Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs For Critical Thinking & Learning Design
by TeachThought Staff
Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs by Level (Planning Verbs, Non-Digital)
Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs—also called power verbs or thinking verbs—are powerful instructional planning tools. Alongside approaches like backward design and power standards, they help you define clear cognitive targets for lessons, assessments, and observation. For technology-focused verbs, see our Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Verbs.
Knowledge (Remember)
Retrieve facts, terms, and basic concepts.
Verbs: Define, Identify, Describe, Recognize, Tell, Explain, Recite, Memorize, Illustrate, Quote, State, Match, Select, Examine, Locate, Enumerate, Record, List, Label
Examples
- List: List three causes of erosion from yesterday’s reading.
- Label: Label each phase of the moon on a printed diagram.
- Recall: Recite the definition of “theme” from your notes.
Understand
Explain ideas or concepts; interpret meaning.
Verbs: Summarize, Interpret, Classify, Compare, Contrast, Infer, Relate, Extract, Paraphrase, Cite, Discuss, Distinguish, Delineate, Extend, Predict, Indicate, Translate, Inquire, Associate, Explore, Convert
Examples
- Summarize: Summarize an editorial’s claim in two sentences.
- Compare: Compare two characters’ motives using a T-chart.
- Paraphrase: Paraphrase a complex paragraph to clarify meaning.
Apply
Use information in new situations; carry out procedures.
Verbs: Solve, Change, Relate, Complete, Use, Sketch, Teach, Articulate, Discover, Transfer, Show, Demonstrate, Involve, Dramatize, Produce, Report, Act, Respond, Administer, Prepare, Manipulate
Examples
- Use: Use the slope formula to find slope between two points.
- Demonstrate: Demonstrate MLA book citation on an index card.
- Solve: Solve a two-step equation and check your solution.
Analyze
Break material into parts; detect relationships and structure.
Verbs: Contrast, Connect, Relate, Devise, Correlate, Illustrate, Distill, Conclude, Categorize, Take Apart, Problem-Solve, Differentiate, Deduce, Subdivide, Calculate, Order, Adapt
Examples
- Differentiate: Differentiate fact, opinion, and reasoning in an article.
- Categorize: Categorize lab observations as cause, effect, or noise.
- Calculate: Calculate central tendency and discuss which measure fits.
Evaluate
Make judgments based on criteria; justify decisions.
Verbs: Criticize, Reframe, Judge, Defend, Appraise, Value, Prioritize, Plan, Grade, Revise, Refine, Argue, Support, Evolve, Decide, Redesign, Pivot
Examples
- Appraise: Appraise two sources for credibility with a checklist.
- Defend: Defend a claim using three pieces of textual evidence.
- Prioritize: Prioritize solutions to a local issue and justify the ranking.
Create
Put elements together to form a coherent, original whole.
Verbs: Design, Modify, Role-Play, Develop, Rewrite, Collaborate, Invent, Write, Formulate, Imagine
Examples
- Design: Design an experiment to test a simple hypothesis.
- Compose: Compose a narrative that reveals character through dialogue.
- Formulate: Formulate a thesis and outline arguments for a brief essay.
For example, if a standard asks students to infer and demonstrate an author’s position using evidence from the text, there is a lot built into that kind of task.
First, a student must be able to define what an “author’s position” is and what “evidence from the text” means (Knowledge-level). They then need to summarize the text (Understanding-level), interpret and infer any arguments or positions (Analyze-level), evaluate inherent claims (Evaluate-level), and finally compose (Create-level) a response that demonstrates their thinking.
Though the chart below reads left to right, it can be helpful to imagine it as an incline, with Knowledge at the bottom and Create at the top. You may not always need this tool to unpack standards and identify a possible learning sequence, but it also works ideally as an assessment design aid.
If students can consistently work with the topic in the columns to the right—designing, recommending, differentiating, comparing and contrasting—they likely have a firm grasp of the material.
You can also read more about Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.
For a visual version of this framework, see Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Chart.
Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Company.
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.). (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longman.