CELPIP Vocabulary: 100+ Words and Phrases to Score Higher

Vocabulary isn't about knowing big words. It's about knowing the right words. On the CELPIP test, using "frustrated" instead of "angry," "commute" instead of "travel to work," or "I'd recommend" instead of "you should" is the difference between a score of 7 and a score of 9.

CELPIP doesn't test academic vocabulary. It tests everyday Canadian English: the words you'd use in a workplace email, a conversation with a neighbour, or a survey about your community. The good news? This vocabulary is learnable, practical, and immediately useful.

This guide gives you 100+ words and phrases organized by how you'll actually use them on the test. Bookmark it, review it regularly, and practice using these words in your Writing and Speaking responses. For the full test breakdown, see our CELPIP test format guide. For structured vocabulary training, try our Vocabulary Foundations course and the Collocations Kit.

How Vocabulary Affects Your CELPIP Score

Vocabulary is one of the four scoring criteria for both Writing and Speaking. Here's what raters look for at each level:

The key insight: You don't need to use difficult words. You need to use varied words. Saying "significant," "considerable," and "substantial" instead of "big, big, big" shows range. Saying "I'm concerned about" instead of "I don't like" shows precision.

Vocabulary also helps in Listening and Reading — the more words you recognize instantly, the faster you process questions and answer choices. For strategies specific to those sections, see our Listening tips and Reading tips.

Transition Words and Phrases

Transitions connect your ideas and make your Writing and Speaking responses flow naturally. Raters notice when transitions are missing or repetitive.

Adding Information

Contrasting Ideas

Showing Cause and Effect

Giving Examples

Concluding

Practice tip: Pick 2-3 new transitions this week and force yourself to use them in every writing and speaking practice. By test day, they'll feel natural. For more on discourse markers and cohesion, see the Discourse Markers lesson in our Vocabulary Foundations course.

Opinion and Persuasion Phrases

These are essential for Speaking Tasks 1, 5, 7 and Writing Task 2, where you need to state opinions, give advice, and persuade. For task-specific strategies, see our Speaking tips guide.

Stating Your Opinion

• "In my opinion..."
• "I strongly believe that..."
• "From my perspective..."
• "The way I see it..."
• "I'm convinced that..."
• "It seems clear to me that..."

Giving Advice (Speaking Task 1)

• "What I'd recommend is..."
• "If I were in your position, I'd..."
• "One option worth considering is..."
• "My suggestion would be to..."
• "You might want to think about..."
• "The best approach, in my view, would be to..."

Persuading (Speaking Task 5)

• "I'd strongly suggest going with [option] because..."
• "The advantages of [option] clearly outweigh..."
• "When you compare the two, [option] stands out because..."
• "Here's why I think [option] is the better choice..."
• "You won't regret choosing [option] — here's why..."

Agreeing and Disagreeing

• "I completely agree with that point."
• "That's a fair argument, but I'd say..."
• "While I understand the other perspective..."
• "I respectfully disagree because..."
• "There's some truth to that, however..."

Workplace and Professional Vocabulary

CELPIP often uses workplace scenarios in Listening, Reading, and Writing prompts. These words come up frequently. For deeper practice, try the Work & Career collocations lessons.

Job and Career

Meetings and Communication

Workplace Issues

Daily Life and Community Vocabulary

These words appear in Listening and Reading passages about everyday situations: housing, health, community, and transportation. The Collocations Kit covers all of these topics in depth with practice exercises.

Housing and Neighbourhood

Health and Wellness

Community and Services

Formal vs. Informal Vocabulary

Knowing when to switch between formal and informal language is critical for CELPIP Writing Task 1. The prompt tells you who you're writing to — and that determines your word choices.

The golden rule: Read who the email is addressed to. Friend = casual. Boss = formal. Colleague = somewhere in between. The tone doesn't need to be perfect — it needs to be appropriate.

For more on tone strategy, see our CELPIP Writing tips guide.

Descriptive Vocabulary for Speaking

In Speaking Tasks 3, 4, and 8, you need to describe scenes, predict outcomes, and explain unusual situations. These words help you paint a picture.

Describing People

Describing Settings

Making Predictions (Task 4)

Collocations and Natural Pairings

Collocations are words that naturally go together. Using the right collocation sounds natural; using the wrong one sounds off — even if the meaning is correct. Our Collocations & Lexical Bundles lesson goes deeper into this topic.

