2) Literate/Written vocabulary refers to words language learners use in order to understand what they read, and words they use in writing. This, again, includes both receptive and productive vocabulary. Receptive vocabulary involves being able to recognize it when it is seen. When one reads, he or she needs a number of vocabulary items to understand texts he or she is reading. Likewise, when one writes, he or she needs a number of vocabulary items to produce his or her ideas in the writing texts.