11 Plus Vocabulary: Word List and How to Learn It

A vocabulary list can give your child words to discuss and practise, but it cannot predict every word or question in an 11+ test. Test formats vary by school and area. Check the current familiarisation material for the test your child will sit.

Official sample materials show why context matters. In the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test familiarisation booklet, a worked English example asks which option is closest in meaning to rely. The booklet gives depend as the answer. In a CSSE English paper for 2023 entry, one question asks pupils to explain the meaning of bask in context. That paper is an archived example, not a promise about the current test. The CSSE's current information says its tests include English and maths; its website also notes that applied reasoning was removed from the English paper from 2025 entry.

Those examples support a modest conclusion: some tests ask children to work out or explain word meaning in context. They do not establish a universal word list, question format or weighting. Use this page's examples as practice ideas, not as exam tiers or a syllabus.

Practise a word in a sentence

Try this original example: Mina was reluctant to leave the warm tent. Here, reluctant means unwilling or hesitant. Replacing it with unwilling keeps the basic sense: Mina was unwilling to leave the warm tent. It is still important to read the whole sentence, because a word can have more than one meaning.

You can ask a child to explain what a word means in a sentence, choose a similar word, or say which clues helped. A wrong answer can show that the word is unfamiliar, that another meaning was chosen, or that the sentence was read too quickly. These are different things to review.

Example words to explore

The words below are a small set of examples, not official exam tiers. Their labels do not describe how often they appear in any test.

• Abundant: existing in large quantities. Rainfall was abundant, so the crops needed no watering.
• Adjacent: next to. Their tent stood adjacent to the boathouse.
• Anxious: worried or uneasy. She grew anxious as the coach failed to arrive.
• Conceal: to hide something deliberately. He tried to conceal the letter beneath a book.
• Deliberate: done on purpose. The delay was deliberate, not an accident.
• Diminish: to become or make smaller or less. The noise diminished as the crowd left.
• Elaborate: detailed and often complicated. The cake had an elaborate pattern of icing.
• Feeble: weak or lacking strength. A feeble light showed at the far window.
• Fragile: easily broken or damaged. The fragile glass jar cracked in the frost.
• Gradually: slowly, over time. The mist gradually cleared from the valley.
• Hesitate: to pause before acting, often because of doubt. She hesitated before answering the question.
• Immense: extremely large. An immense oak dominated the field.
• Isolated: far from other people or places. The cottage was isolated on the moor.
• Peculiar: strange or unusual. There was a peculiar smell in the corridor.
• Persuade: to convince someone to do something. He persuaded his sister to help.
• Reluctant: unwilling or hesitant. The dog was reluctant to enter the water.
• Rely: to depend on someone or something. The team relied on its captain to organise the equipment.
• Scarce: hard to find or in short supply. Fresh fruit was scarce that winter.
• Vast: very great in size or extent. A vast plain stretched to the horizon.
• Vivid: producing strong, clear images or impressions. She gave a vivid account of the storm.

Some example words in this article do not appear in the separate shared vocabulary bank. That bank has its own purpose and editorial criteria; this selection is only a set of practice examples.

The separate free 11 plus vocabulary word list currently has 254 words across fourteen themed sections. Its interactive page gives each word a definition, an example sentence and related words, with a link to an exercise when one is available for that entry. The printable PDFs include word entries and tick boxes, plus a separate page listing related practice activities; they do not include individual exercise links beside each word. The list is an additional practice resource, not a set of words guaranteed to appear in an exam.

Similar words and opposites need context

Some words are close in meaning in one sentence but not interchangeable in every context. Ancient and antique, for example, are not exact substitutes in all uses. Other words form clearer contrasts in a particular sense, such as expand and contract. Ask whether the pair works in the sentence you are reading instead of learning a pair as a universal rule.

A few more pairs to discuss are:

• brave and valiant (similar in some contexts)
• begin and commence (similar, but the second is more formal)
• angry and irate (similar, with a difference in strength and register)
• generous and miserly (contrasting descriptions)
• transparent and opaque (opposites when describing whether light passes through)
• temporary and permanent (opposites about duration)

Word parts can offer clues

Prefixes, suffixes and roots sometimes help children make a sensible guess. They are clues, not guarantees: word histories and meanings can be more complicated, and the whole sentence still matters.

• aud relates to hearing: audible, audience.
• spect relates to looking: inspect, spectator.
• port relates to carrying: transport, portable.
• dict relates to saying: dictate, contradict.
• bene relates to good: benefit, benevolent.
• mal relates to bad: malice, malfunction.
• circum means around: circumference, circumnavigate.
• -able and -ible often mean capable of or suitable for: readable, legible.

The English national curriculum expects pupils to build vocabulary, understand relationships and nuances between words, and work out meanings of unfamiliar words. Its spelling appendix contains statutory spelling lists. Those lists are not an 11+ vocabulary syllabus and do not define what a local selection test will ask.

A simple way to revisit words

There is no single revision interval that suits every child. You could introduce a few words, return to them after a gap, and use them in a new sentence. Keep the sessions short enough that the child can explain their thinking. If a word is remembered only when its definition is visible, practise recalling it before looking.

The quiz below selects ten meanings from the separate vocabulary bank. It gives feedback with the definition and an example sentence after each answer.

Choosing words to practise

Pick words the child has met in reading or in the local familiarisation material. For each one, note its meaning in that sentence and discuss another possible meaning if there is one. You might add a similar word or an opposite where the relationship is clear.

Do not assume a longer list is more complete, or that a particular number of words will produce a particular score. A list can support practice, while reading and context help show how a word is being used. For an exam-specific view, follow your admissions authority's information and sample materials.

How many words does my child need? There is no single number that applies to every 11+ test. Local authorities and schools decide which subjects and question types their tests include. Check the target test's current materials.

How long before the exam should we start? There is no universal schedule. Begin with a manageable amount and leave time to understand mistakes, rather than trying to memorise a very long list at once.

Do all 11+ papers test vocabulary the same way? No. For example, the Buckinghamshire booklet and CSSE's archived English paper show different styles of vocabulary question. Those samples do not represent every test. Check current materials for your target area.

Does reading replace vocabulary practice? Reading exposes children to words in context, and deliberate discussion can help them notice meanings and relationships. Whether to add separate vocabulary practice depends on what the child needs and what their local test covers.

Sources and scope

• Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test familiarisation booklet: the worked example uses rely and depend. The booklet states its examples may not include every type used in the actual test.
• CSSE 2023-entry English paper: an archived paper includes a vocabulary-in-context question asking what bask means. It is not a current specification.
• CSSE examination information: provides current entry-cycle information and links to current and archived materials. CSSE states applied reasoning was removed from the English paper from 2025 entry.
• GL Assessment free familiarisation materials: explains that local timings and question numbers can differ from its samples.
• Department for Education English programmes of study: national curriculum vocabulary aims and statutory spelling list context.