Lesson · V.3.1

Everyday academic terms

The HESI A2 Vocabulary subtest leans on plain academic words used in health writing, not obscure jargon. Learn the words that show up in charts, textbooks, and patient instructions.

ObjectiveV.3.1Read4 minExam weightHealth and Academic Vocabulary ≈ 38% of Vocabulary

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What you will be able to do

You can define a set of academic words that regularly appear in health and nursing texts.
You can pick the correct meaning of a word from how it is used in a sentence, not just from memory.
You can tell apart words that look or sound similar but mean different things.

What the lesson concludes

Acute and chronic describe timing and severity, while exacerbate and alleviate describe whether a condition is worsening or improving.
Ambiguous and obscure signal unclear writing; concise and coherent signal clear writing.
Lethargic, vital, ambulate, fatigue, and innate describe a person's energy, state, or condition and appear often in intake notes.
Imply is what a speaker does; infer is what a listener does.
Discrete and discreet sound alike but carry different meanings, so read the sentence, not just the spelling.