Most English word lists are sorted by age. Indian parents and teachers do not think in ages, they think in classes, and a child in Class 2 is not learning the same words as a child in Class 1 even when they are only a year apart.
This guide groups 75 English words by school class, with a plain meaning for every word. Class 1 words are things a child can point at. Class 2 words describe people, places and how things are done. Class 3 words start to cover ideas rather than objects.
In most Indian schools, Class 1 is around age 6, Class 2 around 7 and Class 3 around 8. If your child sits between two lists, start with the earlier one. A word your child already knows takes ten seconds to confirm; a word they do not know takes a week.
English vocabulary for Class 1
Everything in this list is something a six-year-old can see, hold or do. That matters more than the length of the word: a child learns spoon faster than nice, even though nice is shorter, because a spoon can be picked up.
1. Class 1: things around me
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| book | Pages joined together that you read. |
| bag | You carry your things in it. |
| chair | You sit on it. |
| door | You open it to go in or out. |
| cup | You drink from it. |
| spoon | You eat with it. |
| shoe | You wear it on your foot. |
| clock | It tells you the time. |
2. Class 1: things I do
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| run | To move fast on your feet. |
| eat | To put food in your mouth. |
| sleep | To rest with your eyes closed. |
| read | To look at words and understand them. |
| write | To make letters and words. |
| play | To do something fun. |
| wash | To clean with water. |
| sing | To make music with your voice. |
3. Class 1: describing words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| big | Not small. |
| small | Not big. |
| hot | Very warm to touch. |
| cold | Not warm at all. |
| new | Made or bought just now. |
| old | Not new, from a long time ago. |
| happy | Feeling good and smiling. |
| sad | Feeling not happy. |
| fast | Moving quickly. |
English vocabulary for Class 2
By Class 2 a child can hold a word that is not in the room. Market, neighbour and hospital are places they know but cannot point at from the sofa, and that is the step this list is for.
1. Class 2: people and places
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| teacher | A person who helps you learn. |
| neighbour | A person who lives near you. |
| market | A place where things are sold. |
| hospital | A place where sick people get better. |
| garden | A place where plants grow. |
| village | A small place where people live. |
| city | A big place with many people. |
| station | A place where buses or trains stop. |
2. Class 2: action words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| carry | To hold something and take it somewhere. |
| listen | To pay attention to a sound. |
| borrow | To take something and give it back later. |
| share | To give part of what you have. |
| help | To make something easier for someone. |
| build | To make something by putting parts together. |
| repeat | To say or do the same thing again. |
| choose | To pick the one you want. |
3. Class 2: describing words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| quiet | Making very little sound. |
| noisy | Making a lot of sound. |
| heavy | Hard to lift. |
| light | Easy to lift. |
| empty | With nothing inside. |
| full | With no space left inside. |
| clean | With no dirt on it. |
| careful | Doing something slowly so nothing goes wrong. |
| kind | Nice to other people. |
English vocabulary for Class 3
Class 3 is where English stops being only nouns. Patient, honest and curious describe how a person is rather than what a thing is, and they are much easier to learn from a story or a real moment than from a list.
1. Class 3: school and learning
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| answer | What you say when someone asks a question. |
| question | What you ask when you want to know something. |
| lesson | A part of something you are learning. |
| practice | Doing something again and again to get better. |
| mistake | Something done the wrong way. |
| correct | With nothing wrong in it. |
| explain | To tell someone so they understand. |
| remember | To keep something in your mind. |
2. Class 3: feelings and people
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nervous | Worried about something that is going to happen. |
| proud | Feeling good about something you did. |
| polite | Speaking and behaving in a nice way. |
| honest | Always telling the truth. |
| patient | Able to wait without getting upset. |
| brave | Doing something even when you are afraid. |
| curious | Wanting to know more about something. |
| friendly | Nice and easy to talk to. |
3. Class 3: the world around you
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| weather | What the sky and air are like outside. |
| season | One of the parts of the year, like summer. |
| journey | Going from one place to another. |
| danger | Something that could hurt you. |
| safe | Away from danger. |
| forest | A big area with many trees. |
| river | Water that flows across the land. |
| machine | A thing built to do a job for you. |
| enough | As much as you need. |
All 75 words and meanings on 8 A4 pages, grouped by class, with a tick box for each. Free to print, no signup.
A meaning is not the same as knowing the word
A child can repeat “patient means able to wait” and still not use the word for a year. The meaning column here is for you, so you can answer quickly when your child asks. What actually makes the word stick is using it in a real moment on the same day.
Pick one word at breakfast. Use it yourself three times before bedtime, in ordinary sentences, without asking your child to repeat it. “You were patient in that queue.” “Thank you for being patient with your sister.” Children copy words they hear used, far more than words they are told to learn.
Do not teach a whole class list in a week
Twenty-five words is a term, not a weekend. Five or six words a week, each one used out loud in a real situation, beats twenty-five words read once from a page. If your child is already comfortable with most of a list, skip to the next class rather than working through words they have.
What to do when your child knows the word but will not say it
This is normal and it is not a vocabulary problem. A child often understands far more English than they will speak, especially in front of other people. This guide has gentler ways in, and these home routines build the confidence to answer out loud.
More word lists
These lists are sorted by topic rather than by class, and each has an example sentence for every word and its own free printable: 100 easy English words, colours, numbers and shapes, daily routine words, opposites, animal names and sounds and feelings words. You can download all 10 printables from one page.
Class is a starting point, not a rule
These lists follow what most Indian schools cover, but no two children arrive at the same word in the same month. A Class 1 child who spends weekends in a garden will know forest and river early. A Class 3 child who has never been asked to wait will not have much use for patient yet. Follow the child in front of you rather than the number on the list.
Frequently asked questions
What English vocabulary should a Class 1 student know?
Words for things a six-year-old can see, hold or do: book, bag, chair, cup, run, eat, sleep, big, small, hot, cold. Concrete words come first, because a child can check the meaning against something real in the room.
How many English words should a Class 2 child learn in a week?
Five or six, used out loud in real situations, beats twenty five read once from a page. A class list is a term's work, not a weekend's.
What is the difference between Class 2 and Class 3 vocabulary?
Class 2 words still describe people, places and actions you can point to, like market, neighbour and carry. Class 3 moves into words for ideas and character, like patient, honest and curious, which are learned far better from a story or a real moment than from a list.
My child knows the meaning but will not use the word. Is that normal?
Yes, and it is not a vocabulary problem. Children usually understand much more English than they will say out loud, especially in front of other people. Keep using the word yourself in ordinary sentences rather than asking them to repeat it.
Is this list based on the school syllabus?
No. It follows what most Indian schools cover at each class, but it is not tied to any one board or textbook. Treat the class as a starting point and follow the child in front of you.
Keep reading
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Written by the Flucie team. See how we make our content or send a correction to hello@flucie.com.
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