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 |
|---|---|---|
| quick shower | a short shower | I took a quick shower. |
| rich history | a long and interesting past | The city has a rich history. |
| right on time | exactly at the scheduled time | She showed up right on time. |
| run a business | to manage and operate a company | She runs a small business from home. |
| run out of time | have no time left | We ran out of time. |
| sales figures | the numbers showing how much was sold | Sales figures increased this year. |
| save a seat | reserve a seat for someone | Can you save me a seat? |
| save electricity | use less electricity | These bulbs save electricity. |
| save energy | conserve energy | Turn off the lights to save energy. |
| save money | keep money for future use | I’m trying to save money for a trip. |
| save one’s strength | conserve physical energy | You should save your strength for tomorrow. |
| save someone’s life | prevent someone from dying | The doctor saved his life. |
| save something to a disk | store data on a disk | Don’t forget to save the file to a disk. |
| save space | use space efficiently | This table folds to save space. |
| save time | use time efficiently | Online shopping saves time. |
| save yourself the trouble | avoid unnecessary effort | Save yourself the trouble and call first. |
| solve a problem | to find a solution to a difficulty | We need to solve this problem today. |
| spare time | time free from work | I read books in my spare time. |
| spend time | use time doing something | I spend time with my family. |
| strong accent | noticeable way of pronouncing words | He has a strong accent. |
| strong coffee | coffee with a strong taste | I prefer strong coffee. |
| strong wind | wind blowing with force | A strong wind blew all day. |
| take a break | to pause for rest | Let’s take a break. |
| take a chance | to risk doing something | You should take a chance sometimes. |
| take a day off | to not work for one day | I’m taking a day off tomorrow. |
Free Common Collocations in English PDF and Flashcards
Use the purple vocab-list button to get the common collocations in english vocabulary list, or the teal flashcards button for the common collocations in english flashcards. Both are 100% free and require no signup.
