How does the word-of-the-day approach work?

You learn one word a day for 60 days. Each day, read the definition and the TOEFL-context example, then write one new sentence using the word about your own life or studies. The next morning, before learning the new word, recall yesterday's word from memory. At the end of each week (every 7 days), re-test all 6 of that week's words by writing a short paragraph that uses all 6. This combines daily spaced repetition with weekly consolidation, which retention research shows beats both massed cramming (learning 60 words in a week) and pure spaced repetition without consolidation.

Why 60 words, not 100 or 500?

Because 60 is what fits in a 10-week prep window with full retention. Most TOEFL candidates have 6 to 10 weeks of focused prep before the test. Learning more than 6 new words per week without losing retention requires a study system most candidates do not have time to build. Sixty solid, deeply-known words is more useful on test day than 300 shallowly-known words that you forget mid-passage. After you finish these 60, the next layer is the 570-headword Academic Word List, then the 5,000-word working vocabulary.

What if I have less than 10 weeks until my test?

Compress the plan. With 5 weeks, do 12 words per week and skip the weekly paragraph review (only the daily review). With 3 weeks, do 20 words per week and only learn the first half of the list (the 30 highest-frequency words, which are the first five weeks below). With 1 week, this plan is not the right tool: use the 100-word starter pack instead, which is designed for cram review.

Why are these specific 60 words?

They are the 60 words from the Academic Word List that appear most frequently in TOEFL Reading and Listening passages from the past 5 years, weighted by how often they appear in multiple question types (factual, inference, vocabulary). We excluded words that are easy to guess from context (most band-4 candidates already infer correctly even without prior study) and words that only appear in one subject area. What remains is the high-leverage layer: words that recur, that examiners actively test, and that are hard to infer without prior knowledge.

Can I use this with a flashcard app?

Yes. Each word card on this page is structured to copy directly into Anki, Quizlet, or any spaced-repetition tool. The front is the word, the back is the definition plus the example. The week structure is preserved if you create one deck per week (Week 1 through Week 10) and only add the next deck after you finish the previous one. The advantage of a flashcard app is automatic spaced-repetition timing; the disadvantage is loss of the weekly consolidation paragraph, which we recommend doing in a separate notebook regardless of whether you use cards.

TOEFL Word of the Day 2026 — 60 Words, 10-Week Daily Plan (Free)

How to use this 10-week plan

One word per weekday for 10 weeks. The plan is built on three retention principles: daily exposure (one new word per day), spacing (the next morning you recall yesterday's word before reading today's), and weekly consolidation (every weekend you write a short paragraph using all 6 words of that week). Retention research is consistent that these three together beat any one of them in isolation. Cramming 60 words in a week gets you 20 to 30 percent retention at 30 days. Pure spaced repetition without weekly consolidation gets you 50 to 60 percent. The daily-plus-weekly approach below typically hits 75 to 85 percent at 30 days, which is the difference between recognising a word in a TOEFL passage and not.

Each card below has a day number, the word, a clean definition, and a TOEFL-context example that mimics the register where the word actually shows up on test day. Read the card, write one new example sentence in your own context, and re-read both your sentence and the card 24 hours later. At the end of each week, write a paragraph that uses all 6 words of the week. The paragraph does not have to be polished, just complete: it forces you to retrieve the words actively, which is what builds the test-day recall pathway.

Week 1 — core argument verbs

The six verbs you will use most in Writing Task 2 and Speaking Task 1.

Day 1contend

To argue strongly, often against opposition.

Context: "Marcus contends that a sin tax on unhealthy food would reduce obesity, even if it raises prices for low-income families."

Day 2refute

To disprove or argue strongly against.

Context: "Newer randomised trials refute the earlier claim that saturated fat alone drives heart disease."

Day 3concede

To accept reluctantly, usually a point against your own position.

Context: "I concede that the dataset is limited, but the directional trend is consistent across the three studies."

Day 4undermine

To weaken (an argument, a position, evidence).

Context: "The methodology issues identified in the appendix undermine the paper's headline conclusion."

Day 5propose

To put forward an idea or solution for consideration.

Context: "The author proposes a four-day work week as a reform that could increase productivity and reduce burnout."

Day 6acknowledge

To accept or recognise (often a counter-point).

