#19 Vocabulary Learning Resources: A Select List

Tip: If you seriously want to improve your vocabulary, then we strongly recommend you try the popular vocabulary-learning tool, Ultimate Vocabulary. Click Ultimate Vocabulary to learn more.*

Vocabulary learning resources include software, email services, free websites, and subscription services. Here is a sample of the vocabulary learning resources we have found.

AskOxford includes a free word of the day from the Oxford Dictionary of English. You can also receive the word of the day by email. Dictionary.com also provides a free word of the day, as do Merriam-Webster Word of the Day, Word Spy, and the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Day (online, by email, and by RSS).

Vocabulary mail emails 1 to 3 words a day, free. Wordsmith.org's word of the day includes archives and free and premium email services. Worthless Word of the Day provides obscure, abstruse, and recondite words that are posted daily. (Some of the words are far from worthless!) World Wide Words also includes a free online dictionary of weird words.

Dictionarysquared.com is another free resource, but it is likely to remain free for only a limited time. Dictionarysquared.com mimics the natural way the brain learns words: people learn words from encountering them in candid contexts; each time we encounter a word, we incrementally build word knowledge. After many encounters, we find that we naturally understand the word.

About.com provides a useful list of methods to help you improve and expand your vocabulary at "How to Improve Your Vocabulary". FreeRice is another excellent, and fun, vocabulary learning resource.

WorldEnglish.com provides a free list of 100 words you should know to pass an advanced vocabulary exam. Among paid services, Kaplan's Word Sourceicon lists 600 "must-know" words. It costs US $5.50 plus shipping and it can be shipped internationally.

The Visual Thesaurus is another popular vocabulary learning resource. According to a review in the highly regarded Clarity magazine,"Words cannot do justice to this amazing reference tool. If you love language, visit this site, explore, and have fun" (Phil Knight, "Website Reviewed" (2002) 48 Clarity 37)).

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