Learning new English words can feel quite daunting when you realize just how many words there are in the English language.
However, it’s important to keep building your vocabulary if you wish to communicate clearly and become fluent one day.
Here you can find 12 ways to learn English words more easily than reading through long word lists in textbooks. We hope these ideas help you expand your vocabulary and become more confident as you improve your English.
12 Tips to learn English words (and remember them)
There are two stages to learning a new word: First of all, you must discover that it exists and understand its meaning. Then, you must commit it to memory so you can recall it when needed.
The following tips will help with both steps of the process of learning English vocabulary.
1. Read whenever you can
Reading is an excellent way to uncover new words in the English language and see them used in different contexts. If you’re not a fan of traditional reading formats like novels or magazines, don’t worry. There are plenty of other places where you can learn new words by reading English.
The important thing is that you choose material suitable for your level. Too easy, and you won’t learn much. Too hard, and you’ll become frustrated with the number of words you don’t understand.
Here are some ways to find new words to learn in English by reading:
- Read the news in English – explore a full list of news websites for English learners
- Visit your local library and select books or magazines that interest you
- Follow blogs and message boards about sports, hobbies, or other interests
- Read the biography of a person you admire
- Grab a couple of English learning books if you want to dig into topics like grammar or vocabulary.
Online resources to learn English words for free
There are many great websites to learn English, but here are a few with information and activities to help you with learning new English words:
- Langeek: Lists of vocabulary for English learners organized by level and category
- Visuwords: Type in one word and it generates a diagram with associated words and ideas.
- News in Levels: Presents news stories in 3 levels of English, with accompanying vocabulary highlights
- Improving Your English: Browse our articles about idioms, easily confused words, transition words, and more.
2. Focus on learning English words you’ll use most
There are over one million words in the English language by some estimates, which is just one of the reasons why English is hard to learn.
However, most native English speakers only know about 40,000 words and use 20,000 of these regularly.
As an English learner, knowing 800-1000 important root words will be enough for you to understand around 75% of the English you encounter in daily life. So, focus on frequently used words first, so you’re not wasting your time and brain power memorizing words you’re unlikely to need.
For advanced language learners, the Oxford 3000 and Oxford 5000 word lists are helpful references.
Check out some more English statistics here, including facts about the most common words and letters.
3. Keep a vocabulary notebook handy
Whenever you discover new English words to learn, make sure you have somewhere to make a note of them. It could be a paper notebook or a notepad on your smartphone.
If you have time, write down the word and the context in which you heard it. This will make it easier to look up the meaning in a dictionary, since so many English words have multiple meanings and strange spelling.
Once you have had the chance to look up the definition of the word, write that down as well, and try writing the word in a sentence of your own.
Over time, your vocabulary notebook will become a reminder of all the words you have already learned, giving you the confidence to continue building your vocabulary.
4. Get a Learner’s Dictionary
English learner’s dictionaries are specially designed to be helpful for people learning the language. They contain definitions written in simple English, as well as notes about collocations, commonly confused words, and grammar points.
When you’re trying to improve your English vocabulary, an ESL dictionary is not only a good reference tool for looking up new words, but also for understanding more about the language each time you delve into it.
Browse some of the best English learner’s dictionaries to find one that suits your level and preferred learning style.
5. Learn prefixes and suffixes
Many vocabulary words consist of a root word with a prefix and/or suffix. These are extra letters that we can add to the beginning or end of the word to change its meaning without it losing its association with the root word.
By learning common prefixes and suffixes, you can identify the patterns in new words and work out what they mean without having to look them up in a dictionary.
For example, you know the adjective ‘happy’.
If you know that the prefix ‘un-‘ means ‘not’, then you can work out that ‘unhappy’ means ‘not happy’.
If you know that the suffix ‘-ness’ means ‘a quality or state’ then you can work out that the noun ‘happiness’ means ‘a state of being happy’.
Put them both together, and you can work out the meaning of ‘unhappiness’ too.
You may be surprised how easy it is to learn a lot of new (and long!) words in this way.
6. Make your own vocabulary flashcards
If there are certain words you want to memorize for an exam, interview, or meeting, flashcards are an old-school but effective way to do this.
It’s simple to make your own flashcards with a word on one side and the word’s definition on the other. However, you might want to use an app like Quizlet so you can create as many flashcards as you like, take them with you anywhere, and keep track of the words you’ve learned.
Memrise is also a good language-learning app to look at if you like learning with flashcards.
7. Learn collocations and idioms
In English, there are certain groups of words that join together to form a phrase. For example, we would say ‘make a mistake’ rather than ‘do a mistake’ or ‘have a mistake’. But we ‘have a shower’, we don’t ‘do a shower’ or ‘make a shower’ (although we can also ‘take a shower’).
