In this article, you’ll find a list of 95 high-frequency words that are essential for the Michigan English Test (MET). These words form the foundation for success in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, making them key to boosting your overall score.
If you are preparing for the Michigan English Test (MET), vocabulary is one area you can’t afford to overlook.
The exam doesn’t ask you to memorize word lists or give direct vocabulary questions, but every section, be it reading, listening, writing, or speaking, depends heavily on it.
In the reading section, you can’t understand the main idea or tone of a passage if you miss the meaning of key words. In listening, if a single academic term or everyday expression goes over your head, you lose the thread of the conversation.
In writing, limited vocabulary makes your sentences sound basic and repetitive. And in speaking, the right word at the right time is what separates a hesitant answer from a fluent one.
That’s why vocabulary is the foundation of all English proficiency tests, not just the MET. It’s not tested in isolation, but it quietly controls your performance everywhere else. Without it, even strong grammar can’t save you.
How to learn MET vocabulary
You will notice that the words in this article are not arranged in an alphabetical list. That’s deliberate.
Wordlists might look neat, but they’re one of the most inefficient ways of learning vocabulary. They encourage passive habits like rote memorisation and last-minute cramming, which defeats the whole purpose of building real command over language. On the top, the words in wordlists are arranged in alphabetical order which makes them even more difficult to learn.
You might recall the words for a day or two, but they slip out of memory just as quickly because your brain never actually worked with them.
Instead, I insist on an active method of vocabulary learning: learning words in context. Here, the student isn’t spoon-fed the meaning. They have to infer it from the sentence or passage itself, which forces the mind to engage.
This struggle to connect the word with its surrounding clues is what makes it stick. You’re not just memorising a definition, you’re anchoring the word to a situation, a tone, a usage. That’s how vocabulary becomes part of your working language, not just something you’ve read somewhere.
If you want to learn more about this method, be sure to check out this article.
High frequency word list for MET
Here is the list of high-freuqency words for Michigan English Test. The 95 words in this list are chosen at the B1–B2 level because they show up again and again in the day to day scenarios.
1. Lecture: Since many students were talking during class, the teacher gave a lecture [= long talk / formal speech] on the importance of paying attention.
2. Welfare: The government introduced new policies to improve public welfare [= well-being / social care], especially for the poor and elderly.
3. Trigger: The loud noise from the fireworks acted as a trigger [= sudden cause / immediate start] for the dog’s fear.
4. Element: Trust is a key element [= basic part / essential factor] in building strong friendships.
5. Dispose: After finishing the meal, she didn’t know where to dispose [= throw away / get rid of] the plastic container.
6. Guarantee: The company offered a one-year guarantee [= safety promise / sure protection] on all its electronic products.
7. Contribute: Each member of the team had to contribute [= give support / add help] something valuable to the project.
8. Scope: The scope [= range covered / area included] of the research was limited to urban schools.
9. Site: The construction workers reached the building site [= work place / project area] early in the morning.
10. Ongoing: The ongoing [= still happening / continuing now] investigation has not yet revealed any clear answers.
11. Minimize: To minimize [= reduce to least / make smaller] the risks, the company added extra safety checks.
12. Establish: The new leader worked hard to establish [= set up / firmly create] trust among the employees.
13. Proportion: A large proportion [= part of whole / share amount] of the class failed the exam due to poor preparation.
