DELF B2 vocabulary: key words by theme and how to remember them

DELF B2 vocabulary often makes the difference between an average and a very good paper. At this level, examiners expect precise words for the big social topics, not just everyday vocabulary. This guide gathers the key French words for the 12 themes that come up most in the exam, with English translations, plus vocabulary for arguing, informal words to avoid and a simple method to remember everything.

To practise interactively, each theme also has its own lesson on our B2 vocabulary by theme page, with exercises and reviews.

Why vocabulary matters so much in the DELF B2

In both writing and speaking, vocabulary is one of the five criteria on the marking grid: it is worth 5 points out of 25. The examiner looks at range, precision and repetition. In listening and reading, a wide vocabulary helps you spot paraphrases, which are at the heart of the multiple-choice questions.

In our marked writing sample, the essay scoring 13/25 loses most of its points on vocabulary: "c'est", "il y a" and "des problèmes" keep coming back. The essay scoring 23/25 uses words like "absentéisme", "productivité" and "expérimentation" instead.

DELF B2 vocabulary by theme

Here is the essential DELF B2 vocabulary: six French words or expressions for each of the big exam themes, with their English meaning. Learn them with their article (le, la, l', un, une) and in a full sentence.

Society

• les inégalités : inequality.
• la précarité : insecurity, instability.
• l'exclusion sociale : social exclusion.
• le vivre-ensemble : living together, social cohesion.
• la mixité sociale : social mix.
• le lien intergénérationnel : links between generations.

Example: « La mixité sociale dans les quartiers favorise le vivre-ensemble. » (A social mix in neighbourhoods encourages people to live well together.)

Go further: the B2 society vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Environment

• le réchauffement climatique : global warming.
• l'empreinte carbone : carbon footprint.
• la transition énergétique : energy transition.
• le tri sélectif : waste sorting.
• la biodiversité : biodiversity.
• la sobriété : restraint, consuming less.

Example: « Réduire son empreinte carbone passe aussi par la sobriété. » (Reducing your carbon footprint also means consuming less.)

Go further: the B2 environment vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Work

• le télétravail : remote work.
• la reconversion professionnelle : career change.
• le chômage : unemployment.
• l'épuisement professionnel : burnout.
• la conciliation vie professionnelle / vie privée : work-life balance.
• un contrat à durée déterminée (CDD) : fixed-term contract.

Example: « Le télétravail facilite la conciliation entre vie professionnelle et vie privée. » (Remote work makes it easier to balance work and private life.)

Go further: the B2 work vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Technology

• l'intelligence artificielle : artificial intelligence.
• les données personnelles : personal data.
• la dépendance aux écrans : screen addiction.
• la fracture numérique : digital divide.
• la cybersécurité : cybersecurity.
• l'innovation : innovation.

Example: « La fracture numérique prive certains publics des services en ligne. » (The digital divide cuts some people off from online services.)

Go further: the B2 technology vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Culture and the arts

• le patrimoine : heritage.
• l'accès à la culture : access to culture.
• une œuvre : a work (of art).
• la démocratisation culturelle : making culture accessible to all.
• le spectacle vivant : live performance.
• la gratuité : free access.

Example: « La gratuité des musées contribue à la démocratisation culturelle. » (Free museum entry helps make culture accessible to all.)

Go further: the B2 culture and the arts vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Economy

• le pouvoir d'achat : purchasing power.
• la consommation responsable : responsible consumption.
• la croissance : economic growth.
• l'inflation : inflation.
• l'économie circulaire : circular economy.
• les circuits courts : short supply chains.

Example: « Les circuits courts soutiennent les producteurs locaux et l'économie circulaire. » (Short supply chains support local producers and the circular economy.)

Go further: the B2 economy vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Education

• la réussite scolaire : academic success.
• le décrochage scolaire : dropping out of school.
• l'égalité des chances : equal opportunities.
• la formation continue : lifelong learning.
• l'apprentissage : apprenticeship.
• l'orientation : career guidance.

Example: « Le décrochage scolaire menace l'égalité des chances. » (Dropping out of school threatens equal opportunities.)

Go further: the B2 education vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Justice and law

• un délit : an offence.
• une sanction : a penalty.
• la prévention : prevention.
• la récidive : reoffending.
• les droits et les devoirs : rights and duties.
• la présomption d'innocence : presumption of innocence.

Example: « La prévention reste le meilleur moyen de limiter la récidive. » (Prevention remains the best way to limit reoffending.)

Go further: the B2 justice and law vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Media and information

• la désinformation : disinformation.
• une source fiable : a reliable source.
• l'esprit critique : critical thinking.
• les réseaux sociaux : social media.
• la liberté de la presse : press freedom.
• un algorithme : an algorithm.

