How to Improve Vocabulary

One of the easiest ways to improve your present writing skills is by introducing additional terms to your written vocabulary. Since English is one of the most comprehensive languages globally, you’ll never run out of vocabulary terms to learn and use. All types of writing, from fiction to journalism to essay writing to poetry, benefit from a rich vocabulary. Consequently, much of your time improving your vocabulary is spent working on your writing abilities. We haven’t spent much time learning new terms since high school or college. You can always pick up where you left off, thankfully. Here are a few ideas for how to improve vocabulary. 

Improve Your Vocabulary

• Make Reading a Habit

It’s simpler to expand your vocabulary when you can use different terms in different contexts. It is far more helpful to note new words in a novel or a newspaper article than just seeing them on a vocabulary list. You get to not only learn new words and also see how they’ve been utilised.

• Use a Dictionary

Online dictionaries and thesauruses can be pretty helpful when used appropriately. They can assist you in remembering synonyms that appear to be better in the context of your work. Looking up antonyms, root words, and similar words in a complete dictionary definition are some other ways to acquire an enriched vocabulary.

• Play Word Games

Scrabble and Boggle are two popular games that can help you improve your English vocabulary. Another option is to do crossword puzzles. If you want to be efficient, follow up rounds of these word games with some note-taking. Create a list of all the new words you learned while playing the game and go over it several times.

• Use Flashcards

Using flashcards to study words is a quick way to build a good vocabulary. Various smartphone apps make flashcards fast and simple to organise in today’s digital age. Setting a goal of learning one new word per day is a good idea. You could always aim for more, but of course, learning hundreds of English terms every day may not be possible.

• Subscribing to ‘Word of The Day” Feed

Some web platforms will offer you a new word every day, either through a website, an app, or an email, to help you expand your vocabulary. Words like these could be included in running word lists.

• Use Mnemonics

A mnemonic device is a form of word association that helps you remember meanings and how to use words correctly. Find the word obsequious, which means “seeking to acquire favour among powerful people via flattery.” Break that word down into its component parts: “obse” is the beginning of “obsessed,” “qui” is the French word for “yes,” while “us” is the same as “us.” Consider the big word obsequious to mean “obsessed with saying yes to us”—because that’s exactly what it means!

• Practice Conversing Using New Terms

It is possible to have a broad vocabulary yet not being able to understand how to use it. It means that you’ll have to use your words carefully and check the dictionary wisely. In a discussion, make a point of using an unusual word you came across in your reading. You can not only rehearse word choice, but you can also hone the skill of using perfect words for a specific context by experimenting with words in random situations with a bit of trial and error method.

• Movies and TV

Movies are a fun way to learn new vocabulary. You have the benefit of visual clues, similar to reading illustrated novels, whilst still hearing how the term is generally spoken. Turn on closed captioning in English to combine your listening and reading skills. It can be a helpful way to visualise the words being spoken aloud.

• Popular Literature

Reading illustrated literature, like comic books and children’s books, will provide you with visual clues to assist in the learning of new words. Furthermore, if you’re reading popular literature, there’s a strong possibility you’ll be able to discover a translation into your native tongue.

Make it a habit to look for synonyms. Use effective listening and remembering for a good range of vocabulary. You’ll have to push yourself to use new terms if you want to improve your vocabulary. 

Conclusion

To improve your vocabulary, remember that you don’t have to use all of the suggestions; instead, pick the ones that work best for you. We all learn differently, so what works for one person may not work for another. Whatever method you choose, keep note of the new words you know so you can see how far you’ve come, and most significantly, continue to have fun while expanding your English vocabulary.