How to Improve Vocabulary

How to improve vocabulary easily? Try these 11 effective techniques.

Improve your vocabulary, and you will grow on a personal and particularly professional level; the benefits are manifold. Communicate in a more engaging, entertaining way. Speak without confusion on any subject. Explore the beauty of a language. Become a better writer or enhance your overall reading experience. The sky is the limit.

Assuming you are interested in the topic, we are on the same road trying to constantly add new expressions to our pool of active and passive words. In this comprehensive tutorial (grab a coffee) I will outline techniques to show you how to improve vocabulary daily. They range from setting goals and playing games to writing exercises and language learning. The vocabulary activities and tips are grouped by similarity but can be applied in no specific order. Experiment!

1. How to Improve Vocabulary – Set your Goals

It is an interesting fact that if we want to speak a language fluently, we only need to know an average of 2,500 passive and 2,000 active word families to handle most types of our conversations. That is 4.5% of the available 100,000 word families in English. English natives know about 10,000 to 20,000 words. Still something out there, right?

Before you start filling the gaps, I suggest making your ‘Improve Vocabulary’ project a passion or simply getting enthusiastic about discovering interesting, specialized, or rarely used words. Welcome unknown words, try guessing their meaning, think about their uses. It can be an eye-opener!

If you want to be organized, here we go:

• What is the main goal and purpose? Is it for job, exams or personal reasons?
• How many new words? What is your time frame? Per day, week, year.
• In which specific areas you would like to expand on?
• Schedule your activities. Stick to 15 minutes a day.
• Get your stuff ready, e.g. dictionary, thesaurus, flash cards, worksheets.

2. Get a Thesaurus and Dictionary

If you are looking to expand and improve your vocabulary, the best thing you can do is purchase both a thesaurus and an English-English dictionary. A dictionary will allow you to learn what new words mean, as well as how to pronounce them. It will often give you an example of the word in a sentence, showing you just how to use that word in everyday conversation and work.

A thesaurus, on the other hand, will show you other words you can use that have the same meaning in your conversations and work. When used together? They are a potent tool that can become the basis of your reading and improve vocabulary in general. Thesaurus.com is a popular online tool.

Free online resources: Thesaurus.com | Oxford Dictionary | Dictionary.com

3. Read. And Then Read Some More!

Words are like pictures. The more we see them the easier we recognize them. Voracious reading can be one powerful key, particularly to enhance your writing!

However, despite what some websites and vocabulary teachers may tell you, reading is not the be-all-and-end-all of improving your word pool. There is no sense in reading a 500-page book if you will only understand 1/3 of the text! Reading is, however, a hugely important part of solidly building and improving vocabulary. These factors are important to approach material effectively:

Remember: Unless you apply speed reading techniques it’s better to take time and just enjoy the reading process. You may want to approach your text on a word-by-word, sentence by sentence basis. This is also where the dictionary and thesaurus come in handy. Grab that dictionary and look the word up and how to pronounce it!

Start Small, Aim Tall: Depending on your age or knowledge level aim for material that is made for you but is also challenging positively. Science-Fiction and fantasy books are great sources of imaginary words, while non-fiction material will expand your vocabulary on a more academic level. Reading books about contemporary topics will help improve vocabulary that is new and wasn’t around a few years ago.

Read classic novels: As entertaining as the latest celebrity gossip magazine may be, by itself, it will not teach you the wide variety of words you will be looking to learn. Often the most useful reading material available for building your vocabulary is classic novels from literature greats. Whilst they may take longer to digest and understand, this reading source will also show you just how certain words can be utilized in conversation and description. ReadAnyBook.com will provide you with a huge selection of free and downloadable novels for you to get stuck into).

Use Audiobooks: The great thing about audiobooks is that you can find them just about anywhere, from online sources to your local library. Plug in your headphones and do nothing more than listen! Even if you do not understand every word you hear, it will teach you the exact pronunciation and context of every word. Words are often made much clearer when placed into context and used in conversation, and as a listener, you will also be presented with an interesting and engaging story to boot! Open Culture and Loyal Books are two great places to start.

