Technology Vocabulary
This page collects 90 English technology words. Every word comes with a real photo, pronunciation audio, a clear meaning and an example sentence, so you can see and hear each word in context. Each card links to the daily lesson where the word was taught, so you can read the full conversation and practice shadowing.
Words are grouped by topic: Devices & Computers (46 words), Smartphones & Apps (3 words), Internet & Social Media (13 words), AI & Automation (17 words), Online Privacy & Security (10 words) and More Technology Vocabulary (1 word). They cover all six CEFR levels, from beginner words like charger, computer, mouse to advanced words like automation, deepfake, agentic. Use the audio on each card to check your pronunciation, then test yourself with the quiz below.
Quiz: Test Yourself
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check your score.
Q1. Which word means 'a cable that puts power into your phone or computer'?
Q2. Which word means 'a document, photo, or video saved on a computer'?
Q3. Which word means 'the process of becoming outdated and no longer useful'?
Q4. Which word means 'a fast way to do something on a computer or phone'?
Q5. Which word means 'a way to connect to the internet without a cable'?
Q6. What is this?
Q7. What is this?
Q8. What is this?
Q9. What is this?
Q10. What is this?
Devices & Computers (46 words)
A1
charger noun · A1
CHAHR-juhr
a cable that puts power into your phone or computer
Where is my phone charger?
computer noun · A1
kuhm-PYOO-tuhr
a big machine for work, games, and the internet
My father works on his computer.
mouse noun · A1
MOWS
a small thing you move with your hand to control a computer
Click with the mouse.
phone noun · A1
FOHN
a thing you use to call and talk to people
I call my mother on my phone.
screen noun · A1
SKREEN
the front part of a phone or computer that shows pictures
Look at the big screen!
A2
charge verb · A2
CHARJ
to put electricity into a phone or other device
I charge my phone every night.
keyboard noun · A2
KEY-board
the set of keys you press to write on a computer
The keys on my keyboard are big and easy to press.
laptop noun · A2
LAP-top
a small computer you can carry with you
He opens his laptop every morning.
B1
backup noun · B1
BAK-up
a saved copy of your files that keeps them safe if you lose them
I keep a backup of my photos in the cloud.
battery noun · B1
BAT-uh-ree
the part of a device that stores power
My phone battery dies quickly in cold weather.
camera noun · B1
KAM-ruh
a tool for taking photos and videos
The camera on this phone takes very clear photos.
click verb · B1
KLIK
to press a button on a mouse or a phone to choose something
Click the green button to start the video.
data noun · B1
DAY-tuh
information that computers store and use
Our data shows that most people learn faster with pictures.
device noun · B1
duh-VYCE
a small machine such as a phone, tablet, or laptop
He owns five different devices.
file noun · B1
FYLE
a document, photo, or video saved on a computer
I saved the report as a file on my laptop.
gadget noun · B1
GA-jit
a small clever machine or tool
He bought a new gadget that opens the door with his voice.
smart adjective · B1
SMAHRT
for machines: able to work alone and connect to the internet
My smart speaker plays music when I say a word.
software noun · B1
SOFT-wair
the programs and apps that run on a computer
This photo software is free to download.
speaker noun · B1
SPEE-kur
a device that plays sound loudly
We connected a speaker and danced in the living room.
update verb · B1
up-DAYT
to make an app or program newer by adding the latest changes
You should update your apps every month.
B2
compatible adjective · B2
kuhm-PAT-uh-buhl
able to work well together
This charger is compatible with most phones.
crash verb · B2
KRASH
when an app or computer suddenly stops working
The app crashed while I was writing a message.
delete verb · B2
dih-LEET
to remove a file, photo, or app from your device
I deleted ten old photos to free up space.
drone noun · B2
DROHN
a small aircraft that flies without a pilot
A drone flew over the beach and took amazing videos.
feature noun · B2
FEE-chur
a special part or ability of a product or app
The best feature of this phone is its camera.
glitch noun · B2
GLICH
a small, temporary technical problem
The video froze because of a small glitch in the app.
install verb · B2
in-STAWL
to put an app or program onto your device so you can use it
I need to install the new version of this game.
interface noun · B2
IN-ter-face
the screen or control system you use to operate a device or app
This app has a clean interface that is easy to navigate.
intuitive adjective · B2
in-TOO-uh-tiv
easy to understand without explanation
The new interface is so intuitive that no manual is needed.
malfunction verb · B2
mal-FUHNGK-shuhn
to stop working correctly
The printer malfunctioned during the meeting.
