How to use Word Cards
Word Cards is a quick vocabulary practice. Each time you open the page you get a fresh set of five long, tricky English words picked at random from a bank of 300. For every word you see how to say it, then choose its meaning from four options. The card flips over to show the right answer, an example sentence and a short note on where the word came from. After five words you get your score and a list of the meanings to review.
The page remembers which words you have seen lately, so new sets keep bringing you words you have not met yet. Your best score and the number of words you have learned are saved in this browser.
Why learn hard words?
Most people will not say “sesquipedalian” at lunch, and that is fine. The point is to recognize big words when you meet them. Long words show up all the time in novels, news articles, textbooks and test passages. If you know what “ubiquitous” or “exacerbate” means, you can keep reading instead of stopping to guess.
A bigger vocabulary also helps you write and speak with more precision. “Bad” is vague. “Pernicious,” “egregious” and “reprehensible” each say something different. In a debate, the right word can make a point sharper and help you spot tricks in an opponent's case. If you know what “equivocate” and “specious” mean, you are better at noticing when someone is doing it.
Use the words with care, though. Good speakers pick a hard word only when it is the clearest one for the job. Stuffing a speech with fancy words to sound clever usually backfires.
Tips for remembering new words
- Say it out loud. Use the pronunciation guide. The syllable in capital letters gets the stress.
- Look at the parts. Many hard words are built from Latin or Greek pieces. Once you know that “bene” means well and “mal” means bad, “benevolent” and “malevolent” are easy to tell apart.
- Make your own sentence. Use the word in a sentence about your own life, like “My little brother is recalcitrant at bedtime.”
- Come back tomorrow. A few minutes a day works better than one long session. Words you miss will come around again in later sets.
- Use it once this week. Try a new word in an essay, a speech or a conversation. Using a word is the fastest way to own it.
Questions
Are these real English words?
Yes. Every word in the bank is a real English word found in standard dictionaries, including a few famous long ones such as antidisestablishmentarianism and floccinaucinihilipilification.
How are the sets chosen?
Each set is five words picked at random. Words you have seen recently are skipped, so you meet new ones until you have worked through most of the bank.
How do I read the pronunciation guide?
The guide spells the word the way it sounds, split into syllables. The part in capital letters is stressed, so “ses-kwi-pi-DAY-lee-un” puts the weight on DAY.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes. Press 1, 2, 3 or 4 to choose an answer, and Enter or Space to go to the next word. On a phone or tablet, just tap.
Is my progress saved?
Your best score, sets played and words learned are saved in this browser on this device. Nothing is uploaded and there is no account. Clearing your browser data resets them.