Sign up to receive a word a day: There are numerous sites that will email you a word a day for you to remember. And it’s a helpful word too that you will be able to use whenever you like. Add this word to the lists and mindmaps you have created in Step 4 to develop further and improve your vocabulary. The official English Oxford Dictionary website is a great place to start.

4. Use Imagery, Visualize

Attach an image to certain words: Visualization is a technique utilized throughout schools when attempting to educate students in a second language. By getting pupils to associate an image with a certain word, each and every time they see that image they will immediately think of that word and thus start to use it in conversation.

You can do exactly the same. For long words, try splitting the word down into parts, each part having a cute cartoon attached to it. There is only one rule here; the more unique, the weirder the image you attach to that word, the better. Make it truly memorable. If you have a playful mind try the game Camping Trip which will train your visualizing skills in no time.

5. How To Improve Vocabulary Through Games

Online word memory games: The great thing about the internet is that games are literally everywhere and there are quite a few to help improve vocabulary significantly. Alongside traditional favorites such as word-searches, you can find car driving games and flip cards, all of which will present new words to you in an enjoyable, welcoming environment. ManyThings.org is a site that caters to a wide variety of students, from children to adults, and also has a broad selection of games.

Create your own memory games: If a regular or mobile internet connection is an issue, do not worry! Detailed in section 7 is just how you can create word lists of similar words to help you with your memorizing of these words. Create a word-search or a crossword on your Microsoft word, or simply construct one with a pen and paper. Add in the list of words you want to learn for the day, and off you go!

Use the games in your cupboard: We all have a drawer or a small cupboard where we all put the family board games. Favorites such as Scrabble and Boggle can all go some way to help expand and improve vocabulary, and if you have a dictionary at hand, you can learn and have some fun whilst laying down your letters! If you do not have any games in your cupboard, maybe your local library or retailer have some.

Create flashcards: The use of flashcards is one of the most effective ways to learn new information. Add words into the mix, and you will see your rate of memory retention shoot upwards. Write some tricky or hard-to-learn words onto your cards and then have a go with them, and watch your memorization shoot upwards! StudyBlue is an excellent flashcard creator and you can take it with you wherever you go! I personally use flashcards to improve vocabulary in Spanish.

6. Consider Software to Improve Your Vocabulary

Vocabulary Software can help expand your active word-families effectively. They should offer extensive step-by-step guides and give access to a comprehensive word database, including in-depth explanations and the option to add images and your own notes. Depending on what type of learner someone is, a comprehensive program also ships with a variety of games, video tutorials, flashcards, the ability to create and print word lists, and of course, advanced progress monitoring.

The best are cloud-based adding benefits such as social sharing options, learning in groups or synchronizing between devices. Consider tutors that allow several system installs and more than one user account so family and friends can join the fun. Vocab1 is one popular tutor showing you how to improve vocabulary through videos and games. It is used and recommended by many people around the world.

7. Write! And Then Write Some More.

Start an online blog: Each and every one of us lives out a different life each day. Why not write about it? This will have 2 main benefits. It will encourage you to write down words regularly, and the more comfortable you become with writing and using said words, the more likely you are to use them in the future. A good way to improve vocabulary easily. Find that your writing is using the same words again and again? Use your thesaurus to find a good alternative. This will give you another word to use in your everyday writing and conversation!

Write a poem or small song: Whilst you will not be expected to write the next hit single for Beyoncé or Iggy Azalea, writing down a song or poem with a simple yet clear rhyming pattern can be a great tool to use when trying to remember new words. How about writing a poem that contains a certain word and what it means? If it rhymes with another word that you are trying to learn, that is even better. If you want to take the poetry route, then Poem Of Quotes is a hugely enjoyable, easy to follow site.

