100 Common Vocabulary Words and Their High-Scoring Synonyms for IELTS Speaking

Want to sound more fluent and sophisticated in your IELTS Speaking test? Replacing common words with more precise or academic equivalents can help you impress the examiner and score higher for Lexical Resource. Below are 100 vocabulary items commonly used in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, and 3, each with high-scoring synonyms and one example sentence.

1–20: Everyday Life & Habits

Like → enjoy, be fond of, have a penchant for
I really enjoy hiking in the mountains during weekends.
Love → adore, be passionate about, cherish
I absolutely adore spending time with my dog.
Hate → dislike, despise, can’t stand
I can’t stand waiting in long queues.
Do → carry out, engage in, undertake
I usually engage in light exercise in the mornings.
Go → head to, visit, attend
Every Friday, I head to the local market.
Eat → consume, have, dine on
I usually consume a light breakfast.
Drink → sip, consume, enjoy
I often sip herbal tea before bed.
Watch → view, observe, catch (a show)
I often catch a documentary before sleeping.
Buy → purchase, acquire, pick up
I recently purchased a new phone.
Talk → speak, chat, converse
I usually chat with my best friend every evening.
Start → begin, commence, kick off
I begin my day with a hot cup of coffee.
End → finish, conclude, wrap up
I usually wrap up my day by reading a novel.
Need → require, be in need of, necessitate
I require a quiet space to concentrate.
Help → assist, support, lend a hand
I often assist my younger brother with homework.
Think → believe, suppose, consider
I believe that exercise is essential for good health.
Get → receive, obtain, acquire
I received a thoughtful gift on my birthday.
Make → create, prepare, produce
I usually prepare my own lunch.
See → notice, observe, witness
I noticed a rainbow after the rain.
Live → reside, dwell, inhabit
I currently reside in a small town near the coast.
Work → be employed, serve, operate
I’m currently employed at a digital marketing firm.

21–40: Hobbies, Interests & Leisure

Play → engage in, participate in, take part in
I often engage in team sports like basketball.
Read → peruse, go through, study
I enjoy perusing science fiction novels.
Write → compose, jot down, draft
I like to compose poetry during my free time.
Travel → journey, explore, go abroad
I love to explore new cultures while traveling.
Exercise → work out, train, stay active
I train at the gym three times a week.
Relax → unwind, de-stress, chill out
I usually unwind by watching a movie.
Listen → hear, pay attention to, tune in to
I often tune in to jazz music.
Sing → perform, vocalize, belt out
I like to perform at local karaoke nights.
Dance → move to the rhythm, groove, perform
I love to groove to upbeat music.
Cook → prepare food, whip up, rustle up
I often whip up pasta when I’m in a hurry.
Draw → sketch, illustrate, design
I like to sketch cityscapes during my travels.
Take photos → capture images, snap pictures, photograph
I love to capture images of nature.
Drive → operate, take the wheel, go for a spin
I occasionally go for a spin around the countryside.
Spend time → devote time to, allocate time, invest time
I try to devote time to reading every day.
Go out → step out, socialize, hang out
I usually hang out with my friends on Saturdays.
Sleep → rest, doze off, catch some sleep
I try to catch some sleep early on weekdays.
Relaxing → calming, soothing, therapeutic
Listening to classical music is very soothing.
Fun → enjoyable, entertaining, amusing
The concert was truly entertaining.
Busy → occupied, swamped, tied up
I’ve been swamped with work lately.
Bored → uninterested, restless, fed up
I felt quite restless during the lecture.

