1. Why "I know X words" is meaningless
If you ask someone how many words they know and they say 8000, that number conflates two very different things:
- Passive vocabulary — what you recognise when reading or listening
- Active vocabulary — what you can produce when writing or speaking
Active typically runs at ~40% of passive. So "8000 words" usually means about 3200 truly usable.
2. Approximate vocab-size by CEFR level
| CEFR | Passive | Active |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 600–800 | 250–350 |
| A2 | 1200–1600 | 500–700 |
| B1 | 2500–3000 | 1200–1500 |
| B2 | 5000–6000 | 2500–3000 |
| C1 | 8000–10000 | 4500–5500 |
| C2 | 12000+ | 7000+ |
Numbers are mid-range estimates from corpus research; specific tests may diverge.
3. Three free tests you can take today
Test 1 — testyourvocab.com
About 10 minutes, you check off words you recognise. Returns a passive vocabulary estimate. Best for first-time baseline.
Typical results:
- Native speaker (adult): ~28,000
- B2 non-native: ~6,000
- C1 non-native: ~8,000
Test 2 — Lexile reading assessment
Reads a passage, asks comprehension questions, outputs a Lexile score (700L–1300L+) mapped to your reading level. Best for "what difficulty of material can I actually understand?"
Approximate CEFR map:
- 700–900L ≈ B1
- 1000–1100L ≈ B2
- 1200–1300L ≈ C1
Test 3 — TTR (Type-Token Ratio) on your own writing
Open our writing tool, write a 250-word Task 2 essay, and check the TTR statistic:
| TTR | Diagnosis |
|---|---|
| < 45% | Vocabulary repetition; active range tight |
| 45–55% | Normal B2 |
| 55–65% | C1 territory |
| > 65% | Near-native / C2 |
This is the simplest way to check whether your active vocabulary is sufficient.
4. Vocabulary requirements per exam (rough thresholds)
| Exam + target | Passive | Active |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS 6.0 | ~5000 | ~2500 |
| IELTS 6.5 | ~5500 | ~2800 |
| IELTS 7.0 | ~7000 | ~3500 |
| PTE 65 | ~6000 | ~3000 |
| LanguageCert B2 | ~5500 | ~2800 |
| LanguageCert C1 | ~8500 | ~4500 |
| Password 6.0 | ~5500 | ~2800 |
| DET 120 | ~5500 | ~2800 |
| DET 140 | ~7000 | ~3500 |
Note: target 6.5 on most tests corresponds to about 5500 passive — which is exactly what our L2 vocabulary list is built around.
5. Three stages of vocabulary growth
Stage 1 — Foundation (A2 → B1)
- Focus: top 2000 high-frequency words
- Method: word + sentence + meaning
- Tools: L1 vocabulary + dictation
Stage 2 — Expansion (B1 → B2)
- Focus: academic + journalistic words 2000–5000
- Method: word + collocation + context
- Tools: L2 vocabulary + BBC Learning English reading
Stage 3 — Refinement (B2 → C1)
- Focus: precise collocations + synonym distinctions, 5000–8500
- Method: word + 2–3 collocations + one negative example
- Tools: L3 vocabulary + Economist + writing self-rubric
6. Why "wordlist cramming" is inefficient
Imagine cramming 50 new words a day. After a month:
- True retention: ~60% = 900
- Usable in writing: ~30% = 450
- Usable in speaking: ~15% = 225
Now imagine 50 new collocations a day. After a month:
- True retention: ~80% = 1200
- Writing-usable: ~60% = 900
- Speaking-usable: ~40% = 600
Two to three times as effective. Treat collocations as the unit of vocabulary growth, not single words.
7. Action steps this week
- Take testyourvocab.com — baseline passive
- Write a 250-word essay; check TTR — current active
- Use the table in §4 to identify how far you are from your target
- Choose L1, L2 or L3 vocabulary to match
- Re-test TTR weekly to watch active vocabulary rise
Vocabulary is not about quantity — it's about active-passive balance. A new usable collocation is worth ten new words you only recognise.