obsolete adjective · B2
ob-suh-LEET
no longer useful because something newer exists
Fax machines are almost obsolete now.
prototype noun · B2
PROH-tuh-type
an early test model of a product
The company built a prototype of the new phone before production.
scroll verb · B2
SKROHL
to move a page up or down on a screen with your finger
He scrolled through the news on his phone.
seamless adjective · B2
SEEM-liss
smooth and continuous, with no problems or breaks
The app offers a seamless connection between your phone and laptop.
sensor noun · B2
SEN-sur
a small device that detects changes like heat, light, or movement
The sensor turns the lights on when you enter the room.
shortcut noun · B2
SHORT-kut
a fast way to do something on a computer or phone
Learn the keyboard shortcuts to work faster.
swipe verb · B2
SWAYP
to move your finger across a screen to move something or change pages
Swipe left to see the next photo.
troubleshoot verb · B2
TRUH-buhl-shoot
to find and fix problems with a machine or system
She troubleshot the broken Wi-Fi and fixed it in ten minutes.
upgrade verb · B2
up-GRADE
to make a device or system newer or better
I want to upgrade my phone to a faster model.
virtual adjective · B2
VUR-choo-uhl
not physically real but appearing real on a screen
We had a virtual meeting with our team in London.
wearable noun · B2
WEH-ruh-buhl
a small electronic device you wear on your body
His new wearable tracks his heart rate during workouts.
wireless adjective · B2
WYUR-luhs
connecting without wires, through the air
These wireless headphones are very comfortable.
C1
interoperability noun · C1
in-ter-op-ruh-buh-BIH-luh-tee
the ability of different systems to work together
Interoperability lets you message friends who use a completely different app.
obsolescence noun · C1
ob-suh-LEH-suhns
the process of becoming outdated and no longer useful
Planned obsolescence means your phone feels ancient after just three years.
scalability noun · C1
skay-luh-BIH-luh-tee
the ability of a system to handle growing amounts of work
Scalability is the main reason startups choose cloud servers over their own machines.
telemetry noun · C1
tuh-LEH-muh-tree
the automatic collection of data from remote devices
Modern cars use telemetry to send engine data back to the manufacturer.
Smartphones & Apps (3 words)
A2
app noun · A2
ap
a small program on your phone
I use a weather app every day.
B1
notification noun · B1
noh-tuh-fuh-KAY-shun
a short message from an app that tells you something new
She checks every notification on her phone.
C2
skeuomorph noun · C2
SKYOO-oh-morf
a design detail that copies the look of a real-world object into a digital product
The leather texture on that old calendar app was a skeuomorph meant to comfort paper-and-pen users.
Internet & Social Media (13 words)
A2
download verb · A2
DOWN-load
to get a file or app from the internet onto your phone
I downloaded a new game yesterday.
email noun · A2
EE-mayl
a message you send or receive on the internet
She sent me an email yesterday.
wifi noun · A2
WY-fy
a way to connect to the internet without a cable
Is there free wifi in this cafe?
B1
upload verb · B1
UP-lohd
to send a file from your device to the internet
She uploads her photos to the internet every evening.
B2
attach verb · B2
uh-TACH
to add a file or photo to an email you send
I attached the document to the email.
bandwidth noun · B2
BAND-width
the amount of data an internet connection can carry
Video calls need a lot of bandwidth to run smoothly.
cloud noun · B2
KLAWD
online storage and computing services on the internet
She saved all her photos to the cloud.
stream verb · B2
STREEM
to watch or listen to something on the internet without downloading it first
We streamed a movie last night.
C1
crowdsourcing noun · C1
KROWD-sor-sing
getting work or ideas from a large group of people online
The app improved quickly thanks to crowdsourcing translations from its users.
doomscroll verb · C1
DOOM-skrohl
to keep reading bad news online in a compulsive way
She stayed up until 3 a.m. doomscrolling through disaster headlines.
latency noun · C1
LAY-tun-see
the delay before data or a response arrives in a system
High latency makes video calls freeze and lag.
misinformation noun · C1
mis-in-fer-MAY-shun
false information that spreads, regardless of intent
Misinformation spreads far faster than verified news online.
C2
enshittification noun · C2
en-shit-ih-fih-KAY-shun
the gradual decline of an online platform as it starts prioritizing profit over its users' experience
Once the network effects kicked in, the platform shifted from delighting users to extracting value, a textbook case of enshittification.
