5 Easy Ways Word Of The Day Can Kickstart Kids’ Vocabulary

Learning a new word every day is a great way to build vocabulary. And the best way to do it is with the Dictionary.com Word of the Day! Each day, we deliver a Word of the Day video with a fun explanation of the word, what it means, and examples of how it’s used. 

And now, you can use these five fun steps to help remember the word and what it means! 

Sign up for the Word of the Day now!

Why it works 

Teachers know that vocabulary terms are typically taught through introduction, practice, and review. After a new word is learned for the first time, learners need to absorb it by doing things like repeating it out loud at least three times. Then, to strengthen comprehension of the word, it should be used three (or more) times during the day. Finally, demonstrating knowledge of the word’s proper use will help learners retain the word permanently. 

Those are the basics, but what about making it fun? One of the best ways to retain vocabulary is to make learning it enjoyable. Here are five easy steps to make vocab fun with Word of the Day—both inside and outside of the classroom!

Each step is an instruction for a student or learner. 

1. Have someone guess what the Word of the Day means 

First, find out what today’s Word of the Day is. Now have someone else try to guess what it means. Ask a fellow student, friend, parent, grandparent, sibling, relative, or teacher. (No robots, please.)

After they give you their best guess, ask why they guessed what they did. After they give you their best guess, tell them whether they guessed correctly, but then ask why they guessed the meaning they did. Did they use parts of the word as clues? Did they compare it to other words they knew? Discuss it together!

Bonus: Have someone ask you to guess what the Word of the Day means. (Before you look at the definition, of course!)

2. Have someone try to guess the spelling 

Now that your Word of the Day partner has guessed the word’s meaning, it’s spelling bee time—ask them to try spelling it! It’s important to do this step second, because knowing the word’s meaning can help in knowing how it might be spelled. 

If they don’t spell the word correctly right away, give them two more tries. (This might happen a lot—many of these words can be tough to spell!) Pay attention to the different ways they try to spell it. If they’re not able to spell it correctly, spell it out loud for them. 

Ask them what methods they used to try to spell the word. Did they sound it out? Did they try to think of similar words they knew? These are good tricks to use when you run into a word with an unfamiliar spelling.  

Bonus: Spell the word five times fast.

3. Use the word in a sentence  

To really get a feel for how the word should be used, try using it in a sentence. And not just once! Using a word in a sentence at least three times in a day will really help your brain latch onto it. 

Try different types of sentences. Here are some prompts you can use for inspiration: 

• Use the word in a sentence about something that happened to you recently.
• Use the word in the opening (or ending) line of a story. 
• Write a short poem using the word. 
• Make a joke that uses the word. 
• Write a social media post that uses the word. 

Get creative! The more unique your sentence, the better you’ll remember the word! 

Bonus: Make a video of yourself using the Word of the Day. Use props or costumes related to the word! Or draw a one-square comic based on the word.

4. Add it to your word list. 

A great way to keep building vocabulary is by building an actual word list. Adding words to a personal word list will help commit them to memory. 

Get started with your own Word List here! Signing up is free, fast, and easy, and it even includes access to flashcards!

5. Quiz yourself 

Now that you’ve taken all the steps to learn a new word, test your vocab knowledge by taking the Word of the Day quiz. 

Bonus: Check out all of our quizzes to discover even more words!