Do you find yourself in a one-way street when you have to memorize new words and phrases?
Even though it seems quite easy, learning new words and boosting your vocabulary isn’t all that simple. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t talented at learning new languages. It only means that you have to find other ways to remember words and expand your vocabulary besides flashcards.
If you think that polyglots aren’t humans, you should find out their useful ways and tricks to learn a new language. So, keep reading because we will reveal 9 efficient and creative ways to study vocabulary words.
9 Effective And Creative Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary
Watch YouTube Videos
As you already know, YouTube is the biggest and most useful resource for practically anything. So, why shouldn’t you use it to improve your vocabulary? There are plenty of videos created specifically for building a vocabulary like, for example, associating words with images or particular actions.
Play Vocabulary Games
Besides being effective, playing games can be fun, too. Luckily, today you can find so many great vocabulary games that can help you learn and practice new words and expressions. You can play alone or compete with other people online, which makes the whole thing even more fun.
There are also many vocabulary game apps you can download and play anytime and anywhere you want to. Words With Friends, for example, is a great app and it’s even more fun because you can play it with your friends no matter where they are.
For a start, you have to choose the word that doesn’t belong to the given group of words. But that’s not all. If you want to move forward and win, you have to know something more about every word the app gives you.
Word of the Day
Have you heard of the word of the day? Many websites and online dictionaries have the option for sending new words or expressions every day to your mailbox if you subscribe to them. That way, you can start your day with morning coffee and a new word in your target language.
For English learners, Merriam-Webster helps language learners to build their vocabulary by choosing a different word every day with thorough explanations and examples of how to use it. If you are a French learner, you should check out FrenchPod101, while Spanish students should enlist SpanishDict as their vocabulary learning tool.
Read a Lot
Even though reading is one of the things that go in pair with building a vocabulary, people these days tend to forget that. Now it’s time to get back to the good old reading habit. It is simple: the more you read, the more you will learn.
By reading you can learn new words and phrases, as well as understand them in different contexts. Besides classic books, there are special books made for learning vocabulary.
If you’ve just started learning a new language, you can start with children’s books. They are written in a simple way, using short and straightforward sentences with simple words kids can understand. And when you start learning a new language, you are just like a kid, or precisely, a toddler. So, you have to start with easy and simple things.
Over time, you can turn to more demanding books. Not only will you build and improve your vocabulary, but you will also enter new and exciting worlds, find out new things, and enjoy reading.
Make a Vocabulary Playlist
When someone mentions ‘playlist’ the first thing that comes to your mind is songs. But you can also make your own vocabulary playlist. The list can include songs, which is even better because that way, you will connect words and phrases to titles of songs.
The words or expressions don’t necessarily have to be mentioned in the songs. They can associate you with particular words so you will easily remember them.
Learn Vocabulary By Practicing Speaking Skills
One of the challenging but also efficient and fun ways to improve your vocabulary is by practicing the words and phrases. Talking to real people, preferably native speakers, is something that helps you not only be more confident but improve your speaking skills and therefore, boost your vocabulary.
Have Fun With Spongy Letters
Have you ever tried to make letters from a sponge tube? It is very entertaining but you can make letters from anything you want. It doesn’t necessarily have to be from a sponge. Write a letter on every piece of a sponge. The point is to make as many words or phrases as you can.
You can make your own rules but here’s one example. The letters used in the words should include 7 letters and one additional letter you can choose randomly but it has to be used in every word or expression. The minimum number of letters a word must include should be 3.
It is an ideal practice to repeat the words you already know and search for the unknown ones because the fun way allows you to memorize words easily.
Make a Story With Other Language Learners
Sometimes memorizing new words isn’t as difficult as it can be to use them in different contexts. In these cases, you need something that will help you practice new words in various situations. For that, you should try out some of the creative writing games.
Storium, for example, is an online community where you make a story with other users and help you use your English vocabulary in real-time. Each of the participants gets a character and a set of cards that determine how the story goes on. Every player uses their own cards and writes paragraphs according to them, contributing to the whole story.
Learn With Pictures
For those of you who simply can’t sit down and memorize words or play games to improve your vocabulary, we have one more idea that can help you in your vocabulary. This especially concerns all of you who like drawing and whose notebooks are full of pictures. Use your creative, artistic side to learn new words and expressions.
Do you know what the word ‘inadequate’ means in your target language? How would you draw that? Or perhaps ‘to slow things down?’ Do you have an idea what it would take like in a drawing? Besides practicing and learning words, you boost your talent, as well.
Final Thoughts
Learning and memorizing new words and expressions in your target language doesn’t have to be something that gives you headaches. On the contrary, it can be quite amusing.
If you’re interested in expanding your vocabulary, check out these top online learning resources: Kick off your learning with Babbel, where interactive, enjoyable lessons are designed to blend smoothly into your routine, fostering fast and effective language learning. For those aiming for an in-depth understanding, Udemy provides a broad spectrum of courses from basic to advanced levels. To enhance your speaking skills, Preply connects you with native speakers for personalized coaching, ensuring significant improvement. Take advantage of a 50% discount on your first lesson at Preply with this link.
How to improve your vocabulary?
Watch YouTube Videos, Play Vocabulary Games, Word of the Day, Read a lot, Make a Vocabulary Playlist, Have Fun With Spongy Letters, Make a Story With Other Language Learners
How does reading help with vocabulary learning?
Even though reading is one of the things that go in pair with building a vocabulary, people these days tend to forget that. Now it’s time to get back to the good old reading habit. It is simple: the more you read, the more you will learn. By reading you can learn new words and phrases, as well as understand them in different contexts. Besides classic books, there are special books made for learning vocabulary. If you’ve just started learning a new language, you can start with children’s books. They are written in a simple way, using short and straightforward sentences with simple words kids can understand. And when you start learning a new language, you are just like a kid, or precisely, a toddler. So, you have to start with easy and simple things. Over time, you can turn to more demanding books. Not only will you build and improve your vocabulary, but you will also enter new and exciting worlds, find out new things, and enjoy reading.
What's the most creative way to expand vocabulary?
Have you ever tried to make letters from a sponge tube? It is very entertaining but you can make letters from anything you want. It doesn’t necessarily have to be from a sponge. Write a letter on every piece of a sponge. The point is to make as many words or phrases as you can. You can make your own rules but here’s one example. The letters used in the words should include 7 letters and one additional letter you can choose randomly but it has to be used in every word or expression. The minimum number of letters a word must include should be 3. It is an ideal practice to repeat the words you already know and search for the unknown ones because the fun way allows you to memorize words easily.
