Building English Vocabulary for Law Entrance Exams
Written and reviewed by Shubham Jain, BA LL.B., LL.M. · UILS, Panjab University alumnus · founder with 15+ years of teaching · Jury Law Academy, founded in 2016.
Sep 21, 2026
The weekly routine
- While reading, underline unfamiliar words.
- Write the word with the original sentence.
- Add a short meaning in your own words.
- Write one new sentence of your own.
- Revise the week's list on Sunday.
Roots and prefixes worth knowing
- bene- good: benevolent, beneficiary
- mal- bad: malicious, malfeasance
- jur-, jus- law: jurisprudence, jurisdiction
- dict- speak: verdict, dictum
- ambi- both: ambiguous, ambivalent
- contra- against: contravene, contradict
- fid- faith: fiduciary, bona fide
- cred- believe: credible, credentials
Legal terms that appear in passages
Plaintiff, defendant, appellant, respondent, affidavit, injunction, precedent, plea, decree, acquittal, bail, remand, jurisdiction, adjournment, writ.
Testing yourself
Cover the meaning column and read only the sentence. If you can restate the meaning in your own words, the word is learned. If not, it belongs in next week's list too.
Related reading
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I build vocabulary for a law entrance exam?
Learn words in context from your daily reading, keep a small weekly list, and revise with sentences rather than definitions.
Are long word lists useful?
Less than reading. Words learned in sentences are retained and recognised in passages; isolated lists are forgotten quickly.
Is legal terminology part of vocabulary?
Yes. Terms such as plaintiff, injunction, affidavit and precedent appear in legal passages and legal awareness questions.
How many words a week is realistic?
Ten to fifteen words learned properly, with usage, is better than fifty copied into a notebook.