How to Expand Your Vocabulary

Crossword puzzles are an entertaining way to expand vocabulary.

When parents hear a baby speak his first word, they proclaim the good news to anyone who will listen. After all, the milestone marks the start of a baby's ability to exchange thoughts and ideas with the world at large. That first utterance represents the baby's first vocabulary word and, as vocabulary expands, so, too, does the baby's success in the world. In school, in business and while socializing, the ability to communicate with just the right word can be the difference between being dismissed and being heard. Fortunately, the ability to increase vocabulary never fades.

Things You'll Need

• Dictionary
• Blank pocket journal
• Thesaurus
• Audio recorder, optional
• Word games and puzzles

Instructions

1. Read. While you read, keep a dictionary at hand to look up words you don't know. To be exposed to a certain "genre" of vocabulary, read within a certain field of knowledge, such as art history, business or the environment. You will come across some words repeatedly and they will become part of your vocabulary.

2. Write down words you want to be able to use right away, along with the definition and a sentence featuring the word. Use your thesaurus to look up and write down synonyms for the word.

3. Note words in conversation that you don't know and record them as soon as possible. Include the context in which the words were used. Apps for smartphones make such audio recordings convenient, but you can always fall back on your pocket journal.

4. Look up the recorded words. Write them down, with definition, synonyms and a sentence.

5. Read the words you are trying to learn regularly. Write more sentences that use the word.

6. Practice using the words you are learning. According to James Cook University, memory increases by combining different ways of learning, so reading, hearing, saying and using the words expands your vocabulary more efficiently and quickly.

7. Learn common roots of words to help you have a sense of a word's meaning in conversational situations.

8. Play word games and do crossword puzzles for more practice (see Resources).

9. Use online resources, for instance, subscribing to word-of-the-day emails. Some sites offer free courses (see Resources).

References

• James Cook University - JCU Study Skills Online: Active Learning
• University of Houston-Victoria: Academic Center; Building Vocabulary: Common Root Words; Andrew Davis; June 2010
• Vocabulary.co.il: Simple Strategies for Expanding Your Vocabulary
• Western Governors University Connection Blog: Seven Techniques to Improve Your Vocabulary

Resources

• Vocabulary.co.il: English Vocabulary Building Games
• V2: Your Vocabulary Building & Communication Training Center
• Vocabulary.com: Home