A common misconception among parents is that 11+ vocabulary is simply a list of "hard" words. But difficulty is highly subjective. In reality, exam boards curate their tests using a very specific vocabulary landscape—one that modern children rarely navigate naturally.
Even if your 10-year-old is a voracious reader who devours modern, high-quality middle-grade fiction, they are likely missing out on hundreds of critical words. Why? Because the language of everyday conversation and modern publishing has shifted dramatically from the texts favoured by grammar school examiners.
Bridge your child's vocabulary gap
Test their understanding of the classic and formal words used in highly selective 11+ entrance exams.
Start 10 free words todayThe "Classic Literature" Gap
11+ exam providers like GL Assessment, CSSE, and highly selective independent schools frequently pull their reading comprehension passages from 19th and early 20th-century literature. Texts by Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, and Dodie Smith are staples of the exam room.
As a result, the vocabulary tested is rooted in a bygone era. A modern child will say "woods", but an 11+ exam will say "copse" or "thicket". A modern child will say "noise", but an examiner will use "din", "cacophony", or "clamour".
Tutors know a word is an 11+ word when it falls into one of four distinct categories that modern 10-year-olds no longer absorb naturally.
The 4 Types of 11+ Words
1. The Antiquated & Historical
These are words tied to past societal structures, fashion, or older British colloquialisms. While they appear frequently in classic texts, they have largely vanished from modern children's media.
- Parlour / Scullery: Rooms in an older house.
- Frock / Breeches: Clothing items.
- Morsel: A small piece of food.
- Shilling / Farthing: Historical currency.
2. The Hyper-Descriptive (Nuanced Emotion & Action)
Modern fast-paced fiction often relies on dialogue to move the plot forward. Classic descriptive fiction relies heavily on nuanced adverbs and precise emotional adjectives. Examiners love these because they test exactness.
- Instead of walking, a character will saunter, trudge, or amble.
- Instead of being angry, a character will be indignant, livid, or irate.
- Instead of being sad, a character will be melancholy, despondent, or pensive.
3. The Formal & Abstract
These words frequently appear in the non-fiction, journalistic, or scientific passages often used in exams to test a child's ability to handle mature, academic writing.
- Inevitable: Certain to happen; unavoidable.
- Subsequent: Coming after something in time.
- Abundant / Scant: Large vs. small quantities.
- Omit: To leave out or exclude.
4. The Deceptive Homonyms
Some of the most challenging 11+ words are the ones your child thinks they already know. Examiners intentionally use multiple-meaning words to catch out candidates who only know a single, modern definition.
- Grave: To a modern child, a burial place. To an examiner, it means serious or solemn (e.g., a grave mistake).
- Tender: To a child, it means gentle. To an examiner, it can mean to offer as payment (e.g., legal tender).
- Bound: To a child, it means tied up. To an examiner, it can mean leaping forward (e.g., the dog bounded away) or heading toward a destination (e.g., homeward bound).
How 11+ Vocab Trainer Targets These Words
We analysed decades of past papers, familiarisation booklets, and classic texts to build a database of over 1,900 verified 11+ words. We removed the everyday words children already know, and isolated the specific, antiquated, and nuanced vocabulary they actually need for exam day.
By bringing these words out of classic 19th-century novels and into a fast, engaging, spaced-repetition app, we help modern children build the rich vocabulary required to conquer selective grammar school exams.