How to Improve Vocabulary: Easy Ways to Sounding Smarter

There is no age for learning, as it is a constant and lifelong process. And the best thing to invest time and energy into learning is new words and phrases that expand your vocabulary. Aside from providing you with several benefits, it helps to increase your confidence in yourself and bolster your journey in any organisation, whether academic or corporate. An improved vocabulary is often a predecessor to greater success in academic achievement and in gaining confidence from others about your capabilities. But the question is, how to improve vocabulary on a day-to-day basis?

Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, improving your vocabulary is a gradual process and takes regular effort and time. In this article, we shall be outlining why a strong vocabulary is essential, the various types of vocabulary, some sure-shot ways of improving your word skills, and the multiple benefits attached to it. So, let’s strap in and enter this journey of being future wordsmiths!

Why a Strong Vocabulary Matters?

An excellent vocabulary not only helps you sound more eloquent but also helps increase your confidence in your verbal and written communication skills, which are life skills that will bolster your performance throughout school or college. As a learner yourself, it is also integral to understand not only the vast number of words in the language but also the kinds of vocabulary you may encounter in standardised tests and texts in various curriculums, and the younger you grasp this concept, the better for you in the future. We shall be discussing more benefits of a strong vocabulary in a later section of this article, but before that, let us understand the various types of vocabulary and how to incorporate them into your day-to-day life.

Generally, there are 7 types of vocabulary, which are listed below. A strong command over all these will help you increase your command over verbal and written communication.

• Synonyms: Words that mean the same thing or have similar meanings. Think of synonyms as replacement words which you can use to expand your vocabulary.
• Homonyms & Homographs: Words or pairs of words that may sound or mean something similar and hence are confused together. Knowing the difference between the two is integral to a clear command of the language.
• Foreign Words: Words in the English lexicon that are used colloquially or in written texts that have been borrowed from other languages, like French, etc.
• Misleading Words: Words that may sound like one thing but have a completely different meaning. Knowing the difference is the bridge between a decent vocabulary and an excellent one.
• Power Words: Words that have a lot of power attached to them, in the sense that they can evoke an emotional reaction when read or heard.
• Antonyms: Just like synonyms are similar words, antonyms are opposite words. A fantastic hack to increase your basic vocabulary words is to remember the antonyms of words to recall their definitions.
• Verbal Analogies: These are like parallels you can draw between various words and phrases, which challenge your critical thinking skills and help advance your vocabulary.

Now that we have understood the various types of vocabulary and why they are essential let’s look at 10 of the best ways to improve vocabulary.

10 Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary

1. Read Widely and Deeply: If you are wondering how to increase your English vocabulary, the most tried and true way to do so is to read. Read, read and keep reading! It doesn’t matter what you read, whether it is novels, research papers, articles, blogs, newspapers, articles in journals, or online forums about various topics; it is all going to help you expand your vocabulary. The wider the scope of your reading material, the broader the scope of your vocabulary expands.
2. Listen Actively: There is a marked difference between simply hearing and listening actively. When we listen actively, whether as children or adults, we are bound to listen to various words and their pronunciation. This can be done by listening to conversations around you, videos, audio shows and podcasts, or even TV shows and movies that are in English and have some sort of learning base.
3. Employ a Dictionary and Thesaurus: If you are looking for words to improve vocabulary, why not check a thesaurus or a dictionary? Whether you are looking for word meanings or synonyms, using a thesaurus and dictionary can also help you understand the etymology of the word, along with its various antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms. This, in turn, expands your vocabulary manifold.
4. Keep a Vocabulary Notebook: Note down any new words, their roots, and antonyms. Maintaining a written record of all you have learnt can help you create reference material that is customised to your style of writing and explanation and help commit them to memory.
5. Use flashcards or spaced repetition apps: You can make physical flashcards to help you revise new words and their meanings, learn a new word every day, and inscribe it to your learning cues. You can also use online apps to help you memorise your new words, make online flashcards, and expand the reach of your language abilities. Using these tools will help you learn faster and more sustainably, as it will not overload you with information by giving you a long list of terms to memorise.
6. Actively Incorporate New Words: If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. The easiest way to remember new words is when you see or hear them repeatedly. Actively incorporating what you have learnt into your English writing, along with your daily conversations, will help you adjust to the words and their pronunciations and spelling, along with getting real-life examples on how to incorporate them into your everyday usage. This repeated exposure to those terms will help commit them to memory, and they will aid you in expressing yourself to others.
7. Play with Language: The best way to learn is to turn it into a game. Incorporating word games like Scrabble or crossword puzzles into your leisure time with friends or during school breaks will help you rack your brain and challenge your vocabulary in a fun and engaging way—and you’ll learn some new words in the process!
8. Engage in Conversations with People Who Have Strong Vocabularies: The best friends to hang out with when you are looking to expand your vocabulary are the ones with excellent vocabularies themselves! You can engage with others in online forums or engage with co-workers, colleagues or classmates to learn how to pronounce certain words and incorporate them easily into conversation properly. Ask your word-smart friends to engage with you and make you use specific words in conversation, almost like an exercise, like a group word game. But because the company is preferable, you’ll start enjoying this exercise in no time!
9. Write Regularly: Just like you are writing new words and noting down their meanings, start writing creatively to understand their usage. Anything and everything from funny short stories, dialogues or mini-scripts, articles, small poems, blogs, essays, etc., can help you nurture your writing and creative skills, along with helping you naturally incorporate these new vocabulary terms into the written word to make you feel more comfortable with their usage.
10. Don’t Be Afraid to Use New Words Correctly: Most of all, be bold and use the new words correctly. Incorporate these terms into daily life, conversations, speeches, presentations, or even essential meetings.

Now that we have learnt how to improve vocabulary sustainably let us understand why we should even do so in the first place.

Benefits of Improved Vocabulary

The benefits of an improved vocabulary are countless, but we have chosen to highlight 4 of the most important reasons why you should work on your language skills in the section below.

• Better Reading Comprehension: Increased vocabulary means better reading comprehension. Not only does that help you with standardised tests and exams, but it also helps you understand technical details and instructions when you are entering the job market and communicate effectively in a corporate or formal setting.
• Enhanced Writing: Better vocabulary also means better writing skills! Your written word will be more accurate, concise, and engaging, which will help you write attractive cover letters or resumes, formal emails, memos, or ace college and school reports and assignments. Practical and attractive written communication instils a sense of confidence and increases your value in any setting, as it portrays you as an efficient and competent individual.
• Stronger Presenting Skills: Better vocabulary means better command of spoken words as well. The more confident you are with your command over the language, the more confident you seem when presenting your ideas to others, whether it is a presentation or a meeting. When you sound like you know what you are talking about due to the vast array of new words in your arsenal, you will be more convincing and will sound more experienced.
• Better Conversations: Better vocabulary also means better conversational skills. You will speak fluently and clearly, which is a vast networking tool. This will also help you form better connections with peers and colleagues and even act as an ice breaker for you if you can connect with others due to new words you may have learnt through popular online shows or podcasts. Better conversational skills will also help you with conflict management and naturally make you an ideal candidate for leadership and managerial roles.

We hope that this article gave you a basic idea of how you can learn daily and sustainably improve your vocabulary and how to go about the process. So, go forth and conquer the world, one word at a time!

Last Updated on July 11, 2024