How to Improve Your Vocabulary Steadily

Sylvia Grappone says, “An article on how to improve vocabulary would be helpful. I’m in my late 30s and noticed that I can no longer remember things as easily as I did when I was a teen, and with a hubby and kids have no time to really focus on studying. I do read in my leisure time but at the moment only technical books. Would reading novels help my vocabulary? Any shortcuts or techniques?”

Sylvia, the more you read, the more words you’ll see, and the more you’ll understand. Even in the Oxford English Dictionary, the final authority for the meaning of a word is how the word has actually been used in print.

But since your family limits your time, let me suggest some ways to improve your vocabulary that are more efficient than reading every book in the library.

Make it a priority to learn new words. If you want to improve your vocabulary more quickly, you have to make at least a small commitment. Decide to learn one new word every day or two. Visit Daily Writing Tips for our Word of the Day. Or subscribe to a Word of the Day email list, install a Word of the Day tool on your computer desktop, or buy a Word of the Day calendar.
Make your vocabulary practical. Start by learning the words that can express what’s most important to you. For example, learn more of your trade language - the words that are commonly used in your business or hobby or vocation. Go beyond the jargon and cliches. Find better, fresher, clearer words to express what your peers are talking about.
Find the right word for you and use it. When you’re writing something, use a thesaurus frequently. That will help you express yourself better. And every time you do that, you’ll learn a new word and you’ll use that new word.
Start learning where you are. As you read, if you come across an interesting word that you don’t understand, don’t just bleep over it. See item number 1. Take the time to look it up in a dictionary. Write it down and use it later.
Learn roots. Most English words are built from common roots, prefixes and suffixes, often with Greek or Latin origins. They’re highly reusable. When you learn one root, you’ll start to understand the many other words that use that root.
When you learn a word, use it immediately and frequently. Make it a game. Slip your new word into conversation with as many different people as you can. Repeat it to yourself. Use it in sentences. Write it on a flashcard and practice it while waiting for red lights.

The key to a better vocabulary is regular practice and progress. Maybe you can’t learn a hundred new words a day, but you can learn one or two a day, totaling thousands of new words over the years.

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Michael on July 10, 2007 | Filed Under General

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9 Responses to “How to Improve Your Vocabulary Steadily”

Dumitru Tira on July 10th, 2007 7:09 pm

I recommend using Google for quick searching word meanings or definitions by using “define:” before the word
Zach Everson on July 11th, 2007 1:43 am

How about upping the reading level of your magazine or newspaper? Read The Economist or New Yorker instead of Time or Newsweek.
Razeen on July 11th, 2007 8:05 am

If you use firefox, you can add dictionary.com search engine plugin at mycroft.mozdev.org. This plugin help you to search the difficult words.
Daniel on July 11th, 2007 10:13 am

Zazh, that is a good one. The Economist is just brilliant.
Roshawn on July 11th, 2007 9:24 pm

Nice.
Mikael Høilund on August 1st, 2007 8:51 pm

Go to dictionary.com with Firefox, and right click on the search box. The menu item “Add keyword to search” (or something to that effect) should appear. Clicking this will allow you to define a search keyword (I use “d”), so that typing the keyword in the address field, followed by one or more search terms, performs said search.

To look up a word, I simply type “d slinky”, and off it goes! This is useful for other types of search too. I have “w” for wikipedia, and “g” (with some special addons) for google. I have also made some rather advanced tricks with this technology too; I can even make certain words highlight with this. Very powerful.
Abdullah on August 2nd, 2007 11:55 am

One of the best ways to improve your vocabulary is to write a word with its part of speech, meaning and a sentence on a piece of paper. Put it in your pocket. Whenever you are free, take the paper out and see it. If you do it three times a day you will never forget that word.