The Academic Word List (AWL) was developed by Averil Coxhead (2000) of Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand. It is a shorter version of the University Word List (570 head words), but is believed to provide more coverage of academic texts. The number after each word indicates the sublist of the Academic Word List.
abandon 8 abstract 6 academy 5 access 4 accommodate 9 accompany 8 accumulate 8 accurate 6 achieve 2 acknowledge 6 acquire 2 adapt 7 adequate 4 adjacent 10 adjust 5 administrate 2 adult 7 advocate 7 affect 2 aggregate 6 aid 7 albeit 10 allocate 6 alter 5 alternative 3 ambiguous 8 amend 5 analogy 9 analyse 1 annual 4 anticipate 9 apparent 4 append 8 appreciate 8 approach 1 appropriate 2 approximate 4 arbitrary 8 area 1 aspect 2 assemble 10 assess 1 assign 6 assist 2 assume 1 assure 9 attach 6 attain 9 attitude 4 attribute 4 author 6 authority 1 automate 8 available 1 aware 5 behalf 9 benefit 1 bias 8 bond 6 brief 6 bulk 9 capable 6 capacity 5 category 2 cease 9 challenge 5 channel 7 chapter 2 chart 8 chemical 7 circumstance 3 cite 6 civil 4 clarify 8 classic 7 clause 5 code 4 coherent 9 coincide 9 collapse 10 colleague 10 |
commence 9 comment 3 commission 2 commit 4 commodity 8 communicate 4 community 2 compatible 9 compensate 3 compile 10 complement 8 complex 2 component 3 compound 5 comprehensive 7 comprise 7 compute 2 conceive 10 concentrate 4 concept 1 conclude 2 concurrent 9 conduct 2 confer 4 confine 9 confirm 7 conflict 5 conform 8 consent 3 consequent 2 considerable 3 consist 1 constant 3 constitute 1 constrain 3 construct 2 consult 5 consume 2 contact 5 contemporary 8 context 1 contract 1 contradict 8 contrary 7 contrast 4 contribute 3 controversy 9 convene 3 converse 9 convert 7 convince 10 cooperate 6 coordinate 3 core 3 corporate 3 correspond 3 couple 7 create 1 credit 2 criteria 3 crucial 8 culture 2 currency 8 cycle 4 data 1 debate 4 decade 7 decline 5 deduce 3 define 1 definite 7 demonstrate 3 denote 8 deny 7 depress 10 derive 1 design 2 despite 4 detect 8 deviate 8 device 9 |
devote 9 differentiate 7 dimension 4 diminish 9 discrete 5 discriminate 6 displace 8 display 6 dispose 7 distinct 2 distort 9 distribute 1 diverse 6 document 3 domain 6 domestic 4 dominate 3 draft 5 drama 8 duration 9 dynamic 7 economy 1 edit 6 element 2 eliminate 7 emerge 4 emphasis 3 empirical 7 enable 5 encounter 10 energy 5 enforce 5 enhance 6 enormous 10 ensure 3 entity 5 environment 1 equate 2 equip 7 equivalent 5 erode 9 error 4 establish 1 estate 6 estimate 1 ethic 9 ethnic 4 evaluate 2 eventual 8 evident 1 evolve 5 exceed 6 exclude 3 exhibit 8 expand 5 expert 6 explicit 6 exploit 8 export 1 expose 5 external 5 extract 7 facilitate 5 factor 1 feature 2 federal 6 fee 6 file 7 final 2 finance 1 finite 7 flexible 6 fluctuate 8 focus 2 format 9 formula 1 forthcoming 10 foundation 7 found 9 framework 3 function 1 |
