Vocabulary word board games

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Are you a word geek
looking for new word board games to play?

Or are you simply
searching for something new to amuse you and your friends on game night?

Perhaps are you a parent
seeking games for your partner and kids that are both educational and entertaining?

If so, you have landed
on the right page! In this post, we share the 9 best word board games for you and the crew. We picked these games
based on the number of positive reviews and high ratings they got from
satisfied consumers.

Instead of mindlessly
scrolling through your social media accounts and wasting valuable time, it’s
probably time to consider other hobbies like playing board games. You’ll might
be surprised how much this activity can be beneficial to your soul, mind, and body.

Without further ado, let’s check out our list of the best word board games!

1. Bananagrams

Bananagrams is an excellent choice for parents who are looking to play
word board games with their children. In addition to fun and entertainment, this anagram game promises an
educational experience for kids, especially those who are starting to learn
more complex words.

The rules are simple and
easy to understand. First, you need to distribute the tiles among all players
(maximum of eight players) facedown—21 tiles each for two to four players; 15
tiles each for five to six players; and, 11 tiles each for seven to eight
players. Start the game by saying “Split!” and everyone turns their tiles over.

The objective of this
game is to be the first person to use all their letters. You may form words
horizontally from left to right, or vertically from top to bottom. You may also
rearrange your grid any time you want. After placing your last letter in your
grid, call out “Peel!” and everyone has to take another tile from the “Bunch.”

One rule to remember is
that you can put one of your letters back, face-down in the Bunch, by saying “Dump!”
However, you have to take three more tiles in exchange for that one letter. You
may do as many “dumps” as you like.

Whoever is the first
person to use all their letters once the Bunch is empty is the winner. But he
has to shout “Bananas!” to let the others know. The competitors should then
inspect his grid to see if there are misspelled words, proper nouns, or any
other unacceptable words. If there are, then they have to shout “Rotten
Banana!” to kick the false winner out of the game.

2. Quiddler

If you are looking for a fast-paced, short-duration word board game,
then Quiddler is the answer. This
game exercises both your vocabulary and spelling skills, and is most suitable
for children six years old and above. There can be 1 to 10 players, and the one
with the highest score at the end of the game is the winner.

In this game, each
player is required to create words from the cards in their hands. You have to
be cautious, however, since the number of cards increases every round. There
are eight rounds to deal with, and you can have as many as 10 cards on the last
round. Every card has its corresponding value, so if you have the most number
of words formed with high-value cards by the end of the game, you will have the
most number of points.

This word board game
allows you to form even the simplest of words like “at,” “of,” “zoo,” and a lot
more. This is why it is recommended to kids. There are bonuses, too. For
instance, the player with the most words formed and the player who forms the
longest word get additional points. In the case of a tie, no one receives the
bonus points.

Quiddler has a high
rating on online stores, with almost a perfect store, as well as lots of
positive feedback. If you are looking for a game you can play with your
children, then we highly recommend this one.

3. Hasbro Scrabble

The game Scrabble was created
by Alfred Mosher Butts in 1938, and since then has became a popular way to
spend fun nights with friends, colleagues, and family members.

This particular version
of Scrabble is from Hasbro Gaming, which is one of the largest companies in the
world that makes toys and other means of entertainment. The goal of the game is
to form words on the board and gain points.

For every tile you use
to create a word, you have to draw a replacement from the bag. The game ends
once there are no more tiles, and the player with the most number of points
wins. To determine who has the most points, you’ll have to record your score on
each turn with pen and paper, and then add them up at the end.

Scrabble may be played
solo, with two to three players, or with a group of friends. You need a bit of
luck, as you have to draw tiles blindly, but the game also rewards those with
good strategy and extensive vocabularies.

4. Big Boggle

Big Boggle is an excellent choice for those seeking a word game with a
bit of pressure. The goal of
the game is to list as many words as you can from the randomly assorted letters
given to you at the start. However, you only have three minutes to do so, which
means you have to think and write quickly.

This board game comes with
25 standard letter cubes, one double letter cube, a cube grid with a dome, and
a three-minute sand timer. At the beginning of the game, each player takes a
pen/pencil and paper to list their words. The cube grid is then prepared by
shaking the cubes until they fall into place.

Once the timer starts,
all players should use the assorted letters and come up with words of four or
more letters. Write down every word you can think of until the time runs out.
Words must be formed from adjoining letters on the grid.

When the timer stops,
all players compare their lists of words with one another. All words that have
been played by multiple people are not scored. The remaining words are scored,
the one who earns the most points is the winner.

5. Tapple

Tapple is a fast-paced word board game that is most suitable for
families who like playing games during holidays, parties, and family
gatherings. It is also easy to
store and carry, and therefore can be packed during vacations, trips, and long
getaways.

This board game comes
with a portable Tapple wheel and 36 topic cards with 144 categories. The goal
is simple: You have to produce an answer to the category cards using only the letters
available on the wheel. Aim to be the last player left in each round to get a
score, then collect three topic cards and you win.

Tapple is a
time-pressure and elimination game. You only have 10 seconds to answer every
round, and if you fail to do so, you get kicked out for that round. If you give
an answer that does not match the category, you get eliminated. The last person
standing gains the point and is declared the winner for that round.

Remember that when you
give your answer, you have to press the first letter of the word and then reset
the timer to pass the turn. Otherwise, you are disqualified. Likewise, keep in
mind that once a letter has been used, the others can no longer press that
letter for that round.

6. Word on the Street

If you are searching for a very competitive word board game, then you
should include this one on your list. Word on the Street is a tug-of-words type of game where each team fights
for its desired letters to form high-scoring words. The first team to get the
eight letter tiles becomes the winner.

There are two teams in
this game, and they take turns “on the street,” or on the board. The letter
tiles are put in their corresponding place on the middle lane of the board
called the “Median Strip.” There are different rules with regard to turns, but
the main objective is to capture all eight letter tiles before the other team
does.

The key to winning this
game is to brainstorm with your teammates while the other team is making its
move. You all must agree on one word, and pull the letters of that word closer
to your side of the street before time runs out, and before the other team does
the same. Word on the Street is not just a vocabulary game, but also a game of
speed and strategy.

7. Pairs in Pears

Pairs in Pears is somewhat similar to Bananagrams, so if you are looking
for an alternative to the latter, then this word board game is a good fit. In this game, the goal is to make as many
pairs as possible, but they have to be matching suits.

The game comes with 104
tiles, and the number of tiles you can take depends on the number of players
there are. Similarly, the number of pairs needed to win also depends on the
number of players. There are, however, other ways to play this game, and they
are all explained in the game’s guide.

Pairs in Pears is a
racing and counting game in which you try to be the first to produce as many as
possible pairs with matching suits. It is a great way for children (and adults)
to improve their memory retention and cognitive skills, and is also a means to
develop pattern recognition and vocabulary.

8. Dabble

If you are a fast thinker and can come up with an answer in less than a
minute, then Dabble might be the word board game for you. This game tests not just your vocabulary skills,
but also your speed and agility.

The board game includes
all the letters of the Spanish and English alphabets, so it can be played in
both languages. It is appropriate for two to four players, ages 10 years old
and up, and you can even play it in teams.

