Most of us use thousands of words every day without giving them a second thought, confident that our vocabulary is pretty solid.
However, while navigating daily conversations is easy enough, it’s a completely different story when you’re forced to dust off the deepest corners of your brain for terms you barely ever see in print. A proper language test doesn’t just check the basics; it throws in obscure definitions, tricky double-meanings, and those rare words that usually only turn up in a high-stakes game of Scrabble.
Each of these questions gives you a short clue and an example sentence. Your job is to work out the word. They start fairly easy and get a bit harder as you go, but nothing so obscure that you’ll throw the quiz across the room. Grab a pen and see how many you can get without peeking at the answers.
1. A bittersweet kind of missing
A warm, fond feeling of missing somewhere or someone from your past, often a bit bittersweet. Walking past her old primary school filled her with a wave of this she hadn’t felt in years.
2. The person who never stops talking
A person who can’t stop talking, usually about nothing much in particular, and tends to dominate the conversation without realising. He’s a proper one of these once you get him going about football, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
3. Beyond just sleepy
A word that means really, properly tired, well past the point of just being a bit sleepy or worn out. After a twelve-hour shift on her feet, she was too this to even think about cooking dinner.
4. Wanting what they’ve got
The uncomfortable feeling of wanting something that somebody else has, whether it’s a possession, a relationship, or a stroke of good luck. A sharp pang of this hit him when he heard his best mate had been promoted again.
5. Pink-cheeked and shy
A word for being shy and a little awkward around new people, often going a bit pink in the face when attention lands on you. He gave this little smile when she told him his speech had been the best of the night.
6. Wisdom from the older generation
A short, well-known saying that passes on a useful bit of life advice, usually handed down through generations. Her gran had one of these for every occasion, and most of them turned out to be right in the end.
7. The art of not giving up
A word that means refusing to give up on something, even when it’s difficult and most people would have packed it in by now. She was nothing if not this, sending follow-up emails until the company finally agreed to an interview.
8. The guilt that lingers
A deep feeling of being sorry for something you’ve said or done, often the kind that sits with you for a while afterwards. He felt a deep sense of this for the way he’d spoken to his mum and rang her first thing the next morning.
9. Always knows everyone’s business
A word for someone who’s nosy, always trying to find out what other people are up to, and usually quick to pass it on. The local one of these had already heard about the divorce before the couple had even told their own children.
10. Picture-postcard pretty
A word that means peaceful, calm, and lovely to look at, usually describing a scene like a quiet village or a sunny meadow. They spent a week in this little cottage in the Cotswolds, with sheep in the field next door.
11. Fancy handwriting as an art form
The art of beautiful, decorative handwriting, often done with a special pen and used for things like wedding invitations. She took this up during lockdown and now does the place cards for everyone’s weddings.
12. On autopilot
A word that means doing something without really thinking, almost on autopilot, the way you might drive a familiar route home. He found chopping vegetables oddly soothing because it was a this task he could do without thinking.
13. Gone before you knew it
A word that means brief and quickly over, often used about moments, feelings, or things that don’t last as long as you’d like. There was a this moment when she thought he might say it back, but then the moment passed.
14. A contradiction that somehow makes sense
A statement that seems to contradict itself at first, but actually makes sense once you stop and think it through properly. It’s a bit of a this that the more you chase happiness, the harder it seems to find.
15. Going off on one
A long, angry speech where someone really lays into a person or an idea, usually going on for far longer than anyone would like. He launched into a full ten-minute one of these about the price of a pint these days.
16. Softening the blow with words
A word for using softer language to avoid saying something harsh, like saying “passed away” instead of “died” or “let go” instead of “sacked.” Calling someone “between jobs” is just a polite one of these for being unemployed.
17. The build-up before the good bit
A word for a strong feeling of excitement and eagerness about something good that’s coming up, the kind that makes the wait feel longer. The this of opening her presents was almost better than the presents themselves.
18. Quietly looking out for other people
A word that means thoughtful and considerate, the sort of person who notices when you’ve had a bad day and quietly tries to help. It was so this of him to remember she didn’t drink coffee and bring her a tea instead.
19. Filling the awkward silence
A word for the small talk people make to fill awkward silences, usually about the weather or what someone did at the weekend. They made awkward this about the weather while they waited for the lift to arrive.
20. The lightbulb moment
A word for a sudden, clever idea or a flash of understanding, often the kind that hits you while you’re doing something completely unrelated. The this for her novel hit her in the middle of doing the washing up.
Answers
1. Nostalgia.
2. Chatterbox.
3. Exhausted.
4. Jealousy (or envy).
5. Bashful.
6. Proverb.
7. Persistent (or perseverance).
8. Remorse.
9. Busybody.
10. Idyllic.
11. Calligraphy.
12. Mindless.
13. Fleeting.
14. Paradox.
15. Rant (or tirade).
16. Euphemism.
17. Anticipation.
18. Considerate (or thoughtful).
19. Chitchat.
20. Inspiration (or epiphany).
How did you do? Anything over 12 and you’re properly good with words. Over 16 and you can fairly call yourself a dictionary genius.