These word pairings are known as collocations, and as you expand your vocabulary it’s important you don’t just learn words in isolation, but you also learn the words they often accompany.
You should also start learning some idioms. These are phrases that have a figurative meaning rather than a literal one. For example, if something is very easy to do, we might describe it as ‘a piece of cake’!
8. Play word games to make learning more fun
Whether you prefer to play alone or as a group, games help to make learning fun.
There are lots of free vocabulary quizzes and mini-games on sites like Sporcle and Mind Games, which are fun to explore when you have some free time online.
For some more ideas, including board games you can play at home to help you learn new words, check out our guide to the best games for learning English.
9. Listen to podcasts to learn English vocabulary
Podcasts are a great way to learn English vocabulary while you’re on the go. Whether driving to work, going for a run, or doing chores at home, you can press play and develop your English listening skills.
If possible, try to have your notebook or phone handy so you can note down any new words or expressions you hear.
Discover some great English learning podcasts here. Most of them have accompanying notes, transcripts, and even exercises related to the content of each episode.
10. Learn (at least) a word a day
Although we’d recommend that you focus on learning vocabulary that you’ll use regularly in a foreign language, it can be fun to add in a random ‘word of the day’ too.
Here are some places that regularly publish a ‘word of the day’ – but be aware that some of these are quite obscure words designed to expand the vocabulary of experienced speakers.
- The Free Dictionary (find this and some fun games on their homepage)
- Improving Your English – Idiom of the Day
- Merriam-Webster
- Vocabulary.com
- The New York Times
You might want to set yourself a goal to learn 5 or 10 new words a day (or more), but this will also involve going back through your notes or flashcards from previous days to make sure you still remember the meaning of the words. Repetition is more important than volume in this case.
11. Talk to other English speakers
The best way to cement new vocabulary in your head is to use it. You may feel more comfortable using new words in writing at first, because you have the time to stop, look them up, and check you’re using them correctly. But with a little practice, you’ll be able to find the words you need more quickly in conversation.
Try to find a nearby English-speaking community that you can join to improve your spoken English. Whether it’s with native English speakers or other English learners, you’ll greatly benefit from practicing your vocabulary and pronunciation in this environment. You’ll probably learn lots of new words from the people you meet, and they might even have some ideas for how to learn English more effectively.
This doesn’t have to be a group meeting specifically to learn English; why not join a book club, a craft group, or a sports team? It doesn’t matter what activity you do, as long as you get to practice your English skills with the other people there. Meetup.com is a good place to find this kind of group meeting near you, or you can join a language exchange app to find a conversation partner online.
12. If you don’t understand, ask questions
You may feel embarrassed when you don’t understand what somebody says to you, but don’t be afraid to ask them what they mean. It’s better to ask for clarification than to miss something important in what they are saying!
Here are some phrases you can use to ask for clarification:
- “Sorry, what do you mean by … ?”
- “Could you explain it another way?”
- “Do you mean that … ?”
How much English vocabulary do I need to learn?
The general consensus is that you will be able to understand around 75% of everyday English by learning 800-1000 words, and 90% of the language by learning around 3,000 words. If you want to become fluent in English, this rises to 8,000 words or more.
Discover some more interesting statistics about learning English here.
What is the fastest way to improve vocabulary?
One of the best ways to build your vocabulary quickly is by immersing yourself in real-life English wherever possible. Whether it’s reading an article, watching TV shows, or chatting with English-speaking friends, you’ll learn new words in context and improve your comprehension and confidence.
We have some more tips for learning English faster here.
What are the 100 most common words in English?
According to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (11th edition), these are the 100 most common English words:
- the
- be
- to
- of
- and
- a
- in
- that
- have
- I
- it
- for
- not
- on
- with
- he
- as
- you
- do
- at
- this
- but
- his
- by
- from
- they
- we
- say
- her
- she
- or
- an
- will
- my
- one
- all
- would
- there
- their
- what
- so
- up
- out
- if
- about
- who
- get
- which
- go
- me
- when
- make
- can
- like
- time
- no
- just
- him
- know
- take
- person
- into
- year
- your
- good
- some
- could
- them
- see
- other
- than
- then
- now
- look
- only
- come
- its
- over
- think
- also
- back
- after
- use
- two
- how
- our
- work
- first
- well
- way
- even
- new
- want
- because
- any
- these
- give
- day
- most
- us
Learning this list of words will help you form basic sentences, but it features a disproportionately high number of pronouns, prepositions, and adverbs. In normal conversation, you will use a wider variety of verbs, nouns, and adjectives than are featured here.
We would recommend you learn English words in the context of sentences rather than trying to memorize a list like this. This approach will help you improve your English grammar at the same time.
