Resources > Vocabulary > Links
Any exposure to words can help you increase your vocabulary; you should choose a learning source that works for you. When choosing an online or hardcover dictionary, look up one word in different sources and see which one most appeals to your style of learning. Some dictionaries are more scholastic while others are more folksy. It’s important that you feel comfortable with a method of study because you’ll be more likely to use it if it fits your own learning approach. Try a pocket dictionary or an electronic dictionary/thesaurus for portability.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Online Dictionaries
OneLook Dictionary Search offers quick, basic definitions plus a search engine of online dictionaries. It is a useful starting point for comparing dictionary sites.
Dictionary.com gives you their definition, plus those of other on-line dictionaries, so that you can compare various sources.
YourDictionary.com uses Webster’s New World College Dictionary and features wildcard searching for help with spelling, plus links to grammar and style guides. Definitions include example sentences.
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition. A good basic dictionary for adults and students, with clear and concise definitions.
Encarta dictionary by Microsoft has vocabulary and career links and articles for students as well as adults.
Webster's Online Dictionary bills itself as as the "largest dictionary on the net" and features multilingual thesaurus translations into more than 100 languages.
The Free Dictionary, by Farlex, offers definitions plus thesaurus entries that show how the word can be used in different contexts.
Word-A-Day Sites
Here are just some of the numerous calendars and email programs offering this type of service. Be aware that several of the daily words you will receive might be beyond your current frontier of knowledge. This exposure can help reinforce your newly acquired word-learning practices from other methods. Accept the challenge to integrate the new word into your knowledge base by looking for ways to use it as often as possible.
Wordthink Word of the Day is a great resource for both students and adults who are just getting started. When the words seem easy, try another site.
At Merriam-Webster, you can hear the word pronounced, see it used in an example sentence, and learn its history or derivation.
A.Word.A.Day uses words and phrases from popular news, culture, and history.
The Onelook Word of the Day gives the most requested word from the day before, usually linked to current events or popular discussion groups. It includes hourly updates of the top five words.
The New York Times offers a word of the day that also lists citations of its use in the paper.
The word of the day at infoplease lets you guess the meaning, then shows you the definition.
Interactive Word Building Sites
These are a number of sites for students, adult learners, and those who just like to play with language.
Word Central is Merriam-Webster’s student site, featuring a dictionary, word of the day, and games aimed at elementary to middle school students. It also has useful information for educators and home-schoolers.
Vocabulary.com has study guides, puzzles, and tests. The lessons here are based on Latin and Greek roots in English words.
Wordsmith.org lets you chat with authors and includes a unique anagram server.
Online Etymology Dictionary gives the history of words as well as how meanings and pronunciations have changed over time.
Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary Online is an encyclopedic dictionary built from themes, with contextual definitions, illustrations, and games.
At FreeRice, you can play a multiple-choice vocabulary game in which your answers cause the difficulty level to adjust. The more correct answers you give, the more grains of rice are donated to alleviate hunger.
Vocabulary Building Books
Even if you are not headed to graduate school, a book designed to help prepare for the LSAT or GRE verbal sections such as the GRE Verbal Workbook by Kaplan might be helpful.
Words You Should Know in High School (2005, Burton Jay Nadler) is an alphabetical list of over 1000 words and their definitions; its target audience is high school students.
Words You Should Know (1991, David Olsen) is similar, but written for adults.
One Hundred Words to Make You Sound Smart (2006, Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries) has one word per page, a short definition, several quotations of famous persons using the word in context, and a brief history of the word’s origin.
100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses (2006, Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries) is an introduction to commonly misused words.
Charles Harrington Elster has a novel approach to preparing for the SAT/ACT in two of his books: Tooth and Nail, a mystery story, and Test of Time, a comedy adventure, where he prints SAT/ACT words in bold within the story and includes a glossary with their definitions.
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