Asked by: Phoebe Kohler
Score: 4.5/5
(44 votes)
Put your spelling skills to the test! Roll the two letter dice and use the letters on the dice and your letter keys to make a word. Flip over any keys used, the first player to flip over all 10 letter keys wins the game. For Example: If you roll the letter R and the letter A.
How is Scrabble played?
Scrabble is a game that is played by 2, 3 or 4 people. It uses a board with squares on it (15×15) and a large number of letters on small tiles. Each player, when it is his/her turn, has to put a word on the board, using any of the seven letters (seven tiles) that they have in front of them.
How do you start a Scrabble game?
All players draw seven new letters and place them on their racks. The first player combines two or more of his or her letters to form a word and places it on the board to read either across or down with one letter on the center square. Diagonal words are not allowed.
What is word building game?
This Word Building game helps foster greater intelligence and thinking amongst little children and can actually keep them engrossed happily for hours. … Your child will learn word formation will having fun. This is an educational play set and can be played with one or two persons as a word game in different direction.!!
What is a scramble game?
Word Scramble is a challenging vocabulary game for kids. This game is designed to help kids practice their spelling and learn new words. … They must rearrange the given letters to form the word. This game is a great way to help kids build, test and enhance their vocabulary and spelling skills.
42 related questions found
How do you play 5 steps in Scrabble?
Playing Scrabble – Step By Step
- Set up the board (and racks) and prepare to play. …
- Determine who starts the game. …
- Each player draws tiles. …
- Each player gets a turn to play a word. …
- Tally up the scores. …
- Draw new tiles. …
- Build on the existing words on the board. …
- Focus on getting the highest scores possible on each turn.
How many letters are in a Scrabble game?
Scrabble is played with exactly 100 tiles. 98 of these tiles contain letters on them, while there are 2 blank tiles. These blank tiles add a wildcard aspect to Scrabble. The blanks substitute for any letter in the alphabet.
What is the game stare?
Game store may refer to: A place where recreational games are stored. … A Video game retailer. A hobby shop.
What is a state game?
What is “game state”? We have discussed briefly in class the notion of game state. The idea is that any game consists of a sequence of states, where each state is characterized by a combination of visual, audio and/or animation cues. Below is an example of a game with four states.
Which is the state game of Madhya Pradesh?
Malkhamb declared as the state game of Madhya Pradesh.
Can you skip a turn in Scrabble?
Rather than exchange tiles, you can also pass your turn and take a zero score. This is your only option if there are six or fewer tiles remaining in the bag. If all of the players pass twice in succession, the game ends.
Are names allowed in Scrabble?
The rules of the word game Scrabble are being changed for the first time in its history to allow the use of proper nouns. Place names, people’s names and company names or brands will now be allowed.
What is the goal of Scrabble game?
Goal. The goal of Scrabble is to score as many points as possible by placing letter tiles to create words onto the game board. At the end of the game, when one player has used all of their tiles and there are no more tiles left to draw, the game ends.
How can you declare the winner of the game Scrabble?
When one player has used all of their tiles and there are no more tiles left to draw, the game ends. Word scores and a player’s total points ultimately determine the winner.
How do you play Scrabble by yourself?
If you want to play Scrabble alone, use your regular multiplayer game board, register for play on a Scrabble website, or download a Scrabble app for your mobile phone. It is that simple!
How do you teach kids scramble words?
Play ‘Scrambled Spelling’ using alphabet blocks or fridge magnets. Give your child a number of scrambled words. You can use alphabet blocks or fridge magnets, or even make your own by writing letters on pieces of paper. Then haven them unscramble the words within a time limit.
How indoor games can affect your life?
Board games or any indoor games help us to practice essential cognitive skills and enhance the parts of the brain responsible for complex thought and memory formation. Creative indoor games help the brain retain and build cognitive associations well in old age.
How does a golf scramble work?
