TOEIC passages are set in specific industries, and each one brings its own vocabulary. A candidate who has only studied general office words will read an invoice fluently and then stall on a hotel notice, a bank letter or a factory memo.
This list is organised by industry setting so you can cover the ones you meet least at work. Each term includes where on the test it typically appears.
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| Part | Typical settings |
|---|---|
| Part 1 photographs | Retail, construction, offices, transport, restaurants |
| Part 2 questions | Any office; often reception, scheduling, IT |
| Part 3 conversations | Retail service, hotel front desk, office admin, maintenance calls |
| Part 4 talks | Airport and store announcements, guided tours, radio ads, voicemail, staff briefings |
| Part 5 and 6 | Any; setting is background rather than content |
| Part 7 passages | Invoices, hotel confirmations, bank letters, property listings, job ads, press releases, articles |
| Term | Meaning | Where it appears on the test |
|---|---|---|
| clearance | Sale to clear old stock | Store ads, Part 4 announcements |
| exchange | Swap for another item | Part 3 service conversations |
| in stock / out of stock | Available or not | Part 3 and 7 |
| loyalty program | Repeat-customer scheme | Part 4 ads, Part 7 emails |
| markdown | Price reduction | Retail notices |
| proof of purchase | Receipt or evidence | Return policies |
| rain check | Voucher for a sold-out sale item | Part 3 store dialogue |
| refund policy | Rules for returning money | Part 7 notices |
| storewide | Across the whole store | Advertisements |
| warranty period | How long a guarantee lasts | Product documents |
| Term | Meaning | Where it appears on the test |
|---|---|---|
| bill of lading | Document listing shipped goods | Part 7 forms |
| customs clearance | Approval to enter a country | Delay explanations |
| expedite | Speed up | Emails requesting faster service |
| freight forwarder | Company arranging shipment | Part 7 correspondence |
| lead time | Time from order to delivery | Supplier emails |
| pallet | Platform for stacking goods | Warehouse dialogue |
| perishable | Able to spoil | Shipping instructions |
| proof of delivery | Signed confirmation | Invoices and disputes |
| surcharge | Additional charge | Freight quotes |
| transit time | Duration of the journey | Carrier notices |
| Term | Meaning | Where it appears on the test |
|---|---|---|
| banquet hall | Large room for events | Hotel brochures, Part 7 |
| blackout date | Date an offer excludes | Promotion terms |
| concierge | Hotel guest-services staff | Part 3 front-desk dialogue |
| double occupancy | Two people per room | Rate tables |
| gratuity | Tip, sometimes automatic | Restaurant bills |
| itinerary | Detailed trip schedule | Travel emails |
| no-show | Booked guest who does not arrive | Cancellation policies |
| peak season | Busiest, most expensive period | Rate notices |
| room rate | Price per night | Confirmation emails |
| walk-in | Customer without a booking | Part 3 dialogue |
| Term | Meaning | Where it appears on the test |
|---|---|---|
| account statement | Summary of transactions | Part 7 letters |
| direct deposit | Automatic payment into an account | HR notices |
| interest rate | Cost of borrowing | Bank letters |
| loan application | Request to borrow | Part 7 forms |
| minimum balance | Lowest amount you must keep | Account terms |
| overdraft | Negative balance | Bank notices |
| transaction fee | Charge per transfer | Fee schedules |
| wire transfer | Electronic money transfer | Payment instructions |
| withdrawal | Taking money out | Statements |
| reconcile | Match records to accounts | Accounting emails |
| Term | Meaning | Where it appears on the test |
|---|---|---|
| assembly line | Sequential production system | Factory tours, Part 4 |
| batch number | Code identifying a production run | Recall notices |
| defect rate | Proportion of faulty units | Quality reports |
| downtime | Period when production stops | Maintenance memos |
| lead operator | Senior line worker | Staff notices |
| quality control | Checking output standards | Part 7 reports |
| recall | Withdraw a product from sale | Press releases |
| shift supervisor | Manager of a work period | Rosters |
| specification | Detailed technical requirement | Orders and contracts |
| tolerance | Allowed variation | Technical documents |
| Term | Meaning | Where it appears on the test |
