Vocabulary

Oral vocabulary refers to words that we use in speaking or comprehend in listening. Reading vocabulary refers to words we comprehend or use in print. In the Simple View of Reading, which describes reading as having two basic components, the word recognition and comprehension. Vocabulary falls under language comprehension. Imagine, what happens when a beginning reader comes to the word dig in a book. As she begins to figure out the sounds represented by the letters d, i, and g, the reader recognizes that the sounds make up a very familiar word that she has heard and said many times. Furthermore, as children advance to reading longer, more complex types of words, many English words have more than one plausible phonetic pronunciation. Vocabulary is also very important to reading comprehension. Readers cannot understand what they are reading without knowing what most of the words mean. As children learn to read more advanced texts, they must learn the meaning of new words that are not part of their oral vocabulary.

Types of Vocabulary

1. Types of Vocabulary Based on Usage
2. a) Reading Vocabulary

Reading vocabulary includes words that a person recognizes and understands while reading written text. This type of vocabulary is essential for comprehension and literacy development. The more a person reads, the larger their reading vocabulary becomes.

1. b) Listening Vocabulary

Listening vocabulary consists of words a person recognizes and understands when they hear them in spoken communication. It helps in interpreting conversations, lectures, and spoken instructions. This vocabulary tends to be larger than speaking vocabulary because people can understand more words than they actively use.

1. c) Speaking Vocabulary

Speaking vocabulary includes words that a person uses in verbal communication. This vocabulary is typically smaller than listening and reading vocabulary, as people often have a greater passive understanding of words than they actively use.

1. d) Writing Vocabulary

Writing vocabulary comprises words that a person uses while writing. This vocabulary is generally more formal and structured compared to speaking vocabulary, and it reflects a person’s ability to articulate ideas clearly in written form.

1. Types of Vocabulary Based on Function
2. a) Active Vocabulary

Active vocabulary consists of words that a person frequently uses in speaking and writing. These words are readily available in memory and are actively employed in communication.

1. b) Passive Vocabulary

Passive vocabulary includes words that a person recognizes and understands but does not use frequently in everyday speech or writing. These words may be recalled when encountered in reading or listening but are not actively used.

III. Types of Vocabulary Based on Word Origin and Learning Process

1. a) Sight Vocabulary

Sight vocabulary consists of words that a person can recognize instantly without needing to decode them. This is particularly important for early readers and is developed through frequent exposure and practice.

1. b) Academic Vocabulary

Academic vocabulary includes words commonly used in educational and professional settings. These words are critical for understanding textbooks, lectures, and academic writing.

1. c) Technical Vocabulary

Technical vocabulary refers to words specific to a particular field, profession, or subject matter. For example, medical terms such as “anesthesia” and legal terms like “jurisdiction” fall under this category.

1. d) Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Domain-specific vocabulary consists of specialized words used within a particular discipline, such as science, mathematics, or literature. These words are essential for subject-matter comprehension and professional communication.

1. Types of Vocabulary Based on Development Stage
2. a) Basic Vocabulary

Basic vocabulary includes commonly used words that are essential for everyday communication. Examples include “house,” “food,” “water,” and “family.” These words are typically acquired at an early age.

1. b) Advanced Vocabulary

Advanced vocabulary consists of complex words that are used in more sophisticated communication. These words enhance expression and comprehension and are often learned through higher education and extensive reading.

1. c) Contextual Vocabulary

Contextual vocabulary includes words that are understood and acquired through context. This can happen during conversations, reading new materials, or engaging in new experiences.

Three Tiers of Vocabulary

Vocabulary is described with the following three tiers:

1. Basic Vocabulary

The basic words form the first tier of vocabulary. These words normally have a single meaning and do not require instruction. Early reading words, sight words, adjectives, verbs, nouns, etc are portrayed in this tier. 8000-word families in English comprise this tier.

2. High-frequency Vocabulary

Also called the multiple meaning vocabulary tier, this tier comprises words used in a variety of domains, adult communication, literature, etc. It influences reading and speaking. 7000-word families comprise this tier. The characteristics for tier two words are as follows:

• It has multiple meanings
• Vital for reading comprehension
• Typical mature language
• Descriptive vocabulary
• A diverse environment use these words
• Used for direct instruction

3. Low-frequency Vocabulary

The words that are used only when specifically required or in a particular domain like weather, technology, geographical region, occupation, hobbies, school, etc. comprise this tier. About four lakh words in vocabulary in English comprise this tier.

