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ISEE Primary Level Vocabulary

For students applying to grades 2–4.

What the test asks, 100 words to know, and how to study the rest.

How the Primary Level tests vocabulary

The Primary levels — Primary 2, 3 and 4, for students applying to grades 2, 3 and 4 — have no separate vocabulary section. Unlike the Lower, Middle and Upper Levels, there is no Verbal Reasoning section with synonym questions. Vocabulary is tested inside the Reading section, where some questions ask what a word means in the passage. A child who knows the word, and can tell its meaning from the sentence, answers those quickly and has more time for the rest of the passage.

Primary Level words are the vocabulary of early chapter books and grade-school lessons: “ability”, “absorb”, “abnormal”. They name everyday actions, feelings and qualities — words a young reader meets in a story or a science lesson and needs to understand from the sentence around them.

ISEE Primary Level vocabulary list: 100 words

A sample from the Primary list (the “Basic” level in the app and on this site), each with a definition and an example sentence. Every word links to its own page with pronunciation, synonyms, translations and a practice question.

 or save it as a PDF from the print dialog.

  1. absolute — adj. complete or total
    There was absolute silence in the room.
  2. academic — adj. related to education or scholarly activities
    She has a strong academic background.
  3. achieve — v. to successfully reach a goal, often through effort
    She worked hard to achieve her goal.
  4. agility — n. the ability to move quickly and easily
    The dancer showed amazing agility on stage.
  5. animal — n. a living organism that feeds on organic matter
    The zoo has many kinds of animals.
  6. argue — v. to give reasons for or against something
    The siblings argue about small things.
  7. attention — n. the act of focusing on something or someone
    Please pay attention during the lecture.
  8. beg — v. to ask for something earnestly
    The child begged his mother for a puppy.
  9. cancel — v. to decide that something will not happen
    They had to cancel the trip due to rain.
  10. care — n. the process of protecting someone or something
    She takes good care of her plants.
  11. choir — n. a group of people who sing together, especially in a church
    The school choir performed beautifully.
  12. cloudy — adj. covered with or characterized by clouds
    It was too cloudy to see the stars.
  13. collection — n. a group of things gathered together
    She has a large collection of books.
  14. communicate — v. to share information
    It's important to communicate your feelings.
  15. completely — adv. totally; fully
    The room was completely empty.
  16. concurrent — adj. happening at the same time
    He is taking two concurrent courses this term.
  17. condemnation — n. the expression of very strong disapproval
    The attack drew condemnation from world leaders.
  18. considerable — adj. large in size, amount, or degree
    He spent a considerable amount of time on it.
  19. conspiracy — n. a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful
    The movie is about a political conspiracy.
  20. counter-argument — n. an argument made to oppose another argument
    She raised a strong counter-argument in the debate.
  21. credit — n. praise or recognition for something done
    He deserves credit for his hard work.
  22. creepy — adj. causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease
    The old house looked creepy at night.
  23. crossbreed — v. to produce an animal or plant by mating or hybridizing two different species or varieties
    Farmers crossbreed the two plant species.
  24. curt — adj. rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner
    Her curt reply surprised the customer.
  25. disloyal — adj. not loyal or faithful
    They saw him as disloyal to the team.
  26. distrustful — adj. feeling or showing distrust of someone or something
    He is distrustful of strangers.
  27. earth — n. the planet we live on
    The Earth revolves around the sun.
  28. elated — adj. very happy and excited
    He felt elated after winning the award.
  29. elected — adj. chosen by voting
    She was elected as class president.
  30. endless — adj. having no limit or end
    The desert seemed to stretch on endlessly.
  31. eternity — n. time without end
    They promised to love each other for eternity.
  32. expected — adj. regarded as likely to happen
    The train arrived at the expected time.
  33. extent — n. the size or scale of something
    We don't know the full extent of the damage.
  34. fairness — n. the quality of treating people equally or in a way that is right or reasonable
    The judge is known for her fairness.
  35. fanatic — n. a person with extreme enthusiasm for something
    He is a fanatic about collecting comic books.
  36. filled — adj. containing as much as possible
    The box was filled with old books.
  37. finished — adj. completed or done
    The construction is finally finished.
  38. forebear — n. an ancestor
    Her forebears settled in this town centuries ago.
  39. fulfill — v. to achieve or realize something desired or promised
    She worked hard to fulfill her dream.
  40. fundamentally — adv. in a basic and important way
    The two proposals are fundamentally different.
  41. greatest — adj. superlative of great; most excellent or most important
    He is considered the greatest player of his era.
  42. guiding — adj. showing the way by leading or advising
    Honesty is her guiding principle.
  43. humor — n. the quality of being funny or amusing
    He used humor to lighten the mood.
