IELTS Guide Phil

Enhance your score by avoiding informal, outdated, and misused words and phrases

In IELTS Speaking and Writing, vocabulary can make or break your score. Using inappropriate, colloquial, or outdated language might confuse the examiner or reduce the formal tone required—especially in Writing Task 2. This comprehensive list highlights 100 common vocabulary mistakes, explains what’s wrong with them, and provides high-scoring alternatives you should use instead.

100 Common Vocabulary Mistakes and Better Alternatives

1. A lot of stuff → Many things / a variety of items
2. Kids → Children / young learners
3. Gonna → Going to
4. Wanna → Want to
5. Cool (as in “That’s cool”) → Interesting / impressive
6. Get (overused) → Receive / obtain / become
7. Thing → Item / issue / object / matter
8. Big (overused) → Significant / substantial / major
9. Small → Minor / modest / limited
10. Good → Effective / beneficial / appropriate
11. Bad → Ineffective / problematic / harmful
12. Cheap → Inexpensive / affordable
13. Expensive → Costly / high-priced
14. Sick (slang) → Unwell / ill
15. Awesome → Excellent / outstanding / remarkable
16. Really (overused intensifier) → Extremely / highly / exceptionally
17. Nice → Pleasant / enjoyable / agreeable
18. Stuff (generic) → Materials / equipment / belongings
19. Guy → Man / person / individual
20. Thingy → Item / object / device
21. Kind of → Somewhat / to a certain extent
22. Sort of → Relatively / moderately
23. Like (as filler) → Remove or rephrase the sentence
24. You know → Unnecessary filler – delete it
25. Cool down (for calm) → Compose oneself / relax
26. Freak out → Become very upset / panic
27. Hang out → Spend time / socialise
28. Chill (as verb) → Relax / unwind
29. Go nuts → Get extremely excited / act irrationally
30. Old-fashioned (when vague) → Outdated / obsolete
31. Nowadays (overused intro word) → In the modern era / at present
32. It’s like → Rephrase for clarity and precision
33. Thing is → The key point is / the main issue is
34. Loads of → Numerous / a large number of
35. Tons of → A significant amount of
36. Guy (again) → Individual / male person
37. Pretty (as intensifier) → Fairly / reasonably
38. Totally → Completely / entirely / absolutely
39. Awesome sauce → Impressive / notable
40. Epic fail → Significant failure / major setback
41. Hot (for popular) → Trending / widely discussed
42. Yucky → Unappetizing / unpleasant
43. Blah blah blah → And so on / et cetera
44. Big deal → Important issue / notable concern
45. Boring → Uninspiring / monotonous / repetitive
46. Ugly (blunt) → Unattractive / unpleasant-looking
47. Dead tired → Exhausted / fatigued
48. Cool with it → Accept it / comfortable with it
49. Get mad → Become angry / frustrated
50. Creepy → Unsettling / disturbing
51. Hard (vague) → Challenging / demanding / complex
52. Easy → Straightforward / simple
53. Go crazy → Lose control / become highly emotional
54. Junk → Waste / trash / useless materials
55. Mess up → Make a mistake / disrupt
56. Screw up → Fail / make an error
57. Busted → Caught / discovered / apprehended
58. Bombed the test → Performed poorly
59. Ain’t → Is not / are not
60. Meh → Unremarkable / indifferent
61. No clue → Unaware / uncertain
62. Talk trash → Speak disrespectfully / criticise
63. Throw shade → Insult / subtly criticise
64. Hit me up → Contact me / get in touch
65. Lame → Weak / ineffective / disappointing
66. Ditch → Skip / avoid / abandon
67. Cheesy → Sentimental / cliché
68. Suck → Be disappointing / be of poor quality
69. Kick off → Begin / commence / start
70. Nailed it → Performed well / succeeded
71. Out of the blue → Unexpectedly / suddenly
72. In a nutshell → In summary / briefly stated
73. Sleepy (for quiet place) → Calm / peaceful / subdued
74. Fed up → Frustrated / tired of something
75. Hot topic → Widely debated issue / current concern
76. Mad (for angry) → Angry / furious
77. Lousy → Poor / unsatisfactory
78. Ripped off → Overcharged / deceived
79. Go broke → Become bankrupt / run out of money
80. Hit the books → Study intensely
81. Crash a party → Attend uninvited
82. Pain in the neck → Annoyance / nuisance
83. On cloud nine → Extremely happy
84. Bite the bullet → Accept something unpleasant
85. Spill the beans → Reveal a secret
86. Cold feet → Nervousness before a major decision
87. Throw in the towel → Give up / surrender
88. Call it a day → Stop working / end an activity
89. Hit the sack → Go to bed / sleep
90. Burn the midnight oil → Work late into the night
91. Down in the dumps → Feeling sad / depressed
92. Hit the road → Leave / start a journey
93. Face the music → Accept consequences
94. Kick the bucket → Die (avoid in academic/IELTS)
95. Jump the gun → Act too soon
96. Piece of cake → Very easy task
97. Cost an arm and a leg → Very expensive
98. Under the weather → Slightly ill / unwell
99. Give the cold shoulder → Ignore / dismiss someone
100. Let the cat out of the bag → Reveal a secret unintentionally

Final Thoughts

Avoiding informal, slangy, and outdated vocabulary is essential to achieve a high band score in IELTS Speaking and Writing. Replace generic and conversational words with precise, formal, and context-appropriate alternatives. This not only improves lexical resource but also shows the examiner that you’re capable of handling academic-level English.

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