Strategies for Vocabulary Development

To enhance vocabulary, individuals can use various strategies, including:

• Develop a Reading Habit: Students can improve their vocabulary if they develop a reading habit. It is easy to improve vocabulary when they come across new words while reading a novel or a newspaper article. They can add new and unfamiliar words to their list. 
• Dictionary and Thesaurus: Students can use online dictionaries and thesauruses for improving vocabulary. They can find synonyms to the words that are far better than the words used by them. Dictionaries can help students to learn about root words, related words, and antonyms.
• Word Games: Word games such as scrabble are useful for students to expand and enhance their vocabulary. Students can note down the important words that they learn while playing the game and can use them in their writing. 
• Flashcards: Students can use flashcards to learn different words. There are many smartphone apps that can help students to make flashcards and they can make a number of words everyday to increase their vocabulary.
• Use new Words in Conversation: Students must try to use new words in their conversation. They can use the words that they learn from reading or while watching TV in their conversation to remember them.

Interesting facts on vocabulary

1. There are roughly 100,000 word families in the English language.
2. A native English speaking person knows between 10,000 (uneducated) to 20,000 (educated) word families.
3. A  person needs to know 8,000-9,000 word families to enjoy reading a book.
4. Studying heritage language learners reveal that a person with a vocabulary size of 2,500 passive word-families and 2,000 active word-families can speak a language fluently.
5. GOOD NEWS – If your goal is to speak English fluently, you are not required to study 10,000 words. 2,000 is enough to get you started.
6. The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
7. The combination “ough” can be pronounced in nine different ways. The following sentence contains them all: “A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed.”
8. The word “set” has more definitions than any other word in the English language.
9. One of the amazing  English vocabulary facts: of all the languages in the world, English has the largest vocabulary about 800,000 words
10. Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters mt.
11. Naturally the literary experts are greater “language consumers.” It has been determined that an average American journalist uses but 6,000 words in his newspaper articles, or 4% of the available arsenal.
12. However, at a higher literary level, it has been determined that Victor Hugo used an active vocabulary of 38,000 words; Shakespeare, 24,000; and Homer, 8,500. But Horace, with 4,600 words, came significantly below the American journalist, and Xenophon, with 3,200, was about equal to the present-day “average citizen.”

Activities to improve vocabulary

Vocabulary games are activities that include language and wordplay. Example games include Word Association and Hang Man. Players can enjoy vocabulary games in person or online. The purpose of these games is to strengthen vocabulary skills. These games are also known as “vocab games”, “letter games” and “vocabulary building games.”

List of vocabulary games

From Pictionary to word scrambles to synonym memory, here is a list of fun word games to play in classrooms, at parties, or during meetings.

1. Vocabulary Pictionary

Pictionary is a game of charades where players draw words instead of acting them out.

To play:

1. Split the group into teams.
2. Each round, assign one team member to draw.
3. Give the drawing team member a word.
4. Allow up to sixty seconds for teammates to guess.
5. If the team guesses correctly, then assign one point.

You can give other teams the opportunity to steal or move onto the next team’s turn. The game is a great way to practice new vocabulary, as players connect the word with an image. Pictionary is a fun game for virtual parties or in-person affairs.

2. Word Association

Word Association is one of the best vocabulary games for kids and classrooms since playing does not require a large vocabulary. The rules are simple and easy to understand. Typically, the game involves two players.

To play:

1. Player, one says a word.
2. Player two responds with the first word that comes to mind.
3. Player one either chooses a new word or responds to player two’s word.
4. The game continues until one player repeats a word or pauses too long.

The rapid pace of the game generates excitement and occasionally results in funny answers. If a student makes a mistake, then the teacher can pause the game and ask the student to explain or find a more fitting word. Ideally, gamemasters should allow players a few extra seconds to respond. Players should never feel embarrassed. There are no wrong answers in word association, but the game can serve as a learning opportunity to find better words.