  44. icy — adj. very cold; covered with ice
    The roads were icy after the snowstorm.
  45. inspiration — n. a feeling of enthusiasm you get from someone or something, which gives you new and creative ideas
    Nature is her main source of inspiration.
  46. intensely — adv. with extreme force or strength
    She intensely dislikes loud noises.
  47. lack — v. to be without something
    They failed due to a lack of preparation.
  48. masterful — adj. showing great skill or ability
    She gave a masterful performance on stage.
  49. materialistic — adj. excessively concerned with material possessions
    He is too materialistic to value friendship.
  50. medicine — n. a substance used to treat illness
    Take this medicine twice a day.
  51. memories — n. recollections of past events
    The old photos brought back happy memories.
  52. mixture — n. a combination of different things
    The dessert is a mixture of fruit and cream.
  53. modern — adj. relating to the present or recent times
    The museum has a modern art wing.
  54. numbers — n. mathematical objects used to count, measure, and label
    She is good at working with numbers.
  55. ongoing — adj. continuing; still in progress
    The investigation is still ongoing.
  56. ordered — adj. arranged in a neat or organized way
    The books were neatly ordered on the shelf.
  57. orders — n. instructions or commands
    The soldiers followed their orders exactly.
  58. organization — n. a group of people with a particular purpose
    She works for a charity organization.
  59. penetrating — adj. able to make a way through or into something
    She has a penetrating gaze.
  60. philosopher — n. a person engaged or learned in philosophy
    Socrates was a famous Greek philosopher.
  61. possible — adj. able to be done or achieved
    Is it possible to finish by Friday?
  62. powerless — adj. without ability, influence, or power
    He felt powerless to stop the flood.
  63. present — adj. existing or happening now; n. a gift
    She gave him a present for his birthday.
  64. priceless — adj. so valuable that it cannot be priced
    The museum holds priceless works of art.
  65. quietly — adv. in a way that makes little or no noise
    She closed the door quietly.
  66. quiver — v. to shake slightly
    Her lips quivered as she spoke.
  67. rank — n. a position in a hierarchy
    He holds the rank of captain in the army.
  68. refinement — n. the process of improving something
    The design went through several refinements.
  69. refreshment — n. a light snack or drink
    Light refreshments were served after the meeting.
  70. right — adj. correct or true; in accordance with fact or reality
    You made the right decision.
  71. scorn — n. a feeling that someone or something is not worthy of any respect or approval; v. to show scorn
    She treated his excuse with scorn.
  72. scuffle — n. a short, confused fight or struggle at close quarters; v. to engage in a scuffle
    A scuffle broke out between two players.
  73. shame — n. a feeling of guilt or embarrassment
    She felt shame after losing her temper.
  74. shy — adj. nervous or timid in the company of others
    She is too shy to speak in public.
  75. silent — adj. not making or accompanied by any sound
    The audience remained silent during the speech.
  76. skilled — adj. having the ability to do something well
    They hired a skilled carpenter.
  77. sneering — adj. showing contempt or mocking
    He gave a sneering look at the idea.
  78. soft — adj. easy to press, not hard or firm
    The blanket felt soft and warm.
  79. speaker — n. a person who talks or gives a speech
    The guest speaker gave an inspiring talk.
  80. spicy — adj. having a strong, hot flavor
    This curry is quite spicy.
  81. steer — v. to guide or control the direction of something
    He steered the boat carefully around the rocks.
  82. storm — n. a violent weather condition with strong winds and rain
    A storm knocked down several trees.
  83. strange — adj. unusual or surprising
    He heard a strange noise at midnight.
  84. strike — v. to hit or attack
    Lightning struck the old oak tree.
  85. stubborn — adj. not willing to change one''s mind
    He is too stubborn to admit his mistake.
  86. stubbornness — n. the quality of being unwilling to change one''s mind
    His stubbornness made the negotiation difficult.
  87. sun-powered — adj. using energy from the sun
    They installed sun-powered lights in the garden.
  88. susceptibility — n. the state of being easily affected or influenced
    Age increases susceptibility to certain diseases.
  89. taken — v. past participle of take; to have captured or seized
    The photo was taken last summer.
  90. tap — v. to hit lightly
    She tapped him on the shoulder.
  91. teaching — n. the act of imparting knowledge
    She has a passion for teaching young children.
  92. temporary — adj. lasting for a limited time
    She took a temporary job over the summer.
  93. threaten — v. to say you will harm someone if they do not do what you want
    Dark clouds threatened to bring rain.
  94. tire — v. to become weary or exhausted
    Long hikes tend to tire her quickly.
  95. topple — v. to fall or make something fall over
    The protests toppled the government.
  96. trade — n. the action of buying and selling goods and services
    The two countries signed a trade agreement.
  97. traveling — adj. going from one place to another
    She loves traveling to new countries.
  98. unaware — adj. not knowing or realizing something
    She was unaware of the danger nearby.
  99. unbeatable — adj. impossible to defeat
    The team seemed unbeatable this season.
  100. widely — adv. over a large area or range
    This brand is widely known around the world.

