Ever wonder why “do a mistake” sounds off, but “make a mistake” feels right? That’s collocations — the word pairs that native speakers grab without thinking. This list of around 250 common English collocations is your shortcut to sounding more natural, whether you’re chatting with friends or writing an email.
Inside the interactive table, you’ll find each collocation with a plain-English meaning, a realistic example sentence, and easy-to-read US IPA so you pronounce it correctly. Tap the play button next to any entry to hear it spoken aloud — your ears need training, not just your eyes.
Grab a cup of tea and a pencil, because word combinations are where English starts to sound really natural. Scroll to the bottom for the free printable common collocations in english vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable common collocations in english flashcards.
If you want to turn collocations into real speech, try our free chunk-based English lessons. Start with Lesson 1 — you’ll learn speakable phrases right away.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve got a feel for natural English? Take the short quiz below to see which collocations you already own and which ones still need a little love.
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Browse the Full List
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| all of a sudden | suddenly, unexpectedly | All of a sudden, the lights went out. |
| annual turnover | total sales in a year | The company has a high annual turnover. |
| as soon as possible | as quickly as you can | Please reply as soon as possible. |
| at least | not less than | Try at least once. |
| bad habit | a negative repeated behavior | Smoking is a bad habit. |
| bad luck | unfortunate events | That’s bad luck. |
| bang on time | exactly on time | The train arrived bang on time. |
| bear in mind | remember and consider something | Bear in mind the rules. |
| big mistake | a serious error | That was a big mistake. |
| big problem | a major issue | We have a big problem. |
| big surprise | something unexpected and shocking | It was a big surprise. |
| break a habit | stop doing a habitual action | I’m trying to break the habit of checking my phone every five minutes. |
| break a leg | wish good luck (idiom) | “Break a leg!” we said before her performance. |
| break a promise | fail to keep a promise | He broke his promise and didn’t show up. |
| break a record | surpass a previous best | She broke the record for the fastest marathon time. |
| break a window | cause a window to shatter | The ball broke a window during the game. |
| break someone’s heart | cause deep sadness | The movie ending broke my heart. |
| break the ice | initiate conversation in a tense situation | He told a joke to break the ice at the meeting. |
| break the law | violate a law | Anyone who breaks the law must face the consequences. |
| break the news | share important or bad news | She broke the news gently to her family. |
| break the rules | violate rules | You can’t break the rules during the exam. |
| bright future | a successful future ahead | She has a bright future. |
| by chance | without planning | We met by chance. |
| catch a bus | board a bus | We need to hurry to catch the bus. |
| catch a chill | become slightly cold and ill | Put on a jacket or you’ll catch a chill. |
Free Common Collocations in English PDF and Flashcards
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