Where to Find Programming English Word Lists for Developers: A Complete Guide to byoungd/English-level-up-tips

The byoungd/English-level-up-tips repository maintains curated programming English word lists in docs/threads/word-list/, offering both language-agnostic technical terms and language-specific vocabulary for Python, Go, JavaScript, Rust, and more.

Developers looking to master technical English terminology can find comprehensive word lists in the open-source byoungd/English-level-up-tips repository. These curated collections cover everything from general programming concepts to ecosystem-specific jargon, stored as plain markdown files in docs/threads/word-list/ for easy integration into study tools and development workflows.

Word List Location and Structure

All vocabulary files reside under the docs/threads/word-list/ directory in the repository root. The collection is organized into two distinct categories: a universal set of technical terms applicable across all programming languages, and specialized lists tailored to specific programming ecosystems.

Common Technical Terms

The Common.md file contains language-agnostic vocabulary essential for any developer. Terms include algorithm, concurrency, microservice, and benchmark, covering fundamental concepts encountered in documentation, code reviews, and technical discussions regardless of your primary programming language.

Language-Specific Collections

Each supported programming language maintains its own dedicated markdown file enumerating terms frequently used within that ecosystem. For example, Python.md includes async, await, and dataclass, while Go.md features goroutine and interface. Additional files cover Java, JavaScript, Rust, Swift, PHP, Prompt Engineering, and VibeCoding terminology.

How to Access and Use the Word Lists

These plaintext markdown files are designed for trivial integration into scripts, flash-card applications, or IDE extensions. You can reference them while writing documentation, generate study materials automatically, or integrate them with language-specific tools like linters that flag unknown terminology.

Direct File Access via Raw GitHub URLs

For immediate access without cloning the repository, fetch files directly from the raw GitHub content domain. The live GitHub Pages version mirrors these files at https://byoungd.github.io/English-level-up-tips/#/word-list, ensuring any repository updates are instantly reflected in the live documentation.

Local File Integration

Clone the repository to work with local copies of the word lists. This approach enables offline access and version control integration, allowing you to track changes as the community updates terminology or adds new language-specific collections.

Code Examples for Loading Word Lists

Below are practical implementations demonstrating how to programmatically load and process these word lists in Python, JavaScript, and Go.

Python: Fetching Remote Word Lists

import pathlib
import requests

# -------------------------------------------------

# 1️⃣ Load a remote word‑list from GitHub (no clone needed)

# -------------------------------------------------

def fetch_wordlist(url: str) -> list[str]:
    """Download a markdown word list and return a clean list of terms."""
    resp = requests.get(url, timeout=10)
    resp.raise_for_status()
    # Strip markdown headers and empty lines

    return [line.strip() for line in resp.text.splitlines()
            if line and not line.startswith('#')]

PYTHON_WORDLIST_URL = (
    "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/byoungd/English-level-up-tips/master/"
    "docs/threads/word-list/Python.md"
)

python_terms = fetch_wordlist(PYTHON_WORDLIST_URL)
print(f"🔢 {len(python_terms)} Python terms loaded:")
print(", ".join(python_terms[:10]), "…")

JavaScript: Loading Local Files

// -------------------------------------------------
// 2️⃣ Load a word‑list in Node.js (using fetch API)
// -------------------------------------------------
import { readFile } from 'fs/promises';
import path from 'path';

async function loadWordlist(file) {
  const txt = await readFile(file, 'utf8');
  return txt
    .split('\n')
    .map(l => l.trim())
    .filter(l => l && !l.startsWith('#'));
}

const commonPath = path.resolve(
  'docs/threads/word-list/Common.md'
);
loadWordlist(commonPath).then(list => {
  console.log(`🛠️ ${list.length} common terms`);
  console.log(list.slice(0, 5).join(', ') + ' …');
});

Go: Processing Local Word Lists

// -------------------------------------------------
// 3️⃣ Load a word‑list in Go (reading the file locally)
// -------------------------------------------------
package main

import (
    "bufio"
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "os"
    "strings"
)

func loadWordlist(p string) ([]string, error) {
    f, err := os.Open(p)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    defer f.Close()

    var words []string
    scanner := bufio.NewScanner(f)
    for scanner.Scan() {
        line := strings.TrimSpace(scanner.Text())
        if line != "" && !strings.HasPrefix(line, "#") {
            words = append(words, line)
        }
    }
    return words, scanner.Err()
}

func main() {
    words, err := loadWordlist("docs/threads/word-list/Go.md")
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    fmt.Printf("🧩 %d Go terms loaded\n", len(words))
    fmt.Println(strings.Join(words[:8], ", "), "…")
}

Available Word List Files

The repository contains the following markdown files in docs/threads/word-list/:

• Common.md – Language-agnostic technical vocabulary including algorithm, concurrency, microservice, and benchmark.
• Python.md – Python-specific terminology such as async, await, and dataclass.
• Java.md – Java ecosystem terms including JVM and annotation.
• Go.md – Go-specific vocabulary like goroutine and interface.
• JavaScript.md – JavaScript and Node.js terms including callback and promise.
• Rust.md – Rust-specific terminology such as ownership and borrow.
• Swift.md – Swift language terms including protocol and optional.
• PHP.md – PHP-related vocabulary including composer and namespace.
• Prompt.md – Prompt-engineering terminology like chain-of-thought.
• VibeCoding.md – Contemporary "vibe-coding" slang and terminology.

Summary

• The byoungd/English-level-up-tips repository provides curated programming English word lists for developers in the docs/threads/word-list/ directory.
• Collections include both Common.md for universal technical terms and language-specific files for Python, Go, Rust, JavaScript, Java, Swift, PHP, and others.
• Files are plain markdown, making them easy to parse and integrate into flash-card apps, scripts, or IDE extensions.
• Access them remotely via raw GitHub URLs or locally by cloning the repository.
• The live documentation is available at https://byoungd.github.io/English-level-up-tips/#/word-list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What programming languages are covered in the word lists?

The repository includes dedicated word lists for Python, Java, Go, Rust, PHP, JavaScript, Swift, as well as specialized collections for Prompt Engineering and VibeCoding terminology. Each file in docs/threads/word-list/ focuses on the specific jargon, keywords, and technical concepts prevalent in that ecosystem, such as async and dataclass for Python or goroutine for Go.

How can I use these word lists in my own applications?

Since the files are plain markdown stored in docs/threads/word-list/, you can fetch them via HTTP requests to raw GitHub URLs, read them locally using standard file I/O operations, or parse them with any markdown parser. The simple format—one term per line with markdown headers—makes them trivial to process into JSON arrays, database entries, or flash-card decks using the code patterns shown above.

Are these word lists updated regularly?

Yes, the lists are maintained as part of the documentation site at https://byoungd.github.io/English-level-up-tips/#/word-list. Because they are version-controlled in the GitHub repository, any updates, additions, or corrections made by contributors are immediately available through both the GitHub interface and the raw content URLs, ensuring you always have access to current terminology.

Can I contribute new terms or language-specific lists to the repository?

The repository is open-source and accepts contributions. You can submit pull requests to add new terminology to existing files in docs/threads/word-list/ or propose new markdown files for additional programming languages or technical domains following the established plain-text format, where each term appears on its own line without complex formatting.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}