Normal English vs IELTS English

Phrasal Verb for IELTS vocabulary

Here is the list of phrasal verbs that you can use:

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

Dispute or disagree with I am not quarrelling with their idea, but

Quarrel with
something I think there are other possibilities.

Romp in Win easily In the first race, the favorite romped in.

Salt away Save money She’s making a lot of money but salts it away rather than spend

Leave somewhere safe or If the storm has finished, we could venture

Venture forth
comfortable forth.

Stick with Not change something We’d better stick with our original idea.

Tee off Start or launch an event The new project will tee off next month.

Ten years went by before we saw each other

Go by The passing of time
again

Rather than go out tonight, we plan to kick

Kick back Relax
back and watch television

Prepare for something that They are limbering up for the end of the
Limber up for
will require a great effort financial year.

Evaluate or judge by The work doesn’t look good if you measure

Measure against
comparison it against what our competitors have done.

Pass over Ignore, refuse to discuss Let’s pass over what they said and get on.

From Leave a group by

They peeled away from the crowd and
Peel away moving in a different
went down a side road
direction.

Idioms for IELTS Vocabulary

 To be on the top of the world
 To be on cloud nine
 If my memory serves me well
 Over the moon
 Once in a blue moon
 Piece of cake
 A drop in the ocean
 To be like a dog with two tails
 It makes my blood boil
 Change one’s mind
 Call it a day
 Put all your eggs in one basket
 Blessing in disguise
 Actions speak louder than words
  I hit the ceiling
 Fresh as a daisy
 Couch potato
 Full of beans
 A bad egg
 Eager beaver

A List of Vocabulary Words for IELTS

Here is the first list of vocabulary words for IELTS:

Word Meaning

Blameless innocent

Crazy insane

Noted famous

Madness insanity

Arrogant haughty

Awful terrible

To disclaim to deny

To vary to differ

Accurate correct

Sacristy vestry

Dreadful terrible

Immoderate excessive

Cozy comfortable

Garbage can trashcan

Perception insight

Warranty guarantee
Immediate instant

Mind intellect

Vague indistinct

Understandable comprehensible

Indisputable undeniable

Terror fright

Highbrow intellectual

Cube dice

Remoted isolated

Well timed timely

Gratuity tip

Disadvantaged deprived

Abundant ample

To misconceive to misunderstand

Denims jeans

Connect join

Ecstasy joy

Magistrate justice of the peace

Eager keen

Wise knowing
Crusade campaign

To establish to set up

Neutral impartial

Vicious ferocious

Interplay interaction

To desert to abandon

Touchdown landing

Oblique indirect

To accomplish to achieve

Hashish cannabis

To close to shut

Defective faulty

Mischievous impish

Dormant inactive

Idle lazy

Turbulent blustering

To disclose to reveal

Dally loiter

Isolated lonely

Missing lost

Drab dull
Fortunate lucky

Hearsay rumor

Mendacity lying

Superb magnificent

Leading main

Chiefly mainly

Aggressive militant

Noon midday

Vague indistinct

Misfortune mishap

Misread misinterpret

Deceptive misleading

Lacking missing

Jealous envious

Doubt mistrust

Wrong mistaken

Away absent

To notify to inform

Mannequin model

Dicey risky

Empty drain
 Misery distress

Impartial neutral

Impartial neutral

To behave to act

Bendy flexible

Extra additional

Here is the second list of vocabulary words for IELTS:

