One thing that people generally associate with intelligence is having a robust vocabulary that you can use with efficacy and poise in a number of different social or professional settings. Some people come by vocabulary naturally, whereas other people have to consistently work at it to incorporate new words into their everyday language fully. There are many different ways to build your vocabulary.
This article will seek to provide you with a few simple and accessible solutions and strategies that will help you constantly build your vocabulary and practice using new words in a variety of settings. You do not have to be a genius to sound like one. Use these tips and tricks to increase the number of complex words that you are familiar with and can use properly.
Read Regularly
Undoubtedly the best way to build your vocabulary is to read more on a daily basis. By reading, you have the potential to be exposed to many different words that you previously did not know. By reading words, you also get the added benefit of seeing how a word is used in context, rather than just seeing it on a list or in a text.
The other great thing about reading is that you can read anything literally! You are not limited to reading scholarly articles or magazines. There are millions or even billions of different places where you can find interesting new words online; all you need to do is a bit of research. If you are someone who prefers a hard copy of books, then that is also acceptable, albeit less flexible in terms of how and where you can use it and to what effect.
Solve Crosswords
Crosswords can be another excellent source of increasing your vocabulary. There are some instances where you do not know a word in a crossword puzzle, but you can figure it out using the other hints and spaces on the puzzle. There are often words that you may not have known but will now remember thanks to the association with the puzzle.
Play with Jumbles
Another reason why many people like to build their vocabulary is so that they can perform better at word-based games, such as scrabble. A great way to build a vocabulary for this purpose is to use things like word jumbles to build your mental acuity. Many different apps will help to unjumble words that are scrambled in order to give you a list of potential words that can be created using the given letters. This will allow you to see all the possibilities in front of you and can be especially useful if you or a friend are stuck in a game of scrabble. There are many different options when it comes to websites and software which offer this service, so be sure to do some research and see which is best for you.
Use a dictionary
The best place by far to figure out what a word means you have seen for the first time is by using a dictionary. IF you do not know, dictionaries contain thousands of different words, and their associated usage, and often synonyms. This can be extremely useful for quickly learning what a word means if you are not already aware.
Word of the Day
Another great strategy to build vocabulary is to pick a new word each day and try to use it in as many ways as possible with its correct usage. This will allow you to quickly synergize the words that you know and words that you might not use that frequently. Practicing in this manner provides an organic way to learn a new word, use it lots, and then retain it forever in your vocabulary.
Hopefully, this article has been helpful and informative regarding the different ways in which you can quickly learn new words and add them to your vocabulary. Many people often associate learning words with schooling and believe it to be a tedious and uninteresting process. This could not be further from the truth, as there are many different ways to build vocabulary while having fun as well.
If you include the tips and tricks mentioned above in your daily life, then you will be truly astounded at the plethora of new words that you have mastered over the course of a year or even a few weeks. Part of living is constantly challenging yourself in order to accomplish things that you never thought possible. By starting small and making tiny changes on a daily basis, you will be able to have fun and enjoy learning new words in fun and creative ways.
