150 Essential Spanish Academic Words for Thriving at University and Beyond

Spanish words learners regularly get wrong — vergüenza, murciélago, ferrocarril, arquitectura, pelirrojo — grouped by the sound behind the mistake: rolled r, the silent h and vowels that shift under an English accent.

Spanish vocabulary for environmental topics: el cambio climático, el calentamiento global, el medio ambiente, la contaminación, la sostenibilidad. Covers recycling and waste, renewable energy and the terms used in news reports.

Advanced Spanish vocabulary for the DELE exam, grouped by the topics it actually tests: sociedad, gobierno, economía, investigación, población, desarrollo. Includes the formal register and linking words written tasks expect.

Spanish vocabulary for music: la canción, el cantante, la banda, el concierto, la guitarra, el piano, la batería. Covers genres and instruments plus everything around a live show, from tickets and the queue to the encore.

Spanish vocabulary for getting around by road: el coche, el conductor, el motor, el neumático, el volante, el freno, plus road signs and traffic rules and the phrases used at a petrol station or a car rental desk.

Spanish vocabulary for everyday technology: el teléfono inteligente, el portátil, la tableta, el cargador, la batería, la pantalla, el teclado. Plus apps and accounts and the words for describing a fault or changing a setting.

Spanish vocabulary for crime and public safety: el delito, la policía, el agente, el sospechoso, la víctima, el testigo. Covers news coverage, the legal terms behind it and the language needed to report an incident at a station.

Spanish vocabulary for building and renovating: la renovación, la reparación, remodelar, el contratista, el albañil, el arquitecto. Covers tools and materials, and how to explain a job or buy the right thing in a hardware shop.

Spanish vocabulary for building a company: la empresa emergente, el emprendedor, el fundador, el cofundador, el inversor, la financiación. Covers pitching and metrics, hiring and growth — the words used in a first investor meeting.

Spanish vocabulary for talking about mental health properly: la ansiedad, la depresión, el estrés, el agotamiento, la terapia, el terapeuta. Plus the wording that keeps a difficult conversation respectful rather than clinical.

Spanish phrases for the phone, where there is no body language to fall back on: ¿puedo hablar con…?, ¿quién llama por favor?, llamo por mi pedido. Covers transfers, leaving a message and working through a customer service call.

Spanish phrases for professional email: estimado señor o señora, le escribo para informarle, adjunto encontrará. Covers greetings and closings, requests, follow-ups and delivering bad news without sounding blunt.