How to Learn English Vocabulary (without drama or trauma)

Do you know how to learn English vocabulary as painlessly as possible? Consistent, small steps will add up faster than cramming (studying very hard for short periods but not following up later). 

btr-how 2 lrn Eng voc

The old fable about the tortoise and the hare is generally true for learning languages as well: “Slow and steady wins the race.”

There is an added factor however: the more you WANT to speak in English, and the more enjoyable the practice can be, the better.

That’s why many of my vocabulary practice pages feature games or interesting topics. Choose subjects you are fascinated by and your study will be much easier!

English has a huge number of words, many with several meanings. It has many synonyms— words with similar meanings. There are also lots of homonyms-- different words with the same pronunciation. (Sometimes they have the same spelling, too!) 

They make English harder to learn, but also richer and more expressive. Think of it the whole learning process as a game-- one you can win!

The Roots of English in Many Languages

There are historical reasons for the richness (and difficulty) of English.

English has Germanic roots. Then Roman, Danish, and French invasions expanded English vocabulary. They also provided many cognates.

Cognates are English words that are like words in other languages because they come from the same roots.

If you speak a language related to German or Latin, you'll find lots of cognates in English. Recognizing the way they work can boost your English reading comprehension and vocabulary.

Be careful with cognates, though. A few words seem related but are “false cognates.” Ask yourself, "does the related meaning make sense?"

As English explorers and colonists came into contact with other languages, they often borrowed words. Now increased world communication and trade are helping English grow faster than ever. (See English Word Origins.)

Some Key Strategies for Learning English Vocabulary

How to learn English vocabulary outside of a classroom? Read as much as possible. We need to see or hear a new word repeatedly to learn it well. As you read a word again and again in different contexts, you also learn various ways to use it.

See Vocabulary Strategies for tips on what to notice as you read to build your vocabulary more quickly, how to learn words in groups (common phrases, etc.) and using how to build vocabulary with English Detective, our monthly newsletter.

Another way to recognize more words is to study their parts: their roots and affixes. (Affixes are prefixes-- word beginnings, and suffixes-- endings.) Learning roots and affixes is so useful that EnglishHints devotes a whole section to it. See Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes.

Knowing them is especially important for university studies. They're also valuable for professional or business dealings in English.

Another strategy that can save you time and also make you sound more fluent is to learn expressions commonly used together as phrases rather than studying each word individually.

You've probably already learned several common phrases for greetings and introductions

  • "Good morning!" 
  • "How's it going?" 
  • "Jim, I'd like you to meet my friend Sally." 
  • "Hi, Sally! Nice to meet you!"
  • and so many similar expressions.

Idioms are also fixed word expressions, but they may be more difficult to understand because sometimes the meaning of the individual words is different from the meaning of the whole. Some are proverbs and most are deeply embeddded in the culture. They are ways of sharing an idea quickly-- if you know or can guess them!

Someone may say "she has a heart of gold," meaning she is kind and generous, or "the boss finally gave the project a green light," meaning he has approved it to go forward, the way a green traffic light allows traffic to move.

You don't need to use idioms if you feel unsure, but it's valuable to learn the most common idioms-- especially business idioms!

English phrasal verbs are two or three-word verbs (like "come in," "get over," or "look up to") that are also important to understand. Many English speakers use them more often than the one-word Latin-based verbs (like enter, recover, or admire) that have the same meanings but are related to verbs in other European languages like Spanish or French.

Both the idiom and phrasal verb pages above link to several other pages with more examples so you can understand some of the most common phrases, whether or not you want to use them yourself. If you hear one you don't understand, it's also fine to ask what it means. No one can learn them all!

How to Learn English Vocabulary Related To Daily Life

Note that EnglishHints doesn’t teach beginning English. For a review of basic English, see the section called "If you are just beginning to learn English" on Learn English Free.

The pages below discuss common vocabulary for various subjects AFTER you’ve learned the basics of English. Most are words you will need to know to get along in English. They’re worth reviewing, especially if you will be living in an English-speaking country or taking the IELTS.

(In the IELTS speaking section, you may be asked to discuss your family and personal life, daily routines, interests, and opinions. The point is to be able to carry on a conversation, so the more you practice conversations and answering questions, the better.

It’s not nearly as important to understand every word as to be able to respond to the examiners’ prompts and questions—but the more you can practice speaking about a variety of common topics, the better prepared you will be.)

• Medical Vocabulary (words for health and illness, doctor visits, tests, and treatments) 

• Climate Change and Weather Vocabulary: Several articles and talks discussing weather and climate change-- and demonstrating the meaning of common words-- plus two practice activities. 1. Decide which words are weather vocabulary, causes of climate change, effects of climate change, or verbs about weather or climate processes. 2. Match some of those words with their definitions. Answers are at the bottomof the page.

• Skills for 21st Century Jobs links to several articles that talk about the different skills and attitudes needed for many jobs, especially in growing fields. It also links to a crossword puzzle to practice the meaning of many related terms.

• Basic Family Vocabulary. (not on EnglishHints, but useful basc vocabulary including a visual family tree to explain aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, etc. and informal family terms (Mom, Dad, Nana, etc.)

• Understanding the News in English explains the types of news media, journalists, reporters and other people who write or report on the news, and some suggestions for reading or watching the news in English. It also links to several related pages, including some common news topics and their vocabulary.

Other related pages include War Vocabulary (including words for types of conflicts and military operations, weapons and equipment, communication, and much more) and Political Language, discussing words for disagreement and compromise, political idioms, and some background on American political parties and vocabulary.

Professional or Academic Vocabulary

If you’re a professional or work in business, or  if you're thinking of university studies, you should also learn general professional and academic vocabulary, (as well as understanding the technical vocabulary of your specific occupation and some basic business vocabulary).

More specific professional vocabulary topics include Vocabulary Buidling Games for Networking (+), Teamwork and Cooperation vocabulary, discussing the differences in meaning between collaboration, cooperation, coordination and other words related to working together, Psychology Vocabulary including a practice quiz, and Science Vocabulary (with a matcing exercise and links to several other pages that explain and practice science words).

There's also a List of Vocabulary Words page with 120 essential words for academic or professional work in English-- along with links to pages to practice rthose words or learn more.

The good news—especially if you already speak a Latin-based language (Spanish, Portuguese, French, etc.)—is that many or most of these professional and academic words will be cognates: similar to your language's words for the same things. The difficult part is that the pronunciation may not be easy, and even word stress is likely to be different.

Like so much else in learning a new language enjoy the similarities and learn the patterns that can help you remember the differences.

Remember, the important thing is to use the English vocabulary you already have and to keep learning more. See also Online Vocabulary Games in English for different ways to practice—and have fun! (The Basics of Science crossword came from Science Crossword Puzzles, linked from that page.)

Home › How to Learn English Vocabulary

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