Turkish School Vocabulary — Words for School & Study

School vocabulary is useful far beyond the classroom — it covers learning, books and study, the very things you're doing right now in Turkish. This page collects Turkish school words: okul (school), öğretmen (teacher), kitap (book), ders (lesson), each with its English meaning and audio. Two things help English speakers here. First, Turkish spelling is phonetic and consistent: one letter, one sound, so a written word tells you exactly how to say it once you know the alphabet. Second, Turkish is agglutinative — it builds meaning by stacking endings onto a root, and those endings obey vowel harmony, changing their vowels to match the word, so okul becomes okulda (at school) smoothly. Look out for the special letters like ö, ü and the dotless ı, which have their own sounds. Tap any 🔊 to hear it. Read the table to get familiar, then move into the game below, where matching each word as it falls turns a list of school terms into vocabulary you actually retain.

Key words explained

All 90 Turkish school words

EnglishPronunciationTurkishListen
class /klæs/ ders
lesson /ˈlɛsən/ ders
homework /ˈhoʊmwɜːrk/ ödev
exam /ɪɡˈzæm/ sınav
test /tɛst/ test
grade /ɡreɪd/ not
subject /ˈsʌbdʒɪkt/ ders konusu
question /ˈkwɛstʃən/ soru
answer /ˈænsər/ cevap
book /bʊk/ kitap
notebook /ˈnoʊtbʊk/ defter
blackboard /ˈblækbɔːrd/ kara tahta
classroom /ˈklæsruːm/ sınıf
university /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːrsɪti/ üniversite
mathematics /ˌmæθəˈmætɪks/ matematik
science /ˈsaɪəns/ fen bilimleri
history /ˈhɪstəri/ tarih
geography /dʒiˈɑːɡrəfi/ coğrafya
art /ɑːrt/ sanat
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ müzik
language /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/ dil
physics /ˈfɪzɪks/ fizik
chemistry /ˈkɛmɪstri/ kimya
biology /baɪˈɑːlədʒi/ biyoloji
literature /ˈlɪtərətʃər/ edebiyat
library /ˈlaɪbrɛri/ kütüphane
knowledge /ˈnɑːlɪdʒ/ bilgi
education /ˌɛdʒuˈkeɪʃən/ eğitim
rule /ruːl/ kural
mistake /mɪˈsteɪk/ hata
essay /ˈɛseɪ/ deneme
project /ˈprɑːdʒɛkt/ proje
research /rɪˈsɜːrtʃ/ araştırma
experiment /ɪkˈspɛrɪmənt/ deney
presentation /ˌprɛzənˈteɪʃən/ sunum
assignment /əˈsaɪnmənt/ ödev
degree /dɪˈɡriː/ derece
diploma /dɪˈploʊmə/ diploma
scholarship /ˈskɑːlərʃɪp/ burs
graduation /ˌɡrædʒuˈeɪʃən/ mezuniyet
professor /prəˈfɛsər/ profesör
principal /ˈprɪnsɪpəl/ müdür
skill /skɪl/ beceri
ability /əˈbɪlɪti/ yetenek
intelligence /ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns/ zeka
memory /ˈmɛməri/ hafıza
attention /əˈtɛnʃən/ dikkat
textbook /ˈtɛkstbʊk/ ders kitabı
dictionary /ˈdɪkʃənɛri/ sözlük
calculator /ˈkælkjuleɪtər/ hesap makinesi
eraser /ɪˈreɪsər/ silgi
ruler /ˈruːlər/ cetvel
certificate /sərˈtɪfɪkɪt/ sertifika
course /kɔːrs/ kurs
lecture /ˈlɛktʃər/ ders
debate /dɪˈbeɪt/ tartışma
vocabulary /voʊˈkæbjulɛri/ kelime hazinesi
grammar /ˈɡræmər/ dilbilgisi
spelling /ˈspɛlɪŋ/ yazım
progress /ˈprɑːɡrɛs/ ilerleme
curriculum /kəˈrɪkjuləm/ müfredat
semester /sɪˈmɛstər/ dönem
term /tɜːrm/ dönem
tutor /ˈtuːtər/ özel öğretmen
campus /ˈkæmpəs/ kampüs
canteen /kænˈtiːn/ kantin
playground /ˈpleɪɡraʊnd/ okul bahçesi
laboratory /ˈlæbrəˌtɔːri/ laboratuvar
timetable /ˈtaɪmteɪbəl/ ders programı
attendance /əˈtɛndəns/ devam
absent /ˈæbsənt/ devamsız
pass /pæs/ geçmek
fail /feɪl/ kalmak
revision /rɪˈvɪʒən/ tekrar
note /noʊt/ not
summary /ˈsʌməri/ özet
theory /ˈθɪri/ teori
practice /ˈpræktɪs/ uygulama
topic /ˈtɑːpɪk/ konu
chapter /ˈtʃæptər/ bölüm
paragraph /ˈpærəɡræf/ paragraf
example /ɪɡˈzæmpəl/ örnek
definition /ˌdɛfɪˈnɪʃən/ tanım
explanation /ˌɛksplɪˈneɪʃən/ açıklama
solution /səˈluːʃən/ çözüm
result /rɪˈzʌlt/ sonuç
score /skɔːr/ puan
rank /ræŋk/ sıralama
award /əˈwɔːrd/ ödül
talent /ˈtælənt/ yetenek

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.

→ Play in Speakka

More Turkish vocabulary