Context: "While I acknowledge Sophia's concern about administrative cost, the long-term savings outweigh the short-term setup."

Week 2 — causation and evidence

Vocabulary for talking about why things happen and how we know.

Day 7attribute

To explain something as caused by a specific source.

Context: "Historians attribute the post-war recovery to a combination of monetary policy and industrial investment."

Day 8correlate

To have a statistical relationship with.

Context: "Sleep duration correlates with academic performance, though the causal direction is unclear."

Day 9infer

To reach a conclusion based on evidence.

Context: "From the migration patterns, biologists infer that the species crossed the land bridge twice."

Day 10substantiate

To support with evidence; to back up a claim.

Context: "The author substantiates her position with three independent meta-analyses."

Day 11discrepancy

A difference between things expected to match.

Context: "There's a discrepancy between the model's prediction and the observed measurements."

Day 12empirical

Based on observation or experiment, not theory alone.

Context: "The empirical evidence for the link is stronger than the theoretical predictions suggested."

Week 3 — analysis and structure

Words for describing how arguments and ideas are organised.

Day 13framework

A structured way of organising ideas.

Context: "Keynes provided the framework that modern macroeconomics still builds on."

Day 14paradigm

A dominant model or way of thinking in a field.

Context: "Quantum mechanics produced a paradigm shift in early twentieth-century physics."

Day 15approach

A method or way of doing something.

Context: "Feminist scholars take a different approach to the text than structuralist critics."

Day 16criterion

A standard used for judgment (plural: criteria).

Context: "The primary criterion for selection was academic merit, with extracurricular activities weighed second."

Day 17component

A part that makes up a whole.

Context: "Photosynthesis has three main components: light absorption, electron transport, and carbon fixation."

Day 18aspect

A particular part or feature of something.

Context: "This aspect of Picasso's later work has been understudied by art historians."

Week 4 — nuance and qualification

Words that hedge or qualify, which examiners reward as a band 5+ marker.

Day 19tentative

Provisional; not yet finalised or confident.

Context: "These are tentative conclusions pending the second wave of data collection."

Day 20ambiguous

Open to more than one interpretation.

Context: "The wording of the contract is ambiguous and has led to litigation."

Day 21plausible

Believable; reasonable but not proven.

Context: "The hypothesis is plausible but lacks the direct experimental evidence needed for acceptance."

Day 22arbitrary

Based on personal choice rather than reasoning.

Context: "The 1820 cut-off date in the dataset seems arbitrary and may obscure earlier trends."

Day 23qualify

To narrow or limit a statement to be more accurate.

Context: "I qualify my support for the policy: it works only when paired with subsidies for low-income households."

Day 24contingent

Dependent on a condition.

Context: "Approval of the grant is contingent on submission of the ethics review."

Week 5 — abstract academic nouns

Common nouns in TOEFL Reading passages across every subject area.

Day 25phenomenon

An observable event or fact (plural: phenomena).

Context: "This phenomenon was first observed in the 1970s and has since been documented in 14 countries."

Day 26implication

A consequence that follows from a fact or finding.

Context: "These data have important implications for how we design public health campaigns."

Day 27consensus

A widely-shared agreement among researchers.

Context: "There is now scientific consensus that warming is primarily human-caused."

Day 28controversy

A debate or disagreement, often longstanding.

Context: "The interpretation of the artefact has been a source of controversy among archaeologists."

Day 29significance

The importance or meaning of a result.

Context: "The statistical significance of the finding was set at the 0.01 threshold."

Day 30constraint

A limitation that affects what is possible.

Context: "Budget was the main constraint on the experimental design."

Week 6 — describing change

Words for talking about increase, decrease, growth, decline, transition.

Day 31decline

To decrease, especially gradually.

Context: "Population decline in rural areas has accelerated since 2010."

Day 32accelerate

To speed up.

Context: "The pace of glacial retreat has accelerated over the past two decades."

Day 33stagnate

To stop growing or developing.

Context: "Wage growth has stagnated for middle-income workers since the recession."

Day 34transition

A process of changing from one state to another.

Context: "The country's transition from agricultural to industrial economy took roughly fifty years."

Day 35emerge

To come into existence or become visible.

Context: "A new pattern emerged when we segmented the data by age group."

Day 36evolve

To develop gradually over time.

Context: "Language continues to evolve in response to technology and social change."