14. Eventual: Despite many failures, his eventual [= final result / ultimate outcome] success inspired everyone.
15. Compensate: The company agreed to compensate [= pay back / make up for] the workers for their extra hours.
16. Exhibit: The museum will exhibit [= show publicly / display clearly] rare paintings from the 18th century.
17. Comprehensive: The teacher prepared a comprehensive [= complete in detail / full coverage] guide for the final exam.
18. Adopt: The family decided to adopt [= take in / legally accept] a child from an orphanage.
19. Primary: Water is our primary [= main need / most important] requirement for survival.
20. Panel: The discussion panel [= expert group / judging board] asked tough questions to the speaker.
21. Culture: Learning about another culture [= shared customs / way of life] helps us understand people better.
22. Apparent: Her sadness was apparent [= clearly seen / easily noticed] even though she tried to smile.
23. Discriminate: It is unfair to discriminate [= treat unfairly / show bias] against someone because of their race.
24. Contract: He signed a work contract [= legal agreement / binding deal] with the company.
25. Ambiguous: The politician gave an ambiguous [= unclear meaning / not certain] answer to avoid criticism.
26. Suspend: The school had to suspend [= stop for time / hold temporarily] classes because of heavy rain.
27. Appropriate: It is not appropriate [= right choice / proper action] to laugh during a serious meeting.
28. Obtain: You must obtain [= get something / receive formally] permission before entering the restricted area.
29. Intelligent: She is an intelligent [= quick learner / smart thinker] student who solves problems easily.
30. Benefit: Regular exercise brings great benefit [= useful help / good advantage] to your health.
31. Discrete: The scientist studied discrete [= separate units / distinct parts] sections of the data.
32. Vehicle: A bicycle is a simple vehicle [= means of transport / moving machine] for short distances.
33. Widespread: The internet has become a widespread [= found everywhere / widely shared] tool of communication.
34. Justify: The lawyer tried to justify [= give reason / prove right] her client’s actions in court.
35. Philosophy: His life philosophy [= guiding belief / way of thinking] is to always stay honest.
36. Coordinate: The volunteers will coordinate [= organize together / work jointly] the event for smooth running.
37. Logic: The student used clear logic [= correct reasoning / sound thinking] to solve the puzzle.
38. Negate: One wrong step can negate [= cancel out / make useless] months of hard work.
39. Initiate: The school decided to initiate [= begin process / start action] a new reading program.
40. Nuclear: The country tested its nuclear [= atomic energy / relating to atoms] technology last year.
41. Ensure: The police worked to ensure [= make certain / guarantee safety] the security of the area.
42. Protocol: The diplomats followed strict protocol [= official rules / set procedure] during the meeting.
43. Dynamic: She has a dynamic [= full of energy / constantly changing] personality that attracts people.
44. Pursue: He wants to pursue [= try for / follow steadily] a career in medicine.
45. Transport: Trucks are used to transport [= carry goods / move items] across long distances.
46. Significant: She worked extra hours because she wanted to make a significant [= very important / meaningful enough] contribution to the project.
47. Approach: Since the traditional solution was failing, the team tried a new approach [= way of doing / method used] that combined science and art.
48. Benefit: Although the medicine tasted bitter, it gave a great benefit [= good advantage / useful help] to his health.
49. Require: Because the law will require [= need from / demand of] new safety checks, factories must update their machines.
50. Achieve: She worked tirelessly at night so that she could achieve [= reach goal / successfully get] her dream of becoming a lawyer.
51. Maintain: Since the bridge is old, the city must maintain [= keep in state / continue having] it regularly to prevent accidents.
52. Identify: The teacher could identify [= recognize clearly / find out] the cheater because his handwriting matched the stolen notes.
53. Specific: Since his answer was vague, the judge asked him to give a specific [= clearly exact / particular detail] reason for his actions.
54. Establish: Because the town lacked a hospital, the government decided to establish [= set up / firmly create] one for public health.
55. Involve: Since the new project will involve [= include in / take part with] many departments, coordination will be difficult.
56. Indicate: The rising prices indicate [= show clearly / point out] that inflation may get worse if no action is taken.
57. Previous: Since the previous [= earlier time / last before] report was incorrect, the scientist submitted a new one.
58. Ensure: Because safety is critical, the engineers must ensure [= make certain / guarantee safety] that all parts are tested.
59. Affect: Since pollution can badly affect [= change strongly / influence badly] children’s health, the government banned burning waste.
