Vocabulary building software to read, speak, write and comprehend the English Language.

Memorizing Vocabulary Words

Vocabulary building is very beneficial, but it can be very difficult to memorize new vocabulary words. Vocabulary is difficult to memorize because it can be very abstract and there is often little connection between the word and its meaning. While the connection between the vocabulary word and the meaning does not exist in reality, it is formed in your head. There are some good ways to make memorizing vocabulary easier.

First and foremost, you should understand that vocabulary can’t always be understood just from a dictionary definition. In order to really understand a new vocabulary word, you need to know how to use it in a variety of contexts. Just knowing a vocabulary word enough to recognize it later on is not sufficient enough to memorize it. Your really need to know what the vocabulary word sounds like and how it is spelled.

You must know the vocabulary word visually and phonetically. For the visual part of the vocabulary word look at the spelling, close your eyes and say the spelling out loud, then open your eyes and check that you spelled it correctly. For the phonetic part of the vocabulary word read the vocabulary word, look away from the page and say it out loud, then check that you have said the vocabulary correctly. If you can learn the vocabulary word both visually and phonetically, you know the vocabulary word really well.

Once you know the vocabulary word really well, you need to connect that vocabulary word to what you already know. You need to turn the vocabulary word into a memorable image in your imagination. Consider what the new vocabulary word reminds you of that can be easily visualized. Try to pick the first thing that comes into your head because when you re-encounter the vocabulary word you’re likely to think the same way again.

It’s a simple concept but it may take a while to master. Some vocabulary is going to be more difficult to translate into an image than other vocabulary words. It can be done with any vocabulary word however. The more you practice, the more you’ll improve, and the easier it will get to memorize new vocabulary.