How to Boost Your Vocabulary? Learn Some Ways to Boost and Enhance Your English

When it comes to enhancing your vocabulary, there are several ways to learn new words so you can begin to put them into use in your writing and in everyday conversation.

No matter what your personality or your reasons for wanting to improve your vocabulary skills, you’re sure to find that one or more of these methods will help you become a better wordsmith in no time.

How to Increase Your English Vocabulary?

The English language is frequently devoid of both rhyme and logic. It’s chock-full of homophones, synonyms, homonyms, and other perplexing terms that make learning it seem especially difficult. 

Fortunately, you can improve your English vocabulary using the same five skills you used to learn your first language: writing, reading, watching, listening, and conversing.

Read, Read, Read

One of the very best – and most enjoyable – ways to increase your vocabulary is to read more for pleasure. By exposing yourself to new and varied reading material, you’ll inevitably come across terms that are new to you.

When you do, see if you can figure out their meaning based on context clues – that is, by using the plot of the story and the tone of the writing to see if you can make an educated guess at the definition. Then double-check your understanding by looking the word up to make sure you were correct. If you prefer not to interrupt your reading time, you can highlight terms for later or jot them down in your personal vocabulary notebook.

Also Read: Online English Speaking Course App: Top 8 Apps to Improve Your English Speaking

Learn about Root Words

Over half of English vocabulary is derived from either Latin or Greek. In fact, English owes more to Latin than to Greek when it comes to most terms, except perhaps for political and mathematical terms. 

This means that if you broaden your understanding of these root languages, you can more easily figure out what new terms mean. The real fun of learning more words is knowing where a word comes from, how it found its way into the English language, and what its roots are.

For example, take the words culpable and culprit. These terms share a similar root in “culp”. Have you ever heard the phrase, mea culpa? It simply means “my fault” in Latin. Both “culpable” and “culprit” derive from that single expression. A person who commits a mistake (or is at fault) is a culprit; the punishable offence is the culpable offence, related to guilt and fault.

Practice Word Association

Word association is another great way to improve your vocabulary. One way to do this is to connect a new word with something more familiar.

For example, take an unusual word like “aristate,” which means “bearded” (it’s a term used to describe bristled leaves and grasses). The word “aristate” sounds like the name of the famous philosopher, Aristotle. If you envision a bearded Aristotle, it will help you remember the meaning of the word in a fun way.

For many people, this type of mnemonic word association is the best memory trick for remembering not just new vocabulary, but also people’s names.

Practice with Word Game

Playing word games is another simple tactic for expanding your vocabulary. Start with a quick game that requires no tools other than your friends and your brain. Here’s how:

The first player starts the game by naming a particular word.

The next player spells the word or gives its definition. They then choose the next word, which must begin with the final letter of the last word.

Play passes to the next player and continues until someone is stumped.

For variety, players can take a slightly different route and suggest a synonym to the word. Players can also challenge the answer if they think someone is incorrect or bluffing.

Also Read: Apostrophe Figure of Speech: Know How to Learn English Fast in 4 Steps

Use Lists and Flash Cards

It can also be helpful to learn new words in groups centred on a particular theme. You can use a textbook to find useful vocabulary word lists, or you can look online for ready-made flashcards to practice new words by category.

Learn a New Word Each Day

There’s a reason why word-a-day desktop calendars are so popular. Adding to your vocabulary in small bites is very manageable and more easily remembered. You may even find yourself looking forward to a new ritual of reading about an interesting word, its definition and linguistic heritage.

If you don’t want a physical calendar, try using an online dictionary to look up terms at random every morning before you open your email. You can also try downloading a daily vocabulary app or game to play on your smartphone for a few minutes each day.

Use Those New Words

No matter which of these learning techniques you try, you’re sure to improve your vocabulary if you dedicate some time to the process regularly. Once you find some new terms, the next step is to use them whenever you can.

Use the Dictionary 

When used correctly, online dictionaries and thesauruses are valuable resources. They can help you remember synonyms that are actually better terms in the context of your writing. Another way to learn vocabulary is to look up antonyms, root words, and related words in a full dictionary definition.

Play Word Games

Scrabble and Boggle are two classic games that can help you expand your English vocabulary. Crossword puzzles are another option. Follow up sessions of these word games with some note-taking if you truly want to be profitable. Make a list of the different words you learned while playing the game, and go over it again and again.

Read Synonyms 

Remember that words can have multiple meanings, and the one you need for the word you’re looking up might not be the one listed first in your dictionary. Even if it is, the other definitions of the word will help you understand how it is used in different contexts. 

Also, the history of the word, which is usually given near the start of the entry, can often provide a fascinating picture of how the word came to its current meaning. This will both make learning the word more enjoyable and help you remember it.

Also Read: Best App to Learn English Speaking Fluently: Check Out the English Learning Platforms

Revise Regularly 

Once you’ve started looking up words and know which ones to study, expanding your vocabulary is as simple as reviewing the words on a regular basis until they’ve become ingrained in your memory. Setting aside a specific amount of time each day for vocabulary study is the best way to accomplish this. 

During that time, you can look up new words you’ve noticed throughout the day and go over old words you’re learning. Set a goal for the number of words you want to learn and when you want to learn them, and plan your time accordingly. A fifteen-minute workout every day will yield better results than a half-hour workout once a week or so. If you only have half an hour a week to spare, start there.

Be Aware of Words

When told they have limited vocabularies, many people are taken aback. They protest, “But I have read tons of books!” This demonstrates that simply reading new words may not be sufficient. 

