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Vocabulary.com is the ideal destination for discovering vocabulary. A vocabulary learner's dictionary of 150,000 words shows definitions, relations between words, and how words are used in context. Learn new words, share vocabulary lists, play word games, and connect with a community of word lovers. Exploring vocabulary has never been so much fun!

Vocabulary Resources

Visual Thesaurus
An interactive dictionary and thesaurus that leads you to discover the connections between vocabulary words in a visually captivating display. Word maps blossom with meaning, encouraging exploration instead of rote memorization to expand vocabulary.
Vocabulary University
Looking for the previous version of this website? Visit www.vocabularyuniversity.com.
Cambridge Dictionaries Online
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary and other excellent learner dictionaries are available online, free of charge.
Online Etymological Dictionary
A free and open resource for reliable information on word roots.
Vintage Vocabulary
A site highlighting American words and expressions with intriguing origins.
UsingEnglish
Designed for ESL learners, UsingEnglish contains an extensive list of English idioms.
Academic Word List (AWL)
Developed by linguistics professor Averil Coxhead, AWL contains frequently occurring English vocabulary words from a broad range of academic texts.

Tools and Tips for Teachers:

ReadWriteThink
A collaboration between NCTE and IRA, ReadWriteThink has a searchable lesson plan archive that features many lessons with a focus on vocabulary learning.
Education Oasis
Graphic organizers for teachers that can help students learn new vocabulary words and concepts.
Literacy Matters
A project from the Education Development Center with valuable resources for enriching vocabulary instruction as a means to improve content literacy.
Cuesta College Guide to Vocabulary
An overview of helpful vocabulary strategies that include interpreting context clues, recognizing word roots, and analyzing common relationships between words.

Featured Vocabulary Lists

Academic Vocabularymore »

Science, Grades 6-8 »(119 words)
Vocabulary list related to science and technology for...
  • asexual reproduction
  • asteroid
  • atmosphere
  • atmospheric pressure
  • atom

Language arts, Grades 9-12 »(96 words)
Vocabulary list related to English language arts for...
  • acronym
  • allegory
  • alliteration
  • allusion
  • ambience

Arts, Grades 6-8 »(85 words)
Vocabulary list related to the arts (visual arts,...
  • a cappella
  • aesthetics
  • agility
  • angle
  • archetype

Current Events Vocabularymore »

Obama's Address to Schoolchildren »(32 words)
Words from President Obama's address to America's...
  • schoolwork
  • foster home
  • homework
  • extracurricular activity
  • homelessness

Credit crisis vocabulary »(33 words)
Vocab from New York Times overview: http://topics.nyti...
  • mortgage-backed security
  • stock market
  • penny stock
  • homeowner
  • refinance

Swine flu vocabulary »(25 words)
Vocab from New York Times overview: http://topics.nyti...
  • swine flu
  • pandemic
  • severe acute respiratory syndrome
  • lethality
  • virus

Fiction Vocabularymore »

Lois Lowry's "The Giver" Chapter 1 »(99 words)
Vocabulary study list for Lois Lowry's "The Giver"...
  • childcare
  • nightclothes
  • family unit
  • overfly
  • street cleaner

E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" »(115 words)
Vocabulary study list for E.B. White's "Charlotte's...
  • leftovers
  • crumple
  • swathe
  • snooze
  • gullible

Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" Chapters 1-10 »(164 words)
Vocabulary study list for Harper Lee's "To Kill a...
  • nauseate
  • asinine
  • delete
  • douse
  • crumple

Non-Fiction Vocabularymore »

Anne Frank's "Diary of a Young Girl" Part 1 »(173 words)
Vocabulary study list for Anne Frank's "Diary of a...
  • immigrate
  • moodiness
  • wangle
  • faze
  • collapsible

Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" »(343 words)
Vocabulary study list for Virginia Woolf's "A Room of...
  • truncate
  • hortatory
  • misogynist
  • intensification
  • avuncular

"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" »(234 words)
Vocabulary study list for "Narrative of the Life of...
  • pharisaical
  • execrate
  • exculpate
  • transferable
  • imbue

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Vocabulary Word of The Day

Friday, July 30th Pile It On Word of the Day: exaggerate
This verb, from the Latin verb exaggerare, illustrates how readily figurative meanings develop from literal ones. The word originally meant to pile up or accumulate. Later this developed into "intensify praise or blame." From there it was only a short hop to the current meaning: "enlarge beyond the bounds of truth." It's tempting to suppose a connection with aggregate, congregate, and segregate -- but there is none.

Vocabulary Tools

  VocabGrabber Automatically create lists of vocabulary from any text using VocabGrabber.
Try it now!   Spelling Bee Think you are a good speller? Play the Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee and find out! Click here to start.

Words on Words

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

In Defense of Harding the Bloviator

July 29, 2010
By Ben Zimmer
During my appearance on WNYC's "The Leonard Lopate Show" yesterday to talk about Sarah Palin's much-ridiculed use of the word refudiate, I found myself in the odd position of defending Warren Gamaliel Harding, one of the least admired presidents in American history. In the commentary on Palin, Harding was revived as a point of comparison, particularly for his use of two memorable words: normalcy and bloviate. As I said on the show, I'd argue that Harding has gotten a bad rap on both counts.  Continue reading...

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

"Refudiate" and Other Accidental Coinages

July 27, 2010
By Ben Zimmer
Taking a measured look at the controversy over Sarah Palin's use of the word refudiate.  Continue reading...

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

"Mad Men": Capturing the Sound of the '60s

July 22, 2010
By Ben Zimmer
How the creators of "Mad Men" strive for linguistic authenticity, and when they fail.  Continue reading...

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

Are the Kids "Alright" or "All Right"?

July 20, 2010
By Ben Zimmer
Is the movie title "The Kids Are All Right" a correction of The Who's spelling?  Continue reading...

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

Meet the Dinosaur with "Mojo"

July 13, 2010
By Ben Zimmer
What happens when paleontologists get together for drinks and brainstorm for names of dinosaur species? They come up with Mojoceratops.  Continue reading...

Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans

Put vocabulary to work in your classroom

Making Sense of Homographs

July 26, 2010
How can students use the Visual Thesaurus to make sense of some common homographs and to discover a pattern among stress homographs?  Continue reading...

Lesson Plans

Put vocabulary to work in your classroom

The Three M's of Statistics: Mode, Median, Mean

June 30, 2010
How can students use the Visual Thesaurus to learn more about mode, median, and mean, and to apply their knowledge in solving some basic statistical math problems?  Continue reading...

Lesson Plans

Put vocabulary to work in your classroom

Words That Hold Court

May 24, 2010
How can students learn legal terminology associated with the Supreme Court?  Continue reading...