Word lists for games

Welcome to the printables page! Here you’ll find various printouts that I’ve made for different games. For the non-word-list printables down below, if you click the image, it will take you to the printable. If you click the words under the image, it will take you to the post with instructions on how to use the printable. Hopefully this page can help you find the game you’re looking for. Happy playing!

Word lists

Here’s some various word lists I’ve made that you can print out and cut up. They’re organized by game, though you could easily use printouts from one game for a different game. There’s also a Holidays category with word lists that can be used for any game. For even bigger lists of words in these categories, check out my online word generator.

Other word lists

Celebrities (a list of famous people and characters for the game Celebrities)
A list of adverbs (for In the manner of the adverb)
Get to know you questions (and another version of questions more suited for younger children)
Categories (a list you could use for several games)
Star Wars Actions (for a new came called pictionades)
Would you rather phrases for the game Would you rather

Misc Word Lists

Words you can make with our word unscrambler

Common English words and Frequencies

Compound Words — Over 100,000 compound words!

Vowel Dumps — Vowel Dumps you can play in scrabble

Enable — The official word list for Words with Friends and Wordox

English Word List — (Western) English Word List

TWL06 — North America Scrabble Word List

SOWPODS — Eurpoe Scrabble Word List

2 Word Phrases — Common phrases with 2 words

3 Word Phrases — Common phrases with 3 words

Scrabble words with no vowels — over 110 scrabble words that do not contain vowels with or without a Y

Words with all consonants — Words that only contain consonants

Highest scoring words — Highest possible scoring words with in scrabble

Q words without a U after — Words with Q and not a U after

Palindrome Words — Words that are spelled fowards and backwards the same

How to memorize — Learn how to memorize words to improve your game of scrabble.

Common Prefixes — Huge list of common prefix words used in the english dictionary

Free Scrabble Word Finder — Another huge word list

Tools for webmasters

Embeddable Word Solvers — Multi Language Scrabble Word Finders for your websites

Scrabble Dictionary API — Word verification for the offical scrabble dictionary

Источник

Words, abbreviations and slang

AFK – “away from keyboard.” In other words, the player is not available, or active, in the game. If you go to the toilet while you are playing a game, you are AFK. When you come back, you are BAK, “back at keyboard.” ( WATCH VIDEO )

Boss – (noun) a computer controlled enemy, frightening and powerful, but also having weaknesses allowing good players to kill it. ( WATCH VIDEO )

Bro (noun) – An informal way of saying “friend,” a good male friend. Often used with strangers in video games. ( WATCH VIDEO )

Buff (noun) – A strengthening of a character power or abilities. ( WATCH VIDEO )

Bug (noun) – An error in a game’s design or computer programming. Bugs can be minor and easily fixed to major problems which great affects game play ( WATCH VIDEO )

Camping (noun) – Staying/hiding in one place or area and surprising enemies who come there, killing them and taking their loot. ( WATCH VIDEO )

Carry (verb) – to use your skill as a gamer to help one or more teammates compete successfully ( WATCH VIDEO )

Chill – (adj, verb) Relaxed, calm; to relax, have fun, etc. by yourself or with friends (WATCH VIDEO)

Combo (noun) – Combination. a quick set of attacking actions on an enemy

CU, CYA – See You (Goodbye)

Dope (noun) – Something that is really good, awesome, cool ( WATCH VIDEO)

Dub (noun) – Win, from a shortened form of W, the first letter of “win”, pronounced “double U” ( WATCH VIDEO)

Dude (noun) – Man, Guy. What you call someone, usually a male. Similar to “Bro” ( WATCH VIDEO)

Epic – (adjective) – Long and difficult, but xtremely good or enjoyable (WATCH VIDEO)

Farming – (noun) Gathering or collecting items that make a player stronger and more powerful (WATCH VIDEO)

First-Person Shooter, FPS (noun) – A shooting game with the camera looking through your character’s eyes

FYI – For Your Information

GB – Goodbye

GG – Good game. You are telling your teammate or opponent that they played well.

Glitch – (noun) a small problem or mistake that prevents something from working properly. (WATCH VIDEO)

Goosebumps – (noun) the raised spots you get on your skin when you feel cold, frightened or excited. (WATCH VIDEO)

Grind – (verb) to do something difficult for a long time, trying to achieve something or as part of a job (WATCH VIDEO)

HF – Have fun

Indie (adj) – “Independently produced game” meaning a game created by a small company or team instead of a giant gaming company

Inventory (noun) – A menu or area of the screen where items (equipment, weapons, materials, etc.) collected by the player-character during the game can be selected. (Watch video)

Items – things players can gather and use during a game, e.g., a weapon, a building material, something that heals, etc.

