Online Vocabulary Games in english

Online vocabulary games in English can help you remember new words and learn the differences between similar words. 

This page lists the online vocabulary games in English that you can find on this website. These are interactive games, but many are also available on a PDF you can download to play offline.

You can play these games even when you are alone. 

Their purpose is to practice learning a particular group of English words. Often these are professional words related to a theme like technology or research on a subject.

Vocabulary game sections include  

• Matching Games

• Puzzles.

Most of the words in these practice activities are common in English. (They’re not beginner vocabulary, though.)

Many are from the Academic Word List (the AWL). The words in the puzzles often come from one or more interesting articles on the Internet. (Some have a link to those articles after the practice so you can read the words in context.) You can also practice some on (linked) quizzes.

Sign up for English Detective, our free newsletter, for systematic English vocabulary practice.  Most of these games and activities came from there. (See the sign up form on the right column-- or at the bottom of the page.)

Reasons to Use Online Vocabulary Games in English

Games are one of the best ways to learn vocabulary in any language. Categorizing and manipulating words help make neural connections in the brain. So they help you remember words better (and remind you of what you already know.)

Many subjects have several activities to give more practice with important AWL words. Some words overlap, but many are on only one or two pages. There are too many words in many areas to teach in just one game. 

Several of these pages have explanations of the words before the practice. If you prefer, try the game first. You can check the explanations afterward if you have questions.

Some games have a section for choosing the best categories for words. These sections are not interactive. You can use a pencil and paper to write the category and the words that belong there.

For collections of inexpensive vocabulary game PDFs for classrooms, see Vocabulary Worksheets.

Matching Games 

I've just found that many of the interactive games on these pages are not working correctly. I'll fix them as quickly as I can. The PDF versions still work.

• Science Vocabulary

• Climate Change & Weather Vocabulary

• Types of Germs and Health-related vocabulary

• Reading (& Vocabulary) Comprehension Check

• Advanced Adjective Opposite Matching Games and its sub-games:

• >>>Positive and Negative Adjective Opposites

• >>>Practice Verbs and Adjectives for Thinking

• >>>Adjectives of Size and Importance

• Citizenship and Immigration Vocabulary

• The Prefix 'Re-' 

Matching Word Roots and their Meanings

• Exercise your Sense Vocabulary (Latin Root Practice)

• Roots of Comparison and Contrast

• Seven Important Latin Roots

• Latin Verbs of Motion
  

• Match 18 Words from Latin Roots

• English Vocabulary from Classical Roots

• Roots Memory Game 1 (card matching with words from Quaerere, like inquisitive and require)*

• Roots Memory Game 2 (words from Cedere, like concede, excessive, and proceed)*

• Roots Memory Game 3 (words from Vertere, like conversion, reverse and subvert.)*

* Each of these memory game pages has a link to its mobile version. If you have a small screen and it isn't easy to use the regular 4x3 card grid, click the mobile link in the first or second paragraph. The mobile version has a long, narrow (2x6) grid of cards to turn over.

Also see 35 short Homophone Games from English Club. Match words with the same sounds but different meanings and spellings. These go from very easy to difficult.

Puzzles +

• Printable Crossword Puzzles (You can access all the PDF crosswords from this page.)

• Science Crossword Puzzles 

• Nervous System Vocabulary 

• Free Word Search Puzzles

• Unscramble Words (See if you can recognize these academic and professional words by re-arranging the letters. This is a good way to get familiar with English spellings and word formation. This page lets you practice 13 adjectives and 12 nouns you should know.)  

For more game ideas to help your English, see ESL Games. (It links to many group games as well.) For quizzes related to the games on this page, see ESL Quizzes and Tests. 

Academic Vocabulary Word Lists shows the themes, readings, and quizzes associated with games on this page.

It's organized by newsletter number, but you can do a search (Control-F-- for "find") on those pages for each game's name. Most of the games above are listed in the same order. The first games in each category are from the earliest newsletters.

See Vocabulary Worksheets and Root, Prefix, and Suffix Worksheets for free or inexpensive packets of related academic vocabulary practice. 

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Practice important academic vocabulary for the TOEFL or IELTS exam (as well as for university study & professional work) with these games & practice activities, from gap fill exercises to multiple choice, categorizing, & matching. 

Have fun while practicing these important academic adjectives with this & related opposites matching games. Try playing it now!

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