English levels
C2 – Mastery
C2 is the highest level. You understand almost everything you read and hear. You can express small differences in meaning, like a very good native speaker.
What you can do at C2
- Understand almost everything, even fast speech and difficult texts.
- Summarize information from many sources in a clear way.
- Express small differences in meaning, even on difficult topics.
- Use idioms and natural expressions correctly.
The plan is good in theory, but in practice it might be hard to roll out.
C2 is not about grammar
At C2 there is no new grammar. You already know all 12 tenses. C2 is about using English naturally: choosing the best word, the right style and the right tone for each situation.
C2 words
Most C2 words are formal or rare in everyday English. But developers see some of them a lot.
Revoke
To officially stop something, like a right, a permission or a key.
Please revoke the old API key and create a new one.
Mitigate
To make a problem less serious or less harmful.
We added a rate limit to mitigate the attack.
Ubiquitous
Found everywhere, very common.
JavaScript is ubiquitous. It runs in every web browser.
Meticulous
Very careful about every small detail.
She is meticulous. She checks every line of code before she merges it.
Nuance
A very small difference in meaning, feeling or sound.
I'm still learning the nuances between "fix" and "resolve".
Deprecated
In tech: still working, but old. It will be removed later, so you should stop using it.
This function is deprecated. Use the new one instead.
Tech words can be C2
In tech, you see words like revoke, mitigate and deprecated a lot. They are worth learning even though they are C2. But when you talk with people outside tech, use easier words like cancel and reduce. See the same meaning, different level page.
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