3. Vocabulary Hangman

Hangman is a classic chalkboard word game that translates easily to online play, thanks to digital whiteboards.

To play:

1. Assign a player a word.
2. The player draws a series of blanks corresponding to the number of letters in the word.
3. Other players guess letters.
4. If the letter is in the word, then the “executioner” fills in the blank. If not, then the executioner draws one portion of the gallows.
5. The game ends when players guess the word, or when the picture is complete.

The best words to use for hangman contain less-used letters like z, x, and q. Examples of hard hangman words include zigzagging, razzmatazz, and quadrants.

4. Word search

Word searches are common classroom vocabulary games. These activities work well for handouts, and you can play during video calls by using the whiteboard feature and enabling annotation.

5. Crossword

Crossword puzzles consist of a series of interconnecting boxes, each of which starts blank but contains one letter by the end of the game. Under the puzzle are two lists of clues, across and down respectively. Solvers need to consider the meaning of words, number of letters, and surrounding words, making the game strategic as well as interesting. Crosswords are great word games for any age or skill level because puzzle makers can adjust the difficulty to suit players.

6. Word Scramble

Word scrambles make great games for English class, and adults enjoy these language brain teasers as well. Simply mix up the order of the letters and ask players to unscramble and identify the original words.

7. Scrabble

Scrabble is one of the most popular word games for adults or children. Players must use letter tiles to assemble words on the game board. To play:

1. Each player draws seven letter tiles.
2. During turns, players can play tiles or exchange them for new letters.
3. Players build words on the board, with each new word connecting to an existing word.
4. Tiles have a point value assigned depending on the challenge of the letter. When a player makes a word, tally the letter and add the score to the point board.

8. Categories

Categories is one of the most fun and simple word games for adults. The game challenges players to think up words all starting with the same letter.

To play:

1. One player rolls a letter die or uses a letter generator to pick the first letter.
2. The timekeeper puts 60 seconds on the clock.
3. Players write down one answer per category starting with the letter.
4. When time runs out, players read the answers.
5. Players receive a point for every answer.

Alliterative phrases count for double or triple points. If two players have the same answer, then they must cross it out and neither receives points. Of course, a player will not receive points for blank answers either. At the end of each round, the player with the most points wins.

Here is a list of sample Categories categories:

• A boy’s name, girl’s name, or gender neutral name
• Capital cities
• Four letter words
• Types of drinks
• Holidays
• Careers or professions
• Cartoon characters
• Websites
• Desserts

You could create more inventive categories for the game, or challenge players to make up prompts.

9. Tree or Bob Ross

Tree or Bob Ross is a fun video conference game that challenges players to guess a word by asking questions. The player who conjures the word is The Post. The Post answers This or That questions whose answers help players narrow down the word. The first question of the game is usually “is it more like a tree, or more like Bob Ross?” and The Post must answer accordingly. For instance, a rose is probably more like a tree, but Pinnochio presents an interesting challenge. Each turn, the guesser adds a new word. For example, the second question might be, “is it more like a tree or a fern?” The game continues until players guess correctly. For more excitement, introduce a time limit, or award more points if players guess the word during earlier rounds.

10. Vocabulary Pyramid

Pyramid challenges players to guess words from context clues. The pyramid is a collection of six words, arranged with three on the bottom, two in the middle, and one at the top. To win, teams must guess all words within the pyramid in the allotted time.

To play:

1. Divide the group into teams.
2. Give one player on each team the pyramid.
3. The pyramid holder must give hints to teammates describing each word without using the actual name of the item.
4. When players guess correctly, the pyramid master can move to the next word. Or, players can say “pass,” and return to the word later.
5. Teams receive a point for every correct guess.

When determining the time limit, consider the age of your players and the difficulty of the words. In general, 30 seconds per word, or three minutes total, is a good place to start, but add or take away time to increase or decrease the challenge.

11. Invisible Bridge

Invisible Bridge is similar to six degrees of Kevin Bacon. In both games, you must figure out a way to connect two seemingly distant concepts. Six degrees of Kevin Bacon uses actors, while Invisible Bridge uses words.