The rules of the game
are simple. All players must pick 20 tiles from the bag without looking, and
then place their tiles face down. When the game starts, they all turn their
tiles and start the timer, then create five words (a two-letter word,
three-letter word, four-letter word, five-letter word, and six-letter word).
Points are recorded every round, and the first to reach 500 points is the
winner.

Other players may
challenge words if they have been misspelled or if they are not words at all.
You will need to have a dictionary on hand for challenges. Unlike Scrabble,
however, some words (e.g., foreign words, archaic words, colloquial words,
etc.) are accepted in Dabble.

9. Upwords

Upwords is a great game
if you are searching for a high-stacking, word-building game. In this game, you
don’t just think of words to form, but you also stack tiles to change words.
Your score is not based solely on the number of words you form, but also on the
level of tiles you stack—the higher you stack, the higher your score is.

Similar to Scrabble, the
game begins by each player drawing seven tiles from the bag. The first player
starts the game by placing a word on the board, and then drawing new tiles from
the bag. Every player who comes next forms a word by adding letters to the
previous tiles on the board.

Unlike Scrabble,
however, you can place your letters on top of the other letters that are
already on the board. For instance, if the word is “HAT,” you can use the
letters T, R, E, S, and S to add to the end of the word, and then cover H with
M to form the word “MATTRESS.”

There are a few other rules
to consider in this game that are not in Scrabble. One example is the points
system, as Upwords’ letter tiles all have one point each. There are also no
double or triple letter word scores for additional points.

If you are looking for a
Scrabble-like game with a bit of a twist, you might want to consider checking
out this game.

Final Thoughts on Word and Vocabulary Board Games

We highly recommend
these word board games for those who are looking for a bit of fun and a great
way to help their children learn. After all, these types of games have shown to
be beneficial for a person’s brain development and cognitive skills. And while
your children are learning and having fun, you get to be a part of their
experience.

We also suggest these
games for those who have gotten tired of playing the usual mystery, roleplaying, and deck-building board games. You might want to try changing the flavor of
your game night and see how well you do in other types of board games.

Whatever your reason is
for checking out this post, we hope that we were able to help you find a game
that suits your tastes.

Have you already tried
playing one or more of these board games?

Let us know which one by
sharing your story in the comment fields below. We’d love to hear about your
experience!

If you’re a wordsmith, a word-wiz, or just enjoy a little wordplay, these word board games are right up your vocabulary alley. Word board games can be used as an educational tool, as a hilarious party game, or simply as a way to keep your wordy wits about you. If you’re not into word games, don’t fret, word unscrambling tools can give you an assist in any word game while improving your vocabulary.

So on-words and up-words, here are our top 20 best word board games!

Like Word Games? Why not also check out our list of Puzzle Games and Trivia Games that keep you mentally active, while still having fun?

🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Word Board Games

In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.

04/11/2023 05:30 pm GMT

When I Dream

Players: 4-10
Playing time: 20-40 min

Put on your sleep masks and try to decipher your dreams!

When we fall asleep and enter a dream world, the imagination and imagery can be truly magical. When I Dream turns players into dreamers. Be careful when entering the magical world of dreams because the Dream Spirits want to have fun!

When I Dream is an innovative game that puts a focus on creativity and player imagination. Put on your sleep mask and try to interpret the Dream Spirits messages. With fairies, naughty spirits, and even the Boogeyman, the game has an array of characters that make it challenging and that give the game depth. 

This is an excellent fast-paced party game that’ll have you storytelling before the Boogeyman wreaks havoc!

What we liked

When I Dream offers some new unique mechanics that give the word game genre something to think about. Combine that with the gorgeous artwork and you get a really pretty and fun game. 

What could be better

With the timer included, it can rapidly descend into chaos.

Werewords

Players: 4-10
Playing time: 10 min

Guess the magic word!

In Werewords, players must guess a secret word by asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. Be careful, time catches up to you! Like in most games, there’s always a villain looming and trying to interrupt play. In Werewords, one player is secretly a werewolf.

Not only is this player working against you, but they also know the Magic Word. Even if you don’t guess the word in time, you still have the chance of exposing the werewolf and winning the game!

What’s cool about this word game is that it comes with an iOS/Android app that’ll provide thousands of words in hundreds of categories giving the game-high replayability. 

What we liked

It’s like One Night Ultimate Werewolf but combined with a word game. It’s a weird combination that seems to work very well. 

What could be better

Like the original Werewolf, Werewords suffers from similar role management. There are only a handful of roles that are really fun to play, but most players end up as villagers.

Will you figure out the word or will the werewolf get you? Better get your top wordsmith on the case.

Trapwords

Players: 4-8
Playing time: 30-45 min

You know the secret word your teammates must guess. You’ll give clues to help but the other team has other plans in mind. They’ve set a list of ‘trapwords’. You can’t say them or you’ll end up trapped in dungeons with terrifying monsters. Easy enough? Oh, there’s also a time limit. 

Trap words is a fast-paced party game that seems like a simple task of giving clues but gets more challenging by not knowing which words can be said. 

If you’re looking for a word game with a fantasy theme, Trapwords takes you into the fantasy world of dungeons and monsters.

What we liked

Trapwords is a fun fantasy variation of Taboo. The rules are changed enough to make it more interesting to play than Taboo.

What could be better

The timer can be tricky, especially for younger players.

Decrypto

Players: 3-8
Playing time: 15-45 min

Decrypto has a fun vintage aesthetic, surely making it a favorite among the hipster community. But really, this word game blends decoding and player interaction through interesting mechanics.

In this game, teammates try to transmit secret codes without letting the opposing team intercept them. Using clever graphic anaglyph components, players slide cards into the screens to decode the words.

The communication limits make Decrypto a fun and challenging word game to play, plus you’ll feel like a code breaker sending secret messages.

What we liked

The option to guess the other team’s words and clues adds another level to a fun word game. 

What could be better

I’m not sure why, but I had trouble with Decrypto’s rules. It took me far longer than it should have to understand everything and teach it to my gaming group. It could have just been me, but it did give me trouble.

Letter Jam

Players: 2–6
Playing time: 45 min

Your friend gives the clue. Can you guess your secret letter? 

Letter Jam is a cooperative word game where players work together to compose meaningful words from letters around the table. But the twist is only the other players can see your letter cards, not you. 

Letter Jam combines team-based play and players’ deduction skills. Pull together as a team, find the clues, and reap the fruits of cooperation!

Jam out at the next game night and decipher the codes!

What we liked

Under its simple exterior, Letter Jam offers a cerebral word game that delivers more gameplay the longer you play. 

What could be better

It’s played best with more players and is all but obsolete at 2-players.

Bananagrams

Players: 1-8
Playing time: 15 mins

A fun game for everyone that’ll drive you bananas.

Gather your friends and family and race against each other to build crossword grids. Bananagrams is an educational and entertaining game with which you can teach kids how to spell words all while having fun at the same time. 

In Bananagrams, players have to build their words with letters as fast as they possibly can. A race to finish, speed, and a great vocabulary make the game super exciting. 

What we liked

The game is in a case that’s shaped like an actual banana, making it a great travel game. It can fit in any bag and it comes in a cute package. What’s not to like?

What could be better

If you have trouble with words then the real-time movements and actions can be tricky to deal with.

