Research & Practice

The open-source word lists and tools of the NGSL Project have been used in research and classroom practice around the world by independent researchers and teachers across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. The work listed below includes corpus and vocabulary research, validation and assessment studies, classroom interventions, materials development, CALL applications, and practitioner articles showing how NGSL Project resources are used in teaching and learning.

This list is far from complete. It comes from periodic searches rather than systematic monitoring, and new work appears faster than I can find it. If you've published something that uses an NGSL Project list or tool, or you know of a publication that should be here, please get in touch — I'd be glad to add it.

Each entry is classified as Research, Practice, or Research + Practice so you can see at a glance whether a piece is empirical work, a classroom application, or both. The final line for each entry explains briefly how the word lists or tools were used.

Publications (80)

Aji, S. B., & Lubis, E. M. (2020). Identifying vocational students' familiarity with vocabulary in academic context in abstract writing. PRASASTI: Journal of Linguistics, 5(2), 232–241.
Research + Practice — Uses the NGSL and NAWL to profile students' academic writing and identify gaps in general and academic vocabulary.

Aoki, R. (2016). Characteristics of high school entrance exams. Tokyo Women's College of Languages and Cultures Studies Journal, 24, 1–20.
Research — Uses the NGSL as a frequency-based reference for examining the vocabulary demands of Japanese high-school entrance examinations.

Aziz, A., & Roslim, N. (2021). Relevance of the New General Service List in selecting reading passages for ESL students. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 6(6).
Research + Practice — Evaluates the NGSL as a practical tool for judging the lexical difficulty and suitability of ESL reading passages.

Boroughani, T., Behshad, N., & Xodabande, I. (2023). Mobile-assisted academic vocabulary learning with digital flashcards: Exploring the impacts on university students' self-regulatory capacity. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1112429.
Research + Practice — Uses NAWL vocabulary in mobile flashcard learning and examines its effects on students' self-regulated vocabulary learning.

Brown, H., Bennett, P., & Stoeckel, T. (2019). General and academic wordlists in English-medium instruction programs. In Diversity and Inclusion, 177–182. Tokyo: JALT.
Research + Practice — Evaluates the NGSL and NAWL against a 500,000-word EMI corpus to determine their usefulness as vocabulary-learning targets for university students.

Browne, C. (2013). A New General Service List: A core vocabulary list for EFL students and teachers. Cambridge Connections, 1–2.
Practice — Introduces the NGSL to teachers and explains its value as a more efficient core vocabulary target for EFL learners.

Browne, C. (2013). The New General Service List: Celebrating 60 years of vocabulary learning. The Language Teacher, 37(4), 13–15.
Practice — Introduces the NGSL as a modern replacement for West's GSL and outlines its implications for vocabulary teaching.

Browne, C. (2013). A New General Service Vocabulary List: Helping students help themselves. The Language Teacher, 37(6), 43.
Practice — Shows how the NGSL can help learners identify and prioritize high-frequency vocabulary for independent study.

Browne, C. (2013). A New General Service Vocabulary for 2nd language learners. The English Connection, 13(3), 10–12.
Practice — Presents the NGSL to language teachers as a practical high-frequency vocabulary syllabus.

Browne, C. (2014). A New General Service List: The better mousetrap we've been looking for? Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 3(2), 1–10.
Research + Practice — Explains the corpus design, coverage and pedagogical rationale of the NGSL and compares it with the original GSL.

Browne, C. (2014). The New General Service List Version 1.01: Getting better all the time. Korea TESOL Journal, 11(1), 35–50.
Research + Practice — Reports refinements to the NGSL and discusses its coverage and usefulness for learners and teachers.

Browne, C. (2016). The NGSL, NAWL, TSL and BSL: Building a path to EFL success through word lists and online tools. In Vocab@Tokyo Published Proceedings.
Practice — Presents the NGSL, NAWL, TSL and BSL as a modular vocabulary-learning system supported by free online tools.

Browne, C., Miyata, Y., & Kawauchi, Y. (2016). Does the NGSL provide good coverage for authentic listening materials such as TV shows and movies? A quick look at Star Wars and Friends. In Vocab@Tokyo Published Proceedings.
Research + Practice — Tests the lexical coverage of the NGSL against authentic audiovisual materials to explore its usefulness for listening comprehension.

