Word for the day with example sentence

If you are learning a new language, it is essential to new words each day. Gaining a powerful vocabulary will guarantee that you will be able to express yourself effectively and sophisticatedly. Designating a “word of the day” for yourself will also ensure that you understand grammar to a greater extent and the lengths to which the language you are studying is developed. In this article, I will be discussing websites that are great for learning new English words. Each website has its benefits and disadvantages, so it is better to use several websites at a time to gain the most out of your learning process. Many of these websites have a word of the day app that you can download on your smartphone or tablet for easy usage. It is best to be connected to new words in any way you can!

1. A.Word.A.Day (AWAD)

You can see the word of the day, and yesterday’s word of the day, on the website or through an email subscription. The website is strikingly simple, but highly useful. It provides the pronunciation, meaning, etymology, and usage of the selected word. Below the entry, the owner, Anu Garg, also presents a thought of the day. The New York Times commented that this website is “The most welcomed, most enduring piece of daily mass e-mail in cyberspace.” In fact, it has over a million subscribers from over 170 countries.

2. Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day

One of the most respected dictionaries in the world, Merriam-Webster has a sophisticated layout for its word-of-the-day page. It provides a definition (with sound of the word spoken included), a “Did you know” section, examples of its usage, a “Name that synonym” section, podcasts, and a word of the day calendar at the bottom. Those who are truly interested in words and their histories, this dictionary will be a treat. Its “Did you know” section is expansive, and allows readers to understand the nuances of each selected word. On the left of the presentation is an easy way to share the word of the day through Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. You can even get the word of the day emailed to you through a subscription. It even has a section for learners called a learner’s dictionary. This dictionary also has a word-of-the-day category.

3. Wordnik

This website is all about words, with a word community, word of the day, and random word pages. On its word-of-the-day page, it has concise definitions of words with ample example sentences with the chosen word being used, extra notes on nuances, and also stats on its usage and even its Scrabble score. The fantastic thing about this page is that each word is accompanied with real examples from literature, not just sentences made up on the spot that sound unnatural. So, not only will you learn a new word each day, but also become knowledgeable in literature through this website. It also has an easy-to-access archive, and a convenient way of sharing words via social media.

4. Duolingo

This is perhaps the best language learning app and website out there. In turn, it is a great tool for learning new words. You can compete with your friends and family through the app, so you can gain that motivation needed to learn new words. It has a simple but pleasant layout, with many different exercises for learning: speaking, listening, writing, multiple choice questions, matching word exercises, and more. You can either strengthen what you already know, or venture into the world of new words each day. Duolingo focuses on obtaining a streak, so you know how many days in a row you have been learning a certain language (in our case, it is most likely English). There are many other language learning apps on the market, but it seems Duolingo takes the cake in terms of efficiency, user-friendliness, and motivation. It even has a cute owl mascot that cheers you on as you go through the exercises. I think that most people use the app rather than the website; however, both can be useful. It is important to download the necessary keyboards for the languages you are learning, though.

5. Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day

This is another popular option for learning new words easily. It shows the definitions in the form of a meme or picture you can conveniently share on social media (including showing the pronunciation and what kind of word it is). Below the definitions are citations of the word of the day’s usage from literature. Lastly, there is a section that discusses the origin of the word. You can sign up for an email subscription to the page, and seeing the visual archive of the word of the day for the previous day is just a scroll away.

6. Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Day

Maybe the most trusted dictionary in the world, the Oxford Dictionary website also has a webpage that features a word of the day. For each entry, you have an audio pronunciation guide, a definition, the word’s origin, and an easy-to-share picture of the word with a pronunciation guide across social media. I like that the Oxford Dictionary focuses on archaic usages of words as well, as for wordaholics, these archaic definitions can be useful to know and interesting to understand. Like most sites of this nature, it also has an email subscription option. Another section of this website to check out if you have time is “Explore the English Language,” which has wordlists and word origin features.

7. New York Times’ Word of the Day

A standard in the news industry, it is also a fantastic tool for learning. The New York Times presents a word of the day daily, attached with a quiz. What is also useful is that it shows words in context of The New York Times itself. So, they will show how the word was used in news articles from the Times. Each entry has sections for definitions, examples of its usage in news articles, and a quiz at the bottom. After you finish the quiz, you will see a more detailed look into the chosen word, discussing its nuances. A great tool for learning more words, and more about them.

8. WordReference.com’s Word of the Day

The special thing about this website is that it offers two categories: basic word of the day, and intermediate word of the day. The basic word of the day is aimed at beginners and the intermediate word of the day is focused on people who have been learning English for some time. Though each category has entries that are filled with detail, there is a clear difference between basic and intermediate entries. In the basic section, entries have sections dedicated definitions, common uses, usage within pop culture, and a button that reads “see full definition,” which leads a user to an elaborated entry. For the intermediate entries, there are sections devoted to expanded definitions, example sentences, words most often used with the chosen entry, usage within pop culture, “did you know,” origins, and once again a “see full definition” button. This seems like the most comprehensive website for learning words and their background stories, so to say. You can get these definitions sent to you by email, and can also share them easily via Facebook and Twitter. You can scroll through entries as if you were on a common blogging site.