Example: « Face à la désinformation, il faut vérifier si la source est fiable. » (Faced with disinformation, you need to check whether the source is reliable.)

Go further: the B2 media and information vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Politics and citizenship

• la citoyenneté : citizenship.
• l'abstention : abstention.
• le débat public : public debate.
• une réforme : a reform.
• l'engagement associatif : community involvement.
• la démocratie participative : participatory democracy.

Example: « La hausse de l'abstention inquiète les défenseurs de la démocratie participative. » (Rising abstention worries supporters of participatory democracy.)

Go further: the B2 politics and citizenship vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Health

• la sédentarité : sedentary lifestyle.
• la santé mentale : mental health.
• l'accès aux soins : access to healthcare.
• les déserts médicaux : areas short of doctors.
• un déséquilibre alimentaire : an unbalanced diet.
• la prévention santé : preventive healthcare.

Example: « Les déserts médicaux compliquent l'accès aux soins dans les zones rurales. » (Areas short of doctors make access to healthcare harder in rural regions.)

Go further: the B2 health vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Science

• la recherche : research.
• une découverte : a discovery.
• l'éthique : ethics.
• un essai clinique : a clinical trial.
• la vulgarisation scientifique : popular science.
• le progrès : progress.

Example: « Chaque essai clinique doit respecter des règles d'éthique strictes. » (Every clinical trial must follow strict ethical rules.)

Go further: the B2 science vocabulary lesson, with exercises.

Vocabulary for arguing

Whatever the topic, B2 writing and speaking require you to argue. This part of your DELF B2 vocabulary fits into a handful of French verbs and expressions that work for every subject. Learn them as a set, because you will use several of them in every essay and every talk:

• Giving a view: affirmer, soutenir, estimer, considérer que.
• Emphasising: souligner, insister sur, mettre en avant.
• Qualifying: nuancer, relativiser, dans une certaine mesure, à condition que.
• Conceding: reconnaître, admettre, certes… mais, il est vrai que… néanmoins.
• Criticising: contester, déplorer, remettre en cause, dénoncer.
• Proposing: préconiser, suggérer, il conviendrait de, il serait souhaitable que.

For linking words and set phrases, see our guide to the formal letter and our 60 useful speaking phrases.

Nominalisation: a B2 reflex

Turning a verb into a noun makes your sentences more precise and more formal, especially in titles and introductions:

• augmenter → l'augmentation (increase); réduire → la réduction (reduction); protéger → la protection (protection)
• décider → la décision (decision); développer → le développement (development); interdire → l'interdiction (ban)

For example, "Les villes veulent réduire la pollution" becomes "La réduction de la pollution est une priorité pour les villes".

Informal words to replace

Register counts on the grid: an informal word in a formal letter costs points. Replace:

• bosser, le boulot (to work, job, slang) → travailler, l'emploi, le poste
• un truc (a thing) → un élément, un aspect, un objet
• plein de (loads of) → de nombreux, beaucoup de
• super, génial (great) → remarquable, très efficace, excellent
• ça (that, informal) → cela
• il y a des problèmes (there are problems) → cette situation soulève plusieurs difficultés

How to learn DELF B2 vocabulary

1. Learn in context. An isolated word is soon forgotten. Note it with the sentence where you found it and with its usual expressions: "lutter contre" (to fight against), "prendre des mesures" (to take measures), "sensibiliser à" (to raise awareness of).
2. Work in small batches. Ten words a week per theme beats a hundred words in one evening, and it keeps your revision manageable alongside work or studies.
3. Review at spaced intervals. Seeing a word again the next day, three days later, then a week later fixes it in memory. Our vocabulary lessons offer these reviews with a free account.
4. Reuse the words. Put three new words into every text you write and every practice talk: reuse is what makes them available on exam day. Words you have used yourself several times come back far more easily under exam pressure.
5. Read and listen to the news. RFI Français facile and TV5Monde Apprendre offer learner-friendly content, ideal for discovering press vocabulary before moving on to standard media.

Putting your vocabulary to the test

The best test is still a mock exam. Take our DELF B2 practice test PDF, then reread your writing and underline repeated words and words that are too simple. For speaking, practise with our DELF B2 speaking topics and set yourself three theme words per talk. The official samples from France Éducation international also show you the vocabulary of real exam documents.

In short

DELF B2 vocabulary means, above all, precise words for the big social themes, the language of argument and the right register. Learn them in context, in small batches, review them regularly and reuse them in writing and speaking. To go further, work through each theme in our B2 vocabulary lessons and follow our 8-week study plan.