The full Primary list is studied one word at a time: start a study session (choose “Basic”).

How to study Primary Level vocabulary

  • Read together every day and stop at new words: ask what the word means from the sentence before looking it up.
  • Learn each word with its example sentence — Primary questions ask what a word means in a passage, not in isolation.
  • Keep sessions short: ten new words at a time, reviewed the next day, sticks better than a long list once a week.

Practise with flashcards

There are no Primary practice tests on this site — the Primary test has no synonym section to practise. The best practice is the words themselves: start a Basic study session and learn each word with its sentence. When your child moves up to the Lower Level, the ISEE practice tests show the Verbal Reasoning format.

For the whole test — levels, scoring and how to prepare — see the ISEE guide. Other levels: ISEE Lower Level vocabulary · ISEE Middle Level vocabulary · ISEE Upper Level vocabulary.

ISEE Primary Level vocabulary FAQ

What vocabulary is on the ISEE Primary Level?

The ISEE Primary levels, for students applying to grades 2–4, test vocabulary inside the Reading section, through questions about what a word means in a passage; there is no separate synonym section. Primary Level words are the vocabulary of early chapter books and grade-school lessons: “ability”, “absorb”, “abnormal”. They name everyday actions, feelings and qualities — words a young reader meets in a story or a science lesson and needs to understand from the sentence around them.

How long is the ISEE Primary Level Reading section?

Primary 2: 18 questions in 20 minutes (plus a short Auditory Comprehension section). Primary 3: 24 questions in 28 minutes. Primary 4: 28 questions in 30 minutes. Vocabulary questions are part of the Reading section; there is no separate vocabulary section at the Primary levels.

How many words should I study for the ISEE Primary Level?

There is no official ISEE word list. The iSEE Vocab Primary list (called “Basic” in the app) has nearly 2,500 words chosen for this level; students who work through a list of that size, with example sentences, are well prepared for the vocabulary the test uses.

How is the Primary Level different from the Lower Level?

The Lower Level (grades 5–6) adds a separate Verbal Reasoning section with synonym and sentence completion questions; at the Primary levels, vocabulary is tested only through the reading passages.

What is the best way to study ISEE Primary Level vocabulary?

Read together every day and stop at new words: ask what the word means from the sentence before looking it up. Learn each word with its example sentence — Primary questions ask what a word means in a passage, not in isolation. Keep sessions short: ten new words at a time, reviewed the next day, sticks better than a long list once a week.