biological, bioluminescence, biome, biosphere, biotic, boolean, borer, boron |
| 1364–1368 · B | breadboard, breccia, bromine, bureaucracy, bureaucratic |
| 1369–1388 · C | calculus, calorific, calorimeter, camshaft, capacitance, capacitor, carbonate, carboniferous, cardiovascular, carnelian, carnivorous, cartographic, cataloguer, catalyse, catalysis, catalyst, categorical, causal, causation, cellular |
| 1389–1408 · C | centrifugal, centrifuge, centripetal, cerebrum, chalcedony, chert, chipset, chlorinate, chlorination, chlorophyll, chloroplast, circulatory, citation, citrine, clarification, climatic, climatologist, climatology, coating, coevolution |
| 1409–1428 · C | coevolve, cogwheel, coherence, cohesive, colloid, colonisation, colonise, coloniser, combustible, commercialisation, composting, compressible, compressive, conclusive, concordance, condensate, conduction, conductive, conductivity, confidential |
| 1429–1448 · C | confidentiality, conglomerate, consensus, consequential, conservancy, consistency, constitutional, constrain, contend, contention, contentious, contextual, contextualise, contradiction, contradictory, controversial, convalescent, convection, convergence, convergent |
| 1449–1468 · C | copyright, corroborate, corroboration, corrode, corrosive, corundum, cosmic, cosmologist, cosmology, counterargument, countercurrent, counterexample, counterweight, couple, coupler, cranial, crankshaft, credibility, credible, creditworthiness |
| 1469–1479 · C | critique, crossbeam, crosspiece, crystalline, cultivate, curation, cutting-edge, cybersecurity, cyclic, cyclonic, cytoplasm |
| 1480–1499 · D | damping, databank, dataset, decay, decoding, decompose, decompress, decompression, decryption, deductive, definitive, deforest, deform, deformation, democratisation, depopulate, deposition, depressurise, deregulation, dermatologist |
| 1500–1519 · D | dermatology, dermis, desertification, detritivore, detritus, diatom, die, differentiation, diffract, diode, dioxide, disclosure, discrimination, disputable, distort, distortion, divergence, divergent, documentation, dossier |
| 1520–1522 · D | drought-resistant, duodenum, dynamics |
| 1523–1542 · E | echolocation, editorial, elasticity, electrode, electrolyte, electromagnetic, electromagnetism, electron, elemental, elucidate, emitter, emulsifier, emulsify, encoding, encryption, endemic, endothermic, endurance, engineering, entrepreneurial |
| 1543–1557 · E | entrepreneurship, epicentre, equivalence, erosive, estimation, estuarine, ethanol, ethernet, evaluator, evaporator, evidential, evolutionary, exosphere, exothermic, extraterrestrial |
| 1558–1577 · F | factorisation, fail, fail-safe, failure, fatigue, faucet, femur, fibreglass, fibula, fire-resistant, fireproof, firmware, flameproof, flex, flexibility, flowmeter, fluorescence, fluorine, focal, foolproof |
| 1578–1581 · F | foreshock, fracture, frontal, fumarole |
| 1582–1600 · G | gantry, gearshift, gearwheel, generate, geocentric, geochemistry, geographical, geolocation, geological, geomorphology, geophysics, geospatial, geostationary, gigawatt, glaciologist, glaciology, gneiss, gravitate, gyre |
| 1601–1617 · H | haemoglobin, headstream, heat-resistant, heatproof, heliocentric, heliosphere, herbivorous, hermetic, hexadecimal, homeostasis, horsepower, horticultural, humerus, hydrologist, hydroponic, hydrosphere, hypothetical |
| 1618–1637 · I | ignite, immunologist, immunology, impartiality, impervious, implicit, impoundment, incandescence, incoherent, inconclusive, inconsistency, indexer, indisputable, induction, inductive, inelastic, inert, inferential, infinitesimal, infrasonic |
| 1638–1657 · I | infrasound, inhibition, inhibitor, insolvency, instability, insulate, insulation, insulator, intensification, intensify, intensity, interconnect, interconnected, interconnection, intercrop, interference, ion, ionic, ionisation, ionise |
| 1658–1665 · I | irrational, irrigator, isobar, isolate, isolation, isometric, isotherm, isothermal |