41–60: Education, School & Learning

Study → learn, revise, review
I usually review my notes before an exam.
School → educational institution, learning center, academy
My school is one of the best learning centers in the city.
Teacher → instructor, educator, mentor
Our English instructor is really supportive.
Student → learner, pupil, candidate
As a diligent learner, I always complete assignments on time.
Homework → assignments, tasks, exercises
We were given three assignments over the weekend.
Test → exam, assessment, evaluation
I passed the final evaluation with flying colors.
Subject → discipline, course, field of study
My favorite discipline is chemistry.
Improve → enhance, develop, refine
I’m trying to enhance my speaking skills.
Understand → grasp, comprehend, make sense of
It took me a while to grasp the concept.
Difficult → challenging, demanding, tough
I found physics to be quite demanding.
Easy → straightforward, simple, manageable
This topic is fairly straightforward to understand.
Marks → grades, scores, results
My grades have improved this term.
Intelligent → smart, bright, quick-witted
She’s incredibly bright and always tops the class.
Learn → acquire knowledge, gain skills, pick up
I picked up some Spanish during my trip.
Boring (lesson) → dull, monotonous, uninspiring
The lecture was dull and hard to follow.
Interesting → engaging, fascinating, thought-provoking
That documentary was really thought-provoking.
Practice → rehearse, drill, go over
I rehearse my speech several times before presenting.
Confusing → puzzling, unclear, complicated
The instructions were a bit unclear.
Answer → respond, reply, provide a solution
I tried to respond as clearly as possible.
Question → inquiry, query, concern
The teacher addressed all of our queries.

61–80: Technology, Environment, and Society

Phone → mobile device, smartphone, handset
I use my mobile device for almost everything.
Computer → PC, desktop, laptop
My laptop is essential for studying.
Internet → online platform, web, cyberspace
I do most of my research on the web.
Social media → networking sites, digital platforms, online networks
I spend a lot of time on digital platforms like Instagram.
Use → utilize, make use of, apply
I utilize online tools for language learning.
Waste → trash, garbage, rubbish
We should reduce the amount of garbage we produce.
Pollution → contamination, environmental damage, toxic waste
Air contamination is a serious concern in cities.
Clean → tidy, neat, spotless
I always keep my room neat and organized.
Dirty → messy, filthy, unhygienic
The streets were quite filthy after the festival.
Traffic → congestion, gridlock, heavy flow
There’s always heavy congestion during rush hour.
Transport → public transit, commute, travel system
Public transit is very convenient in my city.
Car → vehicle, automobile, motorcar
I drive a small automobile to work.
Bike → bicycle, cycle, two-wheeler
I usually ride a cycle to the park.
Crowded → packed, congested, overcrowded
The train was packed this morning.
Quiet → peaceful, silent, calm
I love spending time in peaceful surroundings.
Noisy → loud, boisterous, rowdy
The neighborhood becomes rowdy during the weekend.
Rich → wealthy, affluent, well-off
He comes from an affluent family.
Poor → underprivileged, impoverished, needy
Many underprivileged people lack access to clean water.
Job → occupation, profession, career
I’m pursuing a career in healthcare.
Work hard → put in effort, be diligent, strive
I always strive to achieve my goals.

81–100: Giving Opinions, Describing People & Preferences

Think → believe, feel, suppose
I believe that education should be free for all.
Important → significant, crucial, vital
It’s vital to stay hydrated in hot weather.
Big → large, massive, enormous
There’s a massive stadium near my house.
Small → tiny, compact, miniature
I live in a compact apartment.
Good → great, excellent, outstanding
He did an excellent job on the project.
Bad → poor, terrible, substandard
The service was terrible at that restaurant.
Nice (person) → friendly, kind, warm
She’s very kind and easy to talk to.
Rude → impolite, disrespectful, ill-mannered
I found the waiter a bit impolite.
Happy → cheerful, content, delighted
I was delighted to hear the good news.
Sad → upset, downcast, gloomy
He looked gloomy after the exam.
Interesting (person) → engaging, charismatic, intriguing
She’s very engaging and easy to talk to.
Funny → humorous, witty, amusing
He’s a witty guy who tells great stories.
Scared → afraid, frightened, terrified
I was terrified during the horror movie.
Tired → exhausted, worn out, fatigued
I felt completely worn out after work.
Busy (person) → occupied, tied up, swamped
I’ve been tied up with meetings all week.
Free (time) → available, unoccupied, at leisure
I’m usually available on weekends.
Old → elderly, aged, senior
I often help my elderly neighbor with groceries.
Young → youthful, adolescent, juvenile
I was very curious as a juvenile.
Beautiful → attractive, stunning, lovely
The view from the top was absolutely stunning.
Ugly → unattractive, unpleasant-looking, plain
The building looks rather plain from the outside.

Final Thoughts

Replacing simple words with richer, more precise synonyms in IELTS Speaking not only makes your speech more varied but also helps demonstrate lexical resource—one of the four scoring criteria. However, remember to use these words naturally and contextually!

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