Generally, a Scramble format involves four golfers all on the same team playing together. Each team member hits a tee shot on each hole. The team then collectively decides which of the four balls is in the best position to play next.
What are the 5 longest words?
Here’s how Merriam-Webster defines the ten longest words in the English language.
- Floccinaucinihilipilification (29 letters) …
- Antidisestablishmentarianism (28 letters) …
- Honorificabilitudinitatibus (27 letters) …
- Thyroparathyroidectomized (25 letters) …
- Dichlorodifluoromethane (23 letters) …
- Incomprehensibilities (21 letters)
What is the longest word in English language?
The longest word in any of the major English language dictionaries is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, a word that refers to a lung disease contracted from the inhalation of very fine silica particles, specifically from a volcano; medically, it is the same as silicosis.
Where do you start in Scrabble?
Starting the Game
The player that has the letter that is closest to “A” will begin the game. A blank tile will win the start of the game. The tiles are them replaced to the bag and used in the remainder of the game. Every player will start their turn by drawing seven tiles from the Scrabble bag.
Word building is a critical phonics activity. Students will develop word awareness skills as they explore and play with letter sounds to build words. Make sure to download the letter building cards and word building activities in this post.
One thing I love about teaching is that there is always the opportunity to learn, grow and become better. This past year I have spent a lot of time reading the work of Wiley Blevins. I’ve learned so much about phonics instruction and come to realize that there are aspects of the way I taught phonics that I would now change and improve.
One of my main takeaways from Blevins’ book, A Fresh Look at Phonics, is the importance of providing students with lots of opportunities for review and repetition in order to ensure they actually master the skills that we teach!
I realized that in my own teaching (and I confess!) I was guilty of exposing my students to a phonics skill, taking them through my weekly word study routine, and then moving onto the next skill the following week. I’m afraid I wasn’t giving them enough practice to ensure mastery.
Even if you know you need to provide this extra practice, it can be a challenge to come up with activities that effectively meet your needs. In his book Phonics from A to Z, Wiley Blevins suggests using word sorts and word building activities as a way to allow students to explore and play with letter sounds.
In my last blog post I shared all about word sorts, so today I’m excited to provide you with information about word building activities and share some resources to help get you started with these critical routines.
What are Word Building Activities?
In word building, students are given a set of letter cards and asked to create a series of words in a specified sequence. Usually, each new word varies by only one sound-spelling from the previous word. For example, students may build the following words in sequence: sat, hat, hop, mop. Each new word varies from the one before it by only one sound-spelling.
There are two types of word building activities, each with their own instructional purpose.
- Word Building: Blending Focus In this type of word building students are asked to make a word, such as cat. Then they would be asked to change the letter c to s and read the new word formed. The goal here is for them to blend, or sound out the new word. You can include many words with the new target phonics skill and also include previously taught skills.
- Word Building: Word Awareness Focus Here, students are asked to make a word such as cat, and then told to change it to hat. This requires a lot more thinking than blending-focused work. Students have to think about how the two words are different and which sound must be changed in order to form the new one.
Both of these word-building activities can be done with the same set of words, so incorporating both into your week gives your students good practice and saves you planning time!
Word Building Routines
The routine for word building is simple! First, introduce the task by naming it and explaining the purpose.
Next, MODEL! Place letter cards in a pocket cart to form the first word you are building. Model sounding out the word. As you build new words, be sure to include the new target sound-spelling as well as words with review sound-spellings. Use minimal contrasts to ensure students fully analyze the words and notice their unique differences. For example, sat/hat, mop/map, mad/made, cot/coat.
Download a set of these large letter cards for your pocket chart here!
Finally, provide opportunities for guided and independent practice. Continue to change one or more letters in a word and have students chorally blend the new word formed.
Make sure to have a word list prepared before the lesson in order to keep on track with the focus skill and review skills previously taught.
If you are working on word awareness (instead of blending) tell students what the next word is in the sequence and have them form it on their own. After giving them time, form the new word on the pocket chart and model your thinking aloud.
