Did you know that proficient English speakers, on average, have a working vocabulary of 10,000-20,000 words? This may sound like a huge number, but it is possible to get by using only about 1,500-2,000 words in English. This is enough for basic daily activities and tasks such as grocery shopping, asking for help, and light social conversations. However, most English learners get to a point where they decide to grow their vocabulary, whether for personal or professional reasons.
Growing your vocabulary is easier than you may realise, though it does require a little discipline and a strategic approach. Below are five free ways to grow your vocabulary, but first, it’s important to understand the two categories of vocabulary: active and passive.
Passive vocabulary includes words you understand when reading or listening, but not words which come to mind freely when you are speaking or writing. Your passive vocabulary is always bigger than your active vocabulary. Conversely, active vocabulary includes every word you confidently use when speaking or writing. Usually when someone says they want to grow their vocabulary they mean their active vocabulary.
Moving words from the outermost circle into the ‘known vocabulary’ circle is relatively easy. We do this almost unconsciously every day. Purposefully moving words from the middle circle to the inner circle, however, takes a little more effort. Along with the resources listed below, ask yourself these questions:
Why do I want to grow my vocabulary?
Do I want to progress in my job? Do I want to more clearly talk about my personal life? (likes/dislikes/hobbies/etc)
Use this question to help you decide which language topics and resources to use to grow your vocabulary.
What’s my current schedule?
Use this to help you decide when you have time to practice. Someone who works 9am-5pm and has a small child at home will have a different practice schedule than someone who does shift work. Aim for 15-20 minutes a day for focused practice.
Now that you have a better understanding of why you want to grow your vocabulary and when you will practice, here are my five recommended ways to grow your vocabulary.
- Build a word list
Start by creating a list of words you meet throughout your day that you want to use more often in your communication. Keep this list somewhere you can access it easily and quickly. This can be on your phone, in your personal diary or bullet journal, on a sticky-note attached to your computer. The important thing is this list should be easy to access and update. Then, choose 1-2 words and try to find opportunities to use these words throughout your day. The more you reach for the words, the easier it will be to use them.
- Write morning/evening pages or record a daily audio clip
This is a life-tip from Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, but modified for a language learner. This activity gives the best results if you can continue this habit for several weeks.
First, take 1-3 pieces of paper* and just start writing. Don’t worry about perfect grammar; don’t worry about writing a perfectly organised essay. Just write whatever comes into your head. Leave a blank space if there is a word you can’t think of.
Next, go back through your writing and, using a dictionary, fill in any blank spaces with the correct word. If you notice any words you have used more than twice, use a thesaurus to find other words with the same or a similar meaning.
If you are someone who struggles with writing things by hand, using a keyboard or an audio recorder. (SpeakPipe is free, works on both phones and computers, and you can download your file at the end).
LINK: https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder
*Size of the pages is not important here, but the action of writing out by hand is key.
- Play word games
Word games are an excellent way to both learn new vocabulary and practice using new and existing vocabulary in different ways. Crossword puzzles are a great option to practise guessing words from a list of clues with the added bonus of spelling practice.
The phone app Words with Friends is a great game that allows you to connect with other players from around the world and create words from a set group of letters for points. Similarly, the app/game 4 Pics 1 Word helps build connections between images and vocabulary. There is even a timed version for an extra challenge. If you have at least one other English speaking friend, the game Taboo is an excellent way to practice word families and build connections between different words.
LINK: https://thenewdaily.com.au/puzzles/quiz-crossword/
LINK: https://playtaboo.com/playpage/
- Word-a-Day
If you aren’t sure where to start at all, signing up for a Word-A-Day newsletter is a great option. However, not all Word-a-Day lists are good for practising language that is commonly used. Rather, these lists were created for people looking to learn more obscure or old-fashioned words just for fun.
Two publications with Word-a-Day lists that feature vocabulary best suited to English learners are Vocabulary.com and The New York Times. Each publication also offers topic specific word lists and other helpful activities.
LINK: https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/
LINK: https://www.nytimes.com/column/learning-word-of-the-day