Sublist 1 of the Academic Word List

The Academic Word List (AWL) Sublist 1 contains 60 word families that are the most frequently used in academic writing across various fields.

These words are fundamental for understanding and producing academic texts, making them a top priority for students and professionals aiming to improve their academic English skills.

Sublist 1 Words with Word Families and Definitions

Analyze

analysed, analyser, analysers, analyses, analysing, analysis, analyst, analysts, analytic, analytical, analytically

To examine something in detail in order to understand it better or to draw conclusions.

Approach

approachable, approached, approaches, approaching, unapproachable

A way of dealing with a problem or task.

Area

areas

A particular subject, range, or geographic region.

Assess

assessable, assessed, assesses, assessing, assessment, assessments, reassess, reassessed, reassessing, reassessment, unassessed

To evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of something.

Assume

assumed, assumes, assuming, assumption, assumptions

To accept something as true without proof.

Authority

authoritative, authorities

The power to give orders or make decisions; an expert in a subject.

Available

availability, unavailable

Ready for use or accessible.

Benefit

beneficial, beneficiary, beneficiaries, benefited, benefiting, benefits

An advantage or profit gained from something.

Concept

conception, concepts, conceptual, conceptualisation, conceptualise, conceptualised, conceptualises, conceptualising, conceptually

An abstract idea or general notion.

Consist

consisted, consistency, consistent, consistently, consisting, consists, inconsistencies, inconsistency, inconsistent

Acting or done in the same way over time; steady.

Constitute

constituencies, constituency, constituent, constituents, constituted, constitutes, constituting, constitution, constitutions, constitutional, constitutionally, constitutive, unconstitutional

To make up or form something.

Context

contexts, contextual, contextualise, contextualised, contextualising, uncontextualised

The circumstances or setting surrounding a situation or text.

Contract

contracted, contracting, contractor, contractors, contracts

A legal agreement; to decrease in size.

Create

created, creates, creating, creation, creations, creative, creatively, creativity, creator, creators, recreate, recreated, recreates, recreating

To bring something into existence.

Data

Facts or information used for analysis.

Define

definable, defined, defines, defining, definition, definitions, redefine, redefined, redefines, redefining, undefined

To explain the meaning of a word or concept.

Derive

derivation, derivations, derivative, derivatives, derived, derives, deriving

To obtain something from a source.

Distribute

distributed, distributing, distribution, distributional, distributions, distributive, distributor, distributors, redistribute, redistributed, redistributes, redistributing, redistribution

To give out or deliver something to a group of people.

Economy

economic, economical, economically, economics, economies, economist, economists, uneconomical

The system of production and consumption of goods and services.

Environment

environmental, environmentalist, environmentalists, environmentally, environments

The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives.

Establish

disestablish, disestablished, disestablishes, disestablishing, disestablishment, established, establishes, establishing, establishment, establishments

To set up or found something, such as an organization.

Estimate

estimated, estimates, estimating, estimation, estimations, over-estimate, overestimate, overestimated, overestimates, overestimating, underestimate, underestimated, underestimates, underestimating

To calculate or judge an approximate value or number.

Evident

evidenced, evidence, evidential, evidently

Clearly visible or understood; obvious.

Export

exported, exporter, exporters, exporting, exports

To send goods or services to another country for sale.

Factor

factored, factoring, factors

A circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result.

Finance

financed, finances, financial, financially, financier, financiers, financing

The management of large sums of money.

Formula

formulae, formulas, formulate, formulated, formulating, formulation, formulations, reformulate, reformulated, reformulating, reformulation, reformulations

A method or set of rules for solving a problem; a mathematical equation.

Function

functional, functionally, functioned, functioning, functions

The purpose or role of something.

Identify

identifiable, identification, identified, identifies, identifying, identities, identity, unidentifiable

To recognize or establish what something is.

Income

incomes

Money received, especially on a regular basis, for work or investments.

Indicate

indicated, indicates, indicating, indication, indications, indicative, indicator, indicators

To point out or show something.

Individual

individualised, individuality, individualism, individualist, individualists, individualistic, individually, individuals

A single person or thing; separate from others.

Interpret

interpretation, interpretations, interpretative, interpreted, interpreting, interpretive, interprets, misinterpret, misinterpretation, misinterpretations, misinterpreted, misinterpreting, misinterprets, reinterpret, reinterpreted, reinterprets, reinterpreting, reinterpretation, reinterpretations

To explain the meaning of information or actions.

Involve

involved, involvement, involves, involving, uninvolved

To include as a necessary part or result.

Issue

issued, issues, issuing

A problem or topic of discussion.

Labour

laboured, labouring, labours

Work, especially hard physical work.

Legal

illegal, illegality, illegally, legality, legally

Related to the law.

Legislate

legislated, legislates, legislating, legislation, legislative, legislator, legislators, legislature

To make or enact laws, typically through a legislative body such as a parliament or congress.

Major

majorities, majority

Important, serious, or significant.

Method

methodical, methodological, methodologies, methodology, methods

A planned way of doing something.

Occur

occurred, occurrence, occurrences, occurring, occurs, reoccur, reoccurred, reoccurring, reoccurs

To happen or take place.

Percent

percentage, percentages

A portion of 100.

Period

periodic, periodical, periodically, periodicals, periods

A length of time.

Policy

policies

A course of action adopted by an organization or government.

Principle

principled, principles, unprincipled

A fundamental truth or rule.

Proceed

procedural, procedure, procedures, proceeded, proceeding, proceedings, proceeds

o continue or move forward.

Process

processed, processes, processing

A series of actions to achieve a result.

Require

required, requirement, requirements, requires, requiring

To need or demand something.

Research

researched, researcher, researchers, researches, researching

The systematic investigation into a subject to discover facts.

Respond

responded, respondent, respondents, responding, responds, response, responses, responsive, responsiveness, unresponsive

To reply or react to something.

Role

roles

A function or part played by someone or something.

Section

sectioned, sectioning, sections

A distinct part of something.

Sector

sectors

A part or division of an area, especially in the economy.

Significant

insignificant, insignificantly, significance, significantly, signified, signifies, signify, signifying

Important or meaningful.

Similar

dissimilar, similarities, similarity, similarly

Alike but not identical.

Source

sourced, sources, sourcing

A place, person, or thing from which something originates.

Specific

specifically, specification, specifications, specificity, specifics

Clearly defined or identified.

Structure

restructure, restructured, restructures, restructuring, structural, structurally, structured, structures, structuring, unstructured

The arrangement of and relations between parts of something.

Theory

theoretical, theoretically, theories, theorist, theorists

A system of ideas intended to explain something.

Vary

invariable, invariably, variability, variable, variables, variably, variance, variant, variants, variation, variations, varied, varies, varying

To differ or change.