If you have fairly strong word building and word sorts routines in place, an engaging exercise to continue the development of word awareness is Word Ladders.
Word ladders are a fun and challenging word activity for students, and a great one to use towards the end of the week once they have had a lot of exposure to the word pattern. Since word ladders are self-checking they are perfect to use in an independent literacy center.
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Phonics Word Building – Printables + premade Seesaw & Google
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Word Ladders Phonics BUNDLE – digital & printable
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Phonics Word Building Activities
Today I’m thrilled to share with you my very own Phonics Word Building Activities! These DIFFERENTIATED activities are both printable and digital so you can use them in the classroom or for distance learning with Google Classroom & Seesaw!
Students will listen to the AUDIO directions (from yours truly!) and then build words in a specified sequence. Each new word only varies by one sound spelling from the previous word. Students press the audio button to hear me state the word to build, blend the phonemes of the word, say the word again, and use it in a sentence to develop vocabulary.
This resource includes:
- 31 teacher-directed digital word building lessons
- 31 printable word building lessons
- master word list
Each of the 31 lessons focuses on one phonetic pattern:
- Short Vowel (CVC) Words
- Digraphs
- Blends
- Long Vowels
- Diphthongs
- R-Controlled Vowels
- Complex Vowels
Get started now by downloading your FREE phonics word building activities here:
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FREE Phonics Word Building – Printables + premade Seesaw & Google
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Word Ladders
This resource includes both printable and digital word ladders that require students to think critically to figure out the next word to build, using letter or picture clues for support! Students will change just one letter to build a new word.
Included in this resource are 42 word activities- enough to last you the entire year!
Included Phonics Patterns:
- CVC Words
- Digraphs
- Blends
- Long Vowels
- Diphthongs
- R-Controlled Vowels
- Complex Vowels
Both of the Phonics Word Building activities and the Word Ladders provide students explicit and systematic practice. All of the activities in both of the resources are based on Wiley Blevins’ recommended scope and sequence for K-2 students. You can be confident that they are developmentally appropriate and provide the scaffolding students need for mastery.
EASY TO PREP AND MANAGE!
One of the major pitfalls with some word sorts is that they often require a lot of small pieces of paper, letter cuts, or word cards. They can take a long time to prep, distribute, and collect!
But NOT these activities! The printable pieces require very few cuts for students. There will be NO TIME wasted dealing with materials!
The digital versions have been PRELOADED for you. With 1 click you add them to your Seesaw library or Google Drive and then you can assign them to your students for remote learning or individual centers!
Another BONUS is that the structure of each activity in both of these resources remains the same. This saves you from having to explain and model every time you assign one! Once your students have successfully completed one, you can be sure they’ll be able to independently work through the rest at whatever pace you assign them!
I hope the Phonics Word Building Activities and the Word Ladders I’ve shared today will help you provide your students with meaningful practice that will help them to develop their word awareness and master their phonics skills!
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Phonics Word Building – Printables + premade Seesaw & Google
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Word Ladders Phonics BUNDLE – digital & printable
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Two years ago, I designed and Kickstarted a word-building game called Movable Type, which went on to win the Irish Game Designers’ Association (Imirt) award for Best Analogue Game 2016 and the British Library Lab Award for Best Commercial Product. Since then, I have also made and funded a second edition of the game. In doing so, I’ve come to a few realisations about what elements can make a stand-out word game in both the analogue and digital game spaces. This list is by no means authoritative or definitive, but more like a set of prompts to help in your own game-design process.
Before going any further, it’s worth clarifying that I am going to be talking about word-building games, like Scrabble or Alphabear, that require you to use letter cards or tiles to create words. These are distinct from word guessing games, like Codenames or Heads Up, which are games based on inferential skills — I may look at those kind of games in another post.
