Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA (key): /vəʊˈkabjʊlərɪ/ or /vəˈkabjʊlərɪ/
  • (US) IPA (key): /voʊˈkæbjəlɛri/ or /vəˈkæbjəlɛri/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: vo‧cab‧u‧lary

Singular
vocabulary

Plural
vocabularies

  1. (countable) A person's vocabulary is the words that person knows.
    Reading will help you increase your vocabulary.
    At about 18 months most children have a vocabulary of about 50 words.
  2. (uncountable) Vocabulary is words with their meanings, especially to be studied.
    There's too much new vocabulary, and I had a hard time understanding it.
    We learned 10 new vocabulary words today.
  3. (countable) A vocabulary is the set of particular words used by a group of people or for a specialized area.
    We use the vocabulary of network science in this article.
  4. (countable) A vocabulary is the particular methods and techniques that artists and other people use to express their ideas.
    As a photographer, he uses a vocabulary of lines and angles.
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