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 |
|---|---|---|
| catch a cold | become ill with a cold | I caught a cold because of the rain. |
| catch a flight | to board a plane for travel | We caught an early flight. |
| catch a game | to watch a sports game | Let’s catch a game tonight. |
| catch a thief | capture a thief | The police caught the thief quickly. |
| catch a train | board a train | They left early to catch the train. |
| catch fire | start burning | The paper caught fire near the candle. |
| catch sight of | see briefly | I caught sight of an old friend at the mall. |
| catch someone’s attention | attract someone's notice | The bright sign caught my attention. |
| catch someone’s eye | attract someone's interest | That blue dress caught her eye. |
| catch the flu | become ill with the flu | Many students caught the flu last winter. |
| chair a meeting | to be the person in charge of a meeting | She chaired the meeting. |
| change your mind | to alter a decision or opinion | She changed her mind about the trip. |
| close a deal | to successfully complete a business agreement | They closed a deal yesterday. |
| close a meeting | to end a meeting | He closed the meeting early. |
| come to a decision | to make a decision after thinking | We came to a decision quickly. |
| come to an agreement | to reach a mutual understanding | They came to an agreement. |
| deep breath | a full breath of air | Take a deep breath. |
| deep sleep | a very sound sleep | The baby is in deep sleep. |
| do a job | to perform a task | He did a good job on the presentation. |
| do business | to engage in commerce | They do business with companies overseas. |
| do damage | to cause harm | The storm did serious damage to the houses. |
| do exercise | to perform physical activity | I do exercise to stay healthy. |
| do homework | to complete schoolwork at home | I do my homework every evening. |
| do housework | to clean and maintain home | She does the housework on Saturdays. |
| do nothing | to not do anything | I just want to do nothing and relax. |
Free Common Collocations in English PDF and Flashcards
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