Blank Slate

Players: 3-8
Playing time: 20-35 min

The game where great minds think alike. 

Blank Slate is a game of predictions. “The game where great _ _ _ _ _ think alike!” Easy to learn and quick to play makes Blank Slate a fun game for all levels.

By picking a word cue card, you’ll write which word you think best completes a phrase. To take this a step further, you’ll have to try to match it to another player’s words. 

In this clever party game, prediction skills are key to matching words. If you get good enough you’ll soon be winning the _ _ _ _!

What we liked

Blank Slate is a simple and very fast-playing word game. It works very well as an icebreaker and introduction for people who just met. 

What could be better

Your enjoyment of Blank Slate is going to highly depend on who you are playing with.

Codenames

Players: 2-8
Playing time: 15 min

‘The top-secret word game. Win or lose, it’s fun to figure out the clues!’

There are good reasons why Codenames has become a staple on board gamers’ shelves. Codenames is a deceptively awesome game that’s easy to learn and perfect for parties. 

Codenames is a social word game in which two rival spymasters know 25 secret agents. Their teams only know agents by codenames. Make contact with all your agents first and win. Although this game can be challenging, the social component keeps everyone entertained as they race to finish first.

This is a fun game when you’re winning, but even better when you’re losing. 

What we liked

Codenames is quick, easy to learn, and a blast. There’s a reason it’s become a go-to game in so many households. 

What could be better

There’s a lot of hype surrounding Codenames. There are numerous games out there that do the same thing, Codenames just does it really well. If you’re looking for something innovative and unique, you’ll be disappointed.

More versions of Codenames

Poetry for Neanderthals

Players: 2-12
Playing time: 15 min

A word game where you must ‘speak good’ or get hit with a stick.

Poetry for Neandertals is a competitive word-guessing game. Players are only allowed to use single-syllable words to give clues to their team to guess the phrase.

For example, the word is broccoli, you’ll have to say something like, ‘green food, live long’. Use a big word, you’ll get hit on the head with a 2-foot-long inflatable club.

From the geniuses that brought us Exploding Kittens, Poetry for Neandertals is another fun addition to a game night. With only 15 minutes to play, this hilarious, challenging, cutthroat game tests the patience of logophiles the world over.

What we liked

If you’re a fan of The Oatmeal webcomic, you’re going to love the artwork and irreverent humor. It’s just as ridiculous and fun as it looks. 

What could be better

The humor is a bit low-brow. If you’re not comfortable speaking oddly and smacking friends over the head, then this is probably going to be a miss.

Just One

Players: 3-7
Playing time: 20 min

A cooperative party game where you’ll have to work together to discover the mystery words!

Just One starts with one player drawing a card and choosing a number from it. Each player gets one clue word and together you’ll try to solve the mystery word. Just One is a brilliant word game as it combines cooperative skills with deduction, memory, and creative thinking.

What we liked

I really like the mechanic that discards identical clues. This forces you to be strategic and creative with your clues. Easy-to-learn and easy to play make Just One a relaxed game for everyone.

What could be better

Just One is great, but it can feel as if turns take forever and that’s not good for a party game.

Punderdome

Players: 3- 99
Playing time: 30-90 min

A card game for the pun lovers among us. 

Punderdome will have you laughing out loud with its punny cards and creative style of play. 

Once a pun a time, the creators of Punderdome saw a space in the word game market for a pun game for family and friends. With pun jokes on the back of each card, you can entertain the crowds while waiting to come up with a pun. Some can take longer than others but you can play with no time limits. 

If you’re a pun lover, this is a punderful card game that you won’t regret purchasing.

What we liked

Unlike many of the other games on this list, Punderdome offers quite a lot of opportunities for creativity. It lets you create something instead of just showing off your knowledge of vocabulary. 

What could be better

It’s a game about puns. You’re going to be groaning and laughing, but if you’re not well-versed in puns and dad jokes, it may be a little dry.

Quiddler

Players: 1-8
Playing time: 30 min

Quiddler: Simply for the fun of words. 

Quiddler is a short word game that’s a great pick for word lovers as well as non-word-game players. With this card game, the goal is to arrange your cards in your hand to create one or more words.

If you deal more cards, you’ll have more opportunities to create words. At the end of the game, the highest score wins. 

Quiddler is a sort of Uno-style word game as some cards can double letters and add bonuses to your points. Sharpening your word skills and a bit of luck will have you winning Quiddler!

What we liked

Quiddler makes for a great travel game. It’s simple enough that anyone can play and it’s so easy to pull it out and play wherever you are. 

What could be better

Quiddler relies on luck of the draw to get letters. If you have an extensive vocabulary you can overcome bad draws, but it’s still luck-based.

Hot Words

Players: 4-16
Playing time: 20-30 min

Hot Words is a party game where you can’t say that. 

In Hot Words, you’ll describe words while your team tries to guess what the word is. In each of the 4 rounds, your team will pick a spicy jalapeño card that has a ‘Hot Word’ on it that you can’t say. 

As each round goes by, it’ll get hotter and harder but also more hilarious trying to avoid all the ‘Hot Words’ your team has accumulated.

What we liked

Hot Words provides a simple concept and puts it together in a nice little package. It’s a wordplay game that has a ton of replayability. 

With fun added elements like a ghost pepper round, a 90-second sand timer, a dinner bell, and little hot sauce bottles, Hot Words is a fun and exciting party game!

What could be better

If you’re looking for a smaller group game, Hot Words is best played as a party game with more players.

Can you handle the heat?

Dabble

Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30-60 min

The game where if you can spell, you can play!

Dabble is a fast word game that’s both educational and fun. To start the game you say ‘GO!’ and players race to spell 5 words using 20 tiles. The first person to spell their word wins!

What we liked

The added difficulty of making multiple words of varying sizes seems like a simple concept but definitely makes Dabble stand out. 

What could be better

Like a lot of word games, if you have someone who memorizes vocabulary words in their free time, they’ll absolutely destroy everyone. It’s best to play with people of the same skill and vocabulary level.

Word a Round

Players: 2
Playing time: 20 min

Race to unravel the word! 

Word a Round is a challenging word game where you’ll have to quickly figure out where the word starts and then read it aloud before your opponent. As you answer on the spot, the game becomes a little more difficult as you race to answer. Mistakes are made under pressure so players have to have their wits about them. 

Word a Round is an award-winning card game that’s a great educational tool in classrooms or at home. It helps develop critical thinking skills, making it a favorite among speech therapists. If you are looking for a fun game that’ll also help with learning, this is a great choice. 

What we liked

Word a Round can be learned in seconds and it’s one of the most unique word games on this list. 

What could be better

Since this requires you to guess at words around a circular card, it can be difficult for people with visual impairments.

Word on the Street

Players: 2-10
Playing time: 20 min

A hilarious tug of words.

Word on the Street is a card game in which players take turns flipping category cards, racing the clock to come up with the answer. With each correct answer, you move closer to the sidewalk… and to safety. 

With 432 different categories, there is huge variation and replayability. This game is particularly focused on being educational. It helps players improve their vocabulary, practice spelling, and develop social skills. 

What we liked

Word on the Street is a simple enough word game but combines wordplay with enough strategy to make it unique. 