Movable Type combines word-building with card-drafting, reducing downtime and creating strategic opportunities. |
Word-Building is One Mechanic in a Richer Game
My mantra in game design is “find the fun” — and aside from the satisfaction derived from making a big word, word-building alone is rarely fun. Word-building is usually the least interesting mechanic in a word-building game — players have seen it done so many times before that it rarely excites them. While word-building can serve as an easy point of entry for less-experienced players, most good word-building games go beyond this mechanic, integrating it with something more interesting and strategic.
For the sake of illustration, here are how some particularly good word-building games integrate other mechanics in order to “find the fun”:
- Scrabble (and it’s many spin-offs like, Words with Friends), has a basic form of territory control, as players try to hit the bonus spaces on the board, and simultaneously try to deny their opponents the chance to get these same spaces. It also awards players for creating multiple words at once, usually by making a bunch of two-letter words. Having a good vocabulary is important, but being able to control the board is where the interesting strategies lie.
Controlling the Triple Word Score is the key to victory in Scrabble. - Paperback and Dexikon are word-building games which use elements of deck-building games. That means that players have to “buy” more valuable letters to use in the future by playing high value words in earlier rounds. It’s a mechanic that mimics the feel of leveling up in an RPG.
- Alphabear has the player uncovering the board as they play, trying to clear connected areas by playing specific tiles before they become locked.
Each tile has a timer and gives access to more territory. Using the right
tile at the right time is important. - My own game, Movable Type, uses two kinds of card-drafting mechanics — a 7 Wonders style pick-and-pass card drafting at the start of each round and tableau drafting at the end of each round. Over time, players are collecting the letters that they need to play killer words later in the game. So there is long term and short term strategising, mixed in with word building.
- In WYPS, players are trying to play words so that they can build paths of their own colour between the three edges of the board, making it feel a little like the brilliant abstract game, Tak. It also means there is no scoring in this game, which is refreshingly different.
- Konexi implements a Jenga style dexterity element, so long words might score a lot, but may be harder to place onto the developing word tower.
- Bookworm Adventures implements combat into word-building. When players use certain letters, they attack their opponent’s character, knocking that opponent’s health down.
- Letter Tycoon has players buying “stocks” and “patents” relating to certain letters, so they get payouts whenever certain letters are used. Rather than just trying to play the best words, players are trying to get rich off their investments.
If you patent a letter in Letter Tycoon, you’ll earn
money when other players use it. - Unspeakable Words has a push-your-luck element to it. The longer your word, the better your score, but then you must roll a 20-sided dice — if it shows a value lower than your score, you lose a life. If you lose all five lives, you’re out!
The point is that there needs to be something beyond simple word-building for the fun to latch on to. The word-building is almost always front and centre, but these other elements and mechanics are the spice that brings your game to the next level. Without this spice, your game is only going to appeal to a very thin slice of the gaming population.
Downtime is a Killer
Word-building can take time and player turns in a word-building game have the potential to be very long. A long turn often means things get quite boring for the other players!
When playing paperback Paperback, no matter how much I enjoyed the deck-building mechanic, the amount of downtime really soured me to the experience. I spent about 75% of the game just waiting for my turn.
If simultaneous play is possible, it should be embraced. Otherwise, consider the use of a timer, increasing access to more letters (so words are easier to build), or reducing the stakes for each turn (so playing the best word is not so important).
Shared or Unique Letters
Having a unique hand letters for each player introduces an element of chance, which can be very painful in a word game — drawing a hand of vowels may well leave the player with no effective moves. Conversely, having a shared pool of letters can create more interactivity and allow player to one-up each other — such as in Boggle or Wordsy. In these games, all players start on equal footing and there’s no way luck can favour one of the other. A lot of games compromise by a having some common letters, to create a reasonably even playing field, in addition to a hand of letters for each player — examples would include Movable Type, Letter Tycoon, and Scrabble.