|---|---|---|
| appointment reminder | Notice of an upcoming visit | Part 3 calls, Part 7 emails |
| co-payment | Patient share of a cost | Insurance letters |
| intake form | First-visit paperwork | Clinic notices |
| practice manager | Administrator of a clinic | Part 7 correspondence |
| referral | Sending a patient to a specialist | Admin emails |
| reschedule | Move an appointment | Part 3 dialogue |
| sterilise | Make free of germs | Supply orders |
| waiting room | Area for patients before a visit | Notices |
| walk-in clinic | Treatment without appointment | Advertisements |
| patient records | Stored clinical files | Policy memos |
| Term | Meaning | Where it appears on the test |
|---|---|---|
| common area | Space shared by tenants | Building notices |
| floor plan | Diagram of a layout | Property listings |
| lease term | Length of a rental agreement | Part 7 contracts |
| listing | Property advertised for sale or rent | Agent emails |
| maintenance request | Report of something needing repair | Tenant notices |
| occupancy rate | Proportion of space in use | Reports |
| security deposit | Money held against damage | Lease documents |
| square footage | Floor area | Listings |
| sublease | Rent on from a tenant | Contract clauses |
| utilities included | Bills covered in the rent | Listings |
| Term | Meaning | Where it appears on the test |
|---|---|---|
| air time | Broadcast minutes | Radio advertising emails |
| circulation | Number of copies distributed | Publishing letters |
| embargo | Date before which news cannot run | Press releases |
| exhibitor | Company with a stand at an event | Trade fair notices |
| keynote speaker | Main presenter | Conference programmes |
| media kit | Pack of information for press | Part 7 attachments |
| press release | Official announcement to media | Part 7 passages |
| registration desk | Where attendees sign in | Event notices |
| sponsorship package | Set of benefits for sponsors | Proposals |
| venue capacity | How many a place holds | Booking emails |
| Term | Meaning | Where it appears on the test |
|---|---|---|
| billable hours | Time charged to a client | Invoices |
| deliverable | Agreed output of a project | Proposals and contracts |
| engagement | A piece of client work | Correspondence |
| proposal | Formal offer of work | Part 7 passages |
| retainer | Regular fee for ongoing availability | Contracts |
| scope of work | What the project covers | Contracts |
| stakeholder | Person affected by a decision | Reports |
| statement of work | Document defining the project | Contracts |
| turnaround time | How long work takes | Service emails |
| workshop facilitator | Person running a session | Training notices |
| If you work in… | Study first | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| An office or IT role | Logistics, manufacturing, hospitality | These carry the most unfamiliar concrete nouns |
| Retail or hospitality | Banking, professional services, real estate | Formal written registers you meet least |
| Manufacturing | Media, professional services, healthcare admin | Document types that never cross your desk |
| Finance | Hospitality, logistics, retail | Spoken service dialogue in Parts 3 and 4 |
Your weakest industry is a better use of study time than a longer list in the industry you already work in.
No. Every question is answerable from the passage or the audio alone, and the test never assumes prior knowledge of an industry. What you need is the vocabulary that appears in that industry’s routine documents.
General office administration, followed by retail service and logistics. Hospitality, banking, manufacturing, property and media rotate through the remaining passages, and Part 7 multi-passage sets often combine two of them.
Cover all of them at recognition level, then go deeper in the ones furthest from your own work. Your unknown words concentrate in unfamiliar settings, so that is where the marks are.
They are ordinary working vocabulary rather than specialist jargon. TOEIC uses “bill of lading” and “batch number” because a shipping clerk sees them daily, not because the test wants specialist knowledge.
A general list is organised by function — meetings, hiring, finance. This one is organised by setting, which surfaces the concrete nouns that only appear when the passage is a hotel confirmation or a factory memo. The two lists overlap by design and are best used together.
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