TOEFL housing and buildings vocabulary
75 words in this theme, levelled so you can tell what is worth your time at your band.
TOEFL housing vocabulary is the concrete language of where people live — *adjoin*, *balcony*, *chimney*, *drain*. It concentrates in the practical tasks: Read in Daily Life notices, and the campus conversations about accommodation.
Why this theme earns your time
This theme is unglamorous and cheap to finish. It is small, mostly B2, and almost entirely concrete — nothing here needs to be inferred, so it is the fastest theme in the bank to move from recognition to production.
What the words look like
Every entry carries its part of speech, pronunciation, CEFR level, the collocations it actually appears in, and a sentence using it. A sample from the bank:
| Word | CEFR | Meaning | In use |
|---|---|---|---|
| adjoinv. /əˈdʒɔɪn/ | C2 | to be next to and connected withadjoining rooms | A small kitchen adjoins the seminar room. |
| balconyn. /ˈbælkəni/ | B1 | a platform outside an upper windowa small balcony | The balcony catches the last of the sun. |
| chimneyn. /ˈtʃɪmni/ | B2 | a pipe carrying smoke out of a buildinga brick chimney | The chimney draws badly in a south wind. |
| drainv./n. /dreɪn/ | B2 | to flow away; to use up; a pipe for waterdrain away · a brain drain | The marsh drains slowly after heavy rain. |
| furnishv. /ˈfɜːrnɪʃ/ | C2 | to put furniture in; to supplya furnished flat · furnish sb with | The college furnishes each room with a desk and lamp. |
| laundryn. /ˈlɔːndri/ | B1 | clothes that need washing, or the place where washing is donedo the laundry · laundry room | The laundry room is in the basement and takes a card, not coins. |
| neighborhoodn. /ˈneɪbərhʊd/ | B1 | an area of a town where people livea safe neighborhood · in the neighborhood | Emma lives in a quiet neighborhood just ten minutes' walk from the campus library. |
| plastern./v. /ˈplæstər/ | C1 | a paste that hardens on walls; a cast for broken bonesplaster a wall · a plaster cast | The plaster cracked along the old joint. |
| renovatev. /ˈrenəveɪt/ | B2 | to repair and improve an old building so it looks new againrenovate an apartment · newly renovated | The owner plans to renovate the kitchen and bathroom before renting the house again. |
| scaffoldn. /ˈskæfoʊld/ | C1 | a temporary frame for workers on a buildingput up a scaffold | The scaffold came down after eight months. |
| silln. /sɪl/ | C1 | the ledge at the bottom of a windowa window sill | Herbs grow along the kitchen sill. |
| tilen. /taɪl/ | B2 | a flat piece for covering roofs or floorsa roof tile · floor tiles | Two tiles came off in the gale. |
What to learn at your level
Most of this theme sits at CEFR B2 (39% of its words). At band 4 the B1 and B2 entries are the ones that move your score; grinding C1 vocabulary before the B2 layer is solid is the most common way to spend weeks and gain nothing.
| Level | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1 | 18 | 24% |
| B2 | 29 | 39% |
| C1 | 13 | 17% |
| C2 | 15 | 20% |
Recognising a word is not knowing it
Complete the Words asks you to *produce* a word from context with only its opening letters shown, and the writing tasks ask you to produce it from nothing. That is why the PrepScore drill makes you write the word rather than flip a card, and counts it mastered only after two correct productions in a row. See how the vocabulary drill works.
Drill this theme free
Twenty words a day at no cost, tested by production rather than recognition.
Frequently asked questions
Why does housing vocabulary matter for the TOEFL?
It appears in the practical texts and the campus conversations, which are half the material a test taker actually meets in Reading and Listening.
Is this theme worth studying?
It is small and concrete, so it finishes quickly. That makes it a good theme to clear early rather than one to leave for last.
Keep reading
By PrepScore · Last reviewed · Editorial standards