Browne, C. (2021). The NGSL Project: Building wordlists and resources to help EFL learners (and teachers) to succeed. In Teaching with Technology 2020, 1–18.
Practice — Provides an overview of the NGSL Project word lists and free digital tools and their applications for EFL teaching and learning.

Burkett, T. (2015). An investigation into the use of frequency vocabulary lists in university intensive English programs. International Journal of Bilingual & Multilingual Teachers of English, 3(2).
Research + Practice — Examines how frequency-based lists including the NGSL can inform vocabulary goals in intensive English programs.

Chanasattru, S., & Tangkiengsirisin, S. (2017). The word list distribution in social science research articles. Arab World English Journal, 8(4), 412–429.
Research + Practice — Measures the distribution and coverage of the NGSL in social-science research articles and discusses implications for vocabulary teaching.

Chantharasombat, J. (2025). A vocabulary profile analysis of English reading tests in a Thai university context. PASAA, 71, 215–239.
Research + Practice — Uses the NGSL and NAWL to measure the lexical profile and coverage of university-level English reading examinations.

Chartrand, R., & Dilenschneider, R. (2026). Creating a Word List for Learners of Spoken Medical English. In B. Lacy, M. Swanson, & H. Yoder (Eds.), LanguageS: Learning, Teaching, Assessing – JALT 50 Years – Challenges and Perspectives (pp. 206-2013).
Research + Practice — Incorporates NGSL Profiler to create the Medical Oral English List (MOEL) to teach and learn vocabulary in the field of spoken medical English in practical clinical situations.

Culligan, B. A. (2019). Evaluating corpora with word lists and word difficulty. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 8(1), 29–38.
Research — Uses learner difficulty data to evaluate and compare the NGSL, NAWL and TSL with other major vocabulary lists.

Dang, T. N. Y., & Webb, S. (2025). Applications of word lists in second language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 58(3), 291–311.
Research + Practice — Reviews how modern word lists, including the NGSL family of lists, have been applied in vocabulary research, teaching, materials and assessment.

Denison, G. C., & Custance, I. (2020). Vocabulary learning using student-created class vocabulary lists. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 9(2), 1–8.
Research + Practice — Compares student-selected vocabulary with the NGSL and TSL to determine whether learners choose useful high-frequency and context-relevant words.

Diaz, A. (2020). The APU Corpus of Japanese Learner English. APU Journal of Language Research, 5, 38–55.
Research + Practice — Profiles Japanese university writing with the NGSL and NAWL and uses the findings to suggest vocabulary priorities for the curriculum.

Dooley, P. (2022).The New General Service List and English 5 grades: To what extent does knowledge of high-frequency words influence results for Swedish school pupils?
Research — Examines the relationship between learners' knowledge of NGSL high-frequency vocabulary and their achievement in Swedish secondary-school English.

Fukushima, S., Sakamoto, K., & Nakamura, Y. (2024). NariTan: Enhancing second language vocabulary learning through non-human avatar embodiment in immersive virtual reality. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 8(10), 93.
Research + Practice — Combines vocabulary from the NGSL, NGSL-S, NAWL, TSL and BSL to evaluate vocabulary learning through an immersive virtual-reality system.

Gilmore, A., & Millar, N. (2018). The language of civil engineering research articles: A corpus-based approach. English for Specific Purposes, 51, 1–17.
Research + Practice — Uses the NGSL and NAWL to distinguish general, academic and discipline-specific vocabulary in an eight-million-word civil-engineering corpus.

Hashimoto, S., Yu, Y., Shi, J., & Zhan, H. (2015). Profiling Japanese EST students' vocabulary ability using the New General Service List Test (NGSLT) and the New Academic Word List Test (NAWLT). In ICAMechS 2015, 170–173.
Research — Uses the NGSLT and NAWLT to profile receptive general and academic vocabulary knowledge among Japanese EST learners.