AI & Automation (17 words)
B2
algorithm noun · B2
AL-guh-ri-thum
a set of rules a computer follows to solve a problem
The new algorithm recommends videos based on what you watch.
automate verb · B2
AW-tuh-mayt
to make a process run by machines or software without people doing it
The company automated its billing system last year.
autonomous adjective · B2
aw-TAH-nuh-mus
able to work without human control
The autonomous car drove itself through the city.
robot noun · B2
ROH-bot
a machine that can do tasks automatically
A robot delivered the package to our office.
C1
automation noun · C1
aw-tuh-MAY-shuhn
using technology to do tasks without human involvement
Automation has eliminated thousands of repetitive jobs in warehouses.
deepfake noun · C1
DEEP-fayk
a fake video or audio made with AI to look and sound real
Experts worry that deepfakes could undermine trust in video evidence.
C2
agentic adjective · C2
ay-JEN-tik
(of an AI system) able to act independently, pursuing goals and completing tasks on its own
The assistant's agentic capabilities allow it to book flights, file expenses, and chase invoices without being told each step.
hallucination noun · C2
huh-loo-suh-NAY-shun
a confident but completely false output generated by an AI
That chatbot's hallucination about a nonexistent law briefly fooled a busy lawyer.
model collapse noun · C2
MOD-ul kuh-LAPS
the degradation of an AI model that is trained mostly on AI-generated data
If the web fills with synthetic text, future models risk model collapse as they train on their own output.
multimodal adjective · C2
mul-tee-MOH-dul
able to understand and produce several kinds of input at once, such as text, images, and audio
Multimodal models can read a chart, listen to a lecture, and draft a summary in a single pass.
quantization noun · C2
kwon-tih-ZAY-shun
compressing an AI model by using simpler numbers, trading a little accuracy for much smaller size and faster speed
Through quantization, the lab squeezed a flagship model onto a laptop with barely any loss in quality.
singularity noun · C2
sing-gyu-LAR-i-tee
the hypothetical moment when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence
Some futurists predict the singularity will arrive within our lifetime; others call it science fiction.
tokenization noun · C2
toh-kuh-nai-ZAY-shun
the process of splitting text into small pieces (tokens) that a language model can process
Subword tokenization lets models handle rare words gracefully by breaking them into familiar pieces.
vibe coding noun · C2
VYBE KOH-ding
writing software by describing what you want in plain language and letting AI generate the code
Vibe coding has lowered the barrier to software, though purists still insist on understanding every line.
watermarking noun · C2
WAW-tur-mahr-king
embedding hidden signals in AI-generated content so it can later be identified as machine-made
Watermarking generated text offers regulators a fragile but useful tool for spotting synthetic content.
zero-shot adjective · C2
ZEE-roh-shot
(of a model) able to handle a task it was never explicitly trained to do
Remarkably, the model answered zero-shot, solving tasks it had never seen during training.
Online Privacy & Security (10 words)
A2
password noun · A2
PASS-wurd
secret letters or numbers you use to open an account
Do not tell anyone your password.
B2
biometric adjective · B2
by-oh-MEH-trik
using body features like fingerprints for identification
Many phones use biometric locks such as face recognition.
encryption noun · B2
en-KRIP-shun
the process of coding information so only allowed people can read it
The bank uses strong encryption to protect your data.
malware noun · B2
MAL-wair
harmful software that can damage your device
Antivirus software protects your computer from malware.
phishing noun · B2
FISH-ing
fake messages that try to steal your personal information
He almost clicked a phishing email that looked like it came from his bank.
privacy noun · B2
PRY-vuh-see
the right to keep your personal information safe
You should check your privacy settings on social media.
C1
ransomware noun · C1
RAN-suhm-wair
malicious software that locks files until a payment is made
The hospital's network was paralyzed by a ransomware attack last spring.
surveillance noun · C1
ser-VAY-lunts
close observation of people, especially by authorities
Many citizens are uneasy about the scale of digital surveillance.
C2
panoptic adjective · C2
pan-OP-tik
allowing everything to be seen or watched at once
Smart cities are becoming panoptic environments where cameras track every pedestrian's movement.
sandboxing noun · C2
SAND-box-ing
running software in an isolated, controlled environment to test it without risk
The team tests every suspicious attachment by sandboxing it on an isolated virtual machine.
More Technology Vocabulary (1 word)
B2
breakthrough noun · B2
BRAYK-throo
an important discovery or development
The vaccine was a major breakthrough in medicine.
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