CEFR B1 · intermediate
B1 words are the step after everyday English. You meet them in simple novels, news stories, and TV dramas. Learning them is what turns “I understand most of it” into “I can follow the story”.
Updated
Short answer
B1 vocabulary is the intermediate layer of English: words like apology, fragile, interrupt, and worthwhile. In TeakReader’s word list they are roughly the 10,000th to 20,000th most common words. A B1 learner knows most A1–A2 words and is building this range through reading and listening.
Grouped by topic. The number after each word is its rank in our frequency list: lower means more common. Check any other word →
very strong pain or worry
She waited for news in anguish all night.
words that say you are sorry
He sent her a short apology by text.
the sad feeling of being alone
Moving to a new city brought months of loneliness.
competition between two people or groups
The two brothers had a friendly rivalry.
talk about other people’s private lives
The whole office heard the gossip by lunch.
a family member who lived long ago
My ancestors came from a small island.
a person who steals
The thief ran off with her bag.
a person who works on a ship
The old sailor told stories about the sea.
refusing to obey, openly
In defiance of the rules, he stayed out late.
the ability to keep going when something is hard
Running a marathon takes great endurance.
the soft thing you put your head on in bed
She hid the letter under her pillow.
the box a dead person is buried in
Six men carried the coffin.
an open space with buildings around it
Children played in the hotel courtyard.
a field of grass and flowers
We had a picnic in the meadow.
a package sent by post
A parcel arrived for you this morning.
a long thin piece of cloth for decoration
The gift was tied with a red ribbon.
one of the soft parts that cover a bird
A white feather floated down.
the path for people at the side of a road (UK)
Don’t ride your bike on the pavement.
the keys you type on
My keyboard is missing the letter E.
a rubber bag you fill with air
The balloon flew away into the sky.
stop someone while they are speaking or working
Sorry to interrupt, but your taxi is here.
decide something is not important; or send someone away
He dismissed the idea as silly.
copy the way someone speaks or acts
Children imitate their parents.
take control of a place by force; or defeat a problem
She finally conquered her fear of flying.
give someone the wish or idea to do something
Her story inspired me to start writing.
decide that a planned event will not happen
The match was cancelled because of rain.
put something in the ground and cover it
The dog buried a bone in the garden.
tell people something officially
They announced their engagement on Sunday.
feel or show great happiness
The whole town rejoiced at the news.
die, especially in an accident or disaster
Many sailors perished in the storm.
easy to break
Be careful, the glass is fragile.
sudden and unexpected; or rude and short
The film had an abrupt ending.
not dangerous
Don’t worry, the spider is harmless.
excellent
The view from the top was superb.
not wanting to work or make an effort
I had a lazy Sunday on the sofa.
making a lot of sound
Our neighbours are very noisy at night.
causing problems
My old car has been troublesome all year.
worth the time or effort
Learning a language is always worthwhile.
in a quiet, relaxed way
She answered calmly, even though she was angry.
really, honestly
He was genuinely surprised by the party.
In real English
Easy classics such as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, young-adult novels, sitcoms, and news articles.
Lists help, but words stick when you meet them again in a story. TeakReader shows the new words before each chapter, and lets you tap any word for its meaning and level while you read.
Not sure a book is right for you? See classic books by reading level or TV shows by English level.
Study tips
FAQ
There is no single official number. One widely cited study (Milton, 2010) links B1 with knowing roughly 2,750–3,250 of the most common base words. Our list ranks every word form separately (help, helps, helped, helpful) and includes names and variants, so its rank ranges are much larger than these counts.
No. The official reference is the Cambridge English Vocabulary Profile. Our levels come from how common each word is in large English frequency lists, which matches the CEFR closely for most words but not all. We use the same method for our book levels and the free word checker.
Meet them in context. Read books or watch shows slightly above your level, look up the words you keep seeing, and review them a few times over the next weeks. A list is a good start, but words stick when you see them again in real stories.
Use the free English word level checker. Type any word to see its estimated CEFR level and how common it is, or paste a paragraph to see which words are hard.
Ready to read
TeakReader shows the level of every word you tap and turns the hard ones into flashcards. Free on iPhone, iPad, and Android.