9. Vocabulary.com

This website tries its best to make learning new words enjoyable. It has word games to play, you can look up words, and it has word lists. They say if you start playing with language, you will learn it quickly. This website seems to take this approach. When learning is fun and flexible, words will be retained at a better rate. A great thing about its quizzes is that when you answer a question, it will describe the word in detail. The search option has examples sentences written by humans, not computers (it happens often it seems), examples sentences that are in touch with the real world of how English is being used, and claims to be the fastest-working dictionary. Its layout is user-friendly and intuitive. In the lists section, there are myriad lists focused on different subjects, ranging from baseball to movies. It is a highly enjoyable and engaging website for learning new words, and for studying English in general.

10. Word of the Day! App

For people who are crazy about checking other dictionaries for varying definitions, this is the app for them. This app features the following sources:

• Merriam-Webster
• Dictionary.com
• Oxford English Dictionary
• The Free Dictionary
• The Learning Network
• WordSpy
• Latin Word of the Day
• MedTerms
• Yahoo! Education

You can conveniently compare definitions, and discover the nuances of words you want to delve into. In addition, you can “star” and “favorite” certain definitions and words. These starred and favorited words can be shared with friends, and the app will also alert you when new words have been entered into its system. It’s a free app, so it is a catch for those who don’t want to spend to learn. The entries for the words have audio recordings of pronunciation, root meanings, examples sentences, and connotations of chosen words.

How do you learn new words, especially big ones like «obstreperous» and «percipient» that you don’t often hear in daily conversation? Do you pore over long lists, make flash cards, or focus on one or two at a time? 

For those playing the long game, SAT Word of the Day sites and email lists can be useful resources for gradually building your vocabulary over time. This guide will point you to the best sources of SAT Word of the Day and give you some strategies for how to use them effectively. First, why might you want to study vocabulary this way?

Is SAT Word of the Day Effective?

Using SAT Word of the Day to build your vocabulary is effective in a gradual way, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as the only vocab studying you do to prepare for the SAT. It’s a good way to start early, learn new words, and insert a little bit of SAT prep into your routine on a daily basis. That being said, SAT Word of the Day probably doesn’t substitute for more extensive studying. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons for studying SAT words in this way.

Pros of SAT Word of the Day

Like a trickle of water filling up a bowl, learning a word a day can build up to a great deal of knowledge if you sustain it over time. It’s a low-pressure, stress-free way to start SAT prep early, rather than cramming a lot of words at once and struggling to retain them. You could start freshman year and spend just 5 minutes a day learning a word’s definition and how that word is used in different contexts. 

Have you ever noticed how you learn a new word or fun fact for the first time and suddenly start seeing it everywhere? This «Baeder-Meinhof Phenomenon» could happen with new SAT words, too. You’ll start to notice (and should be on the lookout for) SAT words when you’re reading books, blogs, or the news. This will both aid your long-term retention of the vocab and help you understand if a given word has various uses and connotations. Widening your vocabulary is not just useful for the SAT, but also for your own writing, reading, and work throughout high school and college.

Finally, SAT Word of the Day also serves as a daily reminder to stick to your overall test prep schedule. Incorporating a word a day or an SAT Question of the Day orients you towards learning and building your skills and understanding on a daily basis. While SAT Word of the Day is useful for building up your vocabulary and retaining new words over time, what are some downsides to this approach to studying?

Cons of SAT Word of the Day

Perhaps the most obvious question about using SAT Word of the Day is whether it teaches you enough to really be effective. Since you’re only focusing on one word each day, you’d have to start a long time in advance of your SAT test to learn enough words. If you don’t keep reviewing and referring back to words, you might forget those you learned several months or a year ago. While you’re studying a word a day in theory, likely you would end up studying more to review ones that you’ve already learned.

Another downside to SAT Word of the Day is that it could be more of a passive than an active approach. You’re learning a word, but not necessarily putting it in context of the SAT and applying it to real SAT questions. Thus you would want to be proactive and couple your studying with answering sample questions and ensuring that you can demonstrate what you’ve learned on SAT passage-based and sentence completion questions.

How effective studying with SAT Word of the Day is also varies from student to student and depends on their individual learning style and focus. This approach may appeal more to you if you like spreading out your test prep over a sustained period of time, but may not be your preferred mode if you like to bunch up studying and focus intensively on more material at the same time.

In order to get the most use out of SAT Word of the Day, you want to use high quality resources, just as you should with the rest of your SAT prep. Read on for my suggestions of the best sources for SAT Word of the Day.

Where Can You Find SAT Words of the Day?

You can track down high quality SAT Words of the Day on various websites, as well as sign up for daily emails. For further reinforcement, you could also choose to create your own word of the day flashcards by writing down vocabulary, definitions, and examples from SAT vocabulary lists. Below are my suggestions for the best websites and email lists.

