How is the AWL useful for TOEFL?

Every TOEFL Reading passage and most TOEFL Listening lectures are academic texts. Coxhead's research and ETS's published item-writing guidelines both put TOEFL passages in the same register as university textbooks. That means roughly 10 percent of the words in a TOEFL Reading passage come from the AWL — about 70 words across a typical 700-word passage. Knowing the AWL well converts to roughly 7 free vocabulary items per passage that you do not need to infer from context. On Listening, the same proportion holds and you get the words without spelling cues, which is harder.

Do I need to memorise all 570 words?

Not all at once. The AWL is published in 10 sublists ordered by frequency: Sublist 1 contains the 60 most frequent academic words, Sublist 2 the next 60, and so on. The first four sublists (240 words) account for the large majority of AWL occurrences in any text, so if you know Sublists 1 to 4 productively you will recognise about 70 to 80 percent of the AWL words on test day. Add sublists 5 to 10 over time. The 60 words in Sublist 10 are still useful, but each individual word appears much less often than each word in Sublist 1.

Is the AWL outdated for 2026?

The corpus is from 2000, so a few words (such as 'cited' or 'subsequent') are slightly more frequent today than they were then, but the bulk of the list remains accurate. Newer alternatives exist: Coxhead's own New AWL (NAWL) published in 2013, and the Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) published in 2014. For TOEFL purposes the original AWL is still the best-supported list because every major TOEFL prep book, including Cambridge, ETS Official Guide, and Barron's, references it. There is no reason to switch to NAWL or AVL for the 2026 test unless you have already mastered the original AWL.

AWL or topic-specific vocabulary first?

AWL first if your overall TOEFL band is below 4.5. The AWL applies to every passage regardless of topic, so each word you learn pays off across the whole test. Topic vocabulary (biology, economics, anthropology) helps only when that topic comes up. Once you have Sublists 1 to 6 of the AWL well-recognised, switch to topic vocabulary lists. The TOEFLMock 12 topic vocabulary pages are organised this way: each topic page builds on the AWL rather than duplicating it.

How long does it take to learn the AWL?

Realistic timing for full productive mastery is 8 to 12 weeks at 30 minutes a day. Recognition mastery (knowing the word when you read it but not necessarily being able to use it in writing) takes about half that time. Most TOEFL candidates only need recognition mastery: Reading and Listening test what you can decode, not what you can produce. For Writing and Speaking, productive mastery of Sublists 1 to 3 plus the 40 high-frequency functional words on TOEFLMock is enough for band 5.

Academic Word List (AWL) for TOEFL 2026: All 10 Sublists + Headwords

Q: What is the Academic Word List?

The Academic Word List (AWL) is a set of 570 word families compiled by Averil Coxhead at Victoria University of Wellington in 2000. The list was built from a 3.5-million-word corpus of academic texts across the arts, commerce, law, and science. Words on the AWL appear in academic writing across all four disciplines with much higher frequency than in general English, and they account for roughly 10 percent of the words in an average academic text. They sit between the 2,000 most common General Service List words (which cover about 80 percent of an academic text) and topic-specific technical terms.

What the Academic Word List is

The Academic Word List was compiled by Dr Averil Coxhead at Victoria University of Wellington in 2000, drawing on a 3.5-million-word corpus of academic texts across the arts, commerce, law, and science. The list contains 570 word families, where a family is a headword and its inflected and derived forms (analyse, analysis, analyses, analytical, analytically). Coxhead's criterion was that a word family must occur with reasonable frequency across all four of those disciplines, not just in one. That filter is what makes the AWL different from a generic word list: each word is academic-general, not topic-specific.

The 570 families are split into 10 sublists of roughly 60 each, ranked by overall frequency in the corpus. Sublist 1 contains the 60 most frequent academic word families, Sublist 2 the next 60, and so on. The lower the sublist number, the higher the payoff per word learned.

Why the AWL matters for TOEFL 2026

Every TOEFL Reading passage and most TOEFL Listening lectures use the same register as a university textbook chapter. Coxhead measured AWL coverage of academic texts at roughly 10 percent, and independent corpus analyses of TOEFL Reading passages have replicated that figure within a percentage point. In practice that means about 70 of the 700 words in an average passage come from the AWL.

If you recognise an AWL word automatically when you read it, you save the few seconds of inference per word that you would otherwise spend reading around the unknown term. Multiply by 70 unknown words per passage, four passages on the long-form test, and you have saved several minutes that you can spend on the inference and rhetorical-purpose questions where TOEFL Reading actually distinguishes band 4 from band 5 candidates.

On Listening the same proportion holds, but the words come without spelling cues. You hear "subsequent" rather than reading it, which is much harder if you only know it from sight. That is why we recommend studying AWL words from audio as well as text: see the free TOEFLMock Listening tests for AWL exposure in academic-lecture context.

