Babel Lingua Quest

A Complete Guide to English Vocabulary

For Learners, Educators & Academic Achievers

8 Learning Tracks
Word Formation
Idioms & Collocations
Academic Word List
30-Question Quiz

English Vocabulary Skills help you achieve

A richer word bank pays off far beyond any vocabulary list. Here is what it actually unlocks.

English vocabulary reference guide

Pick a track based on where you'll actually use your English — everyday life, the office, or on the road — then dive into the Vocabulary in Depth section for detailed explanations, tables, and strategies.

TRACK 01

General English

The words that carry an ordinary day — how you act, what you eat, how you spend your free time. Start here if you want a foundation that works everywhere.

Behaviors
Words for habits, moods, and how people act.
Daily Routines
Talk through a normal day from start to finish.
Food
Order, cook, and describe meals with ease.
Hobbies
Name what you love doing in your downtime.
Sport
Follow, play, and chat about any game.
Home & Family
Describe where you live and the people in your life.

TRACK 02

Business English

The vocabulary that keeps meetings, inboxes, and deals moving — built for people who use English at work.

Emails
Write clear, professional messages fast.
Job Interviews
Talk about your experience with confidence.
Presentations
Structure ideas so a room follows along.
Marketing
Pitch, position, and sell in plain English.
Meetings
Contribute, agree, disagree, and take the floor.
Reports & Proposals
Write clearly structured professional documents.

TRACK 03

Travel English

The words you reach for the moment you land somewhere new — practical, situational, and built for real trips.

Directions & Emergencies
Ask for help and stay safe on the go.
Adventures
Describe outdoor activities and excursions.
Shopping
Browse, bargain, and check out with ease.
Types of Trips
Talk about how and why you're traveling.
Transport & Airports
Navigate flights, trains, and taxis confidently.
Accommodation
Check in, make requests, and handle problems.

TRACK 04

Word Formation

Understanding how English words are built — from prefixes and roots to compounds — multiplies every word you learn into a whole family.

Prefixes
un-, re-, pre-, mis-, over-, under-, dis-, anti-
Suffixes
-tion, -ness, -ful, -less, -ment, -ity, -ize, -ly
Root Words
Latin & Greek roots: port, dict, spec, aud, rupt
Compound Words
notebook, sunlight, well-being, breakthrough

TRACK 05

Word Families

Learn one form of a word and unlock all its grammatical relatives — noun, verb, adjective, and adverb in one go.

Nouns
analyse→analysis · decide→decision · create→creation
Verbs
analysis→analyse · decision→decide · strength→strengthen
Adjectives
analytical · decisive · creative · achievable · significant
Adverbs
analytically · decisively · creatively · significantly

TRACK 06

Collocations & Idioms

The difference between correct and fluent English. Collocations sound natural; idioms unlock real-world conversation.

Verb + Noun
make a decision · do research · give a presentation
Adj + Noun
heavy traffic · strong argument · high demand
Everyday Idioms
bite the bullet · under the weather · break the ice
Business Idioms
think outside the box · get the ball rolling · bottom line

TRACK 07

Phrasal Verbs & Academic Vocabulary

Phrasal verbs unlock natural conversation; the Academic Word List unlocks TOEFL, IELTS, and university writing.

Phrasal Verbs with "Up"
give up · set up · make up · come up with · put up with
Phrasal Verbs with "Out"
find out · carry out · work out · figure out · stand out
AWL — Analysis & Research
analyse · assess · evaluate · investigate · demonstrate
AWL — TOEFL High-Frequency
clarify · constitute · derive · interpret · perceive · rely

TRACK 08

Vocabulary Learning Strategies

The research is clear: context, spacing, and active retrieval are the three pillars of lasting vocabulary acquisition.

Spaced Repetition
Review at increasing intervals: Day 1→3→7→14→30.
Context Reading
Learn words in sentences, not lists. Context activates meaning.
Active Production
Write 3 sentences with each new word within 24 hours.
Word Mapping
Connect: synonyms · antonyms · collocates · example · image.

Vocabulary in Depth

Explore detailed tables, patterns, and strategies that turn passive recognition into active fluency.

Word Formation

Prefixes

Added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. 5 samples below (the quiz tests different ones).

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
re-	again / back	rewrite, review, rebuild
pre-	before	preview, predict, prepare
dis-	opposite / away	disagree, discover, dismiss
anti-	against	antibiotic, anti-social
under-	too little / below	underestimate, underperform

Strategy"Antibiotic" = anti- (against) + biotic (life) = a substance that works against living microbes.

Suffixes

Added to the end of a word — usually changes its grammatical category. 5 samples below (the quiz tests different ones).

Suffix	Creates	Examples
-tion / -sion	Noun	education, decision, foundation
-ful	Adjective	powerful, meaningful, grateful
-less	Adjective	hopeless, careless, speechless
-ize / -ise	Verb	realize, organize, prioritize
-ly	Adverb	carefully, significantly, rapidly

Strategy-tion at the end = noun. This tells you how to use it before you know the exact meaning.

