The 11 Plus Vocabulary List

The 11 Plus Vocabulary List

We believe our 11+ vocabulary list to be the best and most extensive of any list out there and is best suited to help your child develop. You can find information further down this page about the list.

Clicking the link below will take you to the page where you can download the 11 Plus Vocabulary list as a PDF.

11 Plus Vocabulary List

Important: It is vital to combine the use of this list with other resources to help with your child’s vocabulary development. Our recommended course it The Complete Vocabulary Course as it helps build up your child’s skills over time with constant revision, however, there is a shorter Vocabulary Enhance Course and even shorter Vocabulary Boost Course if you have less time.

Why is this list important?

This vocabulary list includes words that have come up in previous exams or words which publishers have used in published tests. This vocabulary list includes words which have been used by both GL and CEM. The list also includes some of the more difficult words that are part of the current national curriculum for year six. Finally, the list includes words which are in the top 100 most commonly misspelt words. You’ll find the list will contain a mix of vocabulary from the well-known and seemingly easy (but often misspelt) to the very difficult and seemingly improbable (but they may have come up before).

How to use the 11+ Vocabulary List

We’d suggest (depending on how much time you have available) that the list is used in the following way:

•     Go down part of the list each week with your child, where a child can spell and accurately define a word move on. Where a child cannot spell a word accurately or cannot accurately define it then mark it as needing work.

•     When you have found twenty words which need work these will form your work for the week. Use the vocabulary development sheet to write them in.

•     Look up each word in the dictionary. Some words ( but not all) will have obvious synonyms and opposites so it’s useful to note these down.

•     Note down a meaning of the word (it’s best that this is the child’s own words, not the dictionary meaning)

•     Write down a sentence using the word.

•     Every other week construct a little test to ensure these new words are bedded in. Remember a good vocabulary can only be developed with frequent word exposure. Just learning these new words once will not be good enough, they need constant exposure.

•     Some words will have more than one meaning, where this is the case learn BOTH meanings.

How Children Develop Vocabulary

It is not only important how many words are learnt, but also how words are learnt. A child’s vocabulary is effectively made up of the following; secure words, known words, familiar words, previously seen words and unknown words. Find out more information on our Developing Vocabulary page to help your child develop a strong vocabulary with a good understanding of the words.

Develop Vocabulary with Classic Books

Using lists is not the only way to develop a broad vocabulary and it is important to also read books, either by themselves or through paired reading. One of the key reasons that children benefit from reading classic books in preparation for their 11 Plus exam is that they will encounter vocabulary that they may not otherwise encounter. Get more information from our page on Classic Books Vocabulary.

The Other Parts of the 11+ Test

It is important not to neglect the other parts of the eleven plus exam because even children with a very strong vocabulary will struggle in the test without proper practice and work on the other sections of the 11 Plus. Get more information, advice and practice material from the links below.