fund 3 fundamental 5 furthermore 6 gender 6 generate 5 generation 5 globe 7 goal 4 grade 7 grant 4 guarantee 7 guideline 8 hence 4 hierarchy 7 highlight 8 hypothesis 4 identical 7 identify 1 ideology 7 ignorance 6 illustrate 3 image 5 immigrate 3 impact 2 implement 4 implicate 4 implicit 8 imply 3 impose 4 incentive 6 incidence 6 incline 10 income 1 incorporate 6 index 6 indicate 1 individual 1 induce 8 inevitable 8 infer 7 infrastructure 8 inherent 9 inhibit 6 initial 3 initiate 6 injure 2 innovate 7 input 6 insert 7 insight 9 inspect 8 instance 3 institute 2 instruct 6 integral 9 integrate 4 integrity 10 intelligence 6 intense 8 interact 3 intermediate 9 internal 4 interpret 1 interval 6 intervene 7 intrinsic 10 invest 2 investigate 4 invoke 10 involve 1 isolate 7 issue 1 item 2 job 4 journal 2 justify 3 label 4 labour 1 layer 3 lecture 6 legal 1 legislate 1 |
levy 10 liberal 5 licence 5 likewise 10 link 3 locate 3 logic 5 maintain 2 major 1 manipulate 8 manual 9 margin 5 mature 9 maximise 3 mechanism 4 media 7 mediate 9 medical 5 medium 9 mental 5 method 1 migrate 6 military 9 minimal 9 minimise 8 minimum 6 ministry 6 minor 3 mode 7 modify 5 monitor 5 motive 6 mutual 9 negate 3 network 5 neutral 6 nevertheless 6 nonetheless 10 norm 9 normal 2 notion 5 notwithstanding 10 nuclear 8 objective 5 obtain 2 obvious 4 occupy 4 occur 1 odd 10 offset 8 ongoing 10 option 4 orient 5 outcome 3 output 4 overall 4 overlap 9 overseas 6 panel 10 paradigm 7 paragraph 8 parallel 4 parameter 4 participate 2 partner 3 passive 9 perceive 2 percent 1 period 1 persist 10 perspective 5 phase 4 phenomenon 7 philosophy 3 physical 3 plus 8 policy 1 portion 9 pose 10 positive 2 potential 2 practitioner 8 |
precede 6 precise 5 predict 4 predominant 8 preliminary 9 presume 6 previous 2 primary 2 prime 5 principal 4 principle 1 prior 4 priority 7 proceed 1 process 1 professional 4 prohibit 7 project 4 promote 4 proportion 3 prospect 8 protocol 9 psychology 5 publication 7 publish 3 purchase 2 pursue 5 qualitative 9 quote 7 radical 8 random 8 range 2 ratio 5 rational 6 react 3 recover 6 refine 9 regime 4 region 2 register 3 regulate 2 reinforce 8 reject 5 relax 9 release 7 relevant 2 reluctance 10 rely 3 remove 3 require 1 research 1 reside 2 resolve 4 resource 2 respond 1 restore 8 restrain 9 restrict 2 retain 4 reveal 6 revenue 5 reverse 7 revise 8 revolution 9 rigid 9 role 1 route 9 scenario 9 schedule 8 scheme 3 scope 6 section 1 sector 1 secure 2 seek 2 select 2 sequence 3 series 4 sex 3 shift 3 significant 1 similar 1 |
simulate 7 site 2 so-called 10 sole 7 somewhat 7 source 1 specific 1 specify 3 sphere 9 stable 5 statistic 4 status 4 straightforward 10 strategy 2 stress 4 structure 1 style 5 submit 7 subordinate 9 subsequent 4 subsidy 6 substitute 5 successor 7 sufficient 3 sum 4 summary 4 supplement 9 survey 2 survive 7 suspend 9 sustain 5 symbol 5 tape 6 target 5 task 3 team 9 technical 3 technique 3 technology 3 temporary 9 tense 8 terminate 8 text 2 theme 8 theory 1 thereby 8 thesis 7 topic 7 trace 6 tradition 2 transfer 2 transform 6 transit 5 transmit 7 transport 6 trend 5 trigger 9 ultimate 7 undergo 10 underlie 6 undertake 4 uniform 8 unify 9 unique 7 utilise 6 valid 3 vary 1 vehicle 8 version 5 via 8 violate 9 virtual 8 visible 7 vision 9 visual 8 volume 3 voluntary 7 welfare 5 whereas 5 whereby 10 widespread 8 |
Coxhead, Averil (2000) A New Academic Word List. TESOL Quarterly,34(2): 213-238.