Do any of these describe your relationship with vocabulary?

I keep forgetting new words.

I don’t like using lists, flashcards, etc.

I feel like I’m not making progress because I don’t know enough words.

When it comes to language learning, vocabulary is a different kind of monster. Instead of jumping out to scare you (like grammar), it hides until you figure out the right trick to help you learn. The most frustrating part is that what works for someone else might not work as well for you.

But if that’s the case, what can you do to find a method that truly helps you learn new vocabulary?

Why are you learning?

All language learners have a reason for why they’re learning a language in the first place. But what’s your motivation for learning a particular set of vocabulary words?

Maybe you’re still working on the basics or using a list of words to learn from a textbook or an app. Either way, it’s not the most exciting material. In some cases, it might not even seem useful.

One of the benefits of learning solo is that you can choose exactly what you want to learn next. You can focus on vocab for more interesting topics or ignore words you’ll probably never use. Even if you’re having trouble learning essentials like numbers or directions, you can put them in a context that’s important to you.

Give Your Vocab Meaning Any Way You Can

You might not care about a list of numbers in a textbook. But you do want to know how to say dates and times, and knowing numbers can also save you money!