Vocabulary sticks best when it's tied to a situation you can picture. Instead of a random alphabetical list, these words are grouped by where you'd actually use them.

At home

kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, furniture, appliance, laundry, tidy, chores, neighbour, landlord, rent, utility bill, lease, maintenance, cosy, spacious.

"Could you help me tidy the kitchen before the landlord comes to check the appliances?"

At work

deadline, colleague, meeting, promotion, salary, resign, workload, task, report, feedback, supervisor, remote, onboarding, negotiate, overtime, resume/CV.

"I need to negotiate my salary before the deadline for signing the contract."

Travel

itinerary, luggage, boarding pass, layover, customs, accommodation, currency, fare, delay, passport control, souvenir, journey, destination, jet lag.

"Our layover was long, so we exchanged some currency and bought a few souvenirs."

Shopping & money

discount, receipt, refund, budget, afford, expensive, worth it, bargain, checkout, installment, warranty, subscription, exchange rate.

"It was a great bargain — 40% discount, and it came with a two-year warranty."

Feelings & opinions

relieved, overwhelmed, confident, frustrated, grateful, curious, hesitant, convinced, indifferent, optimistic, skeptical, content.

"I was hesitant at first, but now I feel confident about the decision."

How to actually learn these

  • Learn words in the full example sentence, not alone — context fixes meaning in memory far better than a single word.
  • Group new words by situation (like above), not alphabet — your brain retrieves them faster when they're linked to a scene.
  • Reuse each new word in your own sentence within 24 hours; this single habit dramatically improves retention.
Tip: Pick one category above and write five original sentences using at least two words each. That single exercise does more than reading fifty new words passively.
Keep learning: browse more Vocabulary notes or head back to the homepage to explore other subjects.