What could be better

You’ll need to have quick recall of your vocabulary, so if you’re looking for a slow burn game then this is not what you’re looking for.

Wordplay: Family Edition

Players: 2

If your family loves word games, WordPlay is a fast-paced challenge in which everyone plays every round. 

A fun spinner determines the letters and the category for each round. For example, ‘Food and Drinks’ means you can only use words that begin with the letter ‘E’. The difference with this family edition is even if you think of things that don’t start with the correct letter, you still score some points.

This game is a friendly and inclusive way to help kids learn and be introduced to the wonderful world of word board games. 

What we liked

Wordplay is a simple word game that appeals to everyone. It’s simple enough that anyone can pick it up and have some fun right out of the box. 

What could be better

Wordplay’s universal appeal means that there’s no real innovation or new mechanics. It’s fun, but you’ve seen it before and will see it again in other word games.

Upwords

Players: 1-4
Playing time: 90 min

Upwords a game of quick stacking and word hacking. 

In this word-building game, the higher you stack, the higher your score. With each player starting out with 7 words that you can play up or down, the game almost feels like Scrabble.

But here, you can stack letters on top of others. When you stack letters higher on each other, you earn more points. This makes Upwords more intense and strategic. 

Upwords is very versatile and can be played solo to challenge yourself, with kids, or with your friends. Experience this high-stakes, high-stacking word game, and grow your vocabulary as you go!

What we liked

I honestly prefer Upwords over Scrabble. The tile stacking adds a whole new dimension to the classic wordplay formula. 

What could be better

It’s a minor issue, but I’m not a fan of the components on the deluxe board. They work fine, but the color scheme makes it difficult to see for me.

Wordical

Players: 2-8

The radical, dice-rolling, word-building race!

Wordical is another educational word game in which players roll a vowel die and combine consonants to make a word. It’s a fun way for kids to develop their spelling skills and build vocabulary. It’s easy to learn and moves quickly so there are no long pauses.

This is a wonderful game for the classroom or for students who are struggling with their phonics.

What we liked

The dice add an interesting twist to this word game. Randomness is usually added through other means, but it’s a refreshing take on the word game genre. 

What could be better

It’s a simple travel game, so the rules and gameplay are very simple. You won’t find in-depth strategy here, but that’s ok for a word game.

Wordsmithery

Players: 2- 99
Playing time: 20 min

The game for every wordsmith, young and old.

Wordsmithery is a fun, fast-paced game in which you can test your wordsmith skills. Draw a word, read it to your opponent, and see if they can guess the meaning from the three options.

With some difficult words like ‘egregious’ or ‘phalanx’, it could seem difficult for children but included are 50 easier cards for kids. The different levels of difficulty make this a family-friendly word board game. 

What we liked

The concept is extremely easy to understand and the word choices are genuinely fun to play with. 

What could be better

Eventually, you’re going to memorize all of the words available in the box. There are only so many times you can be surprised by a word before we simply learn it.

Wrap-Up

What are your favorite word games to play? We hope you enjoyed our top picks for the best word board games out there! Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried any of these or if we missed any that you think should be on the list. We’d love to hear from you!

Happy Wordsmithing!

This post contains affiliate links.

I found 12 board games to strengthen vocabulary, that can be played at:

• School, like Go for the Dough
• Home, for example Blurt!
• Home and School, where Volangulary is my preferred one

Vocabulary Board Games Comparison Table

I prepared this table to give you a quick comparison on common features of the vocabulary board games.

Game	Age	Notions	Players	For	Price	Rating
Multiple Meanings Around the World	9-10	Multiple meaning words	2-4	Home, School	$$	★★★☆☆
Synonym & Antonym Gold Rush	9-10	Synonyms and antonyms	2-4	Home, School	$$	★★★☆☆
Blurt!	7+	Definitions, clues	3-12	Home	$$	★★★★☆
Go for the Dough	5-8	Opposites, synonyms, multiple meanings, definitions, rhyming, categories	2-6	School	$$$$	★★★★☆
Volangulary	6-10	Definitions, reading, making sentences	2-6	Home, School	$$$	★★★★★
Quizmo Vocabulary	10-13	Synonyms and antonyms	2-4	School	$$	★★★☆☆
Vocabulary Chipper Chat	6-10	Analogies, associations, attributes, categories, comparisons, context, figurative language, functions, homonyms, homophones, synonyms, antonyms, verbs	2-5	School	$$$$$	★★★☆☆
Vocabulary Family Engagement Pack	3-5	Opposites	1-2	Teachers to engage families	$$$	★★★☆☆
Hot Words	12+	Definitions	4-20	Home	$$	★★★☆☆
Words on the Street	12+	Categories	2-8	Home	$$$$	★★★☆☆
Words on the Street Junior	8+	Categories	2-4	Home	$$$	★★★☆☆
Lexogon	8+	Finding words with specific letters	2-6	Home	$$$	★★★☆☆

Vocabulary Board Games for Home and School

Volangulary (Nasco Education)

★★★★★

For Families and Teachers | Age 6-10 | 2-6 Players | 30 minutes

In Volangulary , players give answers before the timer runs out. If they give a correct answer, they move forward according to the dice (else they move backward). Players encounter obstacles along the way, and can collect PASS or BLOCK cards.

Volangulary presents two levels of play: Junior and Advanced, each using a different side of the board:

• Junior: players use the side of the card with a sentence that uses the word. You can ask them to just read the sentence properly (used for reading practice), or to create a correct sentence using the word by themselves.
• Advanced: players use the side with the definition of the word. They read the definition and must guess the word.

What is great about Volangulary is that:

• It includes 570 cards (so it is truly replayable, and has a lot to offer as a learning material)
• You can really manage a progression
  • The three card colors (purple, blue and yellow) correspond to levels of difficulty.
  • The actual difficulty is given on the upper right-hand corner of the card as K, 1, 2 and 3
• You can have children of different ages play together while maintaining the interest of the game for all (just select the cards that are relevant for each age). This is a really rare feature that is very valuable at home.
• Enables to work reading words, definitions and building sentences

You can avoid using using pass/block cards, and giving penalties for incorrect answers, as these are more a nuisance than a feature in my opinion.

Multiple Meanings Around the World (Lakeshore Learning)

★★★☆☆

For Families and Teachers | Age 9-10 | 2-4 Players | 30 minutes

In Multiple Meanings Around the World, players learn new words by answering questions as they travel in 9 countries of the world, identifying and defining words with multiple meanings.

It includes a decoder (provides an answer key through a red filter), 45 question cards, and 20 challenge cards.

The main objective is to reach Australia and answer the question cards correctly.

A player who lands on a standard space has to answer a “question card”.

A player who lands on a country space can choose a “question card” or a “challenge card”:

• Question card– the game proceeds as normal
• Challenge card– if the answer is correct, the number obtained from rolling the dice becomes double which lets the player advance faster in the game. These questions are tough though, so children may either find this exciting or frustrating

Other special spaces are:

• “Jump to” – the player moves to the country that was named on the space.
• “Shortcut”/”Backtrack” – the player moves towards the end of the highlighted path (or the other way)
• “Move up or back X spaces” – the player moves the number of spaces indicated on the board
• “Lost Passport”- the player is stuck until he rolls a 2, 4 or 6.
• “Lost your Way”- the player loses a turn.