Common Phrasal Verbs for CELPIP

Phrasal verbs appear constantly in Listening and Reading passages. Knowing these helps with comprehension.

Words That Show Range: Swap Your Defaults

One of the easiest ways to boost your Vocabulary score is to stop repeating the same basic words. Here are common defaults and their alternatives:

Warning: Don't just use the fanciest word you know. "The restaurant was phenomenally outstanding" sounds worse than "The restaurant was impressive." Use stronger alternatives naturally — the goal is variety, not complexity.

How to Build Your CELPIP Vocabulary: A Practical Plan

Daily (10-15 minutes)

• Learn 3-5 new words from this guide. Write them down, use each in a sentence, and say them out loud
• Read one Canadian news article (CBC, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star) and underline any words you don't know. Look them up and add them to your list
• Practice with the CELPIP word lists on CELTESTPIP — we have task-specific lists for all 8 speaking tasks, both writing tasks, and every listening and reading part
• Replace one default word in your daily English. If you normally say "good," force yourself to say "effective" or "impressive" instead

Weekly

• Write one response (email or survey) and challenge yourself to use at least 5 words from this guide. Practice with Writing templates on CELTESTPIP and check our Writing tips guide for structure advice
• Record one Speaking response and listen for repeated words. Can you replace any with alternatives? Use our Speaking tips guide for task-by-task strategies
• Review your word list from the week. Can you remember the meanings and use them in a sentence?
• Practice Listening and Reading sections to encounter vocabulary in context — this reinforces retention better than flashcards alone

The Week Before the Test

• Review this guide one more time — focus on transitions, opinion phrases, and formal/informal pairs
• Don't try to learn new vocabulary — use what you already know confidently
• Practice using your transition phrases in timed Writing and Speaking responses
• Check the test day checklist for what to expect at the test center

Frequently Asked Questions

What vocabulary level does CELPIP test?

CELPIP tests everyday Canadian English, not academic or technical vocabulary. You'll encounter words related to workplaces, daily life, community, housing, and health. The test measures how naturally and precisely you use common vocabulary — not whether you know obscure or specialized words. For a CLB 9+ score, you need varied and precise word choices, but they should sound natural, not forced. Our Canadian English Essentials lesson covers the specific language patterns tested.

How many words do I need to know for CELPIP 9+?

There's no specific number, but a strong working vocabulary of 5,000-8,000 word families covers the vast majority of what appears on CELPIP. More important than the total count is how well you use the words you know. A test taker who uses 3,000 words precisely and naturally will outscore someone who uses 10,000 words but repeats "good" and "bad" in every response.

Does vocabulary matter for CELPIP Listening and Reading?

Yes — vocabulary directly affects your comprehension speed. In the Listening section, you only hear each audio clip once, so recognizing words instantly (without needing to think about their meaning) is the difference between catching the answer and missing it. In Reading, a stronger vocabulary means faster skimming and more accurate answers. See our Listening tips and Reading tips for section-specific strategies.

Should I memorize vocabulary lists for CELPIP?

Memorize less, practice more. Lists are useful as a reference (like this guide), but real vocabulary building happens when you use words in context. Write them in sentences, use them in speaking practice, and encounter them in reading. Words you've used 5 times in practice will come to you naturally on test day. Words you only memorized from a list probably won't.

What's the best way to learn collocations for CELPIP?

Read and listen to natural English every day. Collocations (like "make a decision," not "do a decision") are learned through exposure, not rules. Listen to Canadian podcasts and news. Read Canadian news articles. When you notice a word pairing that sounds natural, write it down. Over time, correct collocations will feel right without you having to think about them. For structured collocation practice, try our Collocations Kit course — it covers everyday basics, workplace, housing, health, and more.

Can using big words hurt my CELPIP score?

Yes, if you use them incorrectly or unnaturally. Using "ameliorate" when "improve" works perfectly fine doesn't impress raters — it makes your response sound awkward. The Vocabulary criterion rewards range and precision, not complexity. Use words you're confident with, and gradually add new ones as they become natural. Practice with CELTESTPIP's vocabulary builder to learn words in the right context. For a full preparation plan that balances all four skills, follow our 4-week CELPIP study guide.