In Year 9 I was awarded a book voucher for placing first in Australian History (#historynerd and proud of it). I used it to buy a thesaurus. It was a compact hardcover with a glossy lime green paper wraparound cover. And I loved it. A #wordnerd through and through, I would relish each opportunity to pull out my thesaurus, pick a word in whatever essay/research paper/assignment I was writing, and find a better superior option. (see what I did there? – thesaurus in action!)
As a writer, my thesaurus remains a critical piece of my toolkit. One of the most common pieces of advice you will hear to improve your written communication is to “show, don’t tell”. To use your words to paint a picture. To help your reader imagine for themselves, rather than force yourself upon them. To build a connection and elicit an emotional reaction. And to do this well you need a solid robust word inventory.
Even if you are not a writer, having a wider range of vocabulary at your disposal has advantages. You will be able to communicate more concisely and powerfully. You will be better able to persuade. Using more varied words in written and verbal communication will help you stand out from the crowd, whether it be on a job application, in an interview, presenting to potential clients or working as part of a team. Plus, you can impress friends and family at your next dinner party/bbq and maybe even win an argument or two 😊
PSA: use your enhanced vocabulary wisely…no one likes a smartass know-it-all
It is said that the average English speaking person actively uses around 20,000 words in their everyday speech and writing. This is our active vocabulary. But we probably have another 40,000 words in our passive vocabulary – words we know and
Here are seven ways you can work on increasing cultivating your vocabulary. None of them require spending a bunch of money, but you will reap the biggest rewards if you can dedicate time to them on a regular basis. Memory experts recommend taking a “less, but often” approach to learning and retaining new information. It can take 10 to 20 repetitions to entrench a word in your active vocabulary so use a combination of the techniques below to enhance your word library.
Read, Read, Read
Without a doubt, the best way to add new words to your vocabulary is to absorb them via reading. Read both deeply (within genres/topics) and widely (across genres/topics). The advantage of reading is that it gives your brain context around the new word, rather than just picking a new word to try and learn. It also creates a memory connection that can help you recall that word later, linking it back to the story or character. Books are not the only source either – dive into industry or lifestyle magazines, scientific journals, research papers. Try to push outside your comfort zone by reading material you wouldn’t normally pick up – Australasian Science anyone? If you come across words that you don’t know, or perhaps have heard before but couldn’t define, take note and look them up!
Hot tip: join your local library to get (usually free) access to a world of books, magazines, journals, audiobooks and more. Some libraries also provide free access to ebook and audiobook apps. Love your library!
Use a thesaurus
Invest in a hardcopy to have on your desk. Use the synonym function in MSWord. Bookmark an online thesaurus (thesuarus.com is a digital version of a traditional hardcopy thesaurus. I also like powerthesaurus.com because it includes a crowdsourcing/rating element).
As part of your proofreading/editing stage when writing, keep an eye out for common words you can potentially switch out for something more imaginative. Descriptive words are a good place to start (e.g. beautiful could be gorgeous, tall could be lanky, red could be scarlet, cold could be frosty).
Play word games
Go old school and work through the crosswords and cryptic word puzzles in the weekend papers. Crack out the Scrabble board for a family games night (or maybe a ‘friendly’ game with work colleagues?). Or go techy and download word games for your devices. Here is a list of popular word games for your mobile device (NB: not all of them are free). Many of the word game apps only take a few minutes each round so you can quickly fit a couple in during a spare moment.
The benefit of extending your brain with word games is that it challenges you to access that vault in your passive vocabulary – all those words you know but don’t use in everyday communication – and helps shift them into your active vocab.
Keep a journal
Journalling may not introduce you to new words but it is a great tool to help you practice and retain words. Making a point to actually use new recently learned words, or those sitting in your passive vocabulary, will build new connections in your brain and make it easier to recall the words in your everyday communications. The self-reflective nature of journaling can also help you identify words in your active vocabulary that you tend to overuse – great candidates for getting out a thesaurus and identifying alternatives that you like.
Talk it up
Conversing with others is a way to combine the benefits of reading and journaling with the added bonus of interacting with people! Just as with reading, enjoying a conversation with a wide variety of people will expose you to a wider range of words nomenclature, many specific to a situation or topic (e.g. talking with a customer vs chatting with your father-in-law vs brainstorming with a mentor). You can also listen to podcasts, which give you an opportunity to dive really deep into niche topics or skim over a wide selection