In word learning, context is king. The Common Core rightfully puts it at the center of its vocabulary-learning emphasis, and we here at Vocabulary.com weave opportunities to see words as they really appear in the world into our game, Dictionary, and Lists every chance we can. Continue reading...
According to vocabulary education researchers, "knowing" and "not knowing" doesn't describe how we learn words. Rather, there's a spectrum of knowledge that ranges from "I never saw it before" to "I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know what it means" to "I recognize it in context -- it has something to do with..." to "I know it." Continue reading...
There's a difference between wearing a style and owning it. For learners of English and even those born into it, using a word has a lot to do with feeling that it "belongs to me." Continue reading...
Learning specialist Dr. Blythe Grossberg, Psy.D. is a founding partner of Themba Tutors, a joint practice of professionals, and works personally with students who have ADD, language processing disorders, Asperger’s, dyslexia, and math disorders. Here she talks with Vocabulary.com about vocabulary acquisition and learning differences. Continue reading...
Here at Vocabulary.com, we have always believed that one of the best ways to improve your vocabulary while learning about world events is by regularly reading a newspaper like The New York Times. That's why we are especially proud to announce our partnership with The New York Times Learning Network . This partnership will further boost students' literacy skills by bringing Vocabulary.com's word-learning power to students accessing The Times' fresh and engaging content on a daily basis. Continue reading...
Last year, in a Vocabulary.com Blog post What is Vocabulary? Who Gets to Decide? Vocabulary.com Director of Curriculum Georgia Scurletis described a study that showed middle school students put in charge of choosing vocabulary words learned the words more effectively.
Based on that study, Scurletis suggested using the Vocabulary.com list building tool to have students create Vocabulary Lists to accompany reading assignments. In this Back to School planning season, it's worth returning to Scurletis's suggestion, as well as to some new ideas for using the tools on Vocabulary.com to boost student engagement with vocabulary learning. Continue reading...
Ever notice that the more you play the Challenge, the faster you start learning the new words you see and hear in everyday life? Don’t chalk this up to that recent uptick in your coffee consumption. Scientific research on vocabulary building suggests that the more vocabulary you know, the more you learn. Continue reading...
We tend to think of fools as the people who get fooled, but another meaning is key to April 1: the sense of a fool as a sharp, clever, professional expert in fooling, joking, and pulling other shenanigans. Continue reading...
Merrill Perlman, who writes the "Language Corner" column for Columbia Journalism Review, guides us through some commonly confused words for common folk: "It's a popular mistake to confuse populace and populous. Throw in the similar-sounding populist, and even more mistakes are made. They mean almost the same thing, only different." Continue reading...
Vocabulary.com's Learner Resource Centers make finding the resources you need easier to boost your vocabulary and maximize your learning time. Continue reading...