5 Tips for Learning New Words Using an English Learning App
Using these tips will help you learn new words, whether they are English or any other language.
WordUp Team
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12/7/2023
How to Get Better at Learning New Words Using the Best English Learning App for You
If you find learning new words challenging and wish to know some magical ways or are looking for the best English learning app for yourself to expand your vocabulary range, you might like what’s coming a lot. Read on to learn 5 effective tips for learning new words. Also, we might even tell you a way that works like magic. Interested? Stay with us to find out what it is.
The Importance of Learning New Vocabulary
Words are the building blocks of a language. By putting them together, we manage to communicate what we mean and let our voices be heard. Learning new words gives us the power to use the language as close as possible to the intention that we have in mind. The more extensive your vocabulary, the better you can use the language to reach your goals.
Besides, learning new vocabulary improves your memory, concentration, and other brain functions. Based on several studies, it can delay brain ageing and prevent mental diseases. It also triggers the part of the brain that is responsible for rewards and encouragement. That is why learners often feel drawn to learning words. It makes them feel good.
Have you ever wondered how to improve your vocabulary? To tell you the truth, looking at countless vocabulary learning books and endless lists on the internet is enough to make anybody feel discouraged. Knowing what’s practical will help you accelerate your learning process to a great extent.
Do you want to know the best working tips to learn new English vocabulary? Keep on reading to find out.
1. Use an English Learning App that Puts the Vocabulary in Context
Learning vocabulary in context is one of the best ways to learn because the context provides a general idea of the word’s definition. Our brain stores information in long-term memory when the information is associated with a feeling or a description. For that reason, when you hear a new word in the context (e.g., the pronunciation, dialogues in a movie, definitions next to related pictures), you are more likely to remember it later in other situations.
Many words in English are intangible, meaning that they are not easy to understand. As a result, the learners probably will not understand the meaning by just reading the examples. Consider the word “Imagination.” If you look it up in the dictionary, you will see the following information as the definition.
Guess the Meaning of Words From Context
Imagination: /ɪˌmadʒɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
The ability to bring to mind pictures of things that are not real.
A learner who is not already familiar with the word might have difficulty understanding this concept and confuse the meaning with something entirely different. Now, Imagine reading the word “Imagination” in the following context for the first time:
“Although he was sitting in an empty room, he could see a beautiful garden and many interesting creatures running around in his imagination.”
The above example may not give you the definition directly, but it gives you a helpful idea about its general meaning. That is the power of the context. So, try to learn in sentences and scripts. Stories are always the best option because they help you recognise the vocabulary faster in your next encounter.
What About Hearing the Same Word in a Movie?
Not only does a movie provide you with a backstory for the word, but it also enables you to hear the pronunciation. Moreover, what’s best about learning from movies or series is that they familiarise you with real conversations. That is the purpose of a good context. It allows you to learn the words along with their real-life usages.
So, how are we supposed to find related context?
You can use language learning resources that provide examples and relatable context for English vocabulary, like the WordUp app, which is a legit source for learning new English words. It allows you to learn new vocabulary in various examples, videos, and other media.
2. Focus on Words That Matter
There are thousands of words in a dictionary. But are we going to need all of them? Certainly, not all of them. The first thing to consider is the fact that the primary reason behind learning a language is the ability to communicate more efficiently. According to linguists, you only need 800 words to be able to have a basic conversation and around 8,000 to speak as well as a native English speaker.
When learners come across endless lists of vocabulary, learning them seems like a mission impossible. As a result, they might feel that no matter how hard they try, their improvements will never meet the expectations. In fact, that is one of the reasons why English learners quit. Well, who can blame them?
In case you are one of those learners, fear not! You only need to learn words that matter. Not all that is listed in the dictionary is necessarily what you need to learn. That’s awesome, isn’t it? What’s more, you can use WordUp’s word bank to see what is the most practical and most-used words in real life.
3. Use Memory Techniques
Learning new languages is often associated with memorising, but when it comes to memorising, learners often rather run for the hills! Well, good news! It’s not even that effective because even if you would be able to remember them for a while, you will forget them sooner or later.
Memory techniques can help you remember what you learn for a longer time. In some cases, the technique is so effective that the information creates a strong connection to the brain. That is because the information grabs on something as a hanger, like similarities, visual descriptions, or funny factors, something related to one of the five senses (i.e., hearing, taste, touch, eyesight, and smell). As a result, it creates emotions.
Suppose you want to learn the word “puppy.” Before being presented with the word, you see a video clip of a cute puppy sleeping on a blanket. You might think the puppy is cute. The emotion triggered in you because of the puppy’s cuteness becomes the hanger to hold on to your memory. Now, repeating the same word beside the same video or different pictures of cute puppies will forever connect the feeling with the word.
Choose the Right Technique for You
You can learn through creating associations with sound smells or sceneries. When you are dealing with something new that you would like to retain in your memory it is not a bad idea to involve your other senses as well. Such a thing would make your encounter with the subject you are learning more memorable.
Using flashcards is a good example of memory techniques. In fact, some English learning apps use flashcards and other techniques to teach new vocabulary. We used different memory techniques, such as spaced repetition, active recall, mnemonics, and peg system, in designing WordUp.
What makes WordUp stand out among all the other apps, whether in the market, ios or andiord, is its numerous multimedia example sources within each flashcard. We wanted English learners to have equal opportunity to use textual examples, videos, news pieces, podcasts, etc., so that they can choose the most effective examples for them.
Read as Much as You Can
Now, if you are looking for a secret recipe for learning new vocabulary, here it is: Read, read, and read some more! It can be challenging to start reading English books, articles, and other things at first. But it gets easier for you because you keep getting better at it. Reading different resources expands your structural input.
Besides, you will have a chance to see what you’re learning in different contexts, which is excellent for your understanding. Another amazing fact about the effects of reading on your English proficiency is that it shows you how to use words in sentences. Reading about the structures in Grammar books is good but reading them in a real text is excellent.
For one thing, every text has its own tone of voice, which indicates the feelings behind the message. Moreover, a text is more likely to engage you and grab your attention, resulting in you remembering the new vocabulary within the structures and an overview of the whole subject. Also, don’t forget about collocation. Knowing whether you should say fork and spoon or spoon and fork will play a huge part in your proficiency.
Did you know that you can read the vocabulary you’re learning in various texts in WordUp? The texts are taken from famous people’s speeches, news pieces, articles, books, etc. So, read as much as you want!
Make Learning a Habit
If you want to improve your vocabulary, you need to learn every day and practice. In fact, you need to make learning a habit for it to work. Better to set a specific time and duration for your daily studies. Conditioning your brain to do a specific task at a specific time will make it much easier to create a working habit. When you learn new words every day, after a while, it becomes natural to you.
Important tip: It’s ok to take baby steps. If this is the first time you are starting to learn new English words, you need to calm yourself down and start very small. It is not necessary to learn a whole dictionary column a day. Fulfilling small steps creates a sense of achievement and encourages you to try more. As a result, you will eventually learn more in one day.
Learning new vocabulary at WordUp is completely customisable, meaning that you can choose the number of words you learn every day. Our users are encouraged to study English at their own pace. Besides, you can set reminders based on your schedule. Forming new habits takes time and this allows you to do exactly that.
Remember this:
You only get better in time. So have patience and let your brain absorb the information long enough to become actually ready to use it.
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