The strong points:

• Answers to MCQs can be checked through the decoder.
• The game board has colorful illustrations and easy to follow instructions.
• It can be played cooperatively.

I cannot give more than three stars though, because:

• There are not enough cards, making replayability a real concern
• There is no real progression in difficulty, only the “question cards” and “challenge cards” introduce a level of difficulty

Synonym & Antonym Gold Rush Vocabulary Game (Lakeshore Learning)

★★★☆☆

For Families and Teachers | Age 9-10 | 2-4 Players  

In Synonym & Antonym Gold Rush, players collect golden nuggets (if they provide correct answers) as they race to the end of the board game while answering questions about synonyms and antonyms. You need to have 5 nuggets to win the game.

This game includes 50 question cards, 20 chips, and an answer card.

Each question card contains a sentence with an underlined word. Players must give the synonym or antonym of the given word.

Just like other race board games, there are special spaces with obstacles: Losing a turn, Getting stuck on the mine railway unless they roll a 2, 4, or 6, Having their golden nugget stolen by other players.

Some pros:

• There are no penalties for incorrect answers
• The answers are provided for immediate correction

But the problem is that there are only 50 question cards, which makes the replayability of the game low, and there is no progression (levels of difficulty of question cards are not included). This is why I only give 3 stars.

Vocabulary Family Engagement Pack (Lakeshore Learning)

★★★☆☆

For Teachers to engage Families | Age: 3-5 | 1-2 Players | 30 minutes

Vocabulary Family Engagement Pack features 24 opposites cards that players have to match, like with a game of “memory”.

Children should review the cards first before placing them face down on the gameboard. Players must get a pair of cards that have opposite meanings.

Card illustrations serve as clues for 3-5 year-olds.

The principle is good and simple, but there are really too few cards included there should be at least twice as many.

Go for the Dough (Super Duper Publications)

★★★★☆

For Teachers | Age 5-8 | 2-6 Players

In Go for the Dough, players travel across the gameboard to deliver pizza while answering vocabulary questions.

This game contains 480 “fake dollar” cards with one word on each, the question belonging to six different types (80 cards per type):

• Opposites: propose an opposite for the word
• Synonyms: propose a synonym for the word
• Multiple Meanings: explain two meanings of the word
• Definitions: give a definition to the word
• Rhyming words: find a word that rhymes
• Categories: propose a category the word belongs to

Players pick a card and answer the question. If they answer correctly, they can move their pawn on the gameboard, according to the number on their die.

Whether the player’s answer is correct or not, the fake dollar card goes to the center of the gameboard (where it will serve as the bank). A player who lands at grandma’s house collects all the cards in the bank.

The player with the highest number of fake dollars, in the end, wins the game.

 The good points of this game are:

• 480 questions means the game is replayable
• 6 different notions (which you can filter according to your aim)
• Attractive theme

You can foster collaboration by encouraging students to help others when they have a difficulty in proposing an answer – but after giving enough time to the player at their turn of course.

I regret that there is no notion of progression though.

As there are no answers provided, I do not recommend it to parents, although the game can be played at home of course.

In this section, I included 4 vocabulary board games that are suited for classroom play due to elaborate categories and mechanics.

Quizmo Vocabulary (Learning Advantage)

★★★☆☆

For Teachers | Age: 10-13 | 2-36 Players

Quizmo Vocabulary is a 2-in-1 game set that teaches synonyms and antonyms.

It consists of

• 36 double-sided grid card
• 240 calling cards featuring 480 questions
• Plastic markers

There are two ways to use it:

1. The calling cards can be used as flashcards. Each card is color-coded (synonyms in pink, antonyms in blue) and has the answer on its back
2. The grid cards are played like Bingo. Each card has 24 words while the box in the middle indicates the category (synonyms or antonyms). Therefore you can play with a few players, but also with your entire classroom.

Although Quizmo encourages children to learn more words:

• Players may need to consult the dictionary to check the meaning of unfamiliar words (or get help from an adult) which will affect the speed of the game. Including word definitions on the cards would have really helped.
• The design of the calling cards is dull.
• There is no way to manage progression

Vocabulary Chipper Chat (Super Duper Publications)

★★★☆☆

For Teachers | Age 6-10 | 2-5 Players | Grade 1-5

In Vocabulary Chipper Chat, players expand their vocabulary using 12 themes:

• Analogies
• Associations
• Attributes
• Categories
• Compare and contrast
• Context clues
• Figurative language
• Functions
• Homonyms
• Homophones
• Synonyms & Antonyms
• Verbs

This game consists of:

• 60 grid gameboards (5 gameboards per theme)
• 360 vocabulary cards (30 color-coded prompt cards per theme), each with an illustration in front and an instruction at the back.
• Magnetic wand, 100 magnetic chips, a pair of dice

To play, draw a prompt card. Follow the instruction. If the answer is correct, roll the die to determine the number of magnetic chips the player should place on the circles of their gameboard.

Players continue until all the circles on their gameboard are filled with magnetic chips. Players use the magnetic wand to collect the chips at the end of each round.

The pros:

• suited for one-on-one session or small group activity
• teachers can assign appropriate categories according to their goal for the session

The cons:

• An adult must be there to correct the answers
• There is no progression within each theme

Vocabulary Board Games for Families

Blurt! (Educational Insights)

★★★★☆

For Families | Age 7+ with my proposed rule mods, 10+ else | 3-12 Players

Blurt! is a word-racing game where players have to guess words from their definition or clue. It includes 200 cards (6 words per card, so 1200 words overall).

The mechanics include rolling the die to determine the number of spaces the player will move on the board and the definition that will be read. The first player to circle around the game board wins the game.

Here are the pros and cons:

• There is no penalty for wrong answers, which is great. Children can try many times as they can until someone blurts the correct answer.
• The game is really replayable with its 1200 words
• But “Blurt!” is really competitive which will discourage slower players or younger players with less vocabulary (unfortunately it is the ones who need to progress the most).
• And there is no notion of progression (the words are not organized by levels of difficulty, which is a pity)

Because of this Blurt! cannot be recommended for use in the classroom.

You can of course change the rule to allow younger players or slower players to participate:
– Make the game cooperative: The aim of the game is for everybody to close the full circle. Players are allowed to give other players clues when they do not find the word, such as the first letter of the word, or the first syllable or the word
– Let younger players time to search before older or more advanced players are allowed to give answers (just use a timer for example)

Blurt! helps:

• Practice word rapid recall
• Learn new words or better understand the meaning of words they already know

Hot Words (Spin Master)

★★★☆☆

For Families | Age 12+ | 4-20 Players

Hot Words is both a fun party game and a word guessing game.

Players on the same team help each other guess the word they draw by describing it. But they cannot use the “hot words types” described on the “Jalapeno cards” that they have drawn since the beginning of the game (for example a spicy red card is “three-letter words” meaning that you can no longer use three-letter words to describe the word you want the others to guess.

It is restaurant-themed, with several “restaurant artifacts”:

• 4 “team tasting” boards
• 50 “Jalapeno cards”
• 150 word cards
• 4 hot sauce bottles (Playing tokens)
• A dinner bell & a sand timer

This game is great because of its well-designed theme, and its increasing difficulty during the game. Players have to be creative and find alternative ways to describe words (without miming for example).

