DELF B2 Vocabulary List: 25 Themes, Free PDF Map

DELF B2 Vocabulary List: 600 Words, Theme by Theme

The DELF B2 draws its vocabulary from 25 themes rather than from one official word list, so a useful B2 list is organised by theme. This page gives all 25 themes with the number of words each one carries, a sample of the words themselves, and a free one-page revision map to print.

By Camille, native French teacherUpdated 6 October 2026Free, no account required

Download the B2 theme map (PDF)

This is the vocabulary list I use with my own students preparing the DELF B2. It is organised the way the exam is: by theme, because that is how the examiner picks a subject, and not alphabetically, because nobody revises in alphabetical order.

B2 is the level that nationality files and university entry ask for, and its vocabulary is press vocabulary: the words below are the ones you meet in an article, not in a conversation about the weekend.

Start with the map of themes below to see the shape of the level, then work through the words theme by theme. At B2 you are expected to follow a debate, defend a position in writing and read the press, and the themes follow from that.

The 25 DELF B2 vocabulary themes

Every theme the B2 exam draws on, with how many words each one carries in my complete B2 deck. Use it as a revision map: tick off the themes you can already talk about for two minutes, and you have your list of what is left.

Theme	In English	Words
Les verbes déclaratifs	Reporting verbs	26
Des paroles et des sons	Speech and sounds	20
La presse	The press	18
Événements et faits divers	Events and news stories	20
Commenter des chiffres	Commenting on figures	16
Le lieu	Place and location	25
La géographie	Geography	34
L'histoire	History	20
Le temps	Time	24
Santé et maladie	Health and illness	27
La description physique	Physical description	23
La météo	The weather	18
L'environnement	The environment	20
L'art	Art	22
L'appréciation	Expressing judgement	27
L'expression de la quantité	Expressing quantity	22
La vie quotidienne et les appareils	Daily life and appliances	19
Les sentiments	Feelings	30
L'amour et l'amitié	Love and friendship	20
Le travail et l'économie	Work and the economy	20
La comparaison	Comparing	21
L'Internet et l'informatique	The internet and computing	24
Le changement	Change	46
Le tourisme	Tourism	26
Les animaux sauvages	Wild animals	32

What B2 vocabulary actually looks like

A couple of words from ten of the themes above, so you can see the register the level works at. Each noun carries its article, because the gender is part of the word and the examiner hears it.

Theme	French	English
La presse	le communiqué de presse	press release
La presse	la conférence de presse	press conference
L'environnement	la faune	fauna / wildlife
L'environnement	la flore	flora
Le travail et l'économie	le gérant / la gérante	manager / director
Le travail et l'économie	le chômage	unemployment
Les sentiments	éprouver	to feel / to experience (an emotion)
Les sentiments	ressentir	to feel / to sense
Santé et maladie	l'acupuncture (f.)	acupuncture
Santé et maladie	l'aide-soignant / l'aide-soignante	care assistant / nursing auxiliary
L'Internet et l'informatique	le forum	forum
L'Internet et l'informatique	le blogue / le blog	blog
La géographie	l'atlas (m.)	atlas
La géographie	la carte géographique	geographical map
Le temps	l'époque (f.)	era / period
Le temps	le semestre	semester / half-year
L'expression de la quantité	le poids	weight
L'expression de la quantité	la taille	size / height
Le changement	l'adaptation (f.)	adaptation
Le changement	le bouleversement	upheaval / disruption

How to actually learn a B2 vocabulary list

Reading a list does nothing. What works is recall: cover the French column, read the English, say the word out loud with its article, then check. The words you get wrong come back sooner than the words you get right, which is the whole principle behind the flashcard decks.

Do not try to learn a theme in one sitting. Ten words a day, said out loud, beats a hundred words read in silence on a Sunday. And write them in sentences: a word you have never produced is a word you will not find under exam pressure.

If you want the exam format itself rather than the words, the DELF B2 checklist covers the grammar, the tenses and the four papers.

The complete B2 vocabulary on 600 cards

The map above shows you the ground to cover. Vocabulaire B2 is that ground filled in: all 600 words, every theme, each card spoken in Camille’s own French voice and scheduled to come back until it sticks. The free deck on /flashcards shows you how they work before you decide.

Get Vocabulaire B2 · $19

The words English speakers get wrong in French

False friends that look like English and mean something else, the numbers that turn into arithmetic, and the expressions that make no sense translated word for word.

False friends, with what the word really means and the word you wanted

Seventy to a hundred, written out, with the Belgian and Swiss forms

Everyday expressions, and what they actually do in a conversation

4 pages, free, sent straight away. Everything on this page stays free either way. You will also hear from me when a new guide or free deck goes up, and one click at the bottom of any email takes you off the list.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official DELF B2 vocabulary list?

No single word list is published with the exam papers: the DELF B2 is defined by themes and by what you must be able to do with the language, which is why every vocabulary list you find is one teacher’s reading of those themes. This one is mine, built from the 25 themes the B2 exam draws on and used with students who then sit it.

How many words do you need for the DELF B2?

There is no pass mark expressed in words, and counting them is the wrong way round: the examiner tests whether you can follow a debate, defend a position in writing and read the press. The deck I teach from holds 600 words across 25 themes, which is the amount my students need in practice to handle any B2 subject without being stuck for a noun.

Can I download the DELF B2 vocabulary list as a PDF?

The free PDF on this page is the revision map: the 25 B2 themes and how many words each one holds, on one page to print and tick off. No account and no email are required. The 600 words themselves are in the Vocabulaire B2 deck, as flashcards with audio rather than as a list, because a list you print is a list you stop reading on day three.

What is the difference between this list and the DELF B2 checklist?

The checklist is the exam: grammar points, tenses, communication skills and the format of the four papers. This list is the vocabulary: the themes and the words themselves. Most candidates need both, and they are free.