| 1666–1667 · J | joule, jurisdiction |
| 1668–1671 · K | kerosene, kilojoule, kilowatt, kinetic |
| 1672–1691 · L | lamina, laminar, laminate, lamination, larynx, latency, lathe, leach, leachate, leakage, leaky, legislature, levee, leverage, lipid, lithosphere, loader, logarithm, logarithmic, lubricant |
| 1692–1696 · L | lubricate, lubrication, luminescence, luminescent, luminosity |
| 1697–1716 · M | magnetism, magnetosphere, malfunction, manganese, megawatt, memorandum, mesosphere, metabolise, metadata, metamorphism, meteorological, microbial, microbiologist, microbiology, microchip, microclimate, microhabitat, microorganism, microprocessor, microsatellite |
| 1717–1731 · M | microscopy, migrator, miller, miscible, mitochondrion, mock-up, modeller, molecular, monoculture, monoxide, motorised, mudstone, multicellular, musculature, mycology |
| 1732–1746 · N | nailer, nanosatellite, neurologist, neurology, neutralisation, neutralise, neutrality, neutron, nitrate, non-native, nondisclosure, nourish, nuclear, nucleus, nutritional |
| 1747–1766 · O | objectivity, oceanographer, oceanography, ohm, ohmmeter, olfactory, olivine, omnivorous, ophthalmologist, ophthalmology, optic, optometry, organelle, orthodontics, orthodontist, oscillate, oscillation, osmosis, outwash, overpopulated |
| 1767–1770 · O | overpopulation, oxidise, oxygenate, oxygenation |
| 1771–1790 · P | paediatrics, pagination, paintbox, paintbrush, pancreatic, paramedical, parameter, paraphrase, particleboard, particulate, partisan, patella, pelvic, perceptual, perigee, perihelion, permeability, permutation, pharmaceutical, pharynx |
| 1791–1810 · P | phosphorescence, photosynthesise, phytoplankton, pileup, pinion, pivotal, plagiarism, planer, polarisation, polarise, polisher, polyculture, populous, porosity, predictive, predictor, pressurise, prioritisation, probable, projectile |
| 1811–1819 · P | proportional, proprietorship, protective, protist, proton, prototyping, protozoan, provisional, publicity |
| 1820–1839 · R | radiation, radioactive, radioactivity, ransomware, reactant, reactive, rebar, rebuttal, reciprocity, recursion, recursive, reductionist, reflexive, reforest, refract, refuel, refutation, refute, regeneration, rehabilitate |
| 1840–1855 · R | reinforcement, relativity, repository, resistor, resonator, respiratory, respire, restorative, retrieval, rigidity, riverine, riveter, robustness, rotary, rupture, rustproof |
| 1856–1875 · S | salinisation, sander, saturated, saturation, saw, scaffolding, scapula, sceptical, scepticism, schematic, schist, scoria, seamount, sedimentation, seismogram, seismometer, selective, selenium, semiarid, semiconductor |
| 1876–1895 · S | sequester, sequestration, silicate, siltation, sinusitis, siphon, snowpack, solubility, solute, solvent, specify, spectral, spectrometer, spectroscope, spinel, spyware, stability, stainless, stanchion, standardise |
| 1896–1915 · S | steelmaking, steelwork, steelworker, stiffness, stimuli, stratification, stratify, stratigraphy, streamline, subatomic, subcategory, subduction, subjective, subjectivity, sublimate, sublimation, subside, substantiate, substrate, substratum |
| 1916–1929 · S | succulence, suction, sulphate, sulphide, sulphuric, supposition, surface, suspend, sustainability, symbiotic, synchronisation, synchronous, synopsis, synthesis |
| 1930–1949 · T | taxonomy, tectonics, telescopic, temporal, tensile, tentative, thematic, thermocline, thermodynamic, thermodynamics, thermosphere, tibia, tidewater, tideway, tillage, tilth, topographical, torque, torsion, transistor |
| 1950–1957 · T | transpire, treatise, trigonometry, tungsten, turbocharger, turbulence, turner, typesetting |
| 1958–1969 · U | ulna, ultrasonic, uncouple, undercurrent, underwriting, unfinished, unicellular, unplug, unsaturated, unsustainable, upcycle, urea |