Word Meaning

To administer to manage

Murderer assassin

To maintain to preserve

Mediocre fair

Aromatic fragrant

Dispute debate

Ambitious aspiring

To foretell to predict

To ignore to disregard

Virtue advantage

To cope to manage

Appreciable considerable
Disagreeable unpleasant

Rubbish nonsense

To bear on sth. to affect

Lousy awful

To consult to refer to

Cranky cross

Mackintosh waterproof coat

Pocket book notebook

Middleman intermediary

Paper money notes

Infamous notorious

Mirth fun

Selection choice

To quake to tremble

Today nowadays

Hate loathe

Mean unkind

Contaminate defile

Impediment obstacle

Construction interpretation

Hostile antagonistic
To function to operate

Apparent obvious

Comfort consolation

Unstated unspoken

Enormous huge, immense

Sincere honest

Imperfect faulty

Obsolete out of date

Above overhead

Total entire,

Twosome pair

Especially particularly

Monotonous boring

To hurry to rush

Ardor passion

Gut intestine

Identical duplicate

Immodest conceited

Untrue unfaithful

Achieve accomplish

To annoy to irritate, to bother

Awkward clumsy

Completely totally

To elevate to raise, to promote

Insolvent bankrupt

To rue to regret

Essential fundamental

Peaceable peaceful

Nightfall dusk

Handsome good

Stupid dense

Zenith peak

Vacant empty

Fragrance perfume

Maybe perhaps, possibly

Aid help, assist

Bad (not good) poor, naughty

Magician conjurer

Unfortunate unlucky

Gravestone headstone

Housebreaking burglary

To grab to seize
Refrain chorus

To disappear to vanish

Painting portray

Adjourn postpone

Instructions directions

Momentous powerful

Priority precedence

Stationary fixed

Praise compliment

Insufferable unbearable

Previous preceding

Exactly precisely

Mistrust distrust

Early premature

Untimely premature

Antagonize provoke

Citation quotation

Naughty disobedient

Cheesy corny, tacky

Huge vast

Hole gap
Magnify expand

Lethal deadly

Immune exempt

Mourn grieve

Ban forbid

Infrequent rare

Spontaneous automatic

To cite to quote

Uncooked raw

Arrive reach, come

Dark dismal

Unlawful illegal

Knowingly deliberately

Moderately reasonably

Insurgent rebel

Uprising rebellion

Clerk receptionist

Miserable depressing

Curative healing

Equity fairness

Immature inexperienced
 Artful crafty

Practically virtually

Conscious aware

To arrive to reach

Apparent evident

Crook criminal

Unvoiced voiceless

Here is the third list of vocabulary words for IELTS:

Word Meaning

Negligent inattentive

To differentiate to distinguish

Inferior substandard

Win succeed

Hold grasp

To nominate to appoint

To near to approach

To impact to affect

Charter constitution

Eccentric unusual

Consecutive successive

Morose sullen

Disagree differ

Invoice bill

To withstand to resist

Insupportable intolerable
Meeting assembly

To convey to communicate

To denationalize to privatize

Abstract summary

Attractive appealing

Illiberal intolerant

To overhaul to overtake

Anyway besides

To respond to reply

Precis summary

Dry arid

To minimize to play down

Satisfied convinced

Vain useless

To conform to comply

Conflict clash

Twister tornado

To float to drift

Instinct intuition

To admit to confess

To intensify to heighten

Intriguing fascinating

Moderate lenient

Minor lesser

To infect to contaminate

To vacuum to hoover

Removable detachable

Sundown sunset

Joy delight
Encourage support

Class lesson, course

To vanquish to conquer

Turmoil disturbance

To transform to convert

To deprave to corrupt

To chop to cut

To diminish to decrease

To involve to entail

To magnify to exaggerate

Constancy fidelity

Ornament decoration

Diminish curtail

Nugatory worthless

Revolting disgusting

Torpid lethargic

Prompt immediate

To operate to function

Vast huge

To inspect to examine

To collect to gather

Impetuous reckless

To receive to get

Beneficent generous

Nameless anonymous

To confuse to mix up

Overseas abroad

To deduce to infer

High elevated
Convalesce recover

Outside external

To renounce to give up

More and more increasingly

To grouse to grumble

To assure to guarantee

Advocate support

Coiffure hairstyle

Forehead brow

Discount reduction

To appear to seem

Except apart from

To survive to outlive

Migrant drifting

Dead lifeless

Notwithstanding however

A native a local

To visualize to imagine

Informal casual

To begin to start

Infuriate enrage

Animated lively

Chorus refrain

Necessary essential

Provided if

Remorse regret

Domesticate cultivate

Steady regular

Testament testimony
If whether

Applicable relevant

Difficult hard

Trustworthy reliable

Mend repair

Moral ethical

Nobility the aristocracy

Repute reputation

Abbreviate condense

Unhurt unharmed

Imperative crucial

Dilute weaken, thin

Prosperous affluent

To fabricate to manufacture

Reasonable fair

Idler loafer

Mandatory required

Suppress restrain

Dossier file

Lucid clear

Complete total

Diverse distinct

Backside behind, bottom

To answer to reply

Home domestic

Matters things

Correct right

Brow forehead

Remainder the rest

 Object thing

Hermetic airtight

To learn to memorize

Considerate thoughtful

Considerate thoughtful

Urgent important

Inconsiderate thoughtless

Silly foolish

Popular words and their Synonyms

Words Synonyms

Amazing Incredible

Answer Respond

Awful Bad

Beautiful Pretty

Begin Start

Come Arrive

Cool Frosty

Dangerous Risky

Decide Settle

Definite Certain

Delicious Savoury

Wrong Mistaken

Tell Narrate, Inform

Show Display, Exhibit

New Recent, current

Neat Clean

Interesting Intriguing

Important Vital, crucial

 Help Assist

Happy Content

Famous Well-known

Funny Amusing

Place Procedure

Some phrases for the IELTS Speaking Test

1. In my opinion
It can be used to express your viewpoint on a particular topic. Also, it can be used to confidently
and assertively introduce your thoughts and ideas on a subject matter.

