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Vocabulary is the quiet engine of the 11+. It powers comprehension, synonym and antonym questions, analogies, cloze passages and creative writing. A child who knows that despondent means "low in spirits" is better placed in several sections of the test, before any exam technique comes into play.

This 11 plus vocabulary list contains 200 words to learn for the 11+, grouped by theme, each with a short meaning and a synonym or antonym. The words are pitched to stretch confident Year 5 and Year 6 readers without being obscure, and they suit both reading and writing, making this useful vocabulary for grammar school entry.

How to use this 11+ word list

Reading a list of 200 words once will not build a vocabulary. These habits will:

Learn five to eight words a week, not twenty. Little and often wins.
Use each word in a spoken sentence about something real: "I felt apprehensive before my swimming test."
Keep a word notebook with the word, its meaning, a sentence and a synonym.
Review old words regularly. Testing yourself after a day, a few days and a week tends to work better than simply re-reading; our guide to active recall strategies explains why.
Hunt for the words in books. Spotting a list word in a novel is the moment it really sticks.

Print this page or copy the tables into a notebook so your child can tick off words as they learn them.

1. Feelings and emotions

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
anxious	worried and uneasy	similar: nervous
apprehensive	worried that something bad may happen	similar: uneasy
bewildered	completely confused	similar: baffled
content	quietly happy and satisfied	opposite: discontented
dejected	sad and disappointed	similar: downcast
despondent	low in spirits and without hope	opposite: hopeful
elated	extremely happy and excited	similar: overjoyed
envious	wanting what someone else has	similar: jealous
exasperated	very annoyed and out of patience	similar: irritated
forlorn	lonely and unhappy	similar: wretched
furious	extremely angry	similar: livid
indignant	angry at something unfair	similar: resentful
jubilant	joyful because of a success	similar: triumphant
melancholy	a deep, long-lasting sadness	opposite: cheerful
mortified	deeply embarrassed	similar: humiliated
reluctant	unwilling	opposite: eager
serene	calm and peaceful	opposite: agitated
sullen	bad-tempered and silent	similar: sulky
wary	cautious about possible danger	similar: watchful
weary	very tired	opposite: energetic

2. Character and behaviour

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
arrogant	thinking you are better than others	opposite: humble
benevolent	kind and wanting to help others	similar: charitable
cautious	careful to avoid risk	opposite: reckless
compassionate	showing sympathy for others' suffering	similar: caring
cunning	clever at tricking people	similar: sly
diligent	hard-working and careful	similar: industrious
frugal	careful with money	opposite: extravagant
gregarious	enjoying the company of others	similar: sociable
humble	modest about your own importance	opposite: proud
impetuous	acting quickly without thinking	similar: rash
meticulous	paying great attention to detail	similar: thorough
modest	not boasting about yourself	opposite: boastful
obstinate	refusing to change your mind	similar: stubborn
placid	calm and not easily upset	opposite: excitable
resilient	recovering quickly from difficulties	similar: tough
ruthless	without pity or mercy	opposite: merciful
sincere	honest and genuine	opposite: insincere
timid	shy and easily frightened	opposite: bold
vain	too proud of your appearance	similar: conceited
zealous	very enthusiastic about a cause	similar: passionate

3. Size, amount and degree

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
abundant	existing in large amounts	similar: plentiful
ample	more than enough	opposite: insufficient
colossal	extremely large	similar: enormous
copious	in great quantity	similar: abundant
diminutive	very small	opposite: huge
excessive	more than is needed	similar: extreme
feeble	very weak	opposite: strong
immense	extremely large	similar: vast
infinite	without limit or end	opposite: limited
intense	very strong or extreme	opposite: mild
meagre	too small in amount	opposite: generous
minute	extremely small (my-NEWT)	similar: tiny
negligible	so small it hardly matters	opposite: significant
plentiful	available in large amounts	opposite: scarce
profound	very deep or great	opposite: shallow
scarce	in short supply	similar: rare
sparse	thinly scattered	opposite: dense
substantial	large in size or importance	similar: considerable
trivial	of little importance	opposite: important
vast	very great in area or size	similar: huge

