Different levels of knowing a word in English

Do you ever feel like you only half know a word? Maybe you sort of know what a word means but not completely. Or maybe you understand the word but you’re not sure how to use it. Did you know that this is true for native speakers as well?

In this post, I’ll show you the different ways you can know (or half know) a word, and how to move words from passive vocabulary to active vocabulary.

​​Does this happen to you?
Sometimes, I realise I only half know a word! This might happen when I’m doing a crossword puzzle or when I need a dictionary to help me explain a word to a student.

Here are a couple of examples. Without a dictionary, I know that the word “sirloin” has something to do with beef or steak. I don’t really need to know any more than that because I’m a vegetarian! (The dictionary tells me it’s quality beef from a cow’s back, by the way.)

My apologies if you don’t eat beef for religious reasons. I hope this example doesn’t offend you. But actually, it might still be important for you and for me to know meat vocabulary so we don’t accidentally buy or eat something we don’t want!

Another example. I was talking to a student about politics recently. I have very little interest in politics and I don’t know much about it. This means that there are some political words I might not understand fully.

The same is true for football. I know there’s something called the offside rule but I couldn’t possibly explain what it is! We all have gaps in our vocabulary, even in our first language.

Does this ever happen to you in your own language - you realise that you only half know a word?

And what about in English?

Different levels of vocabulary knowledge
When you’re learning a language, including your first language, there are different levels of knowing a word. Here are some possibilities, in no special order:

👉 You know, fully understand and can use the word. (This is your active vocabulary.)

👉 You understand the word when you hear it but you don’t use it. You don’t remember it automatically when you speak or you avoid using it because you’re not sure about the exact meaning. (This is called passive vocabulary.)

👉 You know a word because you’ve heard it before but you don’t know or can’t remember what it means.

👉 You think you know what a word means but actually, you’ve misunderstood or partially misunderstood it.

👉 You half understand the word but you realise that you don’t completely understand what it means (like me with “sirloin” and “offside”).

👉 You know one meaning of the word but you don’t know the other meaning or meanings.

👉 You know a word when you hear it but you can’t read or spell it. The opposite is possible too: you can read and understand it but you don’t know the pronunciation. This happens because of the irregular spelling and pronunciation rules of English.

👉 You know the meaning of a word but not the grammar so you don’t know how to use it in a sentence. For example, a learner might use an adjective as a noun, or might not know if a noun is countable or uncountable.

👉 You know a word but not if it’s formal or informal, polite or impolite, positive or negative, emotional or neutral.
You know and understand a word but you don’t know what other words go with it. Is it “bored of” or “bored with”, for example? (“Bored with” is more correct.)

How do you feel when this happens?
(Apart from the first one - fully knowing and being able to use a word. I imagine you feel great about the first one but what about the rest?)

But what about the rest? I guess you might worry that you don’t have enough vocabulary. Or you might feel frustrated when you can’t find the words even though they are in your head somewhere. Or you feel nervous about making a mistake by using the wrong word or using a word in the wrong context.

But I want you to know that all of these things are normal. They all happen to native speakers, too. Yes, even teachers! So if you’ve been wondering how to learn new words in English or why you sometimes forget them, you’re not alone.

But what are the solutions?
In short, the best answers, in my opinion, are:
1. to read a lot and
2. to practise using the new words you learn.

Yes, you can also learn new English words by watching videos and films instead but I think reading is better. It’s much easier to notice words and see how they’re used when you read because it’s slower and you can pause when you need to.

Reading is a great way to learn new vocabulary but it also helps to remind you of words you’ve learnt before.

Reading also shows you how the words are used in context, in real sentences. It shows you the grammar of the words and the collocations. Collocations are pairs or groups of words which are frequently found together.

When you find new words, you should check their meaning in a dictionary. Then write the new words down so you can review them later. Keep a vocabulary notebook or make flashcards and test yourself on your new words.

And it’s very important to practise using new words, in conversation, self-talk or writing. If you don’t use the new words, you’ll soon forget them.

The next time you realise you only half know a word, don’t feel bad! It happens to all of us. The important thing is to notice it and take a small step to learn it fully. Read regularly, write new words down, and practise using them in real conversations, and over time, those half-known words will become part of your active vocabulary.


If you’d like more tips about learning vocabulary, and how to actually remember it, you might like my “English Vocabulary Challenge” e-book. Get your copy here.
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