Vocabulary Game

Vocabulary Game is a free word-building game for students from second grade through high school. Pick a grade band, then learn new words four different ways: match a word to its meaning in a sentence, sort synonyms and antonyms, use context clues in a short passage, and build words from Greek and Latin parts. It runs in your browser on a laptop, Chromebook, tablet or phone.

How to play

Start by choosing a grade band: Grades 2–3, Grades 4–5, Grades 6–8 or High school. Each band has its own list of about 50 words, every one with a short, plain-language definition and an example sentence. Then pick one of the four games.

• Meaning Match (10 questions): you see a word and a sentence that uses it. Choose which of four definitions fits. The wrong choices are definitions of other words from the same band.
• Synonym Sort (4 words): a target word appears with its meaning, plus six words. Drag each word into the Synonyms bin (same or close meaning) or the Antonyms bin (opposite meaning). You can also tap a word and then tap a bin. Press Check when all six are placed.
• Context Clues (8 passages): read a two- or three-sentence passage with one word in bold, then choose what it means. After you answer, the clue in the passage is highlighted and the game tells you what kind of clue it was: a definition, a synonym, a contrast or an example.
• Word Roots (6 words): the game shows a meaning, such as “the study of living things.” Tap prefixes, roots and suffixes in order to build the word (bio + -ology = biology). Every tile shows what its part means, and not every tile is needed. The younger bands start with simple parts like un-, re-, -ful and -less, while the older bands use roots like tele, vis, aud, chron and ject.

Each round ends with a score and up to three stars. Your best stars for every game and band are saved, along with your best streak of correct answers in a row and how many days in a row you have played.

Review, word bank and teacher lists

Spaced review: any word you miss goes onto your review list. Press Review missed on the menu to practice those words, and due words are also mixed into later Meaning Match rounds for the same band. A word has to be answered correctly three times, with more questions in between each time, before it leaves the list.

Word bank: every word you answer correctly is saved to your personal word bank with its definition and example sentence. Miss a word again and it moves back to review until you get it right.

Teacher list: open Teacher list and paste one word per line in the form word – definition. A hyphen with spaces, a colon or a tab also works, and you can add an example sentence after a | symbol. Once you save at least four words, the My list band unlocks Meaning Match with your words. The list, stars, review words and word bank are stored in your browser on that device.

Tips for learning new words

• Read the whole sentence first. In Meaning Match, try to guess the meaning from the sentence before you look at the choices, then pick the definition closest to your guess.
• Hunt for signal words. In Context Clues, words like “or,” “which means” and “so” often point to a definition or synonym, while “unlike,” “but” and “instead of” point to a contrast.
• Learn the parts, not just the words. Once you know that vis means “see” and in- can mean “not,” you can work out invisible, and the same root unlocks vision and visual.

FAQ

Is Vocabulary Game free?

Yes. It is completely free, with no account and no download.

What grade levels does it cover?

There are four built-in bands: Grades 2–3, Grades 4–5, Grades 6–8 and High school, about 210 words in all. Teachers and parents can add their own list for any grade or subject, such as science or spelling words.

Can I use it in a classroom?

Yes. Paste your weekly word list into Teacher list on each student’s device, and they can practice it with Meaning Match and Review. Progress is saved in each browser, so there is nothing to set up and no student data leaves the device.

Does it work with a keyboard?

Yes. Press 1–4 to answer, 1–9 to pick a word or tile, S or A to sort the selected word, Enter to check or go to the next question, and Esc to return to the menu.

Want more word practice? Try our Spelling Game for spelling lists, or study any set of terms with Flash Cards.