CELPIP Vocabulary List: 30 Words in Test-Style Audio

Most CELPIP vocabulary lists are silent. You get a page of synonyms and idioms, but you never hear the words the way the Listening test plays them, inside a full sentence and only once.

This list has sound. We took 30 words and phrases from Celpify's free Test 1 and cut a short clip of the sentence where each one is used. Most come from Listening Parts 1, 2, 4 and 6. The rest come from the model answers on our CELPIP speaking test sample. Each of the 30 CELPIP vocabulary words has a plain meaning and a tag for the part or task where you hear it. Play the clip, then say the sentence out loud yourself.

Two things to know before you press play. These clips are Celpify practice material written in the CELPIP format, not words copied from the real test. And the voices are AI-generated, so use them as clear practice audio rather than as a model of a Canadian accent.

If you were looking for a CELPIP vocabulary PDF, this sheet does the same job with no sign-up. Open the full-size sheet, then print it on one letter-size page or save it to your phone. Tick a word once you can use it in a sentence of your own.

CELPIP's performance standards for Speaking and Writing list the same four factors under Vocabulary: word choice, suitable use of words and phrases, range of words and phrases, and precision and accuracy. The guiding question is short: "What is the range of your vocabulary and can you use it naturally?"

Notice the word naturally. A rare word in the wrong place costs you on suitable use and on precision. A common word used exactly right helps on both. The official Writing study pack says a Level 9 writer can "choose words and phrases to provide accurate details, descriptions, and comparisons." Accurate, not fancy.

Swaps that sound clever but go wrong

On October 12, 2026, Google's AI summary for "celpip vocabulary" suggested upgrades like the ones below. Each one changes the meaning, or makes the tone far too formal for a friendly email or a spoken answer.

Which words should you learn, then? Good vocabulary for CELPIP is mostly ordinary words used precisely. The 30 below are what speakers in test-style audio actually say, and you can use any of them in your own answers without sounding like a thesaurus.

Several of these double as CELPIP writing vocabulary. Test 1's Writing Task 1 asks you to complain about a laptop that is "still unusable" after "two follow-up emails," with nobody offering "a replacement or a refund." Unusable, defect and apply a discount would all fit in that email. For openers, purpose statements and sign-offs, see our CELPIP Writing Task 1 vocabulary guide.

Listen for "I should have mentioned this earlier." It's the moment the plan changes, and Question 2 in Test 1 depends on it: the man is interested, but he has a family obligation. If you only noted the times and the trail names, you'd miss it.

Everyday Canadian terms such as health card and stat holiday have their own page, along with notes on the accent and on spelling: Canadian English for CELPIP: Accent and Spelling Guide.

These clips are single sentences from the report. To hear the whole Part 4 news item and answer its questions, along with Parts 5 and 6, try our CELPIP listening practice for Parts 4 to 6.

The official Listening study pack says the Part 6 speaker "will use low-frequency and specialized language," and it tells you to "identify who is mentioned, what their opinions are, and why." In Test 1, supporters, critics and researchers each get a turn. Treat those words as signposts and note who holds which view.

In Speaking Task 7, "Of course, I understand that…" does a different job. It admits the other side's point before you come back to yours, so your opinion sounds fair instead of stubborn.

The official Listening study pack is blunt about this: "You should never expect the correct answer choice, or any answer choice, to be stated in the exact same words that were said in the audio clip." In the animation, "about five minutes" becomes "quick" and "lookout" becomes "viewpoint." In the Part 6 example, a number turns into a description: "below one percent" becomes "extremely scarce."

We write Celpify's listening questions the same way, so the right option usually restates the idea instead of repeating it. That should change how you study CELPIP listening vocabulary. Learn words in pairs: when lookout goes into your notebook, viewpoint goes next to it. And practise turning numbers and details into describing words, because answer options often do exactly that.

The same pack backs the audio approach on this page. It tells you to "use the Listening transcripts as sources of new vocabulary," keep a vocabulary journal, and "listen to how the speaker says it in the audio." The Reading pack gives the same advice for reading passages, which is where the CELPIP reading vocabulary on the printable sheet comes from: public alert, non-refundable and handoffs are all from Test 1's reading texts. For more on the listening side, see our CELPIP listening tips, or try a full part in the CELPIP listening sample test.

Each label puts something you can see together with what's happening: He's leaning over a colleague's desk. Someone is making coffee in the kitchenette. That's most of what Speaking Task 3, Describing a Scene, asks for. Start with the place in one sentence, then move across the picture in an order a listener can follow, left to right or front to back.

Task 4 uses the same picture but asks what will happen next, so the verbs change. In our Task 4 model answer, the pair at the whiteboard will probably call the rest of the team over, and the man on the phone will hang up and hurry over.

Don't memorize a block of picture phrases to recite on test day. A label only helps if that thing is in the picture you get, and celpip.ca warns that memorized or copied content can get test results invalidated. Use the labels to build up your words, then describe the picture in front of you.