Vocabulary Learning Tips
Learn Vocabulary
We recommend five things for learning English vocabulary
Pictures and associations
- For beginners, seeing groups of related words can help.
- Check out our free lessons arranged by topic and level.
- See our picture dictionary
- Check out our vocabulary picture quizzes .
Context and Exposure
- See or hear the vocabulary used in context
- Sample contexts: reading material, audio, video, conversation
- Sometimes you can guess meaning from the situation.
- What type of word is it (noun, verb, adjective)?
- Look at the words around it.
- Try to read or listen to as much English as possible.
- See our Vocabulary Links here.
Understand Word Parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots)
- See our word parts lists here .
Recognize collocations (words that go together)
- Some words are commonly used with other words
- See our lists of collocations: with verbs , with prepositions .
Consider connotations and multiple meanings of words
- Some words carry special or emotional meanings
- Example: house vs. home
- Some words can have many different meanings
- Example: play, set, run