Sublist 1: 60 most frequent academic words

Master these first. They appear in every TOEFL Reading passage and most TOEFL Listening lectures.

analyseapproachareaassessassumeauthorityavailablebenefitconceptconsistconstitutionalcontextcontractcreatedatadefinederivedistributeeconomyenvironmentestablishestimateevidentexportfactorfinanceformulafunctionidentifyincomeindicateindividualinterpretinvolveissuelabourlegallegislatemajormethodoccurpercentperiodpolicyprincipleproceedprocessrequireresearchrespondrolesectionsectorsignificantsimilarsourcespecificstructuretheoryvary

TOEFL-style example: The geological data indicate that two distinct erosion processes operated during the period in question. The first approach, championed by Bryson, assumes that wind derives its grit from a single regional source; the second contracts the time window and treats grit as a more variable factor.

Sublist 2: next 60 most frequent

Strong coverage on TOEFL Reading. Many appear in the academic-discussion Writing task too.

achieveacquireadministrateaffectappropriateaspectassistcategorychaptercommissioncommunitycomplexcomputeconcludeconductconsequentconstructconsumecreditculturedesigndistinctelementequateevaluatefeaturefinalfocusimpactinjureinstituteinvestitemjournalmaintainnormalobtainparticipateperceivepositivepotentialpreviousprimarypurchaserangeregionregulaterelevantresideresourcerestrictsecureseekselectsitestrategysurveytexttraditiontransfer

TOEFL-style example: Subsequent surveys conducted in the same region obtained distinctly different results, suggesting that the original methodology had restricted the sample to a single community and so could not be maintained across the broader population.

Sublist 3

Mid-frequency academic words. By the end of Sublist 3 (180 words) you have learned the words that will give you about 60 percent of your AWL hits on test day.

alternativecircumstancecommentcompensatecomponentconsentconsiderableconstantconstraincontributeconvenecoordinatecorecorporatecorrespondcriteriondeducedemonstratedocumentdominateemphasisensureexcludeframeworkfundillustrateimmigrateimplyinitialinstanceinteractjustifylayerlinklocatemaximiseminornegateoutcomepartnerphilosophyphysicalproportionpublishreactregisterrelyremoveschemesequenceshiftspecifysufficienttasktechnicaltechniquetechnologyvalidvolume

Sublist 4

By the end of Sublist 4 (240 words) you have learned about 70 to 80 percent of all AWL words you will encounter on TOEFL Reading.

accessadequateannualapparentapproximateattitudeattributecivilcodecommitcommunicateconcentrateconfercontrastcycledebatedespitedimensiondomesticemergeerrorethnicgoalgranthencehypothesisimplementimplicateimposeintegrateinternalinvestigatejoblabelmechanismobviousoccupyoptionoutputoverallparallelparameterphasepredictprincipalpriorprofessionalprojectpromoteregimeresolveretainseriesstatisticstatusstresssubsequentsumsummaryundertake

TOEFL-style example: Despite the parallel findings, the researchers concentrated on a single hypothesis: that the subsequent migration phase emerged as a predictable consequence of climate change, not as a separate phenomenon.

Sublist 5

Strong cross-topic words that show up in roughly half of TOEFL Reading passages.

academyadjustalteramendawarecapacitychallengeclausecompoundconflictconsultcontactdeclinediscretedraftenableenergyenforceentityequivalentevolveexpandexposeexternalfacilitatefundamentalgenerategenerationimageliberallicencelogicmarginmedicalmentalmodifymonitornetworknotionobjectiveorientperspectivepreciseprimepsychologypursueratiorejectrevenuestablestylesubstitutesustainsymboltargettransittrendversionwelfarewhereas

Sublist 6

By the end of Sublist 6 (360 words) you have covered nearly 90 percent of academic vocabulary you will meet on the test.

abstractaccurateacknowledgeaggregateallocateassignattachauthorbondbriefcapablecitecooperatediscriminatedisplaydiversedomaineditenhanceestateexceedexpertexplicitfederalfeeflexiblefurthermoregenderignoranceincentiveincidenceincorporateindexinhibitinitiateinputinstructintelligenceintervallecturemigrateminimumministrymotiveneutralneverthelessoverseasprecedepresumerationalrecoverrevealscopesubsidytapetracetransformtransportunderlieutilise

Sublist 7

Lower frequency individually, but high collective payoff: still a few words per Reading passage.

adaptadultadvocateaidchannelchemicalclassiccomprehensivecompriseconfirmcontraryconvertcoupledecadedefinitedenydifferentiatedisposedynamiceliminateempiricalequipextractfilefinitefoundationglobalgradeguaranteehierarchyidenticalideologyinferinnovateinsertinterveneisolatemediamodeparadigmphenomenonpriorityprohibitpublicationquotereleasereversesimulatesolesomewhatsubmitsuccessorsurvivethesistopictransmitultimateuniquevisiblevoluntary