To play:

1. A player suggests two unrelated words.
2. Player one gives a number of planks. This is how many steps other players must use to relate the two words.
3. The other players think up words that share similar traits, synonyms, or connector words to move from one term to another.

An example round might look as follows:

Tiger, Astronaut, eight planks

Tiger – Balm – Lip – Service – Customer – Happy – Pills – Capsules – Space – Astronaut

Meanwhile, Tiger, Astronaut, two planks might look like this:

Tiger – meat eater – meteor – Astronaut

One fun aspect about this game is there can be more than one correct answer, and opposing teams can dispute far-reaches. Invisible bridge encourages players to think about the nature of language and the relationship between words.

12. Poetry Improv

Poetry Improv is an exercise that challenges participants to craft verses on the spot.

To play:

1. Pick a poetry style, such as sonnet, haiku, acrostic, limerick, or free verse.
2. Give participants vocabulary words to use within the poem.
3. Allow five or ten minutes for groups or individuals to complete the verses. If playing online via meeting software, then send groups to breakout rooms to work.
4. Ask poets to share the masterpieces aloud.

For extra fun, turn other players into judges by asking them to rate the poems by holding up scorecards. To make the game more fast-paced, ask players to finish each others’ phrases on the spot for a true poetic improv.

13. Synonym Memory

The rules of Memory are easy: flip over two cards at a time and look for matching pictures or words. When players find pairs, they take the cards off the board. The player with the most pairs of cards at the end of the game wins.

Synonym Memory puts a challenging spin on the simple game. Instead of hunting for exact matches, players pair up words with synonyms.

Here are some sample matches:

• enticing/tempting
• assume/suppose
• patience/restraint
• revoke/rescind
• impact/collision

The game encourages players to think in different ways, as participants will need to remember the location of the cards as well as consider meanings of words.

14. Charades

Charades is a game where players act out a word or phrase for others to guess. It can be played at parties and is a fun way to get people moving. 

How to play 

1. Split players into teams
2. Choose an actor from each team
3. Draw a card from a deck
4. Select a charade from the topic on the card
5. Act out the charade without speaking
6. The other players on the team try to guess what the charade is
7. The first team to guess correctly wins

Charades categories Film titles, Book titles, Play titles, Song titles, and TV show titles. 

15. Taboo

If you’re looking for an easy party game to try out with your friends, Taboo is a classic game that’s bound to be fun for the whole group. One player gives clues to make their team guess a secret word, but some words are “taboo” and against the rules to say. The goal of the game is for students to get their classmates to guess particular vocabulary words or phrases (the “Target Word”) without using a set of closely-related words (the “Taboo Words”). Students take turns giving clues to their team or the rest of the class.

How to play Taboo

• Players are divided into two teams. 
• One player from each team takes turns being the clue-giver. 
• The clue-giver draws a card and has a limited time (usually set by a timer) to describe the word at the top of the card. 
• The clue-giver must use verbal clues to help their teammates guess the word, but they cannot use any of the taboo words listed on the card. 
• If the clue-giver uses a taboo word or any gestures/sounds, the opposing team can buzz a buzzer and score the card. 
• The team that guesses the word correctly earns a point. 

• Scoring:

At the end of the timer, the clue-giver’s team receives a point for each card they guessed correctly, and the opposing team scores a point for each card the clue-giver failed to get guessed. 

• Winning:

The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. 

16. Rolling Words

To play a “Rolling Words” game, you’ll need a dice, a paper with a chart, and a pencil. Roll the dice and write the word that corresponds to the number rolled, repeating this process until you have filled the chart. 

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how to play:

1. Preparation:

• Materials: You’ll need a standard six-sided die, a piece of paper, and a pencil.
• Chart: Create a chart on your paper with six columns and six rows (you can adjust the size as needed).
• First Row: Write the numbers 1 to 6 across the first row.
• Second Row: Write the letters, words, or sentences you want to practice in the second row, matching each number to a word or phrase. 

2. Gameplay:

• Roll the Dice: Roll the die.
• Find the Matching Word: Locate the number you rolled on the first row of your chart.
• Write the Word: Write the word or phrase that corresponds to that number in the second row.
• Repeat: Continue rolling the die and writing the corresponding words or phrases until you have filled the chart. 