He, X., & Loewen, S. (2022). Stimulating learner engagement in app-based L2 vocabulary self-study: Goals and feedback for effective L2 pedagogy. System, 105, 102719.
Research + Practice — Uses a mobile vocabulary course based on the TOEIC Service List (TSL) to investigate how goals and feedback affect vocabulary learning and engagement.

Hendry, C., & Sheepy, E. (2018). How much vocabulary is needed for comprehension of research publications in education? In Future-proof CALL: Language Learning as Exploration and Encounters, 94.
Research + Practice — Measures the coverage of the NGSL and NAWL in a five-million-word corpus of educational research abstracts.

Higginbotham, G., & Reid, J. (2019). The lexical sophistication of second language learners' academic essays. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 37, 127–140.
Research — Uses newer frequency-based lists, including the NGSL, to evaluate lexical sophistication measures in L2 academic writing.

Horvat, J. (2024). Examining the lexical coverage of six business English coursebooks. Kindai University Center for Liberal Arts and Foreign Language Education Journal, 15(2), 83–104.
Research + Practice — Profiles six Business English coursebooks using the NGSL, BSL and NAWL and discusses implications for vocabulary selection and instruction.

Ishikawa, S. (2019). A reconsideration of the construct of "a vocabulary for Japanese learners of English": A critical comparison of the JACET wordlists and New General Service Lists. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 8(1), 1–7.
Research — Compares the NGSL with other major general-purpose lists in considering what vocabulary is most appropriate for Japanese EFL learners.

Iwamoto, M., & Kramer, B. (2020). NGSL coverage of the SHS Entrance Exam and the National Center Test. The Language Teacher, 44(5), 3–8.
Research + Practice — Measures how much lexical coverage the NGSL provides for major Japanese entrance examinations and considers its usefulness as a study target.

Kanazawa, Y., & Lafleur, L. (2023). ENAWL: Enriching the New Academic Word List with emotional valence, familiarity, and knowledgeability. Journal of International Studies, 12(1), 141–151.
Research + Practice — Extends the 963-word NAWL with learner ratings of familiarity, knowledge and emotional valence to support more effective vocabulary instruction.

Kinkade, J. T. (2020). Building vocabulary and agency with an online app. In JALT2019 Postconference Publication, 508.
Research + Practice — Assigns learners individualized NGSL frequency bands based on the NGSLT and investigates learning through an online spaced-repetition application.

北野マグダ・千葉克裕 (2018). 語彙知識の一側面: 日本人大学生の理解が不足している高頻度語彙に関する考察. 文教大学国際学部紀要, 29(1), 19–29.
Research + Practice — Investigates gaps in Japanese university students' knowledge of high-frequency vocabulary using the NGSL as a reference.

Kitano, M., & Chiba, K. (2019). Motivating low-achievement learners to prepare for weekly vocabulary tests: The Come-Back Vocabulary Test. VERB, 8(1), 29–34.
Research + Practice — Applies frequency-based vocabulary targets associated with the NGSL in a classroom testing system designed to increase learner motivation and preparation.

Klinger, R. (2025). A frequency-based wordlist of Japanese junior high school textbook vocabulary. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 14(2), 102480.
Research + Practice — Compares vocabulary across all 18 MEXT-approved junior-high textbook series with the NGSL and uses the results to identify pedagogically important vocabulary patterns.

Lafleur, L., & Kanazawa, Y. (2024). The effects of interleaved spaced repetition learning on vocabulary knowledge. Computer-Assisted Language Learning Electronic Journal, 25(3), 172–194.
Research + Practice — Investigates learning of NAWL vocabulary through an enriched NAWL resource combined with interleaved spaced repetition.

Laufer, B. (2014). Vocabulary in a second language: Selection, acquisition, and testing: A commentary on four studies for JALT Vocabulary SIG. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 3(2), 38–46.
Research — Batia Laufer's commentary on four papers from the JALT Vocabulary SIG symposium, including Browne's paper introducing the NGSL, with discussion of vocabulary selection and the role of frequency-based lists.