The players (12+) will not learn new words of course, but they will try to describe and define them under constraints, which is a great exercise.

Word on the Street (Out of the Box)

★★★☆☆

For Families | Age 12+ | 2-8 Players | 30 minutes

Word on the Street is played by two opposing teams composed of 1 to 4 players with:

• 17 letter tiles: there are no vowels and some consonants are missing like z,j and q
• 108 category cards: double-sided (hence 216 categories) and color-coded according to the level of difficulty (green for easy and blue for difficult)

The main goal is to capture eight letter tiles on the team’s side of the street and get them off the board. It is difficult because:

• Players must come up with the best word according to the available letters set on the gameboard
• The word must fit the category
• The word must be spelled aloud correctly as they move the letters to their side (one lane at a time)
• Opponents can sidetrack each other and recapture letters by using it in their turn (you cannot recapture the letters that are already off the gameboard)

The letters go back and forth on the gameboard in a tug of war fashion as teams take turns proposing words.

“Word on the Street” is effective for educational purposes because it enables to focus attention by selecting specific categories.

What is a little frustrating though:

• It is hard to spell a word that has with missing letters (confusing for beginners)
• A referee is needed to monitor scores and turns because teams may reject a word if it doesn’t fit the category.

Since the mechanics are a bit complex, I suggest children aged 8-12 years old to pair up with adults at first until they get used to the game.

Word on the Street Junior (Educational Insights)

★★★☆☆

For Families | Age 8+ | 2-4 Players | 30 minutes

The rules of Word on the Street Junior are similar to the mechanics of Word on the Street from Out of the Box. Their main difference is the number of letter tiles. It includes all the letters in the alphabet. Categories are also adapted to younger players.

Lexogon (Tippecanoe Games)

★★★☆☆

For Families | Age 12+ | 2-6 Players | 45 minutes

In Lexogon, players move around the gameboard to find 7 words that use the 3 letter clues each. The first player to find the words in all 7 categories wins the game.

This game contains

• 230 clue cards (115 standard which are for children & 115 intermediate recommended for adults), having each 7 color-coded three-letter clues.
• 67 condition Cards
• Two sand timers & Score Pads

Players :

• Roll the die and move their token by the number of spaces indicated by the die.
• If on a condition square on the board, draw a condition card and apply the rules given by this card
• Else, use the clue on your clue card that matches the color on your square, and the “category rule” for this color
• Find words that fits the targeted clue and rule (within 90 seconds).

Here are the pros and cons

• Younger players can use the “standard clue cards” while adults use the “intermediate clue cards”, making it possible for younger players to beat adults
• The condition cards create randomness in the game, making it possible for weaker players to win
• The 7 types of clues (and corresponding category rules) are confusing though. You might want to simplify them at first.

How Effective are Games in Vocabulary Acquisition?

Games offer repetition which is one of the most effective ways to learn new words.

Students need to be exposed to a new word five to sixteen times to acquire it. Playing vocabulary board games can increase that chance for a new word to make it into long-term memory.

Games maintain students’ motivation in vocabulary learning.

Students remember things faster and better when they are relaxed, interested, and entertained. All these factors can be found in playing vocabulary board games.

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Children grow their word bank by pronouncing and spelling new words every single day. But what if you can make the learning process fun, engaging, and 10 times better than the normal routine. Plus, it is fun to make learning words a hobby for your children. How?!

The answer is Word games. Word games provide a unique and fun way to help kids improve and expand their minds by playing with new words every single day. They get more comfortable pronouncing words and they become more confident in themselves.

If you are a parent looking for such educational and fun word board games, then you are at the right place. Here we have compiled a list of the 8 Best word board games to save you the hassle of time and improve the life of your child.

Benefits of word board games for kids

Numerous studies have been conducted on the health benefits of word games for kids and teens of all ages. Here is a list of some of the benefits your child will gain from playing word games.

• They increase your kid’s language skills
• Better memory and mental cognition
• Better focus and concentration
• Increase in confidence
• Helps in socializing with others

Bananagrams

Best for: Ages 4+

Number of players: 1-8

This is one of the most perfect word board games to make your kids smarter. They learn new words using leather tiles. Kids grow their vocabulary much faster than most word games. The speed required to pick up the pace will improve your child’s coordination and focus. Bananagrams provide simple letter tiles that make it easier for the children.

It is like a crossword puzzle. Words are arranged to intersect horizontally and vertically but not diagonally. Words are sorted in groups making it easy to learn more words quickly and easily.

Click to learn how to play Bananagrams board game.

Benefits of Bananagrams for kids

Bananagrams will help your children achieve the following.

• Get better at recognizing letters and words
• Language development
• Get better at categorizing words and ideas
• Boost in confidence levels

Scrabble

Best for: Ages 7+

If you are looking for a word board game that will encourage your child to learn more words and also remember them, Scrabble is the game for you.

With scrabble, children learn to unscramble words, learn prefixes of words, and therefore add more words to their word bank.

Use the scrabble dictionary to help your kids learn more words, get better at scrabble, and improve their literacy skills.

Benefits of Scrabble for kids

Here is a list of advantages your child will gain from playing scrabble consistently.

• Increase in cognition
• Sharp thinking skills
• Improvement in spelling and pronouncing skills
• Build a broader vocabulary
• Help them communicate more effectively

Word on the street

Best for: Ages 12+

Number of Players: 2-6

Word on the street board games is very simple and fun to play with others. Your kids will get to compete with their peers and learn to come up with words, focusing on specific words gives your child incredible mental insights and revelations.

Your kid’s vocabulary will improve greatly and at a faster pace because of the time component to come up with words given to them by the opposing team. Also, your kids will learn words by category. By category, I mean words belonging to a specific class. For example, if you are given a category card that says “a form of entertainment”, you are required to come up with a word that fits that particular idea.

Benefits of Word on the Street for kids

List of benefits children will gain from playing Word on the street.

• Improvement in vocabulary skills
• Better social skills
• Bigger and broader vocabulary

Letter Jam

Best for: Ages 10+

Number of Players: 2-6

This beautiful game is in my opinion is a combination of boggle, scrabble, and a little bit of deductive reasoning which is very important for children to develop. It forces you to come up with words using single letters of other players.

Letter Jam is a cooperative game, a game played among friends and family, assisting each other to figure out words, and improving each other in the process. Your kids will love it, with their word bank expanding, and their grades improving in the process.

Boggle

Best for: Ages 8+

Number of players:1-8

Boggle belongs to the same domain as scrabble, but without using a gameboard. Using randomly flipped lettered dies, you connect letters to form words. It basically challenges kids to learn more three to five-letter words. It also helps kids to spot unique words from a pile of jammed-up letters AKA Pattern recognition.

Click to learn how to play Boggle board game.

Benefits of Boggle board game for kids

Boggle is an essential game for children because of these reasons

• Children learn new words and are able to pronounce them easily.
• Just like scrabble, it improves their overall cognitive function.

Taboo

Best for Ages4+

Number of Players: 4-6

This is a competitive game with the objective of scoring more points than the other players. In the game, you, the clue giver, describe a word or phrase without using a set of words known as Taboo.

