What To Do When You Don’t Know Some Words in IELTS Reading 🤯📚

Not knowing some words in IELTS Reading is a nightmare.

Has this ever happened to you? You’re reading an IELTS passage, and suddenly… BAM! A word you’ve never seen before jumps out at you. 😱

Don’t worry, you’re not alone! It’s happened to me too (many times, actually 😅). The truth is, we don’t know all the words in the world , and we don’t have to.

Let me be real with you:

IELTS reading passages are long and often too complex for most people, especially if English isn’t your first language. And that’s okay!

It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get the band score you need.

So… Do You Need to Understand Every Word?

Nope! ❌

I used to believe I needed to understand every single word to answer questions correctly. Every time I saw a word I didn’t know, I’d panic. 🫣 I’d start overthinking it and waste time trying to figure it out.

Guess what happened next?
I ran out of time and missed easy points 😩.

Here’s the Good News ✨

You don’t need to understand every word to get the right answers.
What you do need is a strategy!

Next time you see a strange word, don’t stop.
👉 Look at the words around it.
👉 Read the sentence before and after.
This will help you guess what the unknown word might mean, or at least understand the overall idea of the sentence.

Because honestly, some words don’t even have an exact meaning in any language! 🤷‍♀️

Focus on Meaning, Not Vocabulary Lists 🧠🔍

Don’t waste your energy trying to understand one weird word.
Instead, ask yourself:

What is the sentence trying to say?
Can I get the main idea without knowing that word?

If yes, move on and save your time ⏳!

Let’s Practice Together! 💬🎯

I’ve prepared a short passage that includes a word from another language. I’m pretty sure you won’t know it 😉. But try to guess the meaning using the context!

Passage: The journey was yugstaré. The travelers were exhausted. They and let me know your guess in the comments!

I’ll reply and tell you if you’re right. Let’s have some fun with this! 🎉

Not knowing some words in IELTS Reading isn’t the end of the game. You can still guess their meanings.

Ready to Master IELTS Reading? 🚀

Don’t forget I’ve created Everything IELTS preparation plans to support you all the way. You’ll get:
✅ Unlimited feedback
✅ Practice tests
✅ Study plans
…and so much more!

But first, why not start with a free practice test?
👉 Take the free test now

Have fun learning!

Book your IELTS exam 👉 The Official Website of IELTS