Academic Vocabulary Worksheets – Instruction Words

All 36 words

Read and understand 12

cite To name the source of a fact or of words you use. Cite the book and the page for each fact you use.
define To state exactly what a word or term means. Define the word habitat.
describe To give the details that show what a thing is like. Describe the setting of the story.
explain To give the how or the why of something. Explain why the ice melted.
identify To pick out a thing and name it. Identify the verb in the sentence.
infer To work out from clues what is not stated. Infer how the character feels from what she does.
interpret To say what you take a text, chart or picture to mean. Interpret the graph: what does the highest bar show?
paraphrase To say a passage again in your own words. Paraphrase the first paragraph.
predict To tell ahead of time what is likely to happen. Predict what the character will do after the storm.
quote To copy a writer's exact words inside quotation marks. Quote the sentence that tells where the story is set.
recall To bring a fact back from memory. Recall the three states of matter.
summarize To give only the main points, in a few words. Summarize the video for a classmate who missed it.

Show all 36 words (24 more)

Think and compare 12

analyze To break into parts and study how they fit together. Analyze how the poem's last line changes its meaning.
apply To use what you have learned in a new situation. Apply the area formula to the floor plan.
classify To put into groups according to shared features. Classify the shapes by their number of sides.
compare To place two things together and find what they share. Compare a frog and a toad.
contrast To point out what sets one thing apart from another. Contrast a play with a novel.
evaluate To weigh the worth of something against a standard. Evaluate the two plans and choose the better one.
generalize To state a rule that holds for many cases. Generalize from the pattern 2, 4, 6, 8.
hypothesize To put forward a likely answer that a test could check. Hypothesize which ramp will make the cart go farthest.
investigate To look into a question by gathering facts. Investigate how the amount of water changes a plant's growth.
justify To give sound reasons for an answer or a choice. Justify your choice with two reasons.
sequence To arrange steps or events from first to last. Sequence the stages of the experiment.
synthesize To build one new whole out of ideas from many sources. Synthesize the two articles into one paragraph.

Write and show 12

argue To take a side on an issue and defend it. Argue for or against a longer recess.
calculate To find an amount by doing the math. Calculate the perimeter of the room.
demonstrate To prove or make plain by showing each step. Demonstrate how to find the midpoint.
discuss To write about a topic from more than one side. Discuss the good and bad points of school uniforms.
illustrate To back up a point with an example or a drawing. Illustrate the rule with two sentences of your own.
label To write the names of the parts on a diagram. Label the parts of the flower.
list To write items one after another. List four things a plant needs.
observe To watch closely and notice details. Observe the snail for two minutes.
outline To plan a piece of writing as headings and short notes. Outline the three main parts of your report.
record To set down results in writing as you get them. Record the height of the plant every Monday.
revise To go back over your writing and improve it. Revise your opening paragraph.
state To say something plainly and briefly. State the answer in one sentence.

How this list was compiled: Word list chosen for this site on 2026-10-02; it is our own choice and follows no published word list, program or exam. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the word in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: it gives a sense the entry lists, in shorter words. The task after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

These academic vocabulary worksheets print twelve instruction words down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. The words are the verbs of school tasks, such as analyze, compare and justify, in three sets.

Read the full guide

Three sets of task words

Set opens on Read and understand: identify, define, describe, explain, summarize, paraphrase, infer, predict and cite. Think and compare has analyze, contrast, classify, evaluate and justify. Write and show has argue, discuss, illustrate, outline and revise.

An academic vocabulary activity worksheet

Answer by has Cut and paste: a shorter sheet, with the meanings as tiles to cut out and glue. Under the tool each word comes with a task that uses it: Summarize the video for a classmate who missed it.

The list is our own choice of words. It follows no published word list, program or exam.

Questions and answers

What is academic vocabulary?

On this page it means the instruction words that school tasks and tests use in every subject, such as explain, compare, evaluate and justify. The choice of words is ours.

What is the difference between compare and contrast?

On this sheet to compare is to place two things together and find what they share, and to contrast is to point out what sets one apart from the other. In everyday use compare can cover both.

Are the academic vocabulary worksheets printable?

Yes. Press Print worksheet for one page of twelve words and meanings, with the answer key as a second page. Paper, under More options, sets the page size.

Can I save the academic vocabulary worksheets as a PDF?

Choose Save as PDF in the browser's print window after pressing Print worksheet. The page has no separate PDF button.