Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs: The Complete List for Teachers

If you have ever sat down to write lesson objectives and stared at a blank page wondering which verb to use, you are not alone. Bloom's Taxonomy provides a shared vocabulary for describing what students should be able to do at the end of a lesson, and picking the right verb is the difference between a vague objective and one that is specific, measurable, and actually useful for planning.

This guide gives you the full list of Bloom's Taxonomy verbs organized by cognitive level, with explanations and examples so you can put them to work immediately. Whether you are writing a lesson plan, designing an assessment, or building a rubric, these verbs are your foundation.

The Six Levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (Revised)

The revised Bloom's Taxonomy, published in 2001 by Anderson and Krathwohl, organizes cognitive processes from least to most complex. Each level builds on the ones below it. Here is a breakdown of each level, its definition, and the verbs associated with it.

1. Remember

The Remember level involves retrieving relevant knowledge from long-term memory. This is the foundation of all higher-order thinking. Students at this level can recall facts, terms, basic concepts, and answers without necessarily understanding what they mean.

Verbs:

• Define, list, name, recall, recognize, identify
• Memorize, repeat, state, label, match, recite
• Select, reproduce, describe (basic), locate

Example objective: Students will list the five themes of geography.

2. Understand

At the Understand level, students demonstrate comprehension by constructing meaning from instructional messages. They can explain ideas or concepts in their own words, interpret information, and make connections between new material and prior knowledge.

Verbs:

• Explain, summarize, paraphrase, describe, interpret
• Classify, compare, contrast, discuss, distinguish
• Illustrate, infer, predict, translate, exemplify

Example objective: Students will explain the water cycle in their own words using a diagram.

3. Apply

The Apply level requires students to use information in new situations. They carry out or implement a procedure, solve problems using learned methods, and transfer knowledge to unfamiliar contexts. This is where the shift from "knowing" to "doing" begins.

Verbs:

• Apply, use, execute, implement, solve, demonstrate
• Calculate, complete, construct, practice, operate
• Show, sketch, experiment, illustrate, schedule

Example objective: Students will solve two-step equations using inverse operations.

4. Analyze

At the Analyze level, students break material into its component parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose. This involves critical thinking: identifying patterns, organizing information, and recognizing underlying assumptions.

Verbs:

• Analyze, compare, contrast, differentiate, distinguish
• Examine, organize, categorize, deconstruct, outline
• Investigate, correlate, diagram, attribute, question

Example objective: Students will compare the themes of two short stories and identify how the authors' backgrounds influenced their perspectives.

5. Evaluate

The Evaluate level asks students to make judgments based on criteria and standards. They critique, justify, and defend positions. This level requires students to not only understand and analyze information, but also to form and support an opinion about its quality, value, or effectiveness.

Verbs:

• Evaluate, judge, justify, critique, assess, argue
• Defend, support, rate, rank, recommend, prioritize
• Appraise, conclude, determine, validate, debate

Example objective: Students will evaluate the effectiveness of two different renewable energy solutions and defend their recommendation in a written argument.

6. Create

Create is the highest level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Students put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole, reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure, or generate something original. This level demands synthesis, innovation, and production.

Verbs:

• Create, design, develop, construct, produce, compose
• Plan, invent, formulate, generate, propose, assemble
• Write, build, devise, author, collaborate, film

Example objective: Students will design an experiment to test the effect of sunlight on plant growth and compose a lab report presenting their findings.

How to Use Bloom's Verbs in Your Lesson Plans

Knowing the verbs is only half the battle. Here is how to use them effectively:

• Start with the end in mind. Decide what level of thinking your assessment will require, then write your objective using a verb at that level.
• Avoid vague verbs. Words like "understand," "know," and "learn" are not measurable. Replace them with specific Bloom's verbs. Instead of "students will understand fractions," write "students will compare fractions with unlike denominators using visual models."
• Scaffold across levels. A well-designed unit moves students from Remember and Understand toward Analyze, Evaluate, and Create over time. Use lower-level activities as building blocks for higher-level tasks.
• Align assessments to objectives. If your objective uses an Analyze verb, your assessment should require analysis. A multiple-choice test that only tests recall does not match an Analyze-level objective.

LessonDraft's Lesson Plan Generator automatically writes objectives aligned to Bloom's Taxonomy, so you can skip the guesswork and focus on teaching. You can also use the Quiz Generator to create assessments that target specific cognitive levels, or the Rubric Generator to build grading criteria that reflect the depth of thinking you expect.

Quick Reference: Verbs to Avoid

Some verbs are too vague to be useful in learning objectives. Here are common offenders and better alternatives:

• "Understand" → Replace with explain, summarize, interpret, compare
• "Know" → Replace with identify, define, list, recall
• "Learn" → Replace with demonstrate, apply, describe, construct
• "Be familiar with" → Replace with recognize, classify, distinguish