Sublist 8

Useful for high-band students and for the Independent Writing task.

abandonaccompanyaccumulateambiguousappendixappreciatearbitraryautomatebiaschartclarifycommoditycomplementconformcontemporarycontradictcrucialcurrencydenotedetectdeviatedisplacedramaeventualexhibitexploitfluctuateguidelinehighlightimplicitinduceinevitableinfrastructureinspectintensemanipulateminimisenuclearoffsetparagraphpluspractitionerpredominantprospectradicalrandomreinforcerestorerevisescheduletenseterminatethemetherebyuniformvehicleviavirtualvisualwidespread

Sublist 9

Specialist academic words. Each appears less often than Sublist 1 words, but together they still account for a couple of items per Reading passage.

accommodateanalogyanticipateassureattainbehalfbulkceasecoherentcoincidecommencecompatibleconcurrentconfinecontroversyconversedevicedevotediminishdistortdurationerodeethicformatfoundinherentinsightintegralintermediatemanualmaturemediatemediummilitaryminimalmutualnormoverlappassiveportionpreliminaryprotocolqualitativerefinerelaxrestrainrevolutionrigidroutescenariospheresubordinatesupplementsuspendteamtemporarytriggerunifyviolatevision

Sublist 10

Least frequent of the 570, but still academic-general rather than topic-specific. Useful only after Sublists 1 to 9 are solid.

adjacentalbeitassemblecollapsecolleaguecompileconceiveconvincedepressencounterenormousforthcominginclineintegrityintrinsicinvokelevylikewisenonethelessnotwithstandingoddongoingpanelpersistposereluctanceso-calledstraightforwardundergowhereby

How to study the AWL for TOEFL 2026

Memorising 570 words from a list is the wrong approach. The corpus research that produced the AWL also showed how academic vocabulary is acquired: through repeated exposure in context with active retrieval. Three concrete rules.

Rule 1: One sublist a week, productive use within 48 hours. Pick Sublist 1. On Monday, read the list. On Tuesday and Wednesday, write five sentences using different words from the list in a paragraph about a topic you care about. By Friday, you should be able to use any word in Sublist 1 in a sentence without checking the meaning. Move to Sublist 2 next Monday.

Rule 2: Spaced review. Return to each sublist on day 3, day 7, day 21, and day 90 after you first studied it. Anki, Quizlet, or any spaced-repetition tool works; so does a paper notebook organised by sublist with review dates pencilled in. The interval matters more than the tool. Day 3 to day 7 is when most forgetting happens; if you survive that window, the word usually sticks.

Rule 3: Read AWL words in real TOEFL passages. Lists give you the meaning; passages give you the register and the collocation. A free TOEFLMock Reading test exposes you to about 280 words from the AWL across 4 passages: roughly half a Sublist 1 worth. Try our free Reading practice tests and underline every AWL word you find. After 10 tests you will have seen most of Sublist 1 and 2 in context at least twice.

For Speaking and Writing, productive mastery of Sublists 1 to 3 (180 words) is enough for band 5. For Reading and Listening at band 5, recognition of Sublists 1 to 6 (360 words) covers the large majority of academic vocabulary you will meet. Beyond that, Sublists 7 to 10 are diminishing returns for most candidates.

Related TOEFLMock vocabulary resources

TOEFL vocabulary list 2026 — broader overview of TOEFL vocab strategy across all four sections
40 high-frequency TOEFL words — functional words for Writing and Speaking
TOEFL transition words and linking phrases — connectives for the Writing section
TOEFL idioms and phrasal verbs — for the Listening section
By-topic vocabulary directory — 10 academic subject lists (biology, economics, psychology, etc.)

FAQ

What is the Academic Word List? ▾

A 2000 list of 570 word families compiled by Averil Coxhead from a 3.5-million-word academic corpus, split into 10 sublists by frequency.

Why does the AWL matter for TOEFL? ▾

About 10 percent of words in a TOEFL Reading passage come from the AWL. Recognising them on sight saves several minutes of inference time across the test.

Do I need all 570? ▾

Sublists 1 to 4 (240 words) cover the bulk of AWL occurrences. Add Sublists 5 to 10 incrementally; diminishing returns set in past Sublist 6.

Is the 2000 list still accurate in 2026? ▾

The vast majority of the list remains accurate. Newer alternatives (NAWL 2013, AVL 2014) exist, but for TOEFL the original AWL is still the best-supported reference because all major prep materials use it.

How long does mastery take? ▾

Recognition mastery of Sublists 1 to 6 takes about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day with spaced review. Productive mastery (using in Writing and Speaking) of Sublists 1 to 3 takes about the same time.

Academic Word List (AWL) for TOEFL 2026

In this guide