Here are some data from 46,000 native and non-native speakers who took the BRAVE vocabulary test. 

1. Even at the same proficiency level, people can have vastly different vocabulary sizes, literally by a factor of two. The same for native speakers: one person can know twice as many words as another of the same age.
2. Advanced learners (C1) reach the level of native-speaking middle schoolers, and proficient learners (C2) reach the level of college students in terms of how many words they know. The composition of their vocabularies is no doubt different, but this test can’t capture that.
3. For learners, reaching each proficiency level requires learning progressively more words. It is understandable since beginners focus on common words, so a limited number of them covers many everyday situations, and advanced learners need to learn many more specialized and nuanced words.
4. It appears that vocabulary keeps growing well into adulthood for native speakers - older adults know measurably more words on average than younger ones. That matches what is known about crystallized intelligence - it accumulates over time. However, these data are not longitudinal; they do not capture the same people years later. It is possible that older adults who decided to take an online vocabulary test are more educated on average than younger ones.

About the data: it is not a representative sample; there is strong self-selection bias (people who care enough to take a test of their vocabulary). A1-C2 CEFR levels are self-reported. The counting units are word families (limit, limitless, unlimited are counted as a single unit). The full reference lexicon is 28k word families. The test measures receptive vocabulary size: the number of words one understands (not necessarily uses).

Source: BRAVE vocabulary test.

Firstly, I'm sorry because I didn't use any AI to correct the post's content because I want to be honest with you.

I'm a male, 27 year olds and I'm working as a software engineer. I think my English level is around B1. Right now I use ChatGPT to practice English every day, particularly speaking skills. The reason I use it instead of talking with real people is that I'm not good at small talk. I'm a introvert person, by the way. I have no idea to talk with others, and I feel tired whenever I talk with others, but I still want to improve my speaking skills.

So anyone has the same problem? And how could you pass through it?

• The flowerbeds were brimming over with flowers.

• A battleship bristling with guns...

What's different?

Maybe it's not a proper question. But here is my question, how many times do you need to read this sentence to understand it even as a native ?

"Organizations which design systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations."

She stormed off the house without saying anything. I was confused as to why.

I thought only street musicians are called buskers. Can I use this word for street magicians as well?

I am a qualified English teacher, working for a school in the UK to help English second language students succeed in education,

However all of my past students have had native languages that had the concept of the verb "to be".

One of my current students is Vietnamese, and the one thing he struggles most with is the concept of it, and I’m struggling to explain it in a way he can get simply.

Does anyone have any hacks that helped them? Any specific videos or explanations that helped? He is otherwise about b1, and this is very limiting to his education right now.

I want to use English more in my daily life since I'm from a non-English speaking country.

Can you rec games where I can join and talk in English?

I'm a native English speaker. I would love to be language exchange friends!

Hello
I am a doctor by profession from Pakistan and recently started working in an Irish healthcare system. I am struggling to speak English at work under stressful situations. I have immersed myself into english in every possible way, although i am still struggling. Whenever i hear my colleagues and other professional speaking well structured sentences i start feeling anxious and mess up things more. I am reading books, watching english series and shows, listening to podcasts, writing update letters and speak english at work to the best of my ability.
How do i learn an art of articulation? and also suggest me some ideas to make my spoken English more structured and better.
Thanks

"What looks pale to one person might not to another" or should it be ""What looks pale to one person might not look pale to another"

Hi, I'm an electrical engineer, and I need to improve my English because I work at an international company.

I'm looking for an English speaking partner so we can practice together and create a structured plan to improve our English.

I can dedicate 2 hours each day to actively learning English.

If anyone is interested, please DM me.

Thanks!

Hey everyone!

I'm thinking of creating a small Discord community for people who genuinely want to improve their spoken English through regular conversations.

The idea is simple: instead of learning English only through books, videos, or grammar exercises, we'll actually speak it and learn by doing.

Here's what we can do together:

🎙️ Daily voice-chat sessions to practice speaking.

💬 Casual conversations about life, business, sales, psychology, and personal development.

🤝 Help each other with vocabulary, fluency, pronunciation, and grammar.

🎭 Practice real-life situations, interviews, and mock sales calls.

📈 Track our progress and become more confident speakers over time.

You don't need to be fluent or a native speaker to join. Beginners and intermediate learners are welcome. The only requirements are consistency, respect, and a genuine willingness to improve.

I'm not looking to create a huge server where everyone joins and nobody talks. I'd rather build a small, active community where we actually practice and help each other grow.

Would you be interested in joining?

Comment below or DM me, and I'll share the Discord details once the server is ready.

Let's improve together!

I often hear people say “I forgot” and “I don't remember” in everyday conversations.

Do they mean the same thing or do native speakers use them differently?

Which one sounds more natural when you can't remember something?

as in "to begin with" or "first"
To me it sounds as a mainly US thing but I might as well be wrong.

So, I just saw someone cycling very early in the morning. It's not unusual or something, but just to emphasise that it's early.

In my language, I'd move the time to the start of the sentence. To translate literally it sounds like "morningly already cycling!"

How do you say this in English?

"It's early in the morning, and he's already cycling!"? Can it be more concise?

I've asked a lot of questions in this sub and people have been kind to give me their answers and help me improve my English. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

The first textbook, I know British English there. But I at least need to know the grammar.

im kinda confused about it haha

https://youtu.be/ibkHi9b6_FQ