Create vocabulary worksheets: Human beings love lists. They make activities clear to understand, keep order, and easily keep track of your progress in various activities. So, why not use them when trying to improve your vocabulary? Create lists of similar words using your thesaurus, let’s say fifteen words of a similar meaning each list. All you need to do is spend 10-15 minutes each day memorizing this list, making sure you can remember each and every word on there. Alternatives are professional programs that come with a built-in worksheet creator.

Create a mind-map: Lists are not working for you? Try mind-mapping instead. Mind maps make the connections between certain subjects incredibly clear, and if used correctly, can be a major asset to improve vocabulary systematically. They will also allow you to give examples of words in use, something you are limited with if you choose to construct lists. MindMup is a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand site available in this field.

8. Link Words!

Find the Latin or Greek origin of words: This may sound like a time-consuming and rather boring way to improve vocabulary. However, this is actually one of the most effective ways that you learn. A majority of English words originate from Latin and Greek. By relating to the word and actually finding its origin and original meaning, you are more likely to remember it in the long run, but also understand new ones quickly.

Think of each word as a new person that you meet. If you just pass over it once, you are probably not going to remember anything about it. If you engage with it, learn about it, and also put it to use? Then you are going to remember a lot more about it! This is a good starting point to make the process enjoyable and will help improve vocabulary quickly.

Master suffixes and prefixes: By understanding their meaning you are likely to grasp a words’s meaning faster. This list is quick and brief. This is a more comprehensive list of prefixes and suffixes and their explanations.

Link words from different languages that sound similar: What is meant by this is that if English isn’t your first language, use your native tongue to your full advantage! Take, for example, the French for the color pink, which is rose. Roses can be pink in color, so every time you see a rose or think of rosé, you will associate it with the color pink. Easy! This EDU site gives a great example of just how to do this.

9. Use New Words in Everyday Language!

Talk with people: Expose yourself to an environment where you are encouraged to use those words as much as possible. For this particular avenue of exploration, this means talking to as many people as possible. Engage in everyday conversation, no matter how basic and try using one or two of your learned words when talking to somebody. See how they react, see if you get a response. If not? Then try again. It is all part of the learning process, success or not! LiteMind has some great suggestions of this topic, as well as one or two other ideas you may wish to try!

Type to people: Are you part of a community focused on your favorite interests? Your football team? Your favorite hobby? Use this to your advantage! The great thing about communicating through an online medium is that it is less immediate in nature than a face-to-face conversation, so you can plan and think carefully about your response.

10. Improve Vocabulary Through Regular Tests

The idea of a test to many of us is no fun, but it can be. And, you dictate when! Whilst you will be putting your vocabulary to practice regularly using the strategies above, a short test will be in order once in a while. Will you remember vocabulary on those lists you created in Step 7 a week after you wrote them out? Find out!

Or, if you prefer a slightly more general route, websites such as Memrise will throw as many words at you to test your skills as you can handle.

How to Improve Vocabulary: A Final Word

Thanks for reading this far. You may have wondered why we have published an article on “how to improve vocabulary” on a site about speed reading. It’s obvious: This blog is dedicated to how to speed read material effectively. The more words we recognize the faster we will understand a text, the more we will also be able to comprehend and retain. Mastering both is just a perfect combination.

Part of the fun to improve vocabulary is that there are also numerous ways that you can do so. Each and every technique shown here will have its own advantages and disadvantages depending on who you are, but each and everyone will allow you to learn at your own pace.

 
If you require any further guidance or hints and tips to get you on your way, then write us an email or comment in the box below. We can provide you with additional links you can utilize to your hearts content. And if you want a daily activity just to keep yourself ticking over? EnglishTown is one of the best free resources out there.

Final tip: Be aware that people might not understand rarely used or highly specialized words. Keep it real when talking to children, friends and family. You may want to impress but you don’t want to sound off-hook in your everyday and casual talking.

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Further resources: Top100 SAT Words | Teaching Vocab Series PDF