Lee, Y. C. (2021). The predictability of receptive vocabulary size to assess college students' TOEIC readiness. English Language and Linguistics, 27(1), 151–176.
Research + Practice — Uses the NGSLT to examine whether knowledge of high-frequency vocabulary predicts Korean university students' TOEIC readiness.

Lindgren, S.-A. (2015). Academic vocabulary and readability in EFL theses. In Lexical Issues in L2 Writing, 155–176.
Research — Uses contemporary frequency and academic vocabulary lists in profiling advanced EFL thesis writing and investigating lexical difficulty.

MacDonald, E. (2017).Vocabulary coverage of the NGSL for the Japanese National Center Test between 2014–17.Unpublished MA paper, Kanda Gaigo University.
Research — Measures the lexical coverage provided by the NGSL for reading passages on Japan's National Center Test.

MacDonald, E. (2019). An analysis of vocabulary level in reading passages of the National Center Test. Shiken, 23(2), 19–27.
Research + Practice — Uses the NGSL to determine whether Japanese National Center Test passages reach lexical coverage thresholds associated with reading comprehension.

Maschio, C. (2017).Using the New General Service List (NGSL) to develop level-appropriate material. Unpublished MA paper, Kanda Gaigo University.
Practice — Explores how the NGSL can be used to control vocabulary and create instructional materials appropriate to learners' proficiency levels.

Mizumoto, A., Pinchbeck, G. G., & McLean, S. (2021). Comparisons of word lists on New Word Level Checker. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 10(2), 30–41.
Research + Practice — Incorporates and compares NGSL Project lists in an online vocabulary profiler designed to help teachers analyze texts and match vocabulary demands to learners.

Moon, Y. (2017). Are different types of vocabulary needed for comprehending general and academic texts? English Teaching, 72(3), 47–68.
Research — Compares general and academic vocabulary requirements using frequency-based lists including the NGSL/NAWL framework.

Murty, C. (2025). Young learner-friendly wordlists. The Language Teacher, 49(2).
Practice — Shows teachers how the NDL, NGSL-GR and NGSL Profiler can support vocabulary selection, material simplification and instruction for young learners.

Nadasdy, P., Aizawa, K., & Iso, T. (2018). Testing the reliability of the New General Service List Test (NGSLT) in order to better evaluate Japanese university students' written receptive vocabulary levels. In Future-proof CALL, 220.
Research — Evaluates the reliability of the NGSLT for measuring Japanese university learners' receptive knowledge of NGSL vocabulary.

Nakayama, S. (2022). A close examination of vocabulary in Japanese EFL textbooks. In P. Ferguson & R. Derrah (Eds.), Reflections and New Perspectives. JALT.
Research + Practice — Profiles Japanese EFL textbooks against the NGSL to examine lexical coverage, frequency and vocabulary recycling in instructional materials.

Nakayama, S. (2026). Building blocks of fluent speech: The development of a general spoken collocation list. English Corpus Studies, 33, 91–107.
Research + Practice — Builds a 1,138-item spoken collocation list using only the 721 words of NGSL-Spoken 1.2, creating a manageable collocation resource for lower-level learners.

Oeda, S. (2025). Empowerment-AI-enhanced system for initiating and sustaining vocabulary learning in EFL learners. Procedia Computer Science, 270, 3241–3250.
Research + Practice — Uses recognition tests based on the NGSL and New Dolch List (NDL) to create personalized learner vocabularies that constrain AI-generated language.

Park, S., Fukuda, T., & Wadden, P. (2026). The mediating role of vocabulary in linking L1 reading and L2 proficiency. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 8(3), 95–112.
Research — Uses the NGSLT as the measure of L2 vocabulary knowledge in examining relationships among L1 reading, vocabulary and English proficiency.

Pickering, B. (2025). Lexical relevance of Japanese TOEIC publications for academic & business contexts. The Journal of Kanda University of International Studies, 37, 371–385.
Research + Practice — Compares vocabulary in Japanese TOEIC preparation materials with the Business Service List (BSL) to evaluate how well the materials represent business vocabulary.

Prapobratanakul, C. (2024). Frequency analysis, distribution, and coverage of academic words in materials science research articles: A corpus-based study. LEARN Journal, 17(2), 793–813.
Research + Practice — Uses the NGSL and NAWL to profile materials-science research articles and identify vocabulary priorities for learners in the discipline.