17. Chalk Board Acronym

To play a chalkboard acronym game, write a word vertically on the board, then ask players to write a new word starting with each letter of the vertical word. 

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how to play: 

• Setup:
  • Choose a word to write vertically on the chalkboard.
  • You can also use a topic card or a word from a vocabulary list.
• Gameplay:
  • Ask players to create new words, phrases, or sentences, starting with each letter of the vertical word.
  • For example, if the word is “CAT”, players could come up with words like “Cool”, “Apple”, and “Tree”.
  • You can also use this game to practice vocabulary, synonyms, or antonyms.

18. Spy

An engaging party game that tests players’ wits and ability to think on their feet. Participants assume secret roles and try to identify the spy among them through a series of questions and answers. The game creates an atmosphere of suspense, strategy, and camaraderie, as players attempt to unmask the spy while protecting the location’s identity.

1. Gather a group of participants, ideally between 3 and 10 players. The game works best with a diverse mix of personalities.
2. Choose a comfortable space to play, such as a living room or a backyard, where everyone can sit together in a circle.

How to play the game

1. Then ready, click on the ‘Let’s Play’ button on this page and decide on the first player. This can be done by picking someone at random or by following a predetermined order.
2. Questioning Round: The chosen player asks another participant a question about the location. It should be indirect enough to keep the spy guessing, yet clear enough for non-spies to demonstrate their knowledge. Example: “What do people usually do here?”
   The respondent gives a brief, single-sentence answer, hinting at their knowledge of the location without being overly revealing.
3. Turns and Accusations: Players take turns to ask and answer questions.
   Any player can accuse another of being the spy at any point. A majority vote is needed to confirm the accusation. If the majority suspects the right player as the spy, the non-spies win. If not, the game continues.
4. Spy’s Guess: At any point, the spy can interrupt to guess the location. If they guess correctly, the spy wins. If the guess is incorrect, the non-spies win.
5. Game End: The game ends when: The spy is caught or correctly guesses the location. If the spy fails to guess the location and remains undetected, the non-spies win.

19. Articulate

To play Articulate, teams take turns with one player describing words from a card to their teammates within 30 seconds, without using the word itself or any derivatives, rhyming words, or starting letters. The team advances on the board based on correctly guessed words, and special spaces offer bonus actions or control turns. 

Setup:

• Teams:Divide players into teams.
• Board and Pieces:Set up the game board and place each team’s playing piece on the START segment.
• Cards:Shuffle the card deck and place it face down.
• Timer:Have a timer ready. 

2. Gameplay:

• Turns:

Teams take turns, with one player acting as the “describer” and the rest as “guessers”. 

• Card Selection:

The describer draws a card and chooses a category (based on the color of the segment their team’s piece is on). 

• Description:

The describer has 30 seconds to describe as many words from the card as possible, without saying the word itself, any derivatives, the starting letter, the length of the word, or what it rhymes with or sounds like. 

• Guessed Words:

Teammates must guess the exact word on the card. 

• Moving the Piece:

For each correctly guessed word, the team moves their playing piece forward on the board. 

• Passing:

If a team gets stuck, they can pass on a word and move to the next one on the card, but they cannot return to a passed word later. 

• Special Spaces:

If a team lands on a special space (like a red, orange, or white space), they follow the instructions on that space, which may involve spinning a spinner for bonus actions or a control turn. 

• Spin the Spinner:If landing on a red or orange space, the team spins the spinner. Depending on the result, they might move their own piece forward or move an opponent’s piece backward. 
• Control Turn:If landing on a white space, the team describes a word to all teams and the first team to guess correctly gets to take the next turn. 

• End of Turn:

After the 30 seconds are up, the turn passes to the next team. 

3. Winning the Game:

• The first team to land on or pass the FINISH segment wins. 
• If time runs out before any team reaches the finish, the team furthest along the board is declared the winner. 
  20. Jeopardy

Playing Jeopardy! is a fun way to test your trivia knowledge, but you have to know the rules to play correctly. The gameplay hasn’t changed much over the years. Still, if you want to host your own Jeopardy! game at home, in the classroom, or at work, you’ll need to understand how the iconic quiz show works.