In Wordsy, everybody plays with the same letters, so there are no unfair draws. |
Challenging a Word Should be Possible
This mainly applies to analogue games, where players have to police the legality of words played by one another. First of all, it should be established which kinds of words are allowed in the game — most word games disallow slang and proper nouns. Challenging words which break the rules must be interesting. There should be both a reward for correctly challenging a word (this reward could be in the form of penalising the other player) and a penalty for incorrectly challenging one. If a player can play fake words with impunity, then there isn’t much of a game.
It boggles my mind how anyone enjoys Boggle! |
Letter Distribution Matters
In the first edition of Movable Type there are too few vowels, which leads to a lot of tactical play — it’s possible to deny your opponents the letters that they need and it’s important to bank vowels early. This was on purpose, but some players balked at the idea. For the second edition, there is a optional deck of vowels to ensure that each round has vowels among the shared letters. This small change leads to big changes in the tone of the game.
A word game may also needs to address doubled consonants and common letter pairings like “Qu”. Movable Type only gives a limited number of letter cards to each player, so they are allowed to double any card (they could play “Raccoon” with only an R, A, C, O, and N). Players can also use the Q card as either a Q or a Qu. Initially, the design only allowed players to double some specific letters, like the Z, but while I was finding the fun, it became apparent that doubling any letter was a better solution. It gives players more options and leads to fun and tricky plays.
Finally, the quantities of each letter and the score assigned to each letter (if any) affects what other languages the game can be played in. Other languages will have letters that are more prominent and easier to use. Even if a language uses the Roman script, they may have fewer letters — Tagalog, for example, does not use the letter F, V, C, J, Z, or X. Some word games are playable in multiple languages, provided the players remove specific letters before play — both to remove unused letters and even out the distribution. You will most likely find that you need a unique letter distribution for each language you choose to publish your game in.
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You found our list of fun and simple vocabulary games for adults.
Vocabulary games are activities that include language and wordplay. Example games include Word Association and Hang Man. Players can enjoy vocabulary games in person or online. The purpose of these games is to strengthen vocabulary skills. These games are also known as “vocab games”, “letter games” and “vocabulary building games.”
These games make great online classroom activities and communication games, and can be used as online fun activities for employees.
This list includes:
- vocabulary games for adults
- simple vocabulary word games for adults
- fun online vocabulary games and activities
- English vocabulary games
- vocabulary games in English
- games to improve vocabulary
- vocabulary building activities
- vocab review games
- vocabulary games for students
Get ready to play!
List of vocabulary games
From Pictionary to word scrambles to synonym memory, here is a list of fun word games to play in classrooms, at parties, or during meetings.
1. Vocabulary Pictionary
Pictionary is a game of charades where players draw words instead of acting them out.
To play:
- Split the group into teams.
- Each round, assign one team member to draw.
- Give the drawing team member a word.
- Allow up to sixty seconds for teammates to guess.
- If the team guesses correctly, then assign one point.
You can give other teams the opportunity to steal, or move onto the next team’s turn. The game is a great way to practice new vocabulary, as players connect the word with an image. Pictionary is a fun game for virtual parties or in-person affairs.
To play Pictionary online, draw on the whiteboard app feature on your online meeting software.
2. Word Association
Word Association is one of the best vocabulary games for kids and classrooms since playing does not require a large vocabulary. The rules are simple and easy to understand. Typically, the game involves two players.
To play:
- Player one says a word.
- Player two responds with the first word that comes to mind.
- Player one either chooses a new word or responds to player two’s word.
- The game continues until one player repeats a word or pauses too long.
The rapid pace of the game generates excitement and occasionally results in funny answers.
If a student makes a mistake, then the teacher can pause the game and ask the student to explain or find a more fitting word. Ideally, gamemasters should allow players a few extra seconds to respond. Players should never feel embarrassed. There are no wrong answers in word association, but the game can serve as a learning opportunity to find better words.
If playing via Zoom, then player one or the teacher speaks a word, and other students answer in the chat. The class counts up matching answers and discusses different responses, guessing the reasoning behind each answer.