The more your kid’s play, the more words they learn and the more focus and concentration they develop as a result.

Benefits of Taboo board game for kids

Taboo is good for kids for the following reasons

• It helps children come up with better ways of learning.
• It helps children to think more broadly and logically.
• Better and quick cognitive skills.

Click to learn how to play the Taboo board game.

Tapple

Best for: Age 8+

Number of players: 2-10

Tapple is not only educational for kids but fun and exciting. A great game to play with family and friends and provide a healthy environment for your kids to thrive intellectually. It is simple to learn and works with categories, categories based on level of difficulty, easy category—white and blue, difficult category— yellow and red. So, you can switch to any category based on the kid’s ability and grow from there.

This game is extremely beneficial for kids’ mental development. Giving them categories to think of words that might belong to that category will increase their mind exponentially. It will teach them to think more carefully about words. They will also learn to spell words better and quicker.

Codenames

Best for: Ages 14+

Number of Players: 2-8

Codenames is a little bit more advanced than most word games. It requires careful thinking and strategy. For kids, it provides an opportunity to boost their current mental strength and learn advanced thinking skills. To keep the kids glued to this game, it is advisable to play it with them.

Codenames is a clue-based game and will help kids learn how to associate words with certain names, learn through guessing, figuring out their mistakes, and improve through every gameplay. It can also be played cooperatively.

This game is fun and engaging! It is not about winning or losing but developing the skill of figuring things out using words.

Click to learn how to play Codenames board game.

Over To You

Word games are very powerful tools to help your child grow their vocabulary and other mental skills. To ensure your child gets the maximum benefit from the process, make it fun and also participate in the games.

Other Best Word-based board games you might be interested in?

• Decrypto
• Werewords
• Paperback
• Just One
• Wordigo
• 21 Letters
• 25 Words or Less
• Take a letter
• Dabble
• Typo
• Pass the Pen
• Quiddler
• Qwirkle
• Big Boggle
• Crazy Letters
• Pairs in pears
• Upwords
• Wordical
• WordSpiel Card Game
• Hasbro Scrabble
• Scattergories
• A little wordy

Board games are a great way for students to explore new vocab words, put to use vocabulary they already know, and practice spelling and pronouncing those words. (By the way ‘board games’ means that objects are included in the gameplay; not all of these have actual boards.) To play these games, students may need to be able to describe, explain, categorize, or give examples of words.

Keep in mind that the core concepts here are the gameplay, not the products. Once you know the purpose and mechanics of a game, you may be able to create your own version of the game, which will allow you to customize the words involved and the difficulty level. If you do choose to purchase a game, know that some of them have multiple editions, so look for the one that best matches the tone, interest, age range, and difficulty level relevant to your class. Finally, feel free to work in pairs or groups instead of as individuals.

Here are several games I recommend.

Scattergories

In every round in Scattergories, players are presented with a letter and several categories. Each player must write down a word for each category that starts with that letter (for example, if the letter is ‘P’ and the categories are ‘fruit’, ‘clothes’, and ‘animals’, a student might write down ‘plum’, ‘pants’, and ‘panther’). When I do my own version, I typically reverse the prompts in a round: I give one category with several letters. It’s easy to include topics you’ve covered with your class previously. If you’d like to make it more challenging, then students only get points if no other student/team gave the same answer.

Apples-to-Apples

Apples to Apples is about matching nouns to adjectives. In the classic gameplay, students have noun cards in their hand and must submit one that best matches the given adjective card for that round. The judge decides which answer is the best. Start with some straightforward examples, but the game often turns silly as players suggest ridiculous pairings, which may end up winning the round depending on the judge.

We have a full post on how to create customized Apples-to-Apples for your classroom, so be sure to read that.

Codenames

In Codenames, an array of cards are laid out, each with one word on it. About a third of the cards are designated for your team, and the other team has the same. On each team, one player gives clues as to which cards/words are theirs, and the other members of the team have to select the correct words. In this game, teams can do multiple words in a round. For example, if three of my team’s remaining words are ‘package’ ‘boat’, and ‘UFO’, I can give the clue ‘ship’ for all three. Be careful not to select the other team’s cards, and especially not to select the one card that causes you to lose the game immediately. The first team to collect all their cards wins!

Scrabble / Bananagrams

Scrabble seems to be an old favorite. What words can you create given seven letters or less plus at least one more letter that’s already on the board? This can be tricky to do well, so I don’t recommend it for beginners. The best scrabble players use short words because where you place your tiles often gives you more points than the number of tiles you place. Therefore, if you’re going to do this with your students, it’s great to review short, common words like auxiliary verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and pronouns first. That said, you should play with them and make some longer words (not necessarily trying to get lots of points) to increase the play area and grant the others more opportunities for word placement.

Bananagrams is essentially the same as scrabble except that there are no boundaries (it’s not on a board) and players don’t take turns (so speed is crucial).

Boggle

Boggle is like the reverse of Scrabble. It also includes individual letters forming words, but this time players have to identify words already in place instead of creating them. It’s like a randomized word-search. Much like with Scrabble, many of the words in Boggle will be little words lie prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, and auxiliaries, though certainly not all of them. To get the most out of Boggle, have your students focus on common letter combinations like ‘st’, ‘er’, ‘on’, and so forth.

Dixit

Half of Dixit is about identifying the correct picture based on a verbal clue. The other half of Dixit is selecting an alternate picture that might fit the clue. The picture you select will be used to mislead other players as you try to determine the original picture that inspired the clue. The player giving the clue shouldn’t make it too difficult (because it’s not good if no one guesses correctly) or too easy (because it’s not good if everyone guesses correctly, either). This is a great game for creative minds but can be trickier for younger children because both the pictures and the clues are rather abstract. For that same reason, the possibilities are endless.

Guessing Games

With guessing games, one player typically gives clues about a word or phrase, and their teammates have to guess the correct word/phrase before time runs out. I’ve put them into groups based on the way the clues are presented. If you choose, you can have an unbiased player present the clues and let both teams (or all the teams) guess at the same time instead of taking turns.

Taboo / Password / Catch Phrase! / Hedbandz

These three games are about explaining a word or phrase using other words. Catch Phrase! is probably the most straightforward. With Taboo, you’re given a list of related words you’re not allowed to use. With Password, you can only use one single word as a clue, and if your team doesn’t guess correctly, the other team gets a shot. Hedbandz isn’t about teams, but instead everyone is helping each other all at the same time, and each person has their own word to guess.

Pictionary

In Pictionary, the clues must be drawn; the player giving the clues cannot speak or write.

Guesstures / Charades

Everyone knows Charades. One player gives clues by acting them out. Again, they cannot speak. Guesstures is essentially the same but faster and the classic symbols of Charades are less important.

Cranium / Activity

With both Cranium and Activity, player tokens progress along a board, and the space they land on in a given round determines whether the clue needs to be spoken, drawn, acted out, or other.

These word board games are an excellent way to build up your middle schooler’s vocabulary. They’re educational board games for teenagers.

As teens get ready for high school, it’s important that they have strong language skills, both reading and writing. That means during the middle school years, they should spend time improving their spelling and vocabulary skills.

