Ever wondered how to improve your vocabulary skills? People who can express themselves competently and in-depth are often far more successful. It is not necessarily about becoming the best creative writer globally, but instead someone with confidence in daily conversations and expressing complex ideas. Having the right words helps us build the case for our thoughts, and so is something that everyone should be looking to improve.
What is a vocabulary?
Your vocabulary is essentially your stock of words that you are familiar with and can use in your daily communication. Your word stock is likely influenced by your specific area of knowledge. For instance, if you are a scientist, you will have many words available to your that non-scientists do not.
The average vocabulary range is between 20,000 and 35,000, which are the words that they can use and read and understand.
Our vocabulary is split into three tiers. The first is the essential word selection that we will have attained before reaching school age. You learn the words while you are learning at tier two, which might be subject-specific such as photosynthesis in science. The final tier includes those words that we more often write than speak, such as “auspicious”.
Maybe a better way to categorise your vocabulary is in the words you can listen for, those you can speak, those you are happy to read, and those you will use in writing.
Why is this vocabulary so essential?
Our vocabulary matters for so many reasons. It is one of the most essential tools for learning and for understanding the world around us. First, it helps you shape your ideas into a coherent argument. Without the language available, you are unlikely to create new concepts or approaches. You are then able to communicate these thoughts in a way that others understand.
A broad vocabulary also helps us read and understand more complex texts, increasing our chance of success in our working life.
Most importantly, you can express yourself better and so feel more fulfilled.
How do we develop our vocabulary?
Our vocabulary begins to develop from a child. We gain words from a mixture of socialising, education, reading and watching television.
Speaking starts at around 12 months, and we then learn anything from 750 to 3000 words per year. By the age of 6, most children can use 2600 words in speech but understand anywhere up to 24000 words. By the time the child reaches 12, this will have doubled.
How will I know if I need to work on my vocabulary?
If you have a weak vocabulary, you will struggle to understand many of the words being used. A delay in language acquisition can happen for so many reasons, and others might be able to see it better than you can.
However, if you find yourself confused when reading a book, misinterpreting messages, misusing well-known words, getting frustrated in a conversation or lacking the confidence to get involved in a conversation or expressing your opinion for fear of looking stupid – then you might need to do some work.
How do I improve my vocabulary?
There are lots of ways to absorb new words in your vocabulary. While we tend to learn a word a day in adulthood, there is no reason you cannot accelerate this process.
Word games
Word games are an excellent way to absorb new words. Playing games like scrabble or completing a crossword each day can significantly impact your abilities with words. It is worth realising that until you see the term used, you can never be expected to know it. Therefore, the more exposure to new words, the more you will learn.
Actively learn a word a day
If you are worried that playing games will not help it sink in, then use a dictionary to find one new word each day. Then, spend the day dropping this word into your speaking and writing will help embed it into your vocabulary.
Read a lot more
A healthy reading habit is directly proportional to the number of words in a person’s vocabulary. The more areas of life you read about, the larger your vocabulary. Each area of life usually has its own list of specialist terms that can then be used in everyday life.
Reading is a great way to learn new words because you see them in context. You will fathom the meaning and use of the word better this way than just looking at its purpose online or in a dictionary.
Use a thesaurus
If you are trying to express a concept and it is not coming out exactly right, you can use a thesaurus to clarify your thoughts. The more you do this, the more these words will embed in your memory.
Take a course in English
Finally, you can improve your vocabulary directly by taking an English course of some kind. It might be that you haven’t studied English since school – and you could use a refresher or top-up. It is never too late to commit to learning.