| 1970–1987 · V | validate, validity, variability, variance, venation, verification, vernier, vestibular, viability, viral, virology, viscosity, volcanism, volcanologist, volcanology, volt, voltage, voltmeter |
| 1988–1997 · W | wallboard, water-resistant, watertight, watt, wattage, waveform, wavelike, wearable, weatherproof, windchill |
| 1998–1998 · X | xerophyte |
| 1999–2000 · Z | zoology, zooplankton |
Using this bank
Choose words that make explanations, evidence and decisions easier to understand.
The complete list is above. Go to age guidance, the practical method, definitions and examples, common problems, frequent questions or all published age banks.
As questions become more detailed, a useful vocabulary helps people say what they know, how they know it and where they are still unsure. This volume offers words for finding information, comparing options, describing systems and explaining a reason.
Start with the reader’s or listener’s question. “What happened?” needs an account of events. “Why did it happen?” needs an explanation. “How do you know?” needs evidence. The right word helps with that job; a rare word that obscures the answer does not.
This collection also includes optional specialist language from science, technology and civic life. Those entries are for adult-selected reading opportunities. They are not evidence that every eight-year-old should understand those fields or master 2,000 new words in a year.
What Age 8 means here
EEF’s Key Stage 2 literacy guidance focuses on ages seven to eleven and recommends purposeful talk, explicit vocabulary teaching, repeated encounters and opportunities to use new words. It provides broad teaching guidance, not an approved age-eight word list. EEF: Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2 · EEF: Key Stage 2 recommendations.
A child’s familiarity with a word depends partly on interests and experience. The numbered allocation is a reference sequence, not a measure of intelligence, school readiness or developmental progress. Beginner, intermediate and advanced describe editorial routes through this collection.
| Band | What it means here | How to choose |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | A starting route within this collection | Choose an entry that fits something the child already notices, says or enjoys. |
| Intermediate | More detail, description and relationships | Choose a word that makes an existing idea more precise or adds a useful distinction. |
| Advanced | Optional adult-led reading extension | Use a term only when a suitable story, interest or question gives it a meaningful context. |
Back to the word list · Guide and examples
Make a clear claim, explain the word, show the support
1. Identify the question
Ask what the explanation needs to do. Are you naming a part, comparing two choices, describing a change or deciding whether a claim is trustworthy? That purpose narrows the useful vocabulary.
2. Define the term in ordinary language
Give a short explanation before using a technical term repeatedly. “A source is where the information came from.” If the ordinary explanation is enough, you can keep using it.
3. Connect the word to evidence
Show an observation, example, record or reason. “The results vary” becomes clearer when the listener can see which results changed and by how much.
4. State the limit
Use language that matches the strength of the support: possible, likely, uncertain or confirmed. A small example cannot establish what always happens. Help the child explain what remains unknown.
5. Revise for the reader
Read the explanation aloud. Remove words that add no meaning and replace vague labels with the specific thing you mean. Check that pronouns, comparisons and cause-and-effect links are clear.
ASHA’s suggestions for US Grades 3–5 include discussing what children read, connecting ideas with experience and thinking aloud while solving problems. The following activities adapt those ideas into practical conversations; they are not a prescribed programme. ASHA: Suggestions for Parents.
