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Fun Vocabulary Games & Activities in English: #1 List in 2022

Updated: July 25, 2022

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:

  1. Split the group into teams.
  2. Each round, assign one team member to draw.
  3. Give the drawing team member a word.
  4. Allow up to sixty seconds for teammates to guess.
  5. 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:

  1. Player one says a word.
  2. Player two responds with the first word that comes to mind.
  3. Player one either chooses a new word or responds to player two’s word.
  4. 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:

  1. Assign a player a word.
  2. The player draws a series of blanks corresponding to the number of letters in the word.
  3. Other players guess letters.
  4. 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.
  5. 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:

  1. Each player draws seven letter tiles.
  2. During turns, players can play tiles or exchange them for new letters.
  3. Players build words on the board, with each new word connecting to an existing word.
  4. 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:

  1. One player rolls a letter die or uses a letter generator to pick the first letter.
  2. The timekeeper puts 60 seconds on the clock.
  3. Players write down one answer per category starting with the letter.
  4. When time runs out, players read the answers.
  5. 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:

  1. Divide the group into teams.
  2. Give one player on each team the pyramid.
  3. The pyramid holder must give hints to teammates describing each word without using the actual name of the item.
  4. When players guess correctly, the pyramid master can move to the next word. Or, players can say “pass,” and return to the word later.
  5. 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:

  1. A player suggests two unrelated words.
  2. Player one gives a number of planks. This is how many steps other players must use to relate the two words.
  3. 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:

  1. Pick a poetry style, such as sonnet, haiku, acrostic, limerick, or free verse.
  2. Give participants vocabulary words to use within the poem.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Learning New Words with Fun!

Who said learning English is a boring task? Whether the learning session is boring or not, it completely depends on the teacher. If you are a parent, you should consider teaching your children with games. In the case of teaching English, word games are a fun way to learn.

Learning doesn't mean that someone has to go through hefty books and continue it for hours. Even games can educate someone. Well, in most cases the learner doesn't even notice that he or she is learning new things, they think they are having a fun activity. This is even truer for young children.

The word games are not new concepts. These game shave been with us for a long time. Actually, kids are always fond of them. You don’t believe me? Then maybe you haven’t seen kids eagerly waiting for the newspaper to arrive just to solve the crosswords puzzle.

But these games are not just a source of fun. In short, they are educative and intriguing. You could call them the gym for your brain!

Word games or the word puzzles are a popular form of a board game. It challenges a player to demonstrate the skill of a particular language, especially the English language.

There are a lot of popular forms of word games. For example, in the game hangman, the player has to demonstrate their spelling skills. Basically, Crosswords try to challenge the vocabulary skill of a player.

Word games even turn into popular TV game show. Did you know that Spelling Bee is the first ever telecasted game show? It is now one of the most challenging national competition in the USA. 

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today!

Similarly, Wheel of Fortune is another great example of a televised word-based game show. It is now the longest-running syndicated game show in the USA.

There are different types of word games available for the kids as well as the adults. I have made a list of the category of the word games. Take a look –

Letter Arrangement games

In this type of word game, a player has to form a meaningful word from the given words. These games serve two purposes – vocabulary testing and lateral thinking capability.

Examples:  Upwords, Bananagrams, Scrabble, Countdown, and Paperback.

Paper and Pencil Games

As the name suggests, this type of games requires a piece of paper and a pencil or a pen. The aim is simple; you will have to write a word depending on different parameters. Different games have a different set of rules and parameters. For example, a player has to fill out blocks or grids with corresponding words based on the clue. This is the most popular word game in history.

Examples: Crosswords, Scattergories, Word Finder or Word Search, Hangman.

Semantic Games

The semantic games are a little more complex. These games focus on the semantic or meaning of words. The knowledge of a player about a particular language is extensively tested.

Examples: Blankety Blank, Codenames, Mad Libs, etc.

In the earlier days, the word games have been just a source of fun for the kids. But since 2000, word games have become a useful tool for “brain training.” People are seeing different forms of brain games online and brain games for adults. Among the brain games, word games are exceptionally popular.

Games like crosswords, scrabble, and hangman have never lost their appeal to the younger audience. With the rise of smartphones, we are seeing a lot of apps devoted to developing this field.

Word games can help a child to exercise their cognitive functions. Millions of fans are getting help from such word games.

You could call it the "golden age" of board games. The increasing competition has let the designers create more fascinating and logical word games that can satisfy the hunger of the common people. These modern games tend to have more difficult sets of rules and often stands apart from the traditional ones.

For example, the popular word games like Decrypto, Codenames, Anomia, etc. have been out there after 2010.  

The smartphones also allow the players to play the games together virtually. The friendly rivalry makes fuels the competition and the interest to play the games. These games are extremely educating. For example, the mobile game “Words with Friends” by Zynga accepts 173,000 words. Can you imagine, how could it help your child to increase their vocabulary?

