Russian Science Vocabulary — Words for Science & Study
Science vocabulary is a quietly easy way into Russian, because so much of it is shared across languages — once you can read the Cyrillic, you'll recognise more than you expect. This page gathers Russian science words: наука (science), химия (chemistry), энергия (energy), атом (atom), each with its English meaning and a button to hear it. For English speakers, two things help. First, the Cyrillic alphabet is the gateway; learn its few dozen letters and words like энергия suddenly read as "energy". Second, Russian stress is unpredictable and unwritten, and it shifts the vowels around it, so even a familiar-looking word can sound different from what you'd guess — the spoken form is the only sure guide. Tap any 🔊 to hear the correct stress and vowels. Read through the table to spot the cognates and practise the letters, then head into the game below, where matching each term as it falls fixes both the meaning and the sound far better than a static list.
Key words explained
- energy энергия The sun provides nearly all our planet's energy.
- light свет Plants need light to grow.
- heat тепло The heat from the fire warmed the whole room.
- cold холод The cold of the mountain air took my breath away.
- force сила It takes a lot of force to move the heavy crate.
- gravity гравитация Gravity pulls everything back toward the ground.
- speed скорость The car picked up speed on the open road.
- weight вес The bridge can support a surprising amount of weight.
All 90 Russian science words
| English | Pronunciation | Russian | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| energy | /ˈɛnərdʒi/ | энергия | |
| light | /laɪt/ | свет | |
| heat | /hiːt/ | тепло | |
| cold | /koʊld/ | холод | |
| force | /fɔːrs/ | сила | |
| gravity | /ˈɡrævɪti/ | гравитация | |
| speed | /spiːd/ | скорость | |
| weight | /weɪt/ | вес | |
| size | /saɪz/ | размер | |
| shape | /ʃeɪp/ | форма | |
| mass | /mæs/ | масса | |
| pressure | /ˈprɛʃər/ | давление | |
| temperature | /ˈtɛmpərətʃər/ | температура | |
| liquid | /ˈlɪkwɪd/ | жидкость | |
| solid | /ˈsɑːlɪd/ | твёрдое тело | |
| gas | /ɡæs/ | газ | |
| atom | /ˈætəm/ | атом | |
| cell | /sɛl/ | клетка | |
| planet | /ˈplænɪt/ | планета | |
| space | /speɪs/ | космос | |
| earth | /ɜːrθ/ | Земля | |
| universe | /ˈjuːnɪvɜːrs/ | вселенная | |
| element | /ˈɛlɪmənt/ | элемент | |
| chemical | /ˈkɛmɪkəl/ | химическое вещество | |
| reaction | /riˈækʃən/ | реакция | |
| DNA | /ˌdiːɛnˈeɪ/ | ДНК | |
| evolution | /ˌɛvəˈluːʃən/ | эволюция | |
| fossil | /ˈfɑːsəl/ | ископаемое | |
| microscope | /ˈmaɪkrəskoʊp/ | микроскоп | |
| telescope | /ˈtɛlɪskoʊp/ | телескоп | |
| electricity | /ɪˌlɛkˈtrɪsɪti/ | электричество | |
| magnet | /ˈmæɡnɪt/ | магнит | |
| wave | /weɪv/ | волна | |
| radiation | /ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃən/ | излучение | |
| nuclear | /ˈnuːkliər/ | ядерный | |
| particle | /ˈpɑːrtɪkəl/ | частица | |
| friction | /ˈfrɪkʃən/ | трение | |
| laser | /ˈleɪzər/ | лазер | |
| organism | /ˈɔːrɡənɪzəm/ | организм | |
| species | /ˈspiːʃiːz/ | вид | |
| gene | /dʒiːn/ | ген | |
| bacteria | /bækˈtɪriə/ | бактерия | |
| virus | /ˈvaɪrəs/ | вирус | |
| blood | /blʌd/ | кровь | |
| oxygen | /ˈɑːksɪdʒən/ | кислород | |
| carbon | /ˈkɑːrbən/ | углерод | |
| molecule | /ˈmɑːlɪkjuːl/ | молекула | |
| acid | /ˈæsɪd/ | кислота | |
| mixture | /ˈmɪkstʃər/ | смесь | |
| galaxy | /ˈɡæləksi/ | галактика | |
| comet | /ˈkɑːmɪt/ | комета | |
| asteroid | /ˈæstəroɪd/ | астероид | |
| orbit | /ˈɔːrbɪt/ | орбита | |
| atmosphere | /ˈætməsfɪr/ | атмосфера | |
| hypothesis | /haɪˈpɑːθɪsɪs/ | гипотеза | |
| analysis | /əˈnæləsɪs/ | анализ | |
| conclusion | /kənˈkluːʒən/ | вывод | |
| discovery | /dɪˈskʌvəri/ | открытие | |
| invention | /ɪnˈvɛnʃən/ | изобретение | |
| laboratory | /ˈlæbrətɔːri/ | лаборатория | |
| experiment | /ɪkˈspɛrɪmənt/ | эксперимент | |
| result | /rɪˈzʌlt/ | результат | |
| data | /ˈdeɪtə/ | данные | |
| evidence | /ˈɛvɪdəns/ | доказательство | |
| theory | /ˈθɪəri/ | теория | |
| observe | /əbˈzɜːrv/ | наблюдать | |
| measure | /ˈmɛʒər/ | измерять | |
| predict | /prɪˈdɪkt/ | предсказывать | |
| soil | /sɔɪl/ | почва | |
| mineral | /ˈmɪnərəl/ | минерал | |
| crystal | /ˈkrɪstəl/ | кристалл | |
| metal | /ˈmɛtəl/ | металл | |
| magnetic | /mæɡˈnɛtɪk/ | магнитный | |
| current | /ˈkɜːrənt/ | ток | |
| circuit | /ˈsɜːrkɪt/ | цепь | |
| volcano | /vɑːlˈkeɪnoʊ/ | вулкан | |
| earthquake | /ˈɜːrθkweɪk/ | землетрясение | |
| climate | /ˈklaɪmɪt/ | климат | |
| ecology | /ɪˈkɑːlədʒi/ | экология | |
| habitat | /ˈhæbɪtæt/ | среда обитания | |
| photosynthesis | /ˌfoʊtoʊˈsɪnθɪsɪs/ | фотосинтез | |
| nutrition | /nuːˈtrɪʃən/ | питание | |
| digest | /daɪˈdʒɛst/ | переваривать | |
| nerve | /nɜːrv/ | нерв | |
| hormone | /ˈhɔːrmoʊn/ | гормон | |
| immune | /ɪˈmjuːn/ | иммунный | |
| vaccine | /ˈvæksiːn/ | вакцина | |
| nitrogen | /ˈnaɪtrədʒən/ | азот | |
| hydrogen | /ˈhaɪdrədʒən/ | водород | |
| ultraviolet | /ˌʌltrəˈvaɪələt/ | ультрафиолет |
Tired of memorizing word lists? Reading a table won't make these stick. Speakka turns vocabulary into a falling-words game — catch the word before it lands and the meaning sticks because you played it. A new way to learn vocabulary that doesn't feel like studying.
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