Rahmani, A., Asadi, V., & Xodabande, I. (2022). Using mobile devices for vocabulary learning outside the classroom: Improving EFL learners' knowledge of high-frequency words. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.
Research + Practice — Uses mobile learning to teach high-frequency NGSL vocabulary and evaluates gains in learners' receptive vocabulary knowledge.

Raine, P. (2019). Talk Corpus: A web-based corpus of TED Talks for English language teachers and learners. Accents Asia, 12(1), 32–38.
Practice — Profiles more than 2,000 TED Talks using the NGSL and NAWL, allowing teachers to select appropriately leveled talks and identify vocabulary for preteaching.

Richard, J.-P. (2026). A trial study of context-rich NGSL word cards for lower-proficiency learners. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 15, 103526.
Research + Practice — Develops and pilots bilingual contextualized vocabulary cards based on the first 700 NGSL words for lower-proficiency Japanese university learners.

Sevigny, P., Mack, L., Stilp, L., & Berger, M. (2024). High-frequency vocabulary: Moving from recognition to recall level on Quizlet. SAGE Open, 14(2), 1–12.
Research + Practice — Uses NGSL frequency bands and the NGSLT to organize a Quizlet-based vocabulary curriculum and compare recognition- and recall-level learning.

Sheridan, R., & Markslag, L. (2017). Effective strategies for teaching vocabulary: An introduction to engaging cooperative vocabulary card activities. PASAA, 53, 214–229.
Practice — Presents cooperative vocabulary card activities built around NGSL lexical items, addressing the lack of vocabulary recycling in most EFL textbooks.

Shindarov, N. (2021). Comparing the EWL and NGSL-S 1.2 vocabulary and its English Profile levels distribution. Съпоставително езикознание / Contrastive Linguistics, (1), 36–45.
Research — Directly compares the vocabulary of NGSL-Spoken 1.2 with another spoken-English list and examines its CEFR/English Profile distribution.

Stoeckel, T., & Bennett, P. (2015). A test of the New General Service List. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 4(1), 1–8.
Research + Practice — Introduces the NGSLT, a diagnostic test designed to identify learners' knowledge gaps across frequency bands of the NGSL.

Stoeckel, T., Ishii, T., & Bennett, P. (2018). A Japanese-English bilingual version of the New General Service List Test. JALT Journal, 40(1).
Research + Practice — Develops and validates a bilingual Japanese-English version of the NGSLT with Japanese high-school and university learners.

Stoeckel, T. (2018). High-frequency and academic English vocabulary growth among first-year students at UNP. Journal of International Studies and Regional Development, 9.
Research + Practice — Tracks first-year university students' development of both NGSL and NAWL vocabulary and considers implications for intentional vocabulary instruction.

Stoeckel, T. (2019). An examination of the New General Service List. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 8(1), 53–61.
Research — Examines the composition and pedagogical validity of the NGSL as a high-frequency vocabulary learning target.

Sunanthakarnkij, N. (2024). The attempt to assess TOEIC readiness and increase the TOEIC score of sophomore students at TNI based on vocabulary included in the TOEIC test from NGSLT. In 2024 9th International Conference on Business and Industrial Research, 1637–1642.
Research + Practice — Applies the NGSLT to diagnose vocabulary knowledge and guide vocabulary study aimed at improving students' TOEIC readiness.

Sustenance, S. (2019). The Digital Keyword Method. The Language Teacher, 43(2), 24–26.
Practice — Gives teachers a classroom procedure in which students create collaborative mnemonic sentences and images for words selected from the TOEIC Service List (TSL).

Sustenance, S. (2023). An online archive of digital keyword method images. Literacies and Language Education: Research and Practice, 5(1), 132–146.
Practice — Describes a free archive of vocabulary mnemonic images, with a large proportion of the target vocabulary drawn directly from the TSL.