How to play the game

1. Play individually or in groups.
2. Pick a category and a point value.
3. Click on the chosen box for the question.
4. Students must give the answer in the form of a question before clicking again. The teacher may want to set a time limit for answering the question.
5. To see if a student or group is correct, click again for the answer.
6. Click the “Back to Board” button on the slide to return to the main board.
7. If the student or team is correct, they are awarded the point value of the question. (Click the “Score” button located on the main board to add the point value to the appropriate team score.)
8. The dollar values disappear after each question.
9. Continue until all questions have been answered. The team with the most points wins.

Guidelines to teach vocabulary

1: Semantic Maps

In this activity, the teacher chooses a word and displays it for the class on a whiteboard, etc. Students read the word and then think of words that come to mind when they see that word (this is awesome because it activates prior learning). A list is created of all of the words that come to mind, and then those words are categorized. This can be done as a whole class or in small groups. Students then create a “map” using a graphic organizer and discuss it. Additional or substitute categories can be suggested. As students read through the text, they can add related words to the map.

2: Eye Spy

Give students a list of words to search for in a text or have them find unfamiliar words.

You can award points to the words based on different criteria (longest new word, word with most consonants, etc.).

Invest in a set of inexpensive dollar store magnifying glasses to make this more game-like.

This is a great pre-reading activity.

Want more details on this strategy? Get the step-by-step on VocabularyLuau.

3: Making Choices

Students show their understanding of vocabulary by saying the word when it applies, or remaining silent when it doesn’t.

For example: “Say radiant if any of these things would make someone look radiant.”
-Winning a million dollars.
-Earning a gold medal.
-Walking to the post office.
-Cleaning your room.
-Having a picture you painted hung in the school library. 

4: Sorting Hat

Use a Harry Potter theme to have students sort words into categories. They can pull them out of a hat. If you give them the categories, it’s called a “closed sort.” If they come up with their own categories, it’s called “open sort.”

5: Word Pairs

Give students words in pairs and have them evaluate if the words are the same, opposite, go together, or are unrelated. This strategy is terrific for building critical thinking skills along with the vocabulary.

6: Linear Array

In this strategy, students use a graphic organizer that is a rectangle, three ovals, and then another rectangle, all in a line. The word in question goes in the rectangle on the far left. The rectangle on the far right is filled in with a word that is the opposite. The center three ovals are filled in with words that go from the far left to the far right, gradually become less similar until they reach the opposite. For example, microscopic, tiny, small, bigger, large.

7: Games

Many “real” games work well for vocab play and practice. Games such as Balderdash, Taboo, Scrabble, Blurt, Bananagrams, word bingo, and others are fun.

8: Scavenger Hunt

Have a word scavenger hunt in books, magazines, articles on the net, or in the school or home. Don’t just go for numbers; go for unusual words, academic vocabulary, weird spellings, homophones, etc.

9: Tally

Use tally marks to track words you’re trying to practice. Mark whenever the teacher says the word in context, and mark twice when a student does. Alternatively, you can have the tally marks be even, but play the teacher versus the class.

10: Vocabulary Relay

Print out words on one set of cards (copy this set a few times) and definitions, context, or sentences in which they could be used (fill-in-the-blank) on another set (just one set). Jumble up the words in a pile in the middle of the floor, and jumble up the definitions, context, and sentences to keep with you. Break students into teams of five-ish. Call out the definition/context/sentence and give students some think time (8 – 10 seconds) to talk about what word it might be. After the discussion time, call out “Word!” One member from each team runs to the center and tries to find the word in the pile.

11: Vocabulary Category Relay 

This is a different relay activity than the one above, even though the names are so similar. In this version, teams of students race to fill in words responsive to a category that start with the letters of the alphabet in order. This can be done individually, in groups, or even as a whole class. It’s also a good one for both digital and in-person instruction.

12: Heads Up Vocabulary Game

Students hold a word on a card in front of their foreheads. The students don’t know what words they have. Students ask each other a series of questions to determine the meaning of their word. Or, students can give students clues to the person with the word to help that person guess the word. This is a review activity, and it’s not for initial instruction.

