The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 40 words to know before you read it
The 40 words L. Frank Baum uses again and again in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that are outside the 4,000 most common in English. Learn them first and the opening chapters read much more easily. Each comes with its pronunciation and a sentence from the book.
straw/ˈstɹɔ/31× in the book
Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes, nose, and mouth painted on it to represent a face.
beast/ˈbist/30× in the book
… ran barking toward the Lion, and the great beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog, when Dorothy …
balloon/bəˈɫun/24× in the book
Dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon.
crow/ˈkɹoʊ/19× in the book
She ate a hearty breakfast, and watched a wee Munchkin baby, who played with Toto and pulled his tail and crowed and laughed in a way that greatly amused Dorothy.
rust/ˈɹəst/17× in the book
“They are rusted so badly that I cannot move them at all; if I am well oiled I shall soon be all right again.
frighten/ˈfɹaɪtən/17× in the book
Aunt Em, badly frightened, threw open the trap door in the floor and climbed down the ladder into the small, dark hole.
pole/ˈpoʊɫ/16× in the book
There was a great cornfield beyond the fence, and not far away she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birds from the ripe corn.
castle/ˈkæsəɫ/16× in the book
So, as she sat in the door of her castle, she happened to look around and saw Dorothy lying asleep, with her friends all about her.
witch/ˈwɪtʃ/15× in the book
“Are you a real witch?”
cyclone/sɪˈkɫoʊn/14× in the book
… and no cellar—except a small hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose …
inquire/ˌɪnˈkwaɪɹ/14× in the book
inquired Dorothy.
bark/ˈbɑɹk/14× in the book
He ran about the room, now here, now there, barking loudly; but Dorothy sat quite still on the floor and waited to see what would happen.
charm/ˈtʃɑɹm/14× in the book
“The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes,” said one of the Munchkins, “and there is some charm connected with them; but what it is we never knew.”
exclaim/ɪkˈskɫeɪm/13× in the book
At that moment several mice were seen running up as fast as their little legs could carry them, and when they saw their Queen they exclaimed:
roar/ˈɹɔɹ/13× in the book
Just as he spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar, and the next moment a great Lion bounded into the road.
bow/ˈbaʊ/13× in the book
From the far north they heard a low wail of the wind, and Uncle Henry and Dorothy could see where the long grass bowed in waves before the coming storm.
coward/ˈkaʊɝd/12× in the book
“You are nothing but a big coward.”
wicked/ˈwɪkəd/12× in the book
“But I thought all witches were wicked,” said the girl, who was half frightened at facing a real witch.
raft/ˈɹæft/12× in the book
“The Tin Woodman must build us a raft, so we can float to the other side.”
tinsmith11× in the book
So I went to a tinsmith and had him make me a new leg out of tin.
poppy/ˈpɑpi/11× in the book
There were big yellow and white and blue and purple blossoms, besides great clusters of scarlet poppies, which were so brilliant in color they almost dazzled Dorothy’s eyes.
queer/ˈkwɪɹ/11× in the book
While she stood looking eagerly at the strange and beautiful sights, she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen.
spectacles/ˈspɛktəkəɫz/11× in the book
But first you must put on the spectacles.”
emerald/ˈɛmɝɹəɫd/10× in the book
The people were all dressed in clothing of a lovely emerald-green color and wore peaked hats like those of the Munchkins.
obey/oʊˈbeɪ/10× in the book
So hereafter you must all serve him, and obey his slightest wish.”
unhappy/ənˈhæpi/10× in the book
“It is my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy.
fierce/ˈfɪɹs/10× in the book
… and then he gave so loud and terrible a roar that Dorothy screamed and the Scarecrow fell over backward, while even the fierce beasts stopped short and looked at him in surprise.
wolves/ˈwʊɫvz/10× in the book
At once there came running to her from all directions a pack of great wolves.
whisker/ˈhwɪskɝ/9× in the book
The next morning the soldier with the green whiskers came to the Scarecrow and said:
fasten/ˈfæsən/9× in the book
I had the fun of watching them make my body and my arms and legs; and when they fastened on my head, at last …
throne/ˈθɹoʊn/9× in the book
But what interested Dorothy most was the big throne of green marble that stood in the middle of the room.
tiger/ˈtaɪɡɝ/9× in the book
If the elephants and the tigers and the bears had ever tried to fight me, I should have run myself—I’m such a coward …
brave/ˈbɹeɪv/9× in the book
All the other animals in the forest naturally expect me to be brave, for the Lion is everywhere thought to be the King of Beasts.
ladder/ˈɫædɝ/9× in the book
It was reached by a trap door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole.
safely/ˈseɪfɫi/9× in the book
Then giving a great spring, he shot through the air and landed safely on the other side.
anxiously/ˈæŋkʃəsɫi/8× in the book
Uncle Henry sat upon the doorstep and looked anxiously at the sky, which was even grayer than usual.
cupboard/ˈkəbɝd/8× in the book
… and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table …
growl/ˈɡɹaʊɫ/8× in the book
… who barked after her loudly enough when she had gone, because he had been afraid even to growl while she stood by.
till/ˈtɪɫ/8× in the book
He worked hard from morning till night and did not know what joy was.
earnestly/ˈɝnəstɫi/7× in the book
While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, painted face of the Scarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyes slowly wink at her.
Pronunciation: ipa-dict (MIT), from Wiktionary.
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