I have seen the parents telling their kids to "stop playing and start reading" quite too often. You cannot blame the kids; they are supposed to love playing games! The smart move would be to encourage them to play the games that are constructive and not violent.

In this case, the word games come in handy. You could try playing WordFinder with your kids. You could find a lot of word search for kids online. Most of these games are free-to-play. Moreover, you can find thousands of free word search games for kids.

You could try visiting the word games section of SpellQuiz. It has a great collection of educational games for the kids as well as for the adults. So, people of all ages can enjoy these games. You could even share the results with your friends on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+.

Okay, back to the main point – why should you let your child play the word games? Here are some of the critical reasons for you to do so –

Cognitive Exercise

Physical exercise is essential for the human body. But the exercise of the brain is equally important. The primary benefit of playing word games is cognitive exercise. The more you play these word games puzzles, the more polished your brain becomes.

Richer Vocabulary

Most of the word games require strong skill in vocabulary. The more words you know, the better your score will be. Moreover, while playing games, you will more likely gather new words. So, playing these games will passively help you to build up a stronger vocabulary base.

Test Your Spelling Skills

Whether you are playing Crosswords, Scrabble, or Hangman, you will have to have a strong sense of spelling. It is a great way to learn spelling words. There are different spelling quizzes that could attract many players. Playing difficult spelling games and challenging friends is a new trend in social media. So, it could be a great pastime for you and your kids. Needless to say, you or your kids' spelling skills will get a strong boost.

Fighting off the Boredom

Kids are easily bored with constant studies. They would even try to skip the study sessions when they are feeling too bored with the studies. So, the word games could help them fight off the boredom and learn at the same time.

Parents are constantly searching for “word games free” or “free online word games.” They need some exciting word games for their kids to amuse them and help them learn in a different way. Luckily, SpellQuiz is a great place for word games online that can help the children to learn and have fun, at the same time.

With SpellQuiz, you could learn geography in a fun way. The website doesn't only offer brain games and word searches; it also offers a fascinating geography quiz.

Who doesn’t love challenges? If you are one of those people who are just hungry for some great brain teasers, you could try out the Difficult Spelling Quiz and the Hard Spelling Test. The tricky games will not only fascinate you but also teach you a lot of new things.

Are you worried about improving your kids' grammar skills? Then, you could try the "Conditional Test." The word origin test will, on the other hand, test your knowledge of the English language with some interesting and tricky questions.

Games are always a fun activity, for both the kids and the adults. Rather than pressuring your kids for studies, you should let them have some with the word games. The word games will do the trick and teach your kids in an intriguing way that is both effective and fun.

Also, try this vocabulary test to understand your current skill level! Try these spelling tests to master English spelling! Also, don't forget to check the complete list of spelling words.   

Lexical games in English lessons - EnglishDom blog

August 24, 2015

6 min. read

The usefulness and necessity of using games during English lessons has been proven for a long time and does not need additional arguments. But very often teachers use the game element in the lesson in order to give students the opportunity to relax, switch to a new activity and forget about the extreme usefulness of the game for learning, in particular memorizing new vocabulary. It is for this purpose that a whole complex of so-called lexical games has been developed.

Complete the topic in the online simulator:
  • Pre-Intermediate Top 100 Words
  • Upper-intermediate top 100 words
  • Top 100 Intermediate words
  • Top 100 Phrasal Verbs
  • Top 100 Elementary words

Types

Lexical games can be used at different levels of mastering the English language - from beginner to advanced (Advanced). Only, of course, at each stage these games will be different. At the Beginner and Elementary levels, you can learn the alphabet, spelling of letters and words in a playful way. At an older level, this is a good way to memorize new expressions and phrases. Games can be more creative and communicative (invent a story, make up a dialogue with new words, etc.) and semi-communicative, aimed at practicing and memorizing new lexical units (gap filling, choose the right variant, hangman, etc.). Also, vocabulary games can be active, mobile (which is more preferable when working with children) and static (this is especially suitable when conducting an online lesson). They can be played individually, in pairs and in groups. Whatever type you choose, always consider the individual characteristics of your students, because for some people creativity is in full swing, and for some it may seem like a waste of time.

Read also

English at the airport. The most useful phrases for travelers

English vocabulary on the topic "Relax and have fun"

https://cdn-static-englishdom. gcdn.co/dynamicus/blog-post/000/001/053/11e27df0549f7a4fc74a3f4292297e53.mp3

4 When only students learn the alphabet

at the beginning of the way of mastering the English language and while they are still learning to speak, various game methods can and should be used to help them learn the letters of the alphabet.

Alphabet shooting range

Children will love this game. To carry it out, you need to write the letters of the alphabet on separate cards and let the students take turns throwing the ball at these letters. In which letter the ball hits, you need to come up with a word for this, or several are possible. For each word you need to count a point, whoever scored the most points, he won.