Week 7 — describing relationships

Words for the connections between ideas, variables, or actors.

Day 37analogous

Similar in a relevant way.

Context: "The brain is analogous to a computer in some respects, but the analogy breaks down in others."

Day 38parallel

Running alongside; sharing a similar pattern.

Context: "There are parallel developments in European and Japanese theatre during the same period."

Day 39contrast

To compare in order to show difference.

Context: "The author contrasts pre-industrial and post-industrial work patterns."

Day 40interplay

The way two or more things interact or influence each other.

Context: "The interplay between genes and environment shapes most complex traits."

Day 41distinguish

To mark or perceive the difference between.

Context: "It is important to distinguish correlation from causation in epidemiological data."

Day 42overlap

To share some common features or area.

Context: "There is significant overlap between cognitive psychology and behavioural economics."

Week 8 — degrees and intensity

Precise adjectives that distinguish band 4 from band 5 in Speaking and Writing.

Day 43substantial

Large in size, value, or importance.

Context: "There is substantial evidence linking exercise to cardiovascular health."

Day 44marginal

Small, slight; on the edge.

Context: "The improvement was statistically significant but practically marginal."

Day 45prevalent

Common; widespread.

Context: "Smoking is far less prevalent today than it was in 1990."

Day 46profound

Very great; deep.

Context: "The discovery had a profound effect on subsequent research."

Day 47negligible

So small as to be unimportant.

Context: "The cost to consumers would be negligible compared to the benefits."

Day 48considerable

Notably large.

Context: "The project required a considerable investment of time and capital."

Week 9 — classification and category

Words for grouping, sorting, and defining categories.

Day 49classify

To assign to a category.

Context: "Linnaeus classified all known species into a hierarchical system."

Day 50categorise

To place into categories.

Context: "The samples were categorised by age and geographic origin."

Day 51distinct

Clearly different.

Context: "The two dialects have distinct vowel systems despite their geographic proximity."

Day 52typology

A system of classification.

Context: "The author proposes a new typology of urban housing forms."

Day 53spectrum

A range from one extreme to another.

Context: "Political opinion on the issue covers the full spectrum from libertarian to authoritarian."

Day 54hierarchy

A system organised by rank or level.

Context: "Maslow's hierarchy of needs places physiological needs at the base."

Week 10 — advanced precision

Higher-register words that mark a band 6 writer.

Day 55paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth.

Context: "There is a paradox in democratic theory: more participation can mean worse decisions."

Day 56nuance

A subtle distinction or shade of meaning.

Context: "The translator missed the nuance between 'liberty' and 'freedom' in the original text."

Day 57precedent

An earlier example or case that guides later action.

Context: "The ruling sets a precedent that lower courts must now follow."

Day 58trajectory

A path of development or change over time.

Context: "The economic trajectory of the region since reunification has been positive."

Day 59manifest

To display or reveal clearly (also adjective: clearly visible).

Context: "The symptoms manifest only in adulthood, which complicates early diagnosis."

Day 60salient

Most noticeable or important.

Context: "The most salient feature of the new policy is its targeting of high earners."

After day 60

Re-test all 60 words by writing a single page in which you use as many as you can naturally. Aim for 40 to 50 of the 60 used correctly. Then move to the Academic Word List for the next 470 word families, the 100-word starter pack if you want a focused refresher, and the subject-area directory for topic-specific lists.

Related TOEFLMock resources

FAQ

How does word-of-the-day work?

One word per weekday. Read the card, write one sentence in your own context. Next morning, recall yesterday's word before reading today's. End of week, write a paragraph using all 6 words.

Why 60 words?

60 fits a 10-week prep window with full retention. More words means lower retention per word. After 60, move to the 570-headword Academic Word List.

Less than 10 weeks?

5 weeks: 12 words per week, skip the weekly paragraph. 3 weeks: 20 words per week, first half of the list only. 1 week: use the 100-word starter pack instead.

Why these specific 60?

The 60 AWL words that appear most in TOEFL Reading and Listening across the past 5 years, weighted by how often they appear in multiple question types. Excludes words you can guess from context.

Use with a flashcard app?

Yes. Front = word, back = definition + example. One deck per week. Keep the weekly paragraph review separately in a notebook.

TOEFL word of the day 2026: a 10-week daily plan

10-week plan