Complete 11 Plus Vocabulary List

abandon

abode

absence

absurd

abundance

abundant

accuse

accustom

acquainted

acquire

across

address

adhere

admission

adopt

advance

affable

affectionate

aid

alert

all right

ally

altitude

ambition

amount

ample

antiquity

anxious

appeal

appearance

apprehensive

approve

arduous

argument

arouse

artful

article

assemble

assiduous

assistance

asunder

attached

attempt

available

average

avoid

avowed

awkward

banish

bargain

barren

beautiful

because

beck

believe

belligerent

bemused

benefit

besieged

betray

bewildered

bicycle

box

brief

Britain

broad

bruise

brusque

burden

business

calamity

candidate

careering

category

caulking

caution

cease

cemetery

chaos

charred

choreographer

clemency

coarse

coax

college

colour

combination

commence

commit

committee

communicate

community

companion

company

compel

competition

completely

complex

composition

comprehend

comrade

conceal

conceited

concentrated

conclude

conclusion

condemn

conferred

confine

conscience

conscious

consent

conserve

consideration

consist

conspire

constant

consume

contemporary

contempt

content

contest

contract

contrast

contribute

conventional

convert

convey

convict

convince

correct

covert

covet

coy

credit

cultivate

cunning

curb

curious

curt

custom

debate

debrief

deceit

deceive

declare

decline

definite

deliberate

demolished

deny

deposit

depot

derelict

description

despair

desperately

despise

destitute

determine

develop

device

devote

dictionary

digest

dilapidated

diluted

din

disappear

disappointed

disarray

disastrous

disclose

discontent

dishevelled

dismal

disperse

dispute

distasteful

distinct

distinguished

distress

divine

divinity

domestic

dose

drought

dumb

dwelling

earnest

economical

elect

elude

embarrass

embrace

emerge

empire

employ

endeavour

endure

enterprise

entire

entirely

environment

equip

equipment

equipped

erect

errand

especially

estimate

evaluation

evident

exaggerate

excellent

excitement

exciting

exclaim

existence

expel

expense

explanation

extended

exterior

extinction

extract

extremely

famine

fatal

fatigue

favourite

feeble

feign

fertile

flamboyant

flawless

flee

fleet

flora

flourish

foe

forbid

foundation

fragment

fragrant

frequent

friend

frivolous

fund

garment

government

grate

gratitude

grave

gregarious

grieve

grotesque

guarantee

guard

habitable

habitat

halt

handkerchief

hasty

helix

heroic

hoax

holiday

hollow

humble

hygienic

idiosyncrasy

idle

idol

ignorant

imitate

immediate

immediately

immerse

impudent

in between

in fact

in front

inaudible

inaugural

inaugurate

incision

inconspicuous

individual

inedible

inferior

influence

inhabit

inhabitants

innocuous

insane

insert

insolent

inspire

intangible

intense

intention

interested

interfere

interior

interpret

interrogate

interrupt

invalid

isolation

justice

labour

lament

language

latter

lavish

lean

leisure

lenient

liable

liberal

liberty

library

lightning

limb

limit

linger

lodge

lofty

loneliness

loyal

majestic

malady

margin

mariner

matte

maximum

meagre

meant

meant

merchant

mercy

mere

meticulous

minimum

moderate

modest

moral

mortal

mysterious

nauseous

neat

necessary

nimble

no one

noted

nuisance

nurseryman

oath

object

objection

oblige

obscure

obstinate

occupy

occur

odour

offend

omen

opportunity

oppose

oppress

option

ordeal

origin

orthodontist

ostentatious

paid

painstaking

palaeontologist

parallel

Parliament

passive

pasture

peak

peculiar

perceive

peril

perilous

perish

permit

perplexed

persuade

physical

physiotherapy

pigment

pioneer

placid

pledge

plume

plunder

plunge

polarity

pompous

poultry

precarious

prejudice

present

privilege

probably

proclaim

procure

profession

profit

programme

prohibit

prominent

promote

prompt

pronunciation

proportion

prosperous

provoke

public

punctual

puncture

purpose

quaint

queer

quell

quench

queue

quiet

quite

quiver

raiment

ramble

rank

rare

really

receive

recite

refuse

release

repent

reprimand

reserve

reside

residence

resign

resolve

resort

restaurant

restore

restrain

retain

retreat

reveal

revive

rhyme

ridiculous

rigid

roam

robust

rogue

rowdy

rural

sacred

sacrifice

sane

sanitary

satin

scanty

score

scripture

secure

seize

seize

seldom

separate

sermon

shoulder

shrine

shrink

signature

sincere

sincerely

sleek

slope

sly

sober

soldier

sow

special

stern

stomach

stoop

stout

stress

stretched

stubborn

sturdy

subdued

submissive

submit

subterfuge

subterranean

subtropical

successful

succumb

sufficient

suggest

summit

superfluous

superior

supposed

surprise

suspect

suspend

symbol

system

temperate

tempestuous

temptation

they

thrust

tomorrow

torment

traitor

tranquil

tries

trifle

trivia

trivial

turbulent

twilight

tyrant

unfathomable

uniform

union

unite

unnecessary

unorthodox

unsurpassed

until

vacant

vanished

vapour

vast

vehicle

veil

venerable

ventilation

vessel

vicarious

virtuous

volatile

wasteful

weary

weird

wholesome

wholly

wither

worthy

wound

wretched

yield