Freshmen encounter many new things in high school -- new teachers, new friends, new subjects, new responsibilities -- and all are important to personal growth and success. But among the most challenging of these new experiences is the rapid growth of vocabulary, which will become increasingly sophisticated and complex in the years ahead. The best way to start high school is to be well prepared, and what better way to prepare than to have a varied and versatile vocabulary? To help students get a head start on high school, the editors of The American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition assembled this book of 100 words every high school freshman should know. Designed in line with the best-selling 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know, this book presents a number of words that a successful middle school graduate can learn from rigorous coursework in a variety of subjects. The words present challenges of spelling, meaning, and usage. They are words that students will see regularly both in their high school reading and in their later entry into the adult world. To learn them is to step into a broader world.