60. Aspect: Since honesty is only one aspect [= part of / side of] of character, other values must also be taught.
61. Obtain: Because the library is strict, you must obtain [= get something / receive formally] a card before borrowing books.
62. Consist: Since the course will consist [= be made of / include within] ten lessons, students should prepare for regular tests.
63. Appropriate: Because the meeting was formal, it was not appropriate [= proper choice / right action] for him to wear jeans.
64. Available: Since the teacher is not available [= ready to use / easy to get] today, the class will be postponed.
65. Enable: The new computer system will enable [= make able / allow to] faster work because it processes data quickly.
66. Occur: Accidents often occur [= happen suddenly / take place] when people ignore traffic rules.
67. Evidence: Since the lawyer presented strong evidence [= proof material / clear fact], the judge released the accused.
68. Estimate: Because the cost was high, the builder gave an estimate [= rough guess / approximate cost] before starting the work.
69. Focus: Since exams are near, students must focus [= pay attention / concentrate fully] more on revision than on games.
70. Method: Because the old system was slow, the school tried a new method [= planned way / system used] of teaching.
71. Assume: Since he did not call, I assume [= suppose true / take as fact] that he is busy.
72. Process: Because the process [= official steps / series of actions] is complicated, many people hire lawyers for help.
73. Respond: Since she didn’t respond [= answer back / reply to] to the letter, he thought she was angry.
74. Contrast: Since the wall was painted black, the white curtains stood in contrast [= clear difference / strong opposite] against it.
75. Primary: Because health is a primary [= most important / main need] concern, the doctor advised regular check-ups.
76. Major: Since the storm caused major [= very big / serious large] damage, the city declared an emergency.
77. Similar: Since the brothers wore similar [= almost same / much alike] shirts, nobody could tell them apart.
78. Create: Because she loved art, she wanted to create [= make something / bring into being] a new design for the festival.
79. Concept: Since freedom is a difficult concept [= main idea / general thought], it is explained differently in each culture.
80. Individual: Since every individual [= single person / separate one] is responsible for their actions, the law treats all equally.
81. Factor: Because hard work was the main factor [= main cause / important reason] in his success, people admired his effort.
82. Period: Since the exam lasted for a short period [= length of time / fixed duration], students had to write quickly.
83. Source: Since the river is the source [= starting point / place of origin] of drinking water, it must be kept clean.
84. Role: Since teachers play an important role [= expected duty / given part], they are respected in society.
85. Conclude: Because the facts were clear, the scientist could conclude [= reach decision / decide finally] that the theory was true.
86. Conduct: Since the police must conduct [= carry out / direct officially] an investigation, the case is not yet closed.
87. Vary: Since prices vary [= change often / differ in amount] from shop to shop, buyers look for the cheapest one.
88. Distribute: Because many were hungry, the charity decided to distribute [= hand out / give across] free food.
89. Assess: Since exams are coming, the teacher will assess [= judge value / check quality] the students through tests.
90. Define: Since the word was difficult, the teacher had to define [= explain meaning / give definition] it clearly.
91. Demonstrate: Because the machine was new, the trainer had to demonstrate [= show clearly / explain by doing] how it works.
92. Potential: Since she sings beautifully, she has the potential [= hidden ability / possible strength] to become famous.
93. Context: Since the word is unusual, you must read the context [= surrounding text / situation around] to understand it.
94. Evaluate: Because the project is costly, the manager will evaluate [= judge carefully / check value] its usefulness.
95. Function: Since the function [= proper use / special job] of the lungs is to give oxygen, they are vital to life.
Take away
The Michigan English Test doesn’t test vocabulary as a separate section, but without a solid grasp of high-frequency words, you’ll stumble in every part of the test.
These 95 words aren’t just random; they’re the kind of building blocks that quietly show up again and again. Don’t just memorise them from a list.
See them in context, use them in your own sentences, notice how they shift meaning depending on where they appear. Do that, and you won’t just recognise the words. You’ll own them.
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