Linguists (researchers who study language and word usage) have identified the most frequently used words in academic texts from all disciplines The Academic Word List, compiled by one linguist, contains almost six hundred of the most frequently used academic words. Since you will encounter these words regularly both in textbooks and in class, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with them early in your college experience if you don’t know them already. The chart presents the sixty most commonly used academic words.
Most commonly used academic words
Sample vocabulary notebook entry
Related topics:
Intensive and extensive language activities
Reading while listening
Using a dictionary or a thesaurus
Learning prefixes and suffixes
Keeping a vocabulary notebook
Keeping an editing log
Targeting areas for improvement