A new year means new opportunities. No, we don’t mean going to the gym with you for a week. It is a perfect time to learn cool new words!
To that end, we provide great words every day through our Word of the Day and Synonym of the Day. These two daily offerings are fantastic ways to learn some awesome new words and synonyms.
But how exactly do you learn new vocabulary? Learning a new word isn’t always instantaneous. The brain is a busy organ, and it often loves to prioritize juicy gossip and embarrassing childhood memories. So, we’ve provided some tips that will help you and your brain add new words and synonyms to your personal vocabulary!
🗓️ Discover new words
Before you can learn new words, you need to find them. And there is no better way to do this than checking out our Word of the Day and Synonym of the Day. They are your gateway to cool new words, and they offer new possibilities every single day! This step of the process couldn’t be any easier.
Example: We discovered the word largess on Word of the Day.
Explore the Word of the Day, and get it delivered straight to your inbox!
🔎 How to improve your vocabulary
Now that you have a word, you need to learn how to use it. This is another easy step, thanks to the resources available to you at Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. Learning the definition of the word and some common synonyms will help you memorize what the word means and the best context for using it.
Example: We can find the definition of largess on Dictionary.com. We learn it is also spelled as largesse and it means “generous bestowal of gifts,” “a generous gift or gifts,” or “generosity.” If we look up largess on Thesaurus.com, we see that some synonyms are generosity, aid, gift, and charity.
🧠 Tips: Usage and repetition
Now that you know what your new word means and have a grasp of when it should be used, it is time to actually use it. And not just once. Sources agree that the key to retaining a word is repeated usage. Using a new word over and over will make the difference between forgetting it by tomorrow and still using it years later. With that in mind, there are several different ways you can challenge yourself to use a new word so that your brain adds it to your word catalog.
1. Use new words (sparingly) in spoken conversation 🗣️
Speaking a word out loud repeatedly will alert your brain that this is a word you really want to use. And by mulling over the perfect time to use a new word in conversation, you’ll be thinking about it frequently—ensuring it sticks! When that time finally comes, explaining the word to a person who has never heard it before will also help you (and them) learn it.
Of course, there is a time and place for everything. Conversation is not just for your benefit alone. Fancy or odd words should be used in the proper context. People may be frustrated or confused by a word they do not know and may not be in the mood to have an unfamiliar word explained to them. You don’t want to associate your cool new word with negative experiences, so keep this in mind. It can be helpful to provide good context clues so a person can figure out what your word means even without you having to explain it.
Examples:
“I heard the college is adding a new lab because of an alumna’s largess. Must have been a big donation.”
“You know what I like about Danny? His largess. He gives a lot of money to charity, and I respect that.”
2. Use new words in writing ✏️
If you already write a lot during the average day, try to incorporate new words naturally into sentences and paragraphs. Writing down a new word over and over again will help cement it into your memory. It doesn’t have to be all business, either. See if you can slip new words into the informal writing you do, such as when writing product reviews or text messages to friends. Even if you don’t usually write much, it is still good practice to take a moment to jot down a sentence that correctly uses the new word.
Examples:
Thanks to the community’s largess and teamwork, the library reached the fundraising goal.
This restaurant offers endless free refills. That’s some real largess right there. 5/5
3. Slip new words into social media posts 📱
Time to approach things from a different angle. Trying to smoothly use a strange or difficult word on social media will really make you think about its proper context and usage. This could be quite the challenge, but confronting a tough word in this way will really help you remember the word and what it means. And don’t stop at just one post. Use new words on all your social media platforms! Remember, repetition is the key to memory.
Examples:
Thanks kind stranger for finding my wallet for me. Just the largess I needed. 🙏
Our team captain doesn’t just kill it on the court, but she’s also famous for her largess. Here’s a pic of her at the blood drive. 🏥 #donate
4. Repeat a mix of the above 🔁
We know we are repeating ourselves, but repetition really is the key to memory. If you don’t use new words over and over, it is going to be a lot harder to remember them. Using a new word in a variety of ways repeatedly will alert your brain: you really want to learn this word!
😮💨 Don’t push yourself
While learning lots of new words is great, we need to end on a note about moderation. It’s important not to force yourself to learn many new words if it isn’t easy for you. Getting frustrated or annoyed is one of the fastest ways to ensure you won’t learn new things, not just new words. If a word is just too hard or too weird to handle, save it for another time.
It may help to focus on easier words, words that you really like, or words that sound really interesting to you. Think about gravitating toward words that would easily fit into your daily life or refer to things and subjects that you encounter regularly. If you just cannot deal with a word like syzygy, it is okay to pass it by. If you love a challenge, though, a word like that might just be exactly what you are after.
Know your limits, and definitely try to have fun on your journey to expand your ever-growing vocabulary!