13: Word Sneak

Word Sneak is a game invented by Jimmy Fallon that he plays with guests on the Tonight Show. In the game, Jimmy and the guest each get a stack of cards with words on them that they have to work into the conversation naturally (without sounding forced or stilted). It’s hysterical to watch and fun to play.

14: Frayer Model

The Frayer Model is an oldie-but-goodie vocab activity model in which student work in multiple ways in a specifically laid out graphic organizer to engage with words.

15: Tweet

Have students create a “tweet” that a word would send out or with the word in the tweet in context. You can use a tool like PrankmeNot or Siminator to make it look real. This strategy is so fun and so useful!

16: Brain Power Words

This is a strong academic vocabulary activity that takes a little bit of time, but would really help get the words past the superficial level of understanding.

• Ask small groups of students to preview sections of a text and identify difficult words.
• For long chapters, assign different sections to different groups.
• Students place a Post-it next to the words in the text they identify as potentially difficult.
• After identifying the words, the group goes back and uses context clues to hypothesize what the words might mean.

• Clues of substitution: A known word would make sense in the context and is probably a good definition.
• Clues of definition: The word is defined in the text (many textbooks do this).
• Clues of opposition: Words “not, unlike” etc. are excellent clues to what a word is not and thus help define the words.

• After the Brain Power Words list is identified and definitions sought, the students check their work with the teacher.

17: The Concept Cube

A concept cube is a pattern that is printed on paper or cardstock, cut out, folded, and taped into a three-dimensional cube. Students write, type, or draw on the pattern prior to assembling the cube, and then they “play” with the cube to explore concepts. Depending upon the way you choose to use it, they can be similar to a three-dimensional Frayer model.

Difficult English Vocabulary Words with meanings:

• Ascetic – avoiding physical pleasures because of religious reasons
• Abnegation – an action made to reject someone or something
• Archetypal – someone having all the qualities of a particular type of lifestyle
• Aggrandize – adding to the power or wealth of an individual or country
• Anachronistic – placing someone or something chronologically wrong
• Alacrity – having great willingness and eagerness for something

• Beguile – charm in a deceptive way
• Blandishment – statement for gently pleasuring someone

• Convivial – friendly character
• Cajole – persuading someone with your nice behaviour
• Construe – understanding something
• Callous – not caring about others
• Camaraderie – the mutual feeling of trust
• Circumlocution – expressing something in a long way
• Clamour – demanding something
• Cognizant – being aware

• Demagogue – a political leader will manipulate skills
• Denigrate – unfair criticism
• Didactic – teaching moral lesson
• Disparate – people or things with different qualities together

• Eclectic – generating ideas
• Egregious – bad and shocking in a huge way
• Embezzlement – to steal
• Enervate – feeling out of energy
• Ephemeral – lasting for a short period
• Equanimity – a very calm state of mind

• Fatuous – something pointless

• Gratuitous – anything that has some harmful effect

• Iconoclast – any statue
• Idiosyncratic – something unusual
• Incumbent – a person with an official position
• Inveterate – having a habit for a long time

• Libertarian – a person of the state who conveys a message to people
• Licentious – lack of standards

• Mendacious – lying
• Multifarious – different kinds or variety

• Obdurate – not changing your mind according to others
• Ostracism – excluding from something

• Pejorative – expressing criticism
• Pertinacious – sticking to your actions or words
• Phlegmatic – not getting angry easily
• Promulgate – making an official announcement

• Quotidian – everyday event

• Recalcitrant – tough to control

• Sanctimonious – acting superior to others
• Solipsism – self-centred

• Travesty – not have qualities in a shocking way

• Ubiquitous – something very common

• Vicissitude – changes and problems of life that you have to deal with
• Vociferous – saying what is on your mind in a confident way

Hardest Words to Pronounce and Tricks to Actually do that

• Synecdoche- made to represent whole (SE-NEK-DE-QKE)
• Segue- smooth transition (SE-QGWA)
• Quinoa- a crop (KEN-WA)
• Posthumous- occurring or awarded (PAS-CHE-MES)
• Onomatopoeia- a figure of speech that resonates with sounds (ONO-MATO-POEIA)
• Ignominious- something shameful (IG-NE-MI-NE-ES)
• Draught- the flow of cold air (DRAFT)
• Conch- a type of shell (KANJK)
• Cache- computing hardware (K’ASH)
• Boatswain- merchant officer (‘BO-SEN)
• Anemone- a flowering plant (E-NE-ME-NE)
• Anathema- an idea you hate (E-NA-THE-ME)

