Speaking: Listen and Repeat

Past form of 'ask', meaning to have said something in order to get information or a favor.

“She asked the professor for an extension on the paper.”

“I asked him twice, but he never replied.”

Often used: asked a question · asked for help · asked politely

TOEFL tip: Master the final /skt/ cluster in one beat — 'askt', not 'ask-ed' or 'ast'. Regular -ed endings after voiceless sounds are a frequent repeat-task trap.

The things people wear, such as shirts, pants, and coats.

“I packed warm clothes for the trip to the mountains.”

“She hung the wet clothes outside to dry.”

Often used: wear clothes · change clothes · warm clothes

TOEFL tip: Pronounce it exactly like 'close' (the verb): /kloʊz/. Trying to squeeze in the /ð/ creates an unnatural cluster that the scoring engine flags.

Feeling physically relaxed, or making you feel relaxed and free from pain.

“The chairs in the library are surprisingly comfortable.”

“I don't feel comfortable speaking in front of a large group.”

Often used: feel comfortable · comfortable seat · comfortable with

TOEFL tip: In Listen and Repeat, say it in three syllables (COMF-ter-bul), not four; adding an extra /ɔːr/ syllable is the most common accuracy error.

Well known to you because you have seen or heard it before.

“Her face looked familiar, but I couldn't remember her name.”

“Are you familiar with this software?”

Often used: familiar with · sound familiar · familiar face

TOEFL tip: Stress the second syllable (fuh-MIL-yer) and reduce the first to schwa; the ending is 'yer', not 'ee-ar'.

The second month of the year, coming after January.

“The application deadline is the first of February.”

“February is usually the coldest month here.”

Often used: in February · early February · late February

TOEFL tip: Most American speakers say FEB-yoo-air-ee, simplifying the /br/ cluster; imitate the recording rather than over-articulating 'Feb-ru-ary'.

Holding your attention because it is unusual, exciting, or worth thinking about.

“The lecture on ocean currents was surprisingly interesting.”

“She made an interesting point about renewable energy.”

Often used: an interesting point · find it interesting · interesting topic

TOEFL tip: Say IN-truh-sting in three beats with strong first-syllable stress; four evenly stressed syllables sound rehearsed and unnatural.

Plural of month; periods of about four weeks that divide the year.

“He studied abroad for six months last year.”

“It rained almost every day for two months.”

Often used: several months · in recent months · a few months ago

TOEFL tip: Move quickly through /nθs/ without inserting a vowel; 'month-ez' is a clear pronunciation error in Listen and Repeat scoring.

Very likely but not certain — used to give a cautious yes or no.

“"Will you come to the review session?" "Probably, if I finish my lab report."”

“"He's probably still in his office."”

Often used: probably not · probably should · most probably

TOEFL tip: "Probably not" is a gentler refusal than "No" and often appears as the natural answer to a tentative invitation.

A plan that lists the times when events or activities will happen.

“My class schedule is very tight this semester.”

“The train is running ahead of schedule today.”

Often used: busy schedule · behind schedule · schedule an appointment

TOEFL tip: Copy whichever variant the recording uses — American SKEJ-ool or British SHED-yool. In the repeat task, matching the model's exact sounds matters more than your habit.

Feeling a sudden reaction to something unexpected.

“I was surprised by how quickly the semester ended.”

“She looked surprised when she saw the results.”

Often used: pleasantly surprised · surprised to hear · not surprised

TOEFL tip: The first syllable is a weak schwa /sər/, and the stress falls on PRIZED; also finish with a voiced /zd/, not /st/.

A measure of how hot or cold something or someone is.

“The temperature dropped below freezing overnight.”

“Water boils at a temperature of one hundred degrees Celsius.”

Often used: average temperature · room temperature · rising temperatures

TOEFL tip: Compress it to TEM-pruh-cher (3 syllables) with the /tʃ/ sound at the end; this word appears often in science-based repeat prompts.

A plant or part of a plant that people eat, such as a carrot or a bean.

“She grows her own vegetables in a small garden.”

“The cafeteria offers a vegetable soup every Tuesday.”

Often used: fresh vegetables · green vegetables · vegetable garden

TOEFL tip: Drop the second syllable: VEJ-tuh-bul (3 syllables). Repeating a careful four-syllable 've-ge-ta-ble' sounds unnatural and lowers your naturalness score.

The earth and all the people, places, and things on it.

“Students come here from all over the world.”

“Technology has changed the way the world communicates.”

Often used: around the world · the modern world · world population

TOEFL tip: Blend /r/ + dark /l/ + /d/ into one smooth syllable; splitting it into 'wor-uld' is one of the most common repeat-task slips.

An idea proposed as a possible explanation that must still be tested.

“One hypothesis holds that the dinosaurs died out after an asteroid impact.”

“The researchers designed an experiment to test the hypothesis directly.”

Often used: test a hypothesis · propose a hypothesis · support the hypothesis

TOEFL tip: Science passages often present two competing hypotheses; note which one the author's evidence finally favors, as this is a classic Prose Summary point.