4. Describing what you see and hear

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
cacophony	a harsh mixture of loud sounds	opposite: harmony
dazzling	so bright it is hard to look at	similar: blinding
deafening	extremely loud	opposite: silent
dishevelled	untidy, especially hair or clothes	opposite: neat
gaunt	thin and bony, often from illness	similar: haggard
gleaming	shining brightly	similar: glinting
glistening	shining with a wet sparkle	similar: glittering
grotesque	strange and ugly in a disturbing way	similar: hideous
immaculate	perfectly clean and tidy	opposite: filthy
luminous	giving out light; glowing	similar: radiant
melodious	pleasant to listen to	opposite: harsh
muffled	quiet and unclear	opposite: clear
murky	dark and dirty, hard to see through	opposite: clear
ornate	highly decorated	opposite: plain
pristine	in perfect, unused condition	similar: spotless
radiant	shining brightly; glowing with happiness	similar: beaming
shabby	worn out and in poor condition	opposite: smart
sombre	dark, serious or gloomy	opposite: cheerful
translucent	letting some light through	similar: semi-transparent
vivid	bright and intense; very clear	opposite: dull

5. Ways of moving

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
amble	walk slowly and calmly	similar: stroll
clamber	climb awkwardly using hands and feet	similar: scramble
cower	crouch down in fear	similar: cringe
dart	move suddenly and quickly	similar: dash
flinch	make a quick nervous movement	similar: wince
hurl	throw with great force	similar: fling
lurk	wait somewhere secretly	similar: skulk
plod	walk heavily and slowly	similar: trudge
plunge	jump or fall suddenly downwards	similar: dive
recoil	spring back in fear or disgust	similar: shrink back
saunter	walk in a slow, relaxed way	opposite: hurry
scurry	move quickly with short steps	similar: scamper
seize	take hold of suddenly	opposite: release
snatch	grab quickly	similar: grab
soar	fly or rise high into the air	opposite: plummet
sprawl	lie with arms and legs spread out	similar: stretch out
stagger	walk unsteadily	similar: totter
stride	walk with long steps	similar: march
trudge	walk slowly with heavy steps	similar: plod
wander	walk without a clear purpose	similar: roam

6. Ways of speaking

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
admit	agree that something is true, often reluctantly	opposite: deny
bellow	shout in a deep, loud voice	similar: roar
boast	talk proudly about yourself	similar: brag
confide	tell someone a secret	similar: reveal
declare	say something firmly and publicly	similar: announce
enquire	ask for information	similar: ask
exclaim	cry out suddenly	similar: shout
implore	beg desperately	similar: plead
insist	demand firmly	similar: maintain
interrupt	speak while someone else is talking	similar: cut in
mumble	speak quietly and unclearly	similar: mutter
mutter	speak in a low, often grumbling voice	similar: murmur
persuade	convince someone to do something	similar: coax
plead	ask in an emotional way	similar: beg
protest	say strongly that you disagree	similar: object
retort	reply quickly and sharply	similar: snap back
scoff	speak about something mockingly	similar: jeer
sneer	speak in a scornful way	similar: mock
stammer	speak with pauses and repeated sounds	similar: stutter
whimper	make a weak crying sound	similar: whine

7. Thinking and reasoning

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
absurd	wildly unreasonable or silly	opposite: sensible
analyse	examine something in detail	similar: study
comprehend	understand fully	similar: grasp
conclude	decide after thinking	similar: deduce
conscious	aware of something	opposite: unaware
contemplate	think about carefully	similar: consider
deduce	work something out from evidence	similar: infer
evaluate	judge the value or quality of something	similar: assess
hypothesis	an idea that can be tested	similar: theory
ignorant	lacking knowledge	opposite: knowledgeable
infer	work out from clues	similar: deduce
logical	following clear reasoning	opposite: illogical
perceive	notice or become aware of	similar: detect
plausible	seeming reasonable or likely	opposite: unlikely
ponder	think about something for a long time	similar: reflect
predict	say what will happen in future	similar: forecast
rational	based on reason, not feelings	opposite: irrational
recall	remember	opposite: forget
reflect	think deeply about something	similar: ponder
speculate	guess without firm evidence	similar: wonder

8. Time and change

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
ancient	very old	opposite: modern
brief	lasting a short time	opposite: lengthy
constant	happening all the time	opposite: occasional
contemporary	belonging to the present time	similar: modern
dormant	inactive for now, as if asleep	opposite: active
eventual	happening at last	similar: final
frequent	happening often	opposite: rare
gradual	happening slowly, step by step	opposite: sudden
imminent	about to happen	similar: impending
initial	happening at the beginning	opposite: final
obsolete	no longer used; out of date	opposite: current
permanent	lasting for a very long time or for ever	opposite: temporary
perpetual	never ending	similar: everlasting
prior	coming before	opposite: subsequent
prompt	done without delay	opposite: delayed
rapid	very quick	opposite: slow
simultaneous	happening at the same time	similar: concurrent
subsequent	coming after	opposite: previous
temporary	lasting a short time	opposite: permanent
transform	change completely	similar: alter