Back to the word list · Guide and examples
Useful meanings and examples from ordinary life
Examples use familiar words from across the series, including earlier volumes. The no-repeat rule applies only to the numbered bank entries. The short meanings below explain the intended sense in each example; they are not exhaustive dictionary entries.
1. Checking a surprising statement
source — where information comes from
“Who published this claim, and what source do they give?”
Trace the information before passing it on.
2. Comparing two accounts
corroborate — support with additional evidence
“Does another independent account corroborate this detail?”
A repeated copy of the same claim is not automatically independent support.
3. Explaining a small investigation
variable — something that can change
“Which variable did we change, and what stayed the same?”
Keep the explanation tied to the activity actually carried out.
4. Describing a result carefully
approximate — close to an amount or value, but not exact
“This is an approximate measurement. How precisely did we measure it?”
Match the claim to the tool and method.
5. Thinking about online information
privacy — control and boundaries around personal information
“Would sharing this detail reveal something personal?”
Talk through ordinary decisions with a trusted adult.
6. Comparing purchases
durable — able to last with use
“A durable item may be useful for longer. What can we check?”
Compare the actual features and needs, not just the label.
7. Explaining a fair decision
criterion — a standard used to judge something
“What criterion should we use to compare these options?”
Agree what matters before deciding which option fits.
8. Making a claim less sweeping
tentative — not yet firm or final
“This is a tentative explanation. What would help us check it?”
Show uncertainty clearly instead of disguising it with confident wording.
A strong explanation tells the reader what the words refer to
Abstract words need an anchor. If a child writes, “The system was efficient,” ask which system, what it did and what made it efficient in that situation. The word becomes useful when the explanation identifies the work, time, materials or other feature being considered.
Distinguish a description from an explanation. “The second route took less time” reports a result. “It was quicker because it was shorter” proposes a cause. Walking speed or waiting at crossings might also matter. “Our result suggests…” can be more accurate than “This proves…” when the evidence is limited.
A source can be genuine and still be unsuitable for a particular question. It may be old, describe a different place or discuss a different group. When reading, ask what the source actually covers. A page title or a confident summary cannot substitute for checking the claim itself.
Vocabulary for digital life is most useful when attached to a real decision: what to share, how to recognise an account, where a message came from, or who can help if something seems wrong. Keep the conversation concrete. Children do not need a technical lecture to ask a trusted adult before sharing personal information.
For writing, make the useful information arrive early. State the point, explain a necessary term and give the supporting detail. If a specialist word needs a long detour and adds little, leave it out. Clear language respects the reader’s time.
Treat revision as a decision about meaning. Replacing “good” with “effective” helps only if the sentence explains what worked. Replacing “big” with “substantial” helps only if the scale matters and is clear. Precision comes from the whole sentence, not from one impressive word.
Back to the word list · Guide and examples
Five possible occasions to return to a useful word
Choose occasions that fit naturally. These are not five compulsory days, and there is no daily quota or completion deadline. Repeat, change or stop an activity according to the child’s interest.
| Occasion | What to try |
|---|---|
| Question | Choose a real question from a book, task or everyday decision. |
| Select | Pick one word that helps name the key idea or distinction. |
| Support | Find an example, observation or suitable source that supports the explanation. |
| Qualify | Say what is known, what is uncertain and what the evidence does not establish. |
| Revise | Explain the idea to someone else and simplify any part that causes confusion. |
Reading and languages at home
Let the topic guide your reading. A story, information book, picture, recipe, sign or instruction can give a word a useful context. Read aloud when the idea interests the child but the text is difficult. Pause for a necessary explanation and return to the meaning of the passage.
Use the languages you are comfortable using, and welcome connections between them. The Communication Health Support Association encourages families to give children opportunities to use their languages. This English bank cannot represent everything a multilingual child knows. Communication Health Support Association: Learning More Than One Language.