Example: In my opinion, learning a foreign language can help you understand different cultures.

2. To put it simply
It is a phrase often used to introduce a simplified or abbreviated explanation of a complex idea. It
is a way of summarising something in a straightforward and easy-to-understand manner without
using too much technical jargon or complicated language.

Example: To put it simply, kindness is a virtue that should be practised daily.

3. As far as I am concerned
It is often used to introduce personal opinions or viewpoints on a topic. It is a way of expressing
your ideas confidently.

Example: As far as I’m concerned, reading books is one of the most enriching activities one can
engage in.

4. I am going to talk about

The phrase indicates that you will discuss a topic or idea similarly to the previous speaker or writer.
It can be used to emphasise agreement or to build upon a previous idea or argument.

Example: I am going to talk about the benefits of regular exercise, which is an important aspect of
maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

5. It’s worth mentioning that

The phrase is commonly used to introduce an additional point or idea related to the previous
discussion. It is often used to highlight a point that may have been overlooked or to provide a
perspective that complements the existing discussion.

Example: It’s worth mentioning that practising gratitude can significantly improve one’s mental
health.

6. Let me give you an example

This phrase is often used to provide a specific and relatable example that supports the point being
made in the discussion.

Example: Let me give you an example of how to use idioms for IELTS speaking. For instance, “to
beat around the bush” means avoiding discussing the main topic.
7. If my memory serves me well
The phrase can be helpful in your vocabulary during the IELTS speaking test. This can also be
used when you rely on past experiences or memories to tell a story or provide an example.

Example: If my memory serves me well, one of the most memorable events in my life was when I
graduated from college.

Most Commonly Used Idioms With Examples

Various idioms are commonly used. The table below mentions some of them:

Idiom Meaning Example

I am afraid I cannot afford it. I am in the

In the red Lacking money, to owe money
red.

Suddenly, out of the blue, he asked me to

Out of the blue Something unexpected
marry him.

I don’t support your getting into trouble

A white lie Tell a not-so-serious lie
due to a white lie.

Give someone the

To provide permission I received the green light to travel abroad.
green light

He was green with envy upon seeing her

Green with envy To be envious/jealous
pass the exam.

Leave without
Drop out She dropped out of college yesterday.
completing/finishing

Day and night Continuous work I worked day and night to finish this blog.

Pass with flying Pass a test/exam with excellent My daughter passed the finals with flying
colours grades colours.

Learn by heart To memorise I learned the entire chapter by heart.

He will finish the book within hours. He is a

Bookworm A person who reads a lot
bookworm.

Break a leg Wishing good luck I hope you break a leg today.

Better late than Better to complete something I learned to drive a car at 30, better late
never now than never than never.
 Practice makes I need to practice more to ace the exam,
Improving through practice
perfect and you know practice makes perfect.

Blind as a bat Bad eyesight I am blind as a bat without my glasses.

Some Advanced Idioms for IELTS Speaking With Examples

Using a few advanced idioms during the IELTS speaking test impresses the examiner. However,
your idioms must be known to them. Here are a few phrases for IELTS speaking with an example
that one can use:

Idioms Meaning Example

She was crying over her stolen

In for a penny, in phone yesterday but got a job When Adam’s grandmother was sick, he
for a pound promotion today. Indeed, every was in for a penny and in for a pound.
cloud has a silver lining.

When his grandmother saw her

Chip off the old A person is similar in actions or grandson getting angry about minor
block behaviour to their parents things, she knew he was a chip off the
old block.

Do unto others as
Treat others the same way you When Adam’s grandmother was sick, he
you would have
would want to be treated was in for a penny and in for a pound.
them do unto you

She was crying over her stolen phone

Every cloud has a Bad things end and lead to good yesterday but got a promotion at work
silver lining things eventually today. Indeed, every cloud has a silver
lining.

To be fair and square, I tried everything

Fair and square Be fair and direct
possible to get you through the concert.