Business Essentials — B2 Essential Words

product /ˈprɒdʌkt/ noun B2 Business

Meaning: Something that is made or grown to be sold.

Example: The company sells cleaning products online.

Another example: Their new product launches in May.

Collocations: new product · product quality · sell products

Synonyms: goods, item, merchandise

Word family: produce (v) · production (n) · productive (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Product is countable for things sold. 'Produce' (noun, stress PRO-duce) means fresh food — don't confuse them.

🗣 In spoken American English: Marketing lives on 'product launch' and 'product line' — you'll hear both weekly in business media.

Register: Neutral — core business vocabulary.

service /ˈsɜːrvɪs/ noun B2 Business

Meaning: Help or work provided for customers, instead of a physical thing; also an organized system like transport or healthcare.

Example: The hotel offers excellent service.

Another example: Bus service in the city is free on Sundays.

Collocations: customer service · service quality · public service

Synonyms: help, assistance, support

Word family: serve (v) · servant (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Service can be countable (services = kinds of help: cleaning services) or uncountable (the service was great = quality).

🗣 In spoken American English: 'Customer service' is the department everyone calls; saying 'the service was terrible' judges the staff's help.

Register: Neutral — everyday and business use.

market /ˈmɑːrkɪt/ noun / verb B2 Business

Meaning: The business or trade in a particular product; the group of people who might buy it; also a place where things are sold.

Example: The phone market grows every year.

Another example: They market their app to teenagers.

Collocations: job market · market share · on the market

Synonyms: industry, trade, demand

Word family: marketing (n) · marketable (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Market works as verb too: They market toys to kids. 'On the market' = available to buy.

🗣 In spoken American English: 'The market' alone often means the stock market in news: The market fell today.

Register: Neutral — essential in business news.

profit /ˈprɒfɪt/ noun B2 Business

Meaning: Money gained in business after paying all costs.

Example: The cafe made a small profit last year.

Another example: Companies exist to make a profit.

Collocations: make a profit · profit margin · net profit

Synonyms: earnings, gain, income

Antonyms: loss

Word family: profitable (adj) · profitably (adv)

⚠ Common mistake: Profit is countable for amounts (profits rose) and uncountable as a concept. You MAKE a profit; the verb 'profit from' means benefit.

🗣 In spoken American English: Business news asks one question constantly: Are profits up or down?

Register: Neutral — core finance word.

manager /ˈmænɪdʒər/ noun B2 Business

Meaning: The person in charge of a part of a company, a team, or a store.

Example: Our manager approved the new schedule.

Another example: She works as a hotel manager in Miami.

Collocations: project manager · store manager · manager position

Synonyms: boss, supervisor, director

Antonyms: employee, worker

Word family: manage (v) · management (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Manager is the neutral professional word; 'boss' is informal. You report TO a manager.

🗣 In spoken American English: Americans ask 'Can I speak to the manager?' when service goes wrong — a sentence with meme status.

Register: Neutral — everyday office language.

employee /ɪmˈplɔɪiː/ noun B2 Business

Meaning: A person who works for a company or another person and receives pay.

Example: The company has 200 employees.

Another example: Every employee gets free lunch on Fridays.

Collocations: full-time employee · employee benefits · train employees

Synonyms: worker, staff member

Antonyms: employer

Word family: employ (v) · employer (n) · employment (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Employee (the worker) vs employer (the company/person who hires). The stress is on PLOY: em-PLOY-ee.

🗣 In spoken American English: 'Employee of the month' is a classic American workplace award you'll see on walls.

Register: Neutral — HR and everyday work language.

advertise /ˈædvərtaɪz/ verb B2 Business

Meaning: To tell the public about a product or service to encourage people to buy it.

Example: Small businesses advertise on social media.

Another example: The hotel advertises free breakfast.

Collocations: advertise online · advertise a product · heavily advertised

Synonyms: promote, market, announce

Word family: advertisement (n — 'ad') · advertising (n) · advertiser (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Advertise takes no preposition in American English: advertise the product (not 'advertise about').

🗣 In spoken American English: Everyday speech uses the short noun 'ad': I saw their ad on TV. 'Advertising' is the industry.

Register: Neutral — media and business.

competition /ˌkɒmpəˈtɪʃən/ noun B2 Business

Meaning: A situation where companies or people try to be more successful than others; also an organized contest.

Example: Competition between airlines keeps prices low.

Another example: She won the singing competition.

Collocations: strong competition · face competition · competition between

Synonyms: rivalry, contest

Antonyms: monopoly

Word family: compete (v) · competitor (n) · competitive (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Competition is uncountable for the business situation; countable for contests (a singing competition).

🗣 In spoken American English: In business plans you'll write 'our competition' meaning rival companies as a group.

Register: Neutral — business and sports.

brand /brænd/ noun B2 Business

Meaning: The name and image of a company's products that make them different from others.

Example: Nike is a famous sports brand.

Another example: She only buys one brand of coffee.

Collocations: brand name · brand image · famous brand

Synonyms: label, trademark, name

Antonyms: generic

Word family: branding (n) · branded (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Brand is the whole identity, not just the logo. 'Brand new' is a different phrase meaning completely new.

🗣 In spoken American English: 'Personal brand' is huge in career talk — how you present yourself professionally online.

Register: Neutral — marketing core vocabulary.

industry /ˈɪndəstri/ noun B2 Business

Meaning: All the companies involved in one type of business activity.

Example: The car industry employs millions of people.

Another example: She works in the tech industry.

Collocations: tech industry · the film industry · industry leaders

Synonyms: sector, field, business

Word family: industrial (adj) · industries (n pl)

⚠ Common mistake: Work IN an industry: he works in the oil industry. Industry does not mean one factory — that's a plant/factory.

🗣 In spoken American English: News constantly reports 'the industry' for cars, tech, film — match the industry to the story.

Register: Neutral to formal — business news staple.