Lag (verb, noun) – having a slower than normal internet connection, making it difficult to compete with other players in video games; to fall behind, perhaps because of moving or working too slowly; (of a machine or system) not up to date. (WATCH VIDEO)

Let’s go (expression) – an expression video gamers use after doing something successfully, e.g., winning a game. (WATCH VIDEO)

Loadout ( noun) – The set of weapons, ammunition and other items a video gamer player has for a fight.. (WATCH VIDEO)

Loot (noun) – Items you need to survive, e.g. weapons, medicines, equipment or all kinds, building materials, etc. ( Watch video)

Loot (verb) – to gather the items you need.

Mats (noun) – Materials used to make things, e.g., wood, bricks and metal, esp. in the video game Fortnite.( Watch video)

Meme (noun) – An idea, image, etc. that spreads very quickly

Meta (noun)– “Most Effective Tactics Available”, the best methods available to win or succeed in playing a game. ( Watch video)

Mission (noun)– an important job that a person or a group of people is given to do. It often involves travel, even space travel. ( Watch video)

Nerf (noun, verb)– A weakening of a weapon, character power or ability,’ to reduce the power of a weapon, power or ability ( Watch video)

Newbie (noun) – (Also “noob” or “newb”) A beginner, a person who has no experience with the game being play or a player who has very poor skills. ( Watch video)

Noob (noun) – (Also “newbie” or “newb”) A beginner, a person who has no experience with the game being play or a player who has very poor skills. ( Watch video)

Patch (noun) – in video games a patch repairs weaknesses by correcting errors or making changes to improve a game, e.g., by making a game character or item more powerful (a buff) or less powerful (a nerf). (Watch video)

Peek (verb) – a quick and secret look at something that you should not be looking at (Watch video)

Platform (noun) – For most of us, a “platform” is a flat raised surface like you would see next to the tracks at a train station. For gamers, however, a platform is the type of computer system they use to play their games or the software they use.
( Watch video)

Prone (adjective) – a position in which you are lying flat with the front of your body touching the ground.
( Watch video)

Push (verb) – a position in which you are lying flat with the front of your body touching the ground.
( Watch video)

Quickscope (verb) – to find an enemy quickly in the scope of a gun and shooting him/her. (Watch video)

Role (noun) – the function or position that someone has in an organization or situation; an actor’s part in a play or film.
( Watch video)

Salty (adjective) – upset, disappointed, bitter
( Watch video)

Scrim (noun) – An online practice match between two teams (scrimmage)

Scrub – A very bad player, often one who thinks he/she is good

Shambolic (adj) – very, very bad or very poorly done. Very poorly organized ( Watch video)

Sick (adj) – very good, great, enjoyable, etc (Watch video)

Smurfing – (noun) When an experienced player creates a new account for a game and easily defeats inexperienced players

Spawn {verb) – to cause a character or item to appear in the game (Watch video)

Spicy (adjective) – impressive, awesome, looking very good (Watch video)

STFU – Shut the F**k up (Stop talking)

Streak (noun) – a short period of good or bad luck, e.g., winning or losing four games in a row. (Watch video)

Stream Sniper (noun) – a gamer who sees another gamer’s stream, joins the game and causes the streamer trouble. . (Watch video)

Sweaty (adjective) – (of a game or a situation in a game) very competitive, exciting and stressful (causing you to become anxious).. (Watch video)

Third-Person Shooter (noun) – A shooting game with the camera looking out from behind the character, especially the character’s shoulders

Toxic – (adjective) In gaming: very bad, often rude behavior towards other players. Also poisonous; dangerous to health (Watch video)

Troll – (noun) Modern: A person who tricks other people on the Internet, often just for fun, but sometimes by giving false information or by writing rude and offensive messages to make other people angry. Ancient: A strange-looking, often very large, creature that liked to play tricks on people (Watch video)

Wallbang (verb) – to shoot somebody through a wall. . (Watch video)

Vibes (noun) – a mood or feeling that you get from a person, place or, in this case, a video game. (Watch video)

WTF – What the F**k

WTH – What the Hell**

Источник

Useful vocabulary

Roll a/ the dice

Board (game)

Counter

Team

Winner (= First place)

Second place (= Runner up)

The wooden spoon (= Last place)

(Flip/ Toss a) coin/ Heads or tails?

Paper scissors stone/ Rock paper scissors

(Move) clockwise/ anticlockwise (= counter clockwise)

Bonus question

Joker

Pass (to the next player)

Cheating

Minus one point/ Take away a point

Clue/ Hint

Shuffle/ Mix (up)

Deal (out)

(My/ Your/ His/ Her/ This team’s) turn

Points

Add up (the points)/ The total (score)

Round one/ The first round

Playing board games

Throw/ roll the dice (and move around the board)

You need one counter each (for example, an eraser or a coin)

Whose turn is it? / Who’s next?

Is it my turn? / Am I next?

