Hard TOEFL Words
Some TOEFL test takers are confused about how many words they need to prepare before test day: 4000, 6000, or 10000? The answers have huge gaps, and it means the effort varies in double or triple. Before we try to get an answer, we need to clarify our goal: what sort of score you are expecting?
If you are a hard-working student and plan to apply to top universities, you must have a robust vocabulary. If you just need a score to meet the basic qualification of community colleges, your vocabulary may be as less as half of the former case. If you are a high score hunter to aim high-rank school, this difficult TOEFL vocabulary is a must to have.
The app is a supplement for high score hunters. It has 1000+ hard words that are in TOEFL test papers with relatively high frequency. If you think its words are too difficult, it doesn't mean you will fail in the TOEFL test. It indicates that your current vocabulary is too poor to have a good score, but it's still possible to have a passing score somehow. So, never give up your TOEFL vocabulary preparation: the right road is to select an easier word list instead and leave the app temporally.
The app isn't only a hard word list; we design it as a smart notebook. All words show by alphabet. In each group, you can view or study its words in multiple ways. E.g., you can mark each word with 3 three statues: New, Known, and Review; and manage them accordingly.
To help you master the difficult TOEFL vocabulary as soon as possible, we offer some fantastic features in the app, which are very helpful in studying hard words. E.g., you can look up basic definitions and examples of each word on demand; you can also view example sentences and contexts from classic books. What you get isn't just a hard TOEFL word list, but a set of tools to learn and review the vocabulary.
Since the first version of this app released, 15 years passed. The built-in word list has been maintained from time to time. Right now, our hard word list is near to 2000. Every time the vocabulary is updated, all groups' contents may be modified as well. Because the hard TOEFL word list is maintained periodically, you possibly see new words come, and original ones drop. Nothing is wrong in this case; please simply follow the app, focus on new and hard TOEFL words.
Sample Words
Below 50 words and their meanings are from Group 5.
dub | v. give a name to facetiously or playfully; nickname; tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood |
dwarf | n. person of very small size; an animal or a plant much below the ordinary size of its species; star of relatively small size |
dweller | n. a person who inhabits a particular place |
dye | v. color a material, especially by soaking in a coloring solution; take on or impart color |
dynamics | n. branch of mechanics concerned with the forces that cause motions of bodies |
dynasty | n. succession of rulers from the same family or line |
eager | a. avid; enthusiastic |
earthenware | n. ceramic ware made of porous clay fired at low heat |
easy listening | n. style of music involving simple and laid-back melodies |
eccentric | a. departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern |
eclectic | a. composed of elements from a variety of sources |
eclipse | v. darken; exceed in importance; outweigh |
ecologist | n. biologist who studies relation between organisms and their environment |
economics | n. branch of social science that deals with the production and distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management |
ecosystem | n. an ecological community together with its environment, a system formed by interactions of components with their environments |
edge | n. brink; perimeter; margin |
education | n. act or process of educating; the result of educating |
elementary | a. basic; fundamental |
elevation | n. altitude; height |
elimination | n. act of removing or getting rid of something |
elite | n. a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status |
elusive | a. difficult to describe, rarely seen |
emaciation | n. act of making lean or thin in flesh; state of becoming thin by gradual wasting of flesh |
embarrassing | a. makes you feel shy or ashamed; leading to a feeling of uncomfortable |
embellish | v. adorn; make beautiful, as by ornamentation; decorate |
embellishment | n. a superfluous ornament; elaboration by the use of decorative detail |
ember | n. small, glowing piece of coal or wood, as in a dying fire |
emblem | n. an object or a representation that functions as a symbol |
emblematic | a. symbolic; relating to, or serving as an emblem |
embroider | v. decorate with needlework; add details to |
embryo | n. completely undeveloped form; an animal organism in the early stages of growth |
embryological | a. branch of biology that studies the formation and early development of living organisms |
emerge | v. come into prominence; spring up; appear |
emergence | n. appearance; becoming visible |
emerging | a. coming to maturity; coming into existence |
employer | n. a person or firm that employs workers |
empty | a. containing nothing; not holding or having anything within; void of contents or appropriate contents |
encapsulation | n. condition of being enclosed as in a capsule; act of surrounding with a capsule |
encourage | v. activate; stimulate |
encyclopedia | n. a reference work containing articles on various topics |
endeavor | v. attempt by employing effort |
endorsement | n. approbation, support |
endurance | n. act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship or stress |
energetic | a. active; brisk; vigorous |
engage | v. involve, enter into conflict with |
engaging | a. charming; tending to draw attention or affections |
engrave | v. carve or cut into a block or surface, as used for printing; impress deeply as if by carving |
engulf | v. swallow up or overwhelm by or as if by overflowing and enclosing |
entanglement | n. an intricate trap that ensnares its victim |
enterprise | n. company; firm; organization created for business ventures |
Q & A
How many words have been selected in Hard TOEFL Words? And what criteria are followed to select words for this web app?
This web app includes 1000+ difficult words. Because we usually adjust the word bank per 6 months so that the vocabulary size may change slightly. This web app is designed for students working hard to get high scores on TOEFL tests. The words are usually less frequent daily but occasionally appear in the TOEFL exam, especially in the reading section. If you are ready for basic vocabulary, this is an excellent option to enrich your hard TOEFL words.
What are the special features of Hard TOEFL Words?
This web app isn't only a word list. It lets students manage each word with one of three statuses: New, Known, and Review. So you can skip known words, review half-known words, and focus on new words. This mechanism ensures you never waste time on known words, keep a fast pace, and have high productivity in your TOEFL test preparation.
How can I save word status for future use?
The statues are always kept on your local device when running Hard TOEFL Words app. Before saving to the server, you should sign on. You can manage this through the Note or Panel page. The 'Save' button will send the current statuses to the cloud, and you can access them anytime and anywhere online. If you don't have an account with examword.com yet, please register one. An examword.com account is suitable for all web apps on this site.
When do I use the Save button?
After you change any word status when running Hard TOEFL Words app, you will see a new status immediately. However, these changes aren't saved in the cloud automatically. To sync the new word status, you have to save them. Save only impacts words on the current page.
When do I use the Refresh button?
The refresh button will retrieve statuses that are kept in the cloud for the Hard TOEFL Words app. If you doubt the current page isn't consistent with the values you saved before, or you want to restore the previous statuses on a new device, the 'Refresh' button can help you. Refresh only impacts words on the current page.
Why are the statuses not as same as my previous practice?
If you doubt any error of your TOEFL data on the local device, please use the 'Refresh' button to update statuses on demands.
Do I have to be a VIP to access all groups of the Hard TOEFL Words?
No. Except for group 1 and group 2, to run full features of other groups, you need a VIP account; however, even if you aren't VIP, you still can access all groups, just a few features (like print TOEFL PDF and Cards) are limited.
Can I load word statuses from the previous version?
Yes. You can load the previous statuses to this version. Your current TOEFL data will be overwritten with previous ones.
Load from previous version
Back to Old TOEFL Version