When something is not working
| What you notice | A useful adjustment |
|---|---|
| An explanation contains many abstract words | Ask for one concrete example and identify what each key term refers to. |
| A child treats a confident statement as proof | Separate the strength of the wording from the quality of the evidence. |
| Several websites repeat the same claim | Check whether they are independent sources or copies of the same account. |
| A specialist word takes over the discussion | Return to the question and use an ordinary explanation first. |
| Writing becomes longer without becoming clearer | Move the main point to the beginning and remove repeated or vague phrases. |
Back to the word list · Guide and examples
Frequently asked questions
Does this list measure an eight-year-old’s vocabulary?
No. It is an editorial collection for shared reading and practical explanation. It cannot measure a child’s total knowledge or establish a developmental level.
Why are some words quite technical?
They are optional resources for a relevant interest or book. An adult should select and explain them. Their inclusion is not a recommendation to teach every term at this age.
Are related words counted separately?
Some useful derived forms are separate orthographic entries. The audit checks listed words, not word families. It does not claim 2,000 unrelated roots or concepts in each volume.
Should children always use formal language?
No. Choose language that suits the person, purpose and situation. A clear ordinary sentence is often the best explanation.
What should we do when neither of us knows a word?
Say so, check a suitable dictionary or reliable subject source together, and return to the sentence. Showing how to resolve uncertainty is useful in its own right.
The sequence and word audit
Age 8: 2,000 distinct listed entries. This volume occupies series positions 14,001–16,000. The published collection currently contains Ages 1–24, with 48,000 distinct listed entries across twenty-four banks.
The audit checks the numbered list entries, rather than every word in the article. Case, spacing, hyphens, apostrophes, accents and recorded spelling variants are normalised to catch duplicates. Established single words and conventional hyphenated headwords count as entries. Different meanings of the same spelling do not receive extra entries. Some useful derived forms are separate entries; the total is not a count of unrelated word families.
“Top” means an editorial selection for this reference project. It does not mean the most frequent words in a measured language corpus or the best 2,000 words for every reader. Sequence numbers locate entries in the collection; they are not importance scores or developmental measures.
Keep repeating useful words in real life. The non-repeating lists offer additional choices. They do not recommend withholding familiar language or learning 2,000 new words at each birthday.
Age 1: 2,000-word bank · Age 2: 2,000-word bank · Age 3: 2,000-word bank · Age 4: 2,000-word bank · Age 5: 2,000-word bank · Age 6: 2,000-word bank · Age 7: 2,000-word bank · Age 8: 2,000-word bank · Age 9: 2,000-word bank · Age 10: 2,000-word bank · Age 11: 2,000-word bank · Age 12: 2,000-word bank · Age 13: 2,000-word bank · Age 14: 2,000-word bank · Age 15: 2,000-word bank · Age 16: 2,000-word bank · Age 17: 2,000-word bank · Age 18: 2,000-word bank · Age 19: 2,000-word bank · Age 20: 2,000-word bank · Age 21: 2,000-word bank · Age 22: 2,000-word bank · Age 23: 2,000-word bank · Age 24: 2,000-word bank
| Published volume | Series positions |
|---|---|
| Age 1 | 1–2,000 |
| Age 2 | 2,001–4,000 |
| Age 3 | 4,001–6,000 |
| Age 4 | 6,001–8,000 |
| Age 5 | 8,001–10,000 |
| Age 6 | 10,001–12,000 |
| Age 7 | 12,001–14,000 |
| Age 8 | 14,001–16,000 |
| Age 9 | 16,001–18,000 |
| Age 10 | 18,001–20,000 |
| Age 11 | 20,001–22,000 |
| Age 12 | 22,001–24,000 |
| Age 13 | 24,001–26,000 |
| Age 14 | 26,001–28,000 |
| Age 15 | 28,001–30,000 |
| Age 16 | 30,001–32,000 |
| Age 17 | 32,001–34,000 |
| Age 18 | 34,001–36,000 |
| Age 19 | 36,001–38,000 |
| Age 20 | 38,001–40,000 |
| Age 21 | 40,001–42,000 |
| Age 22 | 42,001–44,000 |
| Age 23 | 44,001–46,000 |
| Age 24 | 46,001–48,000 |
Entry counts and cross-age allocation checked on 3 November 2026 (Asia/Singapore). The selection is an original editorial resource. The sources below support the attributed communication, observation and reading guidance; they do not endorse or validate this particular word bank.