3. Vocabulary Hangman
Hangman is a classic chalkboard word game that translates easily to online play, thanks to digital whiteboards.
To play:
- Assign a player a word.
- The player draws a series of blanks corresponding to the number of letters in the word.
- Other players guess letters.
- If the letter is in the word, then the “executioner” fills in the blank. If not, then the executioner draws one portion of the gallows.
- The game ends when players guess the word, or when the picture is complete.
The best words to use for hangman contain less-used letters like z, x, and q. Examples of hard hangman words include zigzagging, razzmatazz, and quadrants.
4. Word search
Word searches are common classroom vocabulary games. These activities work well for handouts, and you can play during video calls by using the whiteboard feature and enabling annotation.
We made a sample word search you can use.
To make the game more competitive and exciting, turn the challenge into a race and award prizes to the first players to complete the puzzles.
5. Crossword
Crossword puzzles consist of a series of interconnecting boxes, each of which starts blank but contains one letter by the end of the game. Under the puzzle are two lists of clues, across and down respectively. Solvers need to consider the meaning of words, number of letters, and surrounding words, making the game strategic as well as literary.
Here is an example of a crossword puzzle you can use with your class or team.
Here is the answer key.
Crosswords are great word games for any age or skill level because puzzle makers can adjust the difficulty to suit players. To make your own crossword puzzle, use an online crossword creator.
6. Word Scramble
Word scrambles make great games for English class, and adults enjoy these language brain teasers as well. Simply mix up the order of the letters and ask players to unscramble and identify the original words.
Here is a sample to start with.
And here is the answer key.
To make your own word scrambles, use an online letter randomizer.
7. Scrabble
Scrabble is one of the most popular word games for adults or children. Players must use letter tiles to assemble words on the game board.
To play:
- Each player draws seven letter tiles.
- During turns, players can play tiles or exchange them for new letters.
- Players build words on the board, with each new word connecting to an existing word.
- Tiles have a point value assigned depending on the challenge of the letter. When a player makes a word, tally the letter and add the score to the point board.
More challenging letters have higher point values. For example, E is one point, while Z is ten. To find the point values for each tile and read more gameplay tips, check out this guide from Hasbro.
To coordinate the game for language lessons, assign higher scores for vocabulary words, and ask players to use the words in a sentence for extra points.
Scrabble is easy to play online, too, making it one of the best online vocabulary games. To play virtually, simply find a multiplayer online version of the game, such as Words With Friends.
8. Scattergories
Scattergories is one of the most fun and simple word games for adults. The game challenges players to think up words all starting with the same letter.
To play:
- One player rolls a letter die or uses a letter generator to pick the first letter.
- The timekeeper puts 60 seconds on the clock.
- Players write down one answer per category starting with the letter.
- When time runs out, players read the answers.
- Players receive a point for every answer.
Alliterative phrases count for double or triple points. If two players have the same answer, then they must cross it out and neither receives points. Of course, a player will not receive points for blank answers either. At the end of each round, the player with the most points wins.
Here is a list of sample Scattergories categories:
- A boy’s name, girl’s name, or gender neutral name
- Capital cities
- Four letter words
- Types of drinks
- Holidays
- Careers or professions
- Cartoon characters
- Websites
- Desserts
You could create more inventive categories for the game, or challenge players to make up prompts.
To play virtually, use the chat, screen-share, whiteboard functions in your virtual meeting platform. You can also share a Google Doc or Form, or join a multiplayer online Scattergories game together.
9. Tree or Bob Ross
Tree or Bob Ross is a fun video conference game that challenges players to guess a word by asking questions.
The player who conjures the word is The Post. The Post answers This or That questions whose answers help players narrow down the word.
The first question of the game is usually “is it more like a tree, or more like Bob Ross?” and The Post must answer accordingly. For instance, a rose is probably more like a tree, but Pinnochio presents an interesting challenge.