Alphabet in Pictures

Show the children pictures with words in English. Each letter at the beginning of a word is part of the English alphabet. It is desirable that they are arranged in the correct order, as in the alphabet. But some letters are missing. Students need to guess which letters of the alphabet are missing. To help them, offer other pictures with words where the first letter is a component of the alphabet. To make the task a little more difficult, there should be more of these cards than missing letters. Thus, students will have to go through almost all the letters in their heads in order to calculate the ones they need.

Reinforcing words

As you know, in order to memorize a new word, you need to repeat it about fifty times. Only then will it be stored in your long-term memory. Cramming and just repeating words to yourself, to put it mildly, is uninteresting and boring. Therefore, use the following games in the classroom to make the process of memorizing words easy and fun.

"Find the stranger"

Give students word groups (three to five words in one group) that are logically related. But one word should be superfluous. Students need to find the extra word and explain why it does not fit the category. Thus, you can consolidate words on a new topic and repeat words on topics already covered. During the game, the skills of speaking, logical thinking and building arguments are activated and developed. For example:

Zoo, dog, mouse, cock, cat;
Cheese, coffee, hungry, soup, sausage;
Grey, nose, hair, ear, foot.

Crossword

This play method is suitable for almost all levels and ages. For the initial level, “definitions” can be given in the native language, and words can be entered in English. For a higher level, "definitions" should already be given in English. You can complicate the task and, conversely, offer students already guessed words in a crossword puzzle, in which you need to define words in turn and guess them.

Read also

Australian English

Quiz

This game encourages competitive interest. It is advisable to carry it out with repetition or control, when you have finished learning a certain topic. This game can be used with both children and adults, online or offline, at any level of language proficiency and adapted to any topic. You need to draw a table in which the categories of questions are written horizontally, i.e. the topics studied, and vertically the points that a student can get for a correct answer. As the complexity of the questions increases, the number of points for the correct answer also increases. So, for example, for the easiest question you can get 1 point, and for the most difficult 10 points. The student chooses the category and difficulty of the question, you read the question. If the answer is incorrect, you can invite the opponent to try to answer the question. Whoever scores the most points wins.

As you can see, vocabulary games in an English lesson can be very different in terms of complexity, subject matter, communicative orientation, etc. Some require some preparation from the teacher, and some can be done completely spontaneously. Some games can be played in five minutes and moved on to another activity in the lesson, while others can take an entire lesson. In any case, it is up to you to choose, because all activities in the classroom should be maximally adapted to the needs, level and interests of your students. Games bring a certain variety to the educational process and, memorizing new vocabulary with pleasure, it is then easier for students to apply it in various situations of communication.

Large and friendly family EnglishDom

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Irene

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5 interesting games on associations for the development of vocabulary

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Are students tired of boring word lists and typical notebook entries? Of course, no one canceled regular work on vocabulary: for example, reading classical literature, solving crossword puzzles, working with a dictionary, adding a word every day to the diary ... But there is not much time for this in class, I want something new, fresh and, most importantly, effective? Developing game associations will come to the rescue, which do not require a lot of resources and preparation, involve all participants, and help develop memory and attention. Do not forget, we are all from childhood, and we remember well that the best way to remember something is a game.

We chose 5 interesting mnemonic games that each teacher can use in their classes - both group and individual, online or offline.

1.

Vocabulary dominoes

The game is suitable for both a couple and a team of students. The first participant reads / names a phrase / word, for example, from the key vocabulary and builds a sentence with it. The next participant must begin his sentence with the word that ended the sentence of the first participant, while using a different phrase from the key vocabulary. And so on. As a result, whole funny stories can develop. For younger levels, building phrases instead of sentences is suitable.

2.

Chain

The game trains different parts of speech and consists of the following: the teacher shows / draws or names an object, the task of the student / couple or team is to tell or write as many associations as possible about this object (color, smell, purpose, etc. ). For a more playful atmosphere, you can arrange competitions between teams for speed or for the number of associations about the subject.

3.

Tell the opposite

The rules are as follows: the teacher says the word, the student or the team says the opposite word (antonym). The perfect game for learning adjectives (like polite - impolite, polite - rude), adverbs (slowly - quickly, easily - hard) and even whole sentences if you need to get grammar involved (like He is impolite - He is not polite). Variation of the game: students name synonymous words / constructions. You can also play at speed, competing in teams or pairs.

4.

Find the ending

The meaning of the game is for students to choose an associative ending for the proposed phrase. The teacher or the first student reads the beginning of the sentence, the second student continues it. The third can start his sentence with the end of the second, and so on. All types of conditional sentences are worked out very well in this game, in which students need to put key / thematic vocabulary.

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