9. Judging quality and importance

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
adequate	good enough	opposite: inadequate
authentic	real, not a copy	opposite: fake
beneficial	helpful or good for you	opposite: harmful
crucial	extremely important	similar: vital
deficient	lacking something needed	opposite: sufficient
essential	absolutely necessary	opposite: optional
exquisite	extremely beautiful and delicate	similar: lovely
flawless	without any mistakes	similar: perfect
fragile	easily broken	opposite: sturdy
futile	having no chance of success	similar: pointless
genuine	truly what it seems to be	opposite: false
hazardous	dangerous	opposite: safe
inferior	lower in quality	opposite: superior
mediocre	only average; not very good	opposite: excellent
obscure	not well known or hard to understand	opposite: famous
prominent	important or easy to notice	opposite: inconspicuous
robust	strong and healthy	opposite: frail
superior	higher in quality	opposite: inferior
tedious	long and boring	opposite: exciting
vital	absolutely necessary	similar: crucial

10. Places, weather and nature

Word	Meaning	Similar / opposite
arid	very dry, with little rain	opposite: wet
barren	unable to grow plants	opposite: fertile
bleak	cold, bare and depressing	opposite: inviting
dense	closely packed together	opposite: sparse
desolate	empty and lonely	similar: deserted
fertile	able to grow plenty of plants	opposite: barren
frigid	extremely cold	opposite: scorching
humid	warm and damp	opposite: dry
lush	green and growing thickly	opposite: withered
meandering	following a winding course	opposite: straight
overcast	covered with cloud	opposite: clear
rugged	rough and rocky	opposite: smooth
secluded	hidden away and private	similar: isolated
sheltered	protected from wind and rain	opposite: exposed
sweltering	uncomfortably hot	opposite: freezing
tranquil	calm and quiet	opposite: noisy
treacherous	dangerous, especially underfoot	opposite: safe
turbulent	moving wildly and unevenly	opposite: calm
verdant	green with plants	similar: lush
withered	dried up and shrunken	opposite: blooming

Synonyms, antonyms and making the words count in the 11+

Vocabulary pays off differently in each type of 11+:

In multiple-choice tests such as the GL papers used in Redbridge, synonym, antonym and analogy questions reward exact meanings. Encourage your child to learn the precise sense of a word, not just whether it is "good" or "bad".
In written tests such as the Essex CSSE papers, children must explain words from the passage in their own words and use ambitious vocabulary accurately in their writing.

A strong vocabulary also feeds into reading and writing across the curriculum. The national curriculum for English includes statutory spelling lists for Years 3 to 6, which are worth checking alongside this list.

If your child would benefit from structured support, Merit Tutors covers English and verbal reasoning in its 11+ preparation classes, and its KS2 English tuition covers reading and writing.

Frequently asked questions

How many words does my child need to know for the 11+?

There is no official list, and tests can use any word in reasonably common use. Steady reading builds a far bigger vocabulary than any list, so treat these 200 words as a starting point, not the finish line.

Should my child memorise definitions word for word?

No. Being able to explain a word in their own words and use it correctly in a sentence is a much better test of real understanding.

Which books help most with vocabulary?

Well-written novels slightly above your child's comfortable reading level are ideal. Reading aloud together, and pausing to discuss unfamiliar words, works well even for confident readers.

A week with the list: one simple routine

If you are not sure how to fit this 11 plus vocabulary list into a busy week, here is one way to do it in about five minutes a day.

Day	What to do
Monday	Choose five new words from one table. Read the meanings together and say a sentence for each.
Tuesday	Your child writes one sentence for each word in their notebook.
Wednesday	Cover the meanings and ask your child to explain each word aloud.
Thursday	Play "odd one out" or "find the opposite" with this week's words and last week's.
Friday	Quick quiz on all words learned so far, then tick off any your child knows confidently.

At five words a week, the whole list takes about 40 weeks, roughly a school year. At eight a week, it takes about six months.

Ready to try it? Every paper in the library comes with its mark scheme and a worked solution, so you can practise without hunting for files.

Find past papers