The 11 Plus Vocabulary List

We believe our 11+ vocabulary list to be the best and most extensive of any list out there and is best suited to help your child develop. You can find information further down this page about the list.

Clicking the link below will take you to the page where you can download the 11 Plus Vocabulary list as a PDF.

11 Plus Vocabulary List

Important: It is vital to combine the use of this list with other resources to help with your child’s vocabulary development. Our recommended course it The Complete Vocabulary Course as it helps build up your child’s skills over time with constant revision, however, there is a shorter Vocabulary Enhance Course and even shorter Vocabulary Boost Course if you have less time.

Why is this list important?

This vocabulary list includes words that have come up in previous exams or words which publishers have used in published tests. This vocabulary list includes words which have been used by both GL and CEM. The list also includes some of the more difficult words that are part of the current national curriculum for year six. Finally, the list includes words which are in the top 100 most commonly misspelt words. You’ll find the list will contain a mix of vocabulary from the well-known and seemingly easy (but often misspelt) to the very difficult and seemingly improbable (but they may have come up before).

How to use the 11+ Vocabulary List

We’d suggest (depending on how much time you have available) that the list is used in the following way:

• Go down part of the list each week with your child, where a child can spell and accurately define a word move on. Where a child cannot spell a word accurately or cannot accurately define it then mark it as needing work.

• When you have found twenty words which need work these will form your work for the week. Use the vocabulary development sheet to write them in.

• Look up each word in the dictionary. Some words ( but not all) will have obvious synonyms and opposites so it’s useful to note these down.

• Note down a meaning of the word (it’s best that this is the child’s own words, not the dictionary meaning)

• Write down a sentence using the word.

• Every other week construct a little test to ensure these new words are bedded in. Remember a good vocabulary can only be developed with frequent word exposure. Just learning these new words once will not be good enough, they need constant exposure.

• Some words will have more than one meaning, where this is the case learn BOTH meanings.

How Children Develop Vocabulary

It is not only important how many words are learnt, but also how words are learnt. A child’s vocabulary is effectively made up of the following; secure words, known words, familiar words, previously seen words and unknown words. Find out more information on our Developing Vocabulary page to help your child develop a strong vocabulary with a good understanding of the words.

Develop Vocabulary with Classic Books

Using lists is not the only way to develop a broad vocabulary and it is important to also read books, either by themselves or through paired reading. One of the key reasons that children benefit from reading classic books in preparation for their 11 Plus exam is that they will encounter vocabulary that they may not otherwise encounter. Get more information from our page on Classic Books Vocabulary.

The Other Parts of the 11+ Test

It is important not to neglect the other parts of the eleven plus exam because even children with a very strong vocabulary will struggle in the test without proper practice and work on the other sections of the 11 Plus. Get more information, advice and practice material from the links below.

Complete 11 Plus Vocabulary List

abandon

abode

absence

absurd

abundance

abundant

accuse

accustom

acquainted

acquire

across

address

adhere

admission

adopt

advance

affable

affectionate

aid

alert

all right

ally

altitude

ambition

amount

ample

antiquity

anxious

appeal

appearance

apprehensive

approve

arduous

argument

arouse

artful

article

assemble

assiduous

assistance

asunder

attached

attempt

available

average

avoid

avowed

awkward

banish

bargain

barren

beautiful

because

beck

believe

belligerent

bemused

benefit

besieged

betray

bewildered

bicycle

box

brief

Britain

broad

bruise

brusque

burden

business

calamity

candidate

careering

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The 11 Plus Vocabulary List