Root Words

Latin and Greek roots unlock hundreds of words at once. 5 samples below (the quiz tests different ones).

Root	Meaning	Word Examples
dict	say / tell	dictionary, predict, contradict
spec	see / look	inspect, spectator, perspective
aud	hear	audio, audience, audible
scrib	write	describe, subscribe, manuscript
vert	turn	convert, reverse, divert, versatile

Power Move"spec" = see → inspect, spectator, perspective, spectacular, introspect — all unlocked at once.

Compound Words & Blends

Two or more words combined to create a new meaning.

Type	Form	Examples
Closed	One word	notebook, sunshine, feedback
Hyphenated	With hyphen	well-being, up-to-date, self-confidence
Open	Two words	high school, ice cream, social media
Blends	Two words merged	brunch, smog, podcast, blog

Academic TipUse hyphenated compounds before a noun: a well-researched paper, a long-term strategy.

Collocations, Idioms & Phrasal Verbs

Verb + Noun Collocations

The most common type. These partnerships sound natural — alternatives often do not. 5 examples below (the quiz tests different ones).

✅ Natural	❌ Unnatural
reach a conclusion	arrive a conclusion
raise awareness	increase awareness
keep a promise	hold a promise
run a business	make a business
catch a cold	take a cold

Key PointNative speakers feel collocations — they don't choose them logically. Record them in context, not in isolation.

5 Essential Idioms

These appear daily in English conversation, media, and writing (the quiz tests different ones).

Idiom	Meaning
Hit the nail on the head	Be exactly right
Under the weather	Feeling unwell
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely
Spill the beans	Accidentally reveal a secret
Think outside the box	Think creatively / unconventionally

Study TipLearn idioms through stories and films — not lists. Context creates memory.

5 Essential Phrasal Verbs

A sample of the most common phrasal verbs in everyday English (the quiz tests different ones).

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
carry out	Execute	carry out the research
make up	Invent / reconcile	make up an excuse
set up	Establish	set up a new company
take up	Start a hobby	take up painting
put off	Postpone	put off the meeting

RuleWith pronouns, always separate: "turn them off" — never "turn off them."

6 Academic Word List Samples

570 word families essential for TOEFL iBT, IELTS, and university study — 6 samples below (the quiz tests different ones).

analyse
context
evaluate
factor
identify
evidence

TOEFL FocusKnow each word as noun AND verb: analyse → analysis → analytical. That triples your vocabulary from one root.

Learning Strategies

Spaced Repetition (SRS)

The most validated method for long-term retention. Words reviewed at increasing intervals.

Day 1 → Day 3 → Day 7 → Day 14 → Day 30 → Day 60

Each successful recall pushes the next review further forward
Forgetting is part of the process — review just before you forget
Tools: Anki, Quizlet, or a notebook divided into daily/weekly/monthly
20–30 words daily in 10–15 minutes beats marathon sessions

ResearchSRS vocabulary is retained 2–3× longer than blocked repetition (cramming).

Extensive Reading

Reading large amounts of comprehensible text is one of the most effective ways to acquire vocabulary naturally.

Level: Read texts where you know ~95–98% of words
Volume: 20–30 minutes daily — vocabulary acquisition happens incidentally
Note-taking: Record the full sentence, not just the unknown word
Genre mix: Academic texts, news, fiction, and professional content

For TOEFLReading academic science, history, and social science texts prepares you for the TOEFL Reading section while building exactly the vocabulary tested.

Active Production

Recognition comes before production — but production is what cements words in long-term memory.

Sentence creation: Write 3 sentences with each new word within 24 hours
Paraphrasing: If you can't explain it in your own words, you don't own it yet
Speaking: Use new vocabulary deliberately in conversation
Writing tasks: TOEFL/IELTS writing is ideal for practising AWL words under pressure

Common MistakeStudents recognise far more words than they can produce. The gap closes only through regular, deliberate production — not more reading alone.

Word Mapping

Connects a new word to everything related to it — creating a rich network that makes retrieval fast and reliable.

Word → Definition → Synonyms → Antonyms → Collocates → Example → Memory Image

Centre: Target word — e.g. "reliable"
Branches: dependable, trustworthy, consistent · unreliable, erratic · a reliable source/method
Example: "The lab used a reliable method to measure vocabulary growth."
Anchor: A personal image or story that makes the word memorable to YOU

Why it worksThe more connections a word has in your mental lexicon, the faster and more reliably you retrieve it.

Test Yourself

Vocabulary Quiz

30 exam-style questions covering word formation, collocations, idioms, phrasal verbs, synonyms, and academic vocabulary. Discover your exact level.

Question 1 of 303%

Q1Prefixes

'Unprecedented' contains 'un-', which means:

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