How many words do you need for B1?

What you can do at B1

You understand the main points of clear speech and texts on familiar topics such as work, school and leisure. You can handle most situations while travelling, talk about events, plans and dreams in a connected way and briefly explain your opinion.

Which words to learn for B1

• Work and study
• Travel: hotels, tickets, complaints
• Feelings and opinions
• News and events
• Plans and dreams
• Linking words: although, however, therefore

Start with the most frequent words in these topics: they show up in every text and conversation and give you the most value.

How long it takes to reach B1

At 10 new words a day you build an B1 vocabulary in about 11 months, at 20 words a day in about 5.5 months. What matters is that the words stay: that is what spaced repetition is for.

According to Cambridge English, reaching B1 from zero takes about 350–400 guided learning hours. It is a guideline: daily practice on your own makes the path shorter.

→ How long does it take to learn a language to B1 and B2?

How to move to the next level

More real conversation: discuss topics, give and support your opinion. Learn set phrases and phrasal verbs, and read graded news.

How to build an B1 vocabulary in NewLexi

• Cards on request. Ask the app to generate “B1 words for travel and work”, and NewLexi builds cards for your level.
• A daily plan. Every day a portion of new words and reviews of the ones due, with no overload.
• Context. B1 stories and dialogues are written just for you from your words, so they move into your active vocabulary.

FAQ

How many words do you need for B1?

About 2,750–3,250 words (Milton and Alexiou, 2009). These are words you recognise when reading; your active vocabulary is usually smaller.

How long does it take to learn B1 vocabulary?

About 11 months at 10 new words a day, or about 5.5 months at 20 words a day, if you review them with spaced repetition.

Sources

1. Milton, J., & Alexiou, T. (2009). Vocabulary size and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In Vocabulary Studies in First and Second Language Acquisition (pp. 194–211). Palgrave Macmillan. doi.org/10.1057/9780230242258_12
2. Cambridge English. Guided learning hours. support.cambridgeenglish.org/hc/en-gb/articles/202838506-Guided-learning-hours
3. Council of Europe. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): global scale. www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/table-1-cefr-3.3-common-reference-levels-global-scale