The Academic Word List 

‘This list contains the head words of the families in the Academic Word List.  The numbers indicate 
the sublist of the Academic Word List.  For example, abandon and its family members are in Sublist 8 
of the Academic Word List.  Sublist 1 contains the more frequent words, and Sublist 10 the least 
frequent’ (Nation, 2008, pp. 173‐176).  
 
A 
abandon 8
abstract 6
academy 5
access 4
accommodate 9
accompany 8
accumulate 8
accurate 6
achieve 2
acknowledge 6
acquire 2
adapt 7
adequate 4
adjacent 10
adjust 5
administrate 2
adult 7
advocate 7
affect 2
aggregate 6
aid 7
albeit 10
allocate 6
alter 5
alternative 3
ambiguous 8
amend 5
analogy 9
analyse 1
annual 4
anticipate 9
apparent 4
append 8
appreciate 8
approach 1
appropriate 2
approximate 4
 arbitrary 8
area 1
aspect 2
assemble 10
assess 1
assign 6
assist 2
assume 1
assure 9
attach 6
attain 9
attitude 4
attribute 4
author 6
authority 1
automate 8
available 1
aware 5
 
B 
behalf 9
benefit 1
bias 8
bond 6
brief 6
bulk 9
 
C 
capable 6
capacity 5
category 2
cease 9
challenge 5
channel 7
chapter 2
chart 8
chemical 7
circumstance 3
cite 6
civil 4
clarify 8
classic 7
clause 5
code 4
coherent 9
coincide 9
collapse 10
colleague 10
commence 9
comment 3
commission 2
commit 4
commodity 8
communicate 4
community 2
compatible 9
compensate 3
compile 10
complement 8
complex 2
component 3
compound 5
comprehensive 7
comprise 7
compute 2
conceive 10
concentrate 4
concept 1
conclude 2
concurrent 9
conduct 2
confer 4
confine 9
confirm 7
conflict 5
conform 8
consent 3
consequent 2
considerable 3
consist 1
constant 3
constitute 1
constrain 3
construct 2
consult 5
consume 2
contact 5
contemporary 8
context 1
contract 1
contradict 8
contrary 7
contrast 4
contribute 3
controversy 9
convene 3
converse 9
convert 7
convince 10
cooperate 6
coordinate 3
core 3
corporate 3
correspond 3
couple 7
create 1
credit 2
criteria 3
crucial 8
culture 2
currency 8
cycle 4
 
D 
data 1
debate 4
decade 7
decline 5
deduce 3
define 1
definite 7
demonstrate 3
denote 8
deny 7
depress 10
derive 1
design 2
despite 4
detect 8
deviate 8
device 9
devote 9
differentiate 7
dimension 4
diminish 9
discrete 5
discriminate 6
displace 8
 display 6
dispose 7
distinct 2
distort 9
distribute 1
diverse 6
document 3
domain 6
domestic 4
dominate 3
draft 5
drama 8
duration 9
dynamic 7
 
E 
economy 1
edit 6
element 2
eliminate 7
emerge 4
emphasis 3
empirical 7
enable 5
encounter 10
energy 5
enforce 5
enhance 6
enormous 10
ensure 3
entity 5
environment 1
equate 2
equip 7
equivalent 5
erode 9
error 4
establish 1
estate 6
estimate 1
ethic 9
ethnic 4
evaluate 2
eventual 8
evident 1
evolve 5
 exceed 6
exclude 3
exhibit 8
expand 5
expert 6
explicit 6
exploit 8
export 1
expose 5
external 5
extract 7
 
F 
facilitate 5
factor 1
feature 2
federal 6
fee 6
file 7
final 2
finance 1
finite 7
flexible 6
fluctuate 8
focus 2
format 9
formula 1
forthcoming 10
found 9
foundation 7
framework 3
function 1
fund 3
fundamental 5
furthermore 6
 
G 
gender 6
generate 5
generation 5
globe 7
goal 4
grade 7
grant 4
guarantee 7
guideline 8
 
