This C2 list adds the first 50 words at the top of the six-step scale, and it changes what a word has to do. Up to C1 the lists mostly named things and ideas; at C2 the useful words work on stance, register and precision, the words you need to concede a point, doubt a claim or describe a quantity exactly. The fifty below are grouped into five sets of ten, each with its word class and one plain example sentence. If you have not worked through the C1 list yet, start there.
Why these 50 words come next
At C2 the exam and the workplace ask for something beyond a clear argument: a sense of how strongly to claim, how much to concede, and how a sentence will sound to the reader. The sets below follow that order, from argument to judgement, so the list doubles as a writing plan. Many of these words travel in fixed partnerships, which is why they are worth learning as phrases rather than as single items.
Set 1: argument and rhetoric (10 words)
ostensibly (adverb) — The rule was ostensibly about safety.
specious (adjective) — The argument is specious but persuasive.
tendentious (adjective) — The summary was tendentious and selective.
equivocate (verb) — The minister equivocated when pressed for a date.
polemic (noun) — The book is a polemic, not a history.
incontrovertible (adjective) — The photographs are incontrovertible evidence.
conflate (verb) — Commentators conflate two very different problems.
putative (adjective) — The putative author denies writing the letter.
gainsay (verb) — Few would gainsay her judgement.
sophistry (noun) — What sounds like reasoning is pure sophistry.
Set 2: precision and degree (10 words)
nugatory (adjective) — The fine was nugatory, barely a day's pay.
circumscribed (adjective) — Her authority is strictly circumscribed.
unalloyed (adjective) — The welcome was unalloyed.
exiguous (adjective) — The team worked on an exiguous budget.
fulsome (adjective) — The tribute was fulsome and faintly embarrassing.
profligate (adjective) — The spending was profligate by any standard.
tenuous (adjective) — The link between the two events is tenuous.
spurious (adjective) — The report rests on a spurious statistic.
jejune (adjective) — The essay's conclusions are jejune.
infinitesimal (adjective) — The risk is infinitesimal but not zero.
Set 3: clarity and obscurity (10 words)
obfuscate (verb) — The report obfuscates rather than explains.
abstruse (adjective) — The paper is abstruse even for specialists.
recondite (adjective) — He collects recondite facts about railway law.
pellucid (adjective) — A pellucid account of a difficult subject.
laconic (adjective) — Her reply was laconic: "We'll see."
garrulous (adjective) — A garrulous driver filled the journey with stories.
taciturn (adjective) — He was taciturn about his years abroad.
platitude (noun) — The speech was a string of platitudes.
verisimilitude (noun) — The novel carries an air of verisimilitude.
perspicacity (noun) — She judged the market with unusual perspicacity.
Set 4: conduct and character (10 words)
punctilious (adjective) — He is punctilious about dates and titles.
irascible (adjective) — An irascible editor ran the paper.
phlegmatic (adjective) — She stayed phlegmatic through the whole crisis.
mercurial (adjective) — His mercurial temper unsettled the team.
imperious (adjective) — An imperious wave ended the discussion.
obsequious (adjective) — The obsequious waiter hovered at the table.
magnanimous (adjective) — He was magnanimous in victory.
sanctimonious (adjective) — The speech struck a sanctimonious note.
intransigent (adjective) — Both sides remained intransigent.
implacable (adjective) — She was an implacable critic of the plan.
Set 5: judgement and change (10 words)
perfunctory (adjective) — The check was perfunctory.
cursory (adjective) — A cursory glance missed the error.
peremptory (adjective) — The letter had a peremptory tone.
moratorium (noun) — The council declared a moratorium on new licences.
caveat (noun) — One caveat applies to the whole study.
sinecure (noun) — The post was a sinecure.
cabal (noun) — A small cabal controlled the vote.
prescient (adjective) — Her warning proved prescient.
apogee (noun) — The company reached its apogee in 1999.
nadir (noun) — That month was the nadir of his career.
How to learn these 50 words at the C2 level
Ten words a day, one set at a time, is a realistic pace. Read the word, cover the example, and say a sentence of your own about your own work before you check whether the meaning still holds. Then put the word into a partnership, because C2 words rarely travel alone: a specious argument, a tenuous link, an exiguous budget, a perfunctory check. The earlier lists at A1 and B1 worked the same way with plainer words, and the habit matters more than the level. Keep a running page of new words as you meet them and note the sentence you found them in.
How to test yourself on these 50 words
Use two passes. In the first, cover the English and produce the word from the example sentence with one gap. In the second, do the reverse and produce the meaning from the word alone. Only the second pass shows whether the word is available for speech, because recognising a word is far easier than producing it. Words that fail twice go onto a review card with their example sentence, and spaced repetition explains when to look at it again. Teachers who want the sets as a handout will find format notes on the teacher page.
Frequently asked questions
What does C2 level mean in language learning?
C2 is the sixth and highest level on the Common European Framework scale, one step above C1. A learner at C2 can understand with ease almost everything read or heard, summarise information from different sources, and express ideas precisely in complex situations, which is why the vocabulary at this level turns on nuance, register and stance.
How many words do I need at C2?
Receptive estimates run to sixteen thousand word families, but the useful number is smaller. Beyond the eight thousand or so that carry most reading, the gain comes from depth: knowing which partner a word takes and how formal it sounds.
Are these 50 words different from the C1 list?
Yes. The C1 list covered argument, evidence, institutions and description with words such as assert, corroborate and feasible. This list goes further into register and judgement, where a single adjective such as specious or perfunctory does the work of a whole clause.
How should I learn C2 words so they stick?
Learn them in partnerships and in your own sentences rather than as single items. Ten words a day, each used once and reviewed at growing intervals, will hold better than a hundred words read twice.
How can I test myself on these 50 words?
Test production, not recognition. Cover the English, read the example sentence with one gap, and say the missing word before you check. Do the same pass again three days later and keep only the failures on your review card.
Author & review
Author: our editorial team, which prepares the practice content and worksheet data.
Review: character forms, stroke order and pronunciation data are checked against standard references; every example is human-reviewed before publishing.
Nature of the content: these are practice aids for parents and teachers — not a substitute for classroom teaching or professional advice.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-13 · re-reviewed quarterly and within 7 days of significant changes.
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