It’s your turn. / You’re next

Place your counter on start/ the first square/ Choose a different counter each and place it on «START».

The player with the highest number goes first

Play rock, paper, scissors to see who goes first

If you land on this square go back three squares/ take a card/ do the thing that is written there/ do the challenge that your partners set you

Take it in turns to throw the dice.

Move forward three squares.

If you throw a 6, have another go/ throw again

You need a board, a dice and a counter each. (Ask me nicely for those things)

What colour counter do you want/ would you like?

Playing card games

Face down (on the table)/ So you can’t see them

Face up/ So that you can see them

In a pack/ Two packs

Spread across the table/ floor

Deal out all the cards

Give (three/ four/ five/ an equal number of) cards to each player (and put the rest in a pack in the middle)

Shuffle (thoroughly)

Take a card from the pack (when it is your turn/ if you can’t go)

The person with the most/ least cards is the winner

Pick a card (from this pack)/ Take a card from the top of the pack

Take five cards, but don’t look at them (yet)

You can look at the cards, but don’t show your partner

Quizzes

You can only have one guess

If you guess wrongly play passes to the next team/ you lose one point

Do you need a hint/ a clue/ more time?

Twenty seconds to answer

(Is that your) final answer?

Choose one question

You have to agree on an answer in your team/ group

Starting and setting up games

It’s time for a game! / Let’s play a game!

Tell me/ decide on your team names/ What are your team names?/ Write your team names here/ Choose a team name from this list

Clearing space and getting into position

Clear your desks/ Put your books and pencils away/ Make some room on your desk

Get into pairs/ groups (of two/ three/ four)/ Find a partner/ Find two/ three/ four partners

This is group/ team A (and this is group/ team B)

You (two), work together

Make/ get into two/ three/ four groups/ teams

(Make/ get into) a boys’ team and a girls’ team

Make/ stand in a circle

Make two lines/ Stand in two lines (from here to here/ facing the board/ between here and here)

Turn (all the way) round (and face each other/ face the other way)

Face this way/ Face the board/ window/ teacher/ back of the room

Come to the front please/ Come up here

Getting the right bits and pieces

Take one (worksheet/ dice/ counter) and pass them back/ pass them along

One (photocopy/ piece of paper/ counter) each

One (dice/ playing board/ pack of cards) for each group

Choose something that you can use as a counter (for this game, for example a coin, eraser or pen lid)

Pass (me/ your partner/ the next person) the ball

Ask me (nicely/ politely/ in English) for the pack of cards/ dice/ ball

Here you are! / Here you go!

Make sure there is/ are… in your set

Giving instructions

What do (you think) we do with a/ this dice/ coin/ ball/ spinner/ sticky ball/ box of Lego bricks?

Who would like to demonstrate the game (with me)?

Does anyone already know this game?

Play moves clockwise/ anticlockwise (= counter clockwise)

Instruction checking questions

How long do you have to play the game?

Who is the winner?

How do you win the game?

Can you/ Should you…?

What are the rules?

What is this for?

What does this mean?

(Are there/ Does anyone have) any (more) questions?

Getting started

Who’d like to start? / (Are there) any volunteers (to go first)?

Are you ready?

Ready, steady, go! / On your marks, get set, go! / Wait for it, wait for it, go!

Any (more) questions about how to play? No? Okay, start/ play the game!

Making sure the game moves along

It’s your turn/ You’re next/ You’re up

Whose turn is it? / Who’s next?

Try (it) again

Are you (100%) sure? / (Is that your) final answer?

Finishing games

(Go) back to your seats

That was fun, wasn’t it? / Did you have fun?

Time’s running out! / Only 10 seconds left. Ten, nine…

Hurry up!

Time’s up/ Three, two, one, zero! / Game over! / The game is over

(There will be) (just) one more question/ round

How many points did you get? / Add up your scores/ Count up your points/ cards

Stop there

The winner

The person who has most/ least points/ cards is the winner

This team is the winner!

It’s a draw/ Everyone wins! / Everyone’s a winner!

.. and the prize is…

Источник

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.

Источник

Word lists

Other word lists

Other posts with printables

Support The Game Gal

Misc Word Lists

Tools for webmasters

Words, abbreviations and slang

List of vocabulary games

1. Vocabulary Pictionary

2. Word Association

3. Vocabulary Hangman

4. Word search

5. Crossword

6. Word Scramble

7. Scrabble

8. Scattergories

9. Tree or Bob Ross

10. Vocabulary Pyramid

11. Invisible Bridge

12. Poetry Improv

13. Synonym Memory

List of words to use for vocabulary games

Conclusion

FAQ: Vocabulary Games

What are vocabulary games?

What are some fun word games for groups?

What are some online vocabulary games?

What are good ESL word games?

What are fun ways to teach vocabulary?