100 Words Every High School Freshman Should Know

Does your vocabulary measure up? A confident command of a growing vocabulary is one of the best indicators of achievement in school.

Freshmen encounter many new things in high school—new teachers, new friends, new subjects, new responsibilities—and all are important to personal growth and success. But among the most challenging of these new experiences is the rapid growth of vocabulary, which will become increasingly sophisticated and complex in the years ahead. The best way to start high school is to be well prepared, and what better way to prepare than to have a varied and versatile vocabulary?

Knowing These Words Makes The Going Much Easier

Building on the success of the popular 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know, the editors of the American Heritage® Dictionaries are pleased to introduce this list of words geared toward the reading level expected of high school freshmen. With its attractive format and thoughtful word selection, 100 Words Every High School Freshman Should Know will spur students to add new words to their vocabularies as they make the important transition from middle school to high school. The words present challenges of spelling, meaning, and usage. They are words that students will see regularly both in their high school reading and in their later entry into the adult world. To learn them is a step into a broader world.

100 Words Every High School Freshman Should Know published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.