A useful next step
Take one explanation the child wants to give. Choose a precise word, show what supports the idea and say clearly where uncertainty remains.
Back to the word list · Guide and examples
Sources and editorial note
EEF: Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2
Communication Health Support Association: Learning More Than One Language
EEF: Key Stage 2 recommendations
The guides, definitions and examples are original eduKate editorial explanations. The cited organisations do not endorse this page. “Top” describes the editorial selection; no search ranking, measured word-frequency order or learning outcome is promised.
edu|Kate Singapore · Clear words for useful conversations, reading and everyday understanding.
Vocabulary Growth Guide for Age 8: Why, What and How
An increasingly independent reader needs more than a supply of new words. They need a way to notice an unfamiliar word, work out its relevant meaning, check an uncertain guess and use it accurately. Vocabulary growth includes learning that process, not only enlarging a list.
Connect words with knowledge, examine word parts where they help, check the context and explain the idea to a real reader. This guide does not claim that every eight-year-old should understand the bank’s technical entries. Choose according to interest, experience and the task in front of the child.
Why words matter · What growth means · The research · A worked example · An independent routine · Noticing progress
Why vocabulary becomes a tool for learning other things
A word can organise a distinction that matters across subjects. “Approximate” tells a reader that a value is close rather than exact. “Fact” and “opinion” concern different kinds of statements. “Absorb” can help describe what a material does. These words are useful when the child understands the idea they are carrying.
The benefit is not that specialist vocabulary automatically produces expertise. A child can repeat “denominator” without understanding the fraction being discussed, just as an adult can repeat a scientific term without understanding the mechanism. The word and the underlying idea need attention together.
The Age 8 context-clues guide offers a related route for reading. Here, the aim is to make the child’s process visible: what they noticed, how they checked it and why their explanation fits.
What an independent word learner needs to check
Begin with the actual sentence. A dictionary may offer several senses, and the first one listed may not be the one required. Read the surrounding sentences, identify the question being answered and compare the candidate meaning with the whole passage.
Then check the explanation itself. Can the child restate it in familiar language? Can they give a relevant example? Can they identify a situation where the word would not fit? These are practical teaching questions, not a standardised assessment or a requirement to perform three tasks for every new word.
Finally, distinguish familiarity from precision. “I have seen that word” is a useful starting point, but it is not the same as knowing its meaning here. Encourage the child to say “I am not sure” and check. Confidence is not a substitute for a correct interpretation.
What the research supports about word parts and comprehension
Bowers and Kirby’s classroom study tested instruction about meaningful word structure in Grades 4 and 5. Learning extended to unfamiliar words built on taught bases, but not to words with untaught bases. Those pupils were generally older than this guide’s age group. The study supports a useful principle, not a guarantee for every eight-year-old: word parts help most when the base meaning is understood.
A randomised trial by Clarke and colleagues studied children who could read accurately but had reading-comprehension difficulties. Language and comprehension interventions improved outcomes; vocabulary gains were part of the explanation for benefits in language-focused groups. The participants and teaching conditions were specific. This does not show that memorising this bank alone will produce the same improvement.
Use those findings to choose richer instruction, not to advertise a scientifically guaranteed word list. No source cited here validates the exact 2,000 entries, a fixed annual growth rate or a claim that vocabulary practice raises intelligence by a stated amount.