Each turn, the guesser adds a new word. For example, the second question might be, “is it more like a tree or a fern?” The game continues until players guess correctly. For more excitement, introduce a time limit, or award more points if players guess the word during earlier rounds.
10. Vocabulary Pyramid
Pyramid challenges players to guess words from context clues. The pyramid is a collection of six words, arranged with three on the bottom, two in the middle, and one at the top. To win, teams must guess all words within the pyramid in the allotted time.
To play:
- Divide the group into teams.
- Give one player on each team the pyramid.
- The pyramid holder must give hints to teammates describing each word without using the actual name of the item.
- When players guess correctly, the pyramid master can move to the next word. Or, players can say “pass,” and return to the word later.
- Teams receive a point for every correct guess.
When determining the time limit, consider the age of your players and the difficulty of the words. In general, 30 seconds per word, or three minutes total, is a good place to start, but add or take away time to increase or decrease the challenge.
11. Invisible Bridge
Invisible Bridge is similar to six degrees of Kevin Bacon. In both games, you must figure out a way to connect two seemingly distant concepts. Six degrees of Kevin Bacon uses actors, while Invisible Bridge uses words.
To play:
- A player suggests two unrelated words.
- Player one gives a number of planks. This is how many steps other players must use to relate the two words.
- The other players think up words that share similar traits, synonyms, or connector words to move from one term to another.
An example round might look as follows:
Tiger, Astronaut, eight planks
Tiger – Balm – Lip – Service – Customer – Happy – Pills – Capsules – Space – Astronaut
Meanwhile, Tiger, Astronaut, two planks might look like this:
Tiger – meat eater – meteor – Astronaut
One fun aspect about this game is there can be more than one correct answer, and opposing teams can dispute far-reaches. Invisible bridge encourages players to think about the nature of language and the relationship between words.
12. Poetry Improv
Poetry Improv is an exercise that challenges participants to craft verses on the spot.
To play:
- Pick a poetry style, such as sonnet, haiku, acrostic, limerick, or free verse.
- Give participants vocabulary words to use within the poem.
- Allow five or ten minutes for groups or individuals to complete the verses. If playing online via meeting software, then send groups to breakout rooms to work.
- Ask poets to share the masterpieces aloud.
For extra fun, turn other players into judges by asking them to rate the poems by holding up scorecards. To make the game more fast-paced, ask players to finish each others’ phrases on the spot for a true poetic improv.
13. Synonym Memory
The rules of Memory are easy: flip over two cards at a time and look for matching pictures or words. When players find pairs, they take the cards off the board. The player with the most pairs of cards at the end of the game wins.
Synonym Memory puts a challenging spin on the simple game. Instead of hunting for exact matches, players pair up words with synonyms.
Here are some sample matches:
- enticing/tempting
- assume/suppose
- patience/restraint
- revoke/rescind
- impact/collision
The game encourages players to think in different ways, as participants will need to remember the location of the cards as well as consider meanings of words.
To play online, make your own virtual synonym memory game with an online tool and share screens to play, with one player flipping over the cards at other players’ request.
List of words to use for vocabulary games
Here is a list of great words to use in word games:
- serendipity
- fortitude
- akimbo
- sumptuous
- ineffable
- zephyr
- incorrigible
- medallion
- mauve
- bombast
- denouement
- contemporary
- gossamer
- inane
- hippodrome
- concession
- ideology
- quintessential
- prescient
- regurgitate
- gnash
- cataclysmic
- knell
For further inspiration, use a random word generator or consult online lists of difficult or intersecting words.
Conclusion
Vocabulary games and activities test and strengthen players’ communication skills. These word games minimize frustration by disguising language lessons in the form of an exciting challenge. Not to mention, simple word games are fun for adults and kids alike, and make great icebreaker activities during meetings. Most games only require words and a way to share them, so playing word games online via Zoom or similar platforms is easy.
For even more smart fun, check out our posts on problem solving games, question games and team building brain teasers.
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.