H 
hence 4
hierarchy 7
highlight 8
hypothesis 4
 
I 
identical 7
identify 1
ideology 7
ignorance 6
illustrate 3
image 5
immigrate 3
impact 2
implement 4
implicate 4
implicit 8
imply 3
impose 4
incentive 6
incidence 6
incline 10
income 1
incorporate 6
index 6
indicate 1
individual 1
induce 8
inevitable 8
infer 7
infrastructure 8
inherent 9
inhibit 6
initial 3
initiate 6
injure 2
innovate 7
input 6
insert 7
insight 9
inspect 8
instance 3
institute 2
instruct 6
 integral 9
integrate 4
integrity 10
intelligence 6
intense 8
interact 3
intermediate 9
internal 4
interpret 1
interval 6
intervene 7
intrinsic 10
invest 2
investigate 4
invoke 10
involve 1
isolate 7
issue 1
item 2
 
J 
job 4
journal 2
justify 3
 
L 
label 4
labour 1
layer 3
lecture 6
legal 1
legislate 1
levy 10
liberal 5
licence 5
likewise 10
link 3
locate 3
logic 5
 
M 
maintain 2
major 1
manipulate 8
manual 9
margin 5
mature 9
maximise 3
mechanism 4
media 7
mediate 9
medical 5
medium 9
mental 5
method 1
migrate 6
military 9
minimal 9
minimise 8
minimum 6
ministry 6
minor 3
mode 7
modify 5
monitor 5
motive 6
mutual 9
 
N 
negate 3
network 5
neutral 6
nevertheless 6
nonetheless 10
norm 9
normal 2
notion 5
notwithstanding 10
nuclear 8
 
O 
objective 5
obtain 2
obvious 4
occupy 4
occur 1
odd 10
offset 8
ongoing 10
option 4
orient 5
outcome 3
 output 4
overall 4
overlap 9
overseas 6
 
P 
panel 10
paradigm 7
paragraph 8
parallel 4
parameter 4
participate 2
partner 3
passive 9
perceive 2
percent 1
period 1
persist 10
perspective 5
phase 4
phenomenon 7
philosophy 3
physical 3
plus 8
policy 1
portion 9
pose 10
positive 2
potential 2
practitioner 8
precede 6
precise 5
predict 4
predominant 8
preliminary 9
presume 6
previous 2
primary 2
prime 5
principal 4
principle 1
prior 4
priority 7
proceed 1
process 1
professional 4
 prohibit 7
project 4
promote 4
proportion 3
prospect 8
protocol 9
psychology 5
publication 7
publish 3
purchase 2
pursue 5
 
Q 
qualitative 9
quote 7
 
R 
radical 8
random 8
range 2
ratio 5
rational 6
react 3
recover 6
refine 9
regime 4
region 2
register 3
regulate 2
reinforce 8
reject 5
relax 9
release 7
relevant 2
reluctance 10
rely 3
remove 3
require 1
research 1
reside 2
resolve 4
resource 2
respond 1
restore 8
restrain 9
restrict 2
 retain 4
reveal 6
revenue 5
reverse 7
revise 8
revolution 9
rigid 9
role 1
route 9
 
S 
scenario 9
schedule 8
scheme 3
scope 6
section 1
sector 1
secure 2
seek 2
select 2
sequence 3
series 4
sex 3
shift 3
significant 1
similar 1
simulate 7
site 2
so-called 10
sole 7
somewhat 7
source 1
specific 1
specify 3
sphere 9
stable 5
statistic 4
status 4
straightforward 10
strategy 2
stress 4
structure 1
style 5
submit 7
subordinate 9
subsequent 4
 subsidy 6
substitute 5
successor 7
sufficient 3
sum 4
summary 4
supplement 9
survey 2
survive 7
suspend 9
sustain 5
symbol 5
 
T 
tape 6
target 5
task 3
team 9
technical 3
technique 3
technology 3
temporary 9
tense 8
terminate 8
text 2
theme 8
theory 1
thereby 8
thesis 7
topic 7
trace 6
tradition 2
transfer 2
transform 6
transit 5
transmit 7
transport 6
trend 5
trigger 9
 
U 
ultimate 7
undergo 10
underlie 6
undertake 4
uniform 8
 unify 9
unique 7
utilise 6
 
V 
valid 3
vary 1
vehicle 8
version 5
via 8
violate 9
virtual 8
visible 7
vision 9
visual 8
volume 3
voluntary 7
 
W 
welfare 5
whereas 5
whereby 10
widespread 8
 
 
 
Reference: 
Nation, I. S. P. (2008). Teaching vocabulary: Strategies and techniques. Boston: Heinle.