New York Times SAT Vocabulary

The New York Times learning blog has an SAT Word the Day 7 days a week. It gives you SAT words and definitions, as well as an example of how each word is used in a sentence. What I like about this blog is that it links you to all the New York Times articles that have used that word. This lets you gain a sense of how it’s used in various contexts, which is especially helpful for passage-based vocabulary questions on the current SAT, as well as the more context-based vocabulary questions that will appear on the new SAT in 2016. Plus you can learn about current events and editorials, which might be useful to draw upon when it comes time to write your SAT essay.

To access these words you have to visit the site. Unfortunately they don’t have an email option or a phone app that you could download. You can follow the New York Times learning blogs on Twitter, but not specifically the SAT Word of the Day. 

Number2.com Word of the Day

On this straightforward site, you can find an SAT vocabulary word, definition, and one example. Unlike the New York Times blog, this site doesn’t give you additional examples of the vocabulary in context. You could do your own searches, along with keeping an eye out for words you’re learning in your reading. If you prefer to have daily vocabulary emailed to you, you can sign up for the email lists of any of the sites below.

Get Emailed SAT Word of the Day

These sites are all comparable to one another. They will email you a vocabulary word, definition, and example sentence every day. Again, it would be up to you to seek out the new vocabulary in other contexts beyond the one sentence example.

• SAT Daily (this site also has a texting option)
• Test Magic SAT Word of the Day
• SAT Hot Words
• SAT Words Daily

Signing up for an email or texting list is an easy way to keep up with the word a day. Just don’t let the emails pile up in your inbox! Finally, you could also create your own vocabulary lists and words of the day on paper or online. One site that’s useful for this kind of self-directed studying is Quizlet.

Make Your Own SAT Word of the Day

Quizlet has some useful preexisting SAT vocabulary lists that you could use to create your own flashcards. You can also upload your own lists and practice that way, perhaps to review words of the day that you studied in the past. If you have an iPad or tablet, you can also play vocabulary matching games and time yourself as you review.

If you start studying vocabulary in freshman year for just five minutes a day, then you could really grow your language skills over time. To make the most of your prep, use high quality resources that access the most commonly tested SAT vocabulary words. The best way to retain words and have a complex understanding is to read them in various contexts and take note when they appear in your reading. You could even try working it into conversation or your texts, though you might cause some confusion if you start throwing words like «assiduous» and «perfidious» around.

Rather than only passively reading through definitions, actively search these words out and couple your studying with answering SAT practice passage-based and sentence completion vocabulary questions. At the same time, it’s important to note that this focus on vocabulary might actually be more relevant for the current version of the SAT than the redesigned one rolling out in 2016. The new SAT has less of a focus on «big» words and more focus on relatively common words that might be presented in an unusual way. Below is a quick review of the changes as they relate to vocabulary.

How Important is Vocabulary for the New SAT?

If you’re taking the new SAT, you might consider readjusting your approach to studying SAT vocabulary. The new SAT is deemphasizing these common SAT words, and shaping questions around more accessible words, like «intense» and «maintain,» that might have different connotations in different sentences. Instead of stand-alone sentence completion questions, the vocabulary questions will be more passage-based.

If you’re taking the current version of the SAT, then SAT Words of the Day are still a very useful tool for building your vocabulary and learning the words you’ll need to achieve strong scores on the Critical Reading section. If you’re taking the newer version, you might still benefit from the SAT Word of the Day, but should focus on connotation and context and not worry too much about particularly obscure words. 

By learning more about what skills the new SAT will test, you can reshape your prep and continue to use older practice materials effectively. With SAT Word of the Day and all your test prep, you’ll be best served by reflecting on your learning style and uncovering the tactic that works best for you.

How Do You Learn New Words?

As with all aspects of studying for the SAT, reflect on how you learn and retain information and customize your study plan to best help you improve. Even if you’re someone who likes to bunch up studying, SAT Words of the Day can be a useful tool, especially if you start early.

Even though I gave several options of websites and email lists above, the «word of the day» is meant to be just that, a single vocabulary word that you examine and incorporate on a daily basis. With this approach, it’s better to prioritize quality of words, definitions, and examples over quantity. Pick just one of those resources (or two, if you really want) and stick with it. Pay attention to how it’s used, where you can find it, and how it helps express a thought or idea.

Even if only a fraction of the words you learn actually show up on your official SAT tests, you’ll still have advanced your language and sharpened your reading, writing, and communication skills. Plus you can impress your friends and family with your ever expanding repertoire of impressive vocabulary.

What’s Next?

Besides Word of the Day, you might also be learning a lot of SAT vocabulary at the same time. Learn about the «waterfall method» of studying SAT words and definitions.

Do you have a choice between taking the current version of the SAT and the new SAT? Read about the differences and how to decide between the two here.

Gunning for a top SAT score? Read our guide on how to get a perfect SAT score. Learn how to get an 800 on SAT Reading, SAT Math, and SAT Writing.

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