Instead of relying on a large curriculum or boring worksheets to help your teens further develop their word building skills, play some of these board games instead. They’re a great way to work on language arts.

When middle schoolers play these vocabulary word games, they’re not just sitting there answering questions and spouting memorized facts. They’re playing with words and being creative.

Fun language arts games help teens get comfortable with spelling, vocabulary, and building words. All of which improve their reading and writing skills.

Personally, I think the days of giving kids long lists of words to memorize for spelling and vocabulary are long gone.

Tweens learn better when they’re immersed in a subject instead of just retaining facts.

One way to engage your homeschooler in language is to play games specifically designed for word building. As they play, they’ll be shoring up their spelling skills, building their vocabulary and improving their reading skills, all while having some fun.

Board games also have an element of friendly competition built in, so your older kids will be busy trying to beat you and each other, and they’ll probably forget they’re actually learning.

Not only are these word games perfect for language arts class, they’re so enjoyable that they make great additions to your family game night.

The ultimate goal is to raise kids who can communicate effectively, whether written or verbally, so I’m all for using whatever tools work to accomplish this.

These board games and card games are fun to play and excellent tools to add to your language arts plans.

How to Use Board Games in the Classroom

So how can you incorporate board games like these into your classroom or homeschool? It’s actually easier than you think!

• Set aside your language arts curriculum for the day (especially any spelling or vocabulary plans) and play a game instead.
• Transform a standard game by using the facts you’re teaching as the clues.
• Play a word game during lunch. It’s simple to pull out one of these games while you’re sitting at the table eating, and it won’t take any time away from your school day.
• When kids finish their work early or after you give a test, use a word game as a reward.
• If you usually take a day off during the week or have one where your teen has a lighter course load, take an hour to play a game or two.
• Add these word board games to your next family game night. Everyone can benefit from expanding and strengthening their vocabulary. Plus, tweens will love trying to beat you in a word game.

Use games with small groups, individual play, or as a fun activity for the family.

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MORE LANGUAGE ARTS ACTIVITIES

Aside from word games, there are plenty of fun activities you can use to build the vocabulary of older children.

• Improve creative writing skills with Story Builders.
• Printable word games.
• Teach writing to teens with dysgraphia.
• These word tools will build confidence.

This is one of our favorite word games. Players race to write down two words that fit the category on the card, and if they match another player’s answer, they both earn points.

It’s an awesome family game.

You play this game with two stacks of cards — category cards and letter cards.

The top card on the category pile is turned over first. As soon as a letter card is flipped, players rush to be the first person to shout out something that fits the category and starts with the letter.

Players race to be the first one to find the word that hides in the letter spiral.

Sounds easy, but it can be quite challenging to find where the word begins and ends when you’re scrambling to beat your opponent.

Scattergories is a classic game that helps build vocabulary words.

Players start the round with a category list. Once the letter die is tossed, they must rush to write as many words as they can that fit the category and start with the chosen letter.

You need to be quick to finish before the time limit. But only unique answers count, so you’ll have to use your vocabulary to win.

As players move around the board, they try to guess the correct vocabulary word from the definition card.

If they give the wrong word, the other players have time to answer.

This game puts a unique twist on the classic crossword puzzle game.

Players try to score the most points by creating words, but they have the added choice of adding their letters on top of other ones.

The higher the pile, the more points players earn.

This game is played with 8 stacks of cards in the middle. When it’s your turn, you choose any of the top cards and create a word. The next player does the same, but then can use the remaining letters to play on your word.

Play continues until you use all the cards.

This is another game that’s played with category cards and letter cards.

However, with this game, when the cards are turned over, players try to be the last one to shout out a word that starts with the letter and matches the category.

The timer is random, so you never know when the time will end.

Players spin the spinner to determine the two letters and category for each round. Then, players race to write as many words as possible that start with one letter and contain the other and also fit the category.

Scrabble is a classic word game that’s still an excellent tool for building everyone’s spelling and vocabulary skills.

Players use their chosen tiles to make words, while trying to get the highest score possible.

This is a fun game to play and is incredibly portable, thanks to the handy banana pouch.

There are lots of variations on the gameplay of Bananagrams, so you’ll never get bored playing. In the classic play, players use their tiles to make words in a crossword-style form.

Boggle is a fun sight word game that’s been around for years.

Players put the lid on and shake the letter dice. Once they settle, start the timer and try to find as many simple words in the letters as you can.

Write them down on a piece of paper before time runs out.

Players are given 20 tiles, and a 5 tiered holder to begin.

When someone says go, everyone races to build 5 different words with their tiles and place them in the slots on the plastic holder.

As soon as someone builds their words, they shout, Dabble, and the round ends.

This vocabulary game includes 108 consonant cards and 2 vowel dice.

Players roll the vowel dice and use them with the consonant cards in their hand to build the highest scoring word.

This is a cute game that will definitely challenge tweens.

You give all players a paper pod and colored letters. When the timer begins, they use their letters to build a word on the pod. Then, they give the pod to the next player and the next round begins.

Now players use the word in front of them and their remaining letters to build a new word.

When your pod gets back around to you, you count the number of letters in your color and that’s your score for the round.

This game will definitely get your tween’s creative juices flowing.

There are 9 dice with pictures on each side. To begin, a player rolls the dice and tells a story, trying to include as many of the pictures as possible.

This is a great game to take along to parties or on a family trip.

There are a bunch of other dice/picture variations you can choose from too.

Here’s how we use Story Cubes in our homeschool.

Hopefully, you’ve seen how easy it is to help your teens build their language arts skills through games. Plus, they’re a lot of fun for middle school students!

Remember that your vocabulary is like a muscle. The more you use it and work it, the stronger it gets. And word board games are a good way to get older kids excited about English language arts.

Don’t let tweens just sit there answering questions and spouting memorized facts. Take some time to play these word games in your homeschool and watch how quickly everyone’s language improves.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WORD Board GAME?

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I love homeschooling! Learning is a way of life for our family. Most days you will find us exploring our Central Florida community, having fun while learning. I am constantly looking for new and interactive ways to engage my older children.

FAQ: Vocabulary Games

Here are answers to common questions about vocabulary games and activities.

What are vocabulary games?

Vocabulary games are word and language games you can play with students, coworkers, or family and friends. These games challenge players to hunt for words or definitions, brainstorm terms, deduce phrases based on clues, or create words under certain conditions. Language games are a great way to teach new vocabulary and help students practice recognizing and using new words. These activities are also known as “vocabulary building games” and “vocab games”, and are similar to “word games” and “letter games”.

What are some fun word games for groups?

Some fun word games for groups include Pictionary, Tree or Bob Ross, and word scrambles.

What are some online vocabulary games?

By using virtual meeting software like Zoom, you can play any word game online. Some good virtual vocabulary games include Scrabble, Scattergories, and online crossword puzzles.

What are good ESL word games?

The best ESL word games are easy to understand and play yet expand the vocabularies of participants. Good ESL word games include word association, word searches, and hangman.

What are fun ways to teach vocabulary?

Word games are one of the most fun and easy ways to teach vocabulary. While some kids get frustrated with straightforward reading or language exercises, word games disguise vocabulary lessons as a fun challenge. Plus, playing language games together is a great teamwork exercise.