Sustenance, S. (2024). Unlocking the Keyword Method: An exploration of EFL learners' perceptions. Journal of Language and Culture of Hokkaido, 22, 21–41.
Research + Practice — Investigates students' perceptions of learning target vocabulary selected from the TSL through the Keyword Method.

Sustenance, S. (2025). Generating keyword sentences: An investigation into student preferences. Memoirs of the Muroran Institute of Technology, 74, 46–55.
Research + Practice — Examines learner strategy preferences while students learn selected TSL vocabulary through keyword-based mnemonic techniques.

Therova, D. (2020). General word lists: Overview and evaluation. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 9(1), 51–61.
Research + Practice — Reviews major general-service lists, including the NGSL, to help researchers and teachers evaluate which lists best suit different pedagogical purposes.

Therova, D. (2020). Review of academic word lists. TESL-EJ, 24(1).
Research + Practice — Reviews major academic vocabulary lists, including the NAWL, with attention to both their methodological foundations and classroom usefulness.

Uehara, S., Haraki, H., & McLean, S. (2022). Developing a discipline-specific corpus and high-frequency word list for science and engineering students in graduate school. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 11(2), 57–68.
Research + Practice — Uses general high-frequency vocabulary represented by the NGSL as a baseline when identifying vocabulary especially important for graduate science and engineering students.

Valizadeh, M., & Xodabande, I. (2021). General service and academic words in psychology research articles: A corpus-based study. Journal of Asia TEFL, 18(3), 959.
Research + Practice — Uses the NGSL and NAWL to identify general and academic vocabulary coverage in psychology research articles and establish vocabulary priorities for psychology students.

Veerachaisantikul, A., & Chootarut, S. (2016). General vocabulary in Thai EFL university students' writing: A corpus-based lexical study. Journal of Advanced Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 1(1), 52–57.
Research — Compares vocabulary found in a 661,596-word corpus of Thai university writing with the NGSL.

Wadden, P., Browne, C., & Nation, P. (2018). Teaching and learning vocabulary in the Japanese university. In Teaching English at Japanese Universities, 84–96. Routledge.
Practice — Provides practical guidance for university vocabulary teaching, including using high-frequency lists such as the NGSL to establish learning priorities.

Wong, A. (2022). Changes in high-frequency vocabulary use in three writing tasks. 大阪女学院大学紀要, 18, 187–201.
Research + Practice — Uses the NGSL frequency bands to track changes in high-frequency vocabulary use across three university student writing tasks.

Xodabande, I., Asadi, V., & Valizadeh, M. (2022). Teaching vocabulary items in corpus-based wordlists to university students: Comparing the effectiveness of digital and paper-based flashcards. Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning, 2(2), 257–280.
Research + Practice — Compares digital and paper flashcards for learning vocabulary selected from the NGSL and NAWL.

Xodabande, I., Iravi, Y., Mansouri, B., & Matinparsa, H. (2022). Teaching academic words with digital flashcards: Investigating the effectiveness of mobile-assisted vocabulary learning for university students. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 893821.
Research + Practice — Uses the NAWL and NAWL Builder to teach 361 discipline-relevant academic words to university psychology students.

Xodabande, I., Torabzadeh, S., Ghafouri, M., & Emadi, A. (2022). Academic vocabulary in applied linguistics research articles: A corpus-based study. Journal of Language and Education, 8(2), 154–164.
Research + Practice — Profiles a large corpus of applied-linguistics research articles with the NAWL and identifies a 310-word high-frequency NAWL subset for pedagogical use.

Yazawa, K. (2022). Harvard-NGSL sentences for English learner speech corpora. In Proceedings of the 25th Oriental COCOSDA, 84–88.
Research + Practice — Uses NGSL vocabulary to adapt phonemically balanced Harvard sentences for the development and evaluation of English-learner speech corpora.

Zakian, M., Xodabande, I., Valizadeh, M., & Yousefvand, M. (2022). Out-of-the-classroom learning of English vocabulary by EFL learners: Investigating the effectiveness of mobile-assisted learning with digital flashcards. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 7(1), 16.
Research + Practice — Uses the NGSL and NGSL Builder in a longitudinal mobile-learning intervention and measures learners' gains in high-frequency vocabulary knowledge.