New English Words with Meaning

• Abstruse Difficult to understand; obscure
• Adumbrate To vaguely outline or sketch; to foreshadow
• Alacrity Eagerness and enthusiasm
• Anachronism Something out of space in time; a historical error
• Antediluvian Extremely old; of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood.
• Aplomb Self-confidence and assurance, especially in a demanding situation.
• Assiduous Showing great care and perseverance
• Banal Lacking originality and boring
• Cacophony A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds  
• Circumspect Wary and unwilling to take risks; cautious.
• Conflagration A large destructive fire or conflict
• Contumacious Stubbornly or willfully disobedient
• Disparate Fundamentally different or distinct
• Enervate Make someone feel drained of energy
• Ephemeral Lasting for a very short period
• Exacerbate To make a bad situation worse
• Fecund Able to produce a lot of children, crops, young animals, etc.
• Garrulous Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
• Ineffable Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.
• Inimical Hostile; unfriendly.
• Insidious Proceeding in a subtle way with harmful effects; treacherous.
• Juxtapose To place side by side for comparison or contrast
• Laconic To use very few words; concise.
• Munificent More generous than usual or what’s necessary
• Nefarious Wicked or criminal
• Pernicious    Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
• Proclivity A tendency or inclination towards something.
• Quintessential Representing or showing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.
• Recalcitrant Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude towards authority.
• Sycophant A person who acts obsequiously toward someone important to gain advantage.

Funny English words with meaning

1. Bumfuzzle

You might hear your grandparents use this funny word that refers to being confused or perplexed.

2. Fartlek

This is an activity runners do when they change between sprinting and jogging.

3. Everywhen

This isn’t a typo, it means “always” or “all the time.”

4. Erf

You may think this is some sort of sound, but it’s actually a word that means “plot of land.”

5. Hullaballoo

You can use this word when you’re talking about a commotion.

6. Meldrop

Unfortunately, this isn’t a food. Instead, it’s a drop of mucus hanging from someone’s nose.

7. Obelus

Have you ever wondered what the symbol used for division in a math problem is called? Well, now you know!

8. Sozzled

When someone is drunk, you can describe them using this silly word.

9. Bumbershoot

This fun word is another word for “umbrella.”

10. Titter

Replace the word “giggle” or “laugh” with this word when you want to impress someone.

11. Smicker

Not to be confused with the word “snicker,” a “smicker” means to look amorously after someone.

12. Cleek

This is a word that means “big hook.”

13. Whippersnapper

You might hear an older person call a young, overly confident person this long, wacky word.

14. Salopettes

“Salopettes” is a word used to describe a pair of high-waisted skiing pants that has shoulder straps.

15. Biblioklept

This refers to a person who steals books.

16. Accubation

This describes a person who eats/drinks while they’re laying down — so basically anyone who snacks while watching Netflix is an “accubation.”

17. Lollygag

This word describes a person that is messing around and doing something that isn’t useful.

18. Abecedarian

Anyone who is currently learning the alphabet can be referred to as this — so basically all kindergarteners.

19. Bamboozled

Someone who uses this word in a sentence is likely saying they were tricked into doing something.

20. Cutesy-poo

While this might sound like a pet’s name, it really is a word that means “sickeningly cute.”

21. Flabbergast

When you want to get across that you were shocked about something, you can use this.

22. Foppish

Canva/Parade

If someone is always super-concerned about how their outfit looks, you can refer to them as “foppish.”

22. Cattywampus

No, this isn’t a type of animal, it’s actually a direction and means the same thing as saying something is catty-corner from something else.

23. Noob

This word is used when somebody is inexperienced in something, usually referring to the use of the internet or a video game.

24. Octothorpe

While people may call this symbol a hashtag (#), its real name is an “octothorpe.”

25. Schmooze

This is when you talk in a way to someone where you try to impress them in a friendly and lively way.