7th grade vocabulary words
A 7th grade vocabulary list is mostly academic words, the ones teachers use in every subject: analyze, evidence, infer, perspective. This page prints 100 of them in alphabetical order, each with a short meaning a 7th grader can read.
Free printable PDF, 7th grade.
One page, black and white, prints the same every time.
What is on the sheet
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| abstract | existing only as an idea |
| accurate | correct in every detail |
| adapt | change to fit a new situation |
| adequate | enough for what is needed |
| affect | change or influence |
| analyze | study something part by part |
| annotate | write notes on a text as you read |
| approach | a way of dealing with something |
| assume | take as true without proof |
| benefit | something that helps |
| bias | an unfair leaning to one side |
| category | a group of similar things |
| cause | what makes something happen |
| characteristic | a typical feature or quality |
| cite | quote or point to as evidence |
| claim | a statement you argue is true |
| clarify | make clearer |
| compare | find how things are alike |
| concept | a general idea |
| conclude | decide after thinking it through |
| conflict | a struggle between two sides |
| consequence | the result of an action |
| consist | be made up of |
| context | what surrounds a word or event |
| contrast | find how things are different |
| contribute | give or add to something |
| convince | make someone believe something |
| cycle | a series of events that repeats |
| data | facts and numbers collected |
| debate | a formal argument between sides |
| define | say exactly what a word means |
| demonstrate | show clearly |
| detail | a small fact or part |
| determine | find out or decide |
| develop | grow or build up over time |
| distinguish | tell the difference between |
| diverse | made up of many different kinds |
| effect | a result |
| element | a basic part |
| emphasize | give special importance to |
| environment | the surroundings |
| establish | set up, or prove |
| estimate | a careful guess |
| evaluate | judge how good or useful |
| evidence | facts that show something is true |
| examine | look at closely |
| excerpt | a short passage taken from a text |
| exclude | leave out |
| factor | one of the causes of a result |
| formula | a set rule or method |
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| function | a purpose or job |
| generalize | draw a broad rule from examples |
| hypothesis | an idea you can test |
| identify | name or point out |
| illustrate | show with examples or pictures |
| impact | a strong effect |
| indicate | point out or show |
| infer | work out from clues |
| influence | the power to change or affect |
| interpret | explain the meaning of |
| investigate | look into carefully to find facts |
| issue | an important topic or problem |
| justify | give reasons for |
| maintain | keep going, or keep in good shape |
| method | a way of doing something |
| modify | change a little |
| motive | a reason for doing something |
| narrator | the one who tells the story |
| objective | a goal; also, fair and factual |
| obvious | easy to see or understand |
| occur | happen |
| opinion | what someone thinks or believes |
| outcome | the final result |
| perspective | a point of view |
| persuade | get someone to agree or act |
| predict | say what will happen next |
| previous | coming before |
| process | a series of steps toward a result |
| purpose | the reason something is done |
| relevant | closely connected to the topic |
| reliable | can be trusted |
| represent | stand for |
| require | need |
| research | careful study to find facts |
| resolve | settle, or find an answer to |
| respond | answer or react |
| sequence | the order things happen in |
| significant | important; worth noticing |
| source | where something comes from |
| specific | exact and particular |
| strategy | a plan for reaching a goal |
| structure | how the parts are arranged |
| summarize | tell the main points briefly |
| support | back up with reasons or evidence |
| symbol | a thing that stands for an idea |
| theme | a story's message about life |
| theory | an explanation based on evidence |
| trait | a quality of a person or character |
| valid | logical and well supported |
| vary | be different, or change |
Where the words come from
These are academic words, not subject words. Photosynthesis belongs to science class and gets taught there. Analyze, infer and significant turn up in science, history, math and English alike, in the texts and in the questions about them. A student who is unsure what "evaluate" asks for loses points in every subject.
The list leans on the words of reading and writing about texts: claim, evidence, cite, theme, perspective. Each meaning is kept to a few words, enough to follow a lesson. A dictionary has the rest.
Using the list
Don't try to learn all 100 at once. Have the student read down the list and mark every word they could not explain to a friend, then take five a week. For each one, find it in a textbook or an article, copy the sentence, and write a sentence of their own. A word counts as learned when it shows up in their writing without a prompt.
The context clues and Greek and Latin roots worksheets practice the two ways to work out a word that is not on any list.
Common questions
- What are academic vocabulary words?
- Words that are common in school texts and rare in conversation, and that cross subjects: analyze, evaluate, infer. Teachers sometimes call them tier 2 words, as opposed to everyday words (tier 1) and subject words like photosynthesis (tier 3).
- Is there a list for 8th grade?
- Yes, the 8th grade vocabulary words list has 100 harder words, none repeated from this one.