A worked example: explaining an approximate measurement
Choose a harmless, ordinary task. Measure the length of a book with an appropriate ruler. Suppose it is close to 20 centimetres but not exactly 20. The adult can say, “An approximate length is 20 centimetres.” Explain that approximate means close to the value, not exact.
Keep the units and object clear. “It is approximately 20” leaves information missing. “The book is approximately 20 centimetres long” tells the reader what was measured and in which unit. Vocabulary works together with the rest of the explanation.
Compare a near miss. An estimate far from the measured length should not be defended merely by saying it is approximate. Discuss what would count as a useful approximation for the purpose. Avoid introducing a formal tolerance calculation unless it is appropriate to the child’s current learning.
Explain the evidence. Ask how the child obtained the number. Did they use a ruler, compare with another object or make an unsupported guess? The sentence should describe what actually happened. Do not label an unmade measurement as a fact.
Move to a new context. Later, discuss an approximate number of pages or a roughly estimated distance in a story. The purpose is to preserve the distinction between close and exact, not to encourage imprecision where an exact value is needed.
An independent word-learning routine
Notice the problem. Mark an unfamiliar word or a familiar word used strangely. Do not interrupt every sentence to look up every possible detail. Choose words that prevent understanding or are useful for the current question.
Use clues, then check. Look at the sentence, the nearby explanation and any meaningful word parts. Treat the proposed meaning as a hypothesis until it fits the passage and has been checked with a suitable dictionary, teacher or knowledgeable adult. Context is not always sufficient, and word-part analysis is not magic.
Explain it simply. Write or say a short meaning in language the child already understands. Include the relevant sense, not an unrelated definition. The adult can model this step when dictionary wording is too difficult.
Give it a job. Use the word in a caption, an explanation, a comparison or a question. The new sentence should express something the child actually means. Copying a dictionary example may help inspect usage, but it does not show independent application on its own.
Return later. Revisit the idea after another activity or on another day. If the word is forgotten, supply a cue and feedback. The appropriate timing depends on the learner and task; this guide does not prescribe a universal spacing schedule.
The Age 8 home guide to context and comprehension offers additional activities. A small record can contain the source sentence, the checked meaning and one original example. It need not become an elaborate workbook.
How to use word families without making false connections
A transparent example such as “reuse” can be discussed as using something again. Explain the base and the prefix, then look for another genuine related example. Do not assume that any two words sharing letters share a meaningful base, or that a familiar-looking ending always has the same function.
Some words require a different kind of explanation: a picture, an event, a contrast or background knowledge. For a scientific term, begin with the observable idea. For a historical or civic term, give an age-appropriate context. The advanced band is permission to explore relevant material with support, not a demand to introduce all of those subjects.
When a topic depends on current information, check the information as well as the vocabulary. A beautifully phrased sentence can still be outdated or unsupported. Learning a term should make it easier to ask questions, not make an uncertain claim sound authoritative.
What useful progress looks like
Look for a more accurate meaning, a better choice of sense, a checked source or an explanation that distinguishes observation from inference. A child revising “exactly” to “approximately” for a justified reason has improved the communication even though the sentence may not be longer.
Keep reading, spelling, meaning and application visible as separate tasks. A difficulty in one area may need targeted help. Persistent concerns should be discussed with the child’s teacher or an appropriate professional; a list cannot assess a language or reading disorder.
The Age 7 guide remains useful for nuance and viewpoint. The vocabulary learning hub can help select further reading by purpose. There is no requirement to finish this volume before exploring another topic.
The growth goal: a child who meets an unfamiliar word can increasingly ask, “What does it mean here, how do I know, and how could I use it clearly?” That process makes the collection more useful than a sequence of items to memorise.
Research-informed guide added on 3 November 2026 by edu|Kate Singapore. The practical examples are original editorial suggestions, not a validated intervention. Return to the 2,000-word list · Return to this growth guide.