When we read a novel, for example, we often feel compelled to get on with the story and skip over words that are unfamiliar or only vaguely familiar. While it is obvious when a word is completely unfamiliar to you, you must be especially cautious with words that appear familiar but whose precise meanings you may not be aware of.

Fluent Life Vocabulary Building Programme

Motivation is perhaps the most important aspect of a successful vocabulary-building programme. It will be difficult for you to continue studying words month after month unless you have a strong sense that it is worthwhile, that having a larger vocabulary will benefit you in school and at work, and that it can lead to a more exciting and fulfilling life. 

We believe this to be true because nothing we measure at the Fluent LIfe contributes more to life success than vocabulary. Your time would be better spent elsewhere.

English Vocabulary Words with Meanings

An expanded and improved vocabulary will benefit you on a personal and professional level; the advantages are numerous. Investigate a language’s beauty and potential. 

Improve your communication by making it more engaging and entertaining. On any subject, speak without ambiguity. Improve your writing skills or your overall reading experience. There’s no limit to what you can achieve. 

Assuming you’re interested in the subject, we’re both on the same quest to expand our vocabulary of active and passive words.

Also Read: Most Useful Vocabulary Words with Meaning: Let’s Grow English Knowledge and Be Magnificent!

Daily Vocabulary Words

Dismal: Depressing

Usage: I was in dismal when I heard my friend had an accident. 

Dismiss: Eliminate, from consideration reject

Usage: She was dismissed from meeting her sister because she could harm her. 

Domestic: Tame

Usage: Trends of clothes are moving to a more domestic reign nowadays. 

Obese: Exceedingly fat

Usage: Being, obese or too thin can have the person prone to many diseases and illnesses. 

Rectify: To correct

Usage: She immediately rectified her mistake and presented the presentation with flaws. 

Avert: Turn away

Usage: He averted her gaze immediately away from her because he was caught staring. 

Migrate Mover from place to place

Usage: Birds are the best migrators as they know their path very well. 

New Vocabulary Words with Meaning

Miniature: Small scale

Usage: The miniature-sized painting, was a starstruck scenery and was awarded thrice. 

Narration: story

Usage: The narration of Divergent was done greatly by my friend. 

Negligent: Apt to eliminate what ought to be accomplished.

Usage: She was negligent towards her work, which made her leave the office. 

Recuperate: Recover

Usage: He was well recuperating towards the medicines, which made him have a speedy recovery. 

Redundant: Exceeding what is natural or necessary, superfluous

Usage: Her dress was redundant with lots of florals and glitters, making her a spotlight in the wedding. 

Speculate: To ponder

Usage: I speculate a lot about how humans were created and the existence of the living world?

Spineless: Lacking courage

Usage: He was spineless towards telling people his skills and talents.

Also Read: Vocabulary Words with Meaning and Sentences: Enrich and Enhance Your English

Basic Vocabulary Words  

Vocabulary Words with Meanings 

Incongruity- (noun)

English Meaning- the state of being incompatibility

Synonyms- dissimilarity, incompatibility, impropriety, disparity, anomaly,

Antonyms- consonance, congruity, compatibility, consistency, affinity

Profound- (noun & adjective)

English Meaning- very intense or deep

Synonyms- laborious, severe, deep, intense, weighty, esoteric, abstruse

Antonyms- shallow, mild, slight, casual, light, limited

Rigour- (noun)

English Meaning- strictness.

Synonyms- hardship, hardness, severity, harshness, grimness

Antonyms- resilience, mildness, delicacy, softness, tenderness

Deprivation- (noun)

English Meaning- lack of something necessary.

Synonyms- damage, detriment, forfeit, privation, loss, neediness, deficiency

Antonyms- supply, offering, gain, benefit, wealthiness, profit

Consonance- (noun)

English Meaning- having compatibility.

Synonyms- euphony, coherence, conformity, agreement, accordance, congruity, homogeneity

Antonyms- difference, chaos, incompatibility, dissonance, clash

Also Read: Vocabulary Words with Meaning and Sentences: Learn New Words and How to Use Them

Some More

Consent- (noun & verb)

English Meaning- permitting something.

Synonyms- sanction, accept, permit, permission, agree, allow, acquiesce, concur.

Antonyms- oppose, disagree, differ, denial, disapprove, objection.

Repatriation- (noun)

English Meaning- return to your own country.

Synonyms- return, comeback, rendition, homecoming, restoration, rehabilitation

Antonyms- depart, exile, leave, leaving

Hypothesis- (noun)

English Meaning- a hypothesis made based on insufficient evidence.

Synonyms- a presumption, guess, thesis, theory, belief, assumption, premise

Antonyms- reality, evidence, fact, proof

Concurrence- (noun)

English Meaning- two or more incidents are occurring at the same time.

Synonyms- acceptance, agreement, concord, consensus, cooperation, assent, synergy

Antonyms- objection, dissent, rejection, difference, conflict

Shenanigans- (noun)

English Meaning- dishonest activity

Synonyms- mischief, trick, manoeuvre, caper, antic, rascality

Antonyms- simplicity, honesty, truth, ignorance, sincerity

Conclusion

Increasing your vocabulary is as important as any other language skill. Adding new words to your writing and speech will help solidify your understanding and keep them at the top of your mind for future use. It will also make you sound more confident and help you articulate yourself better.

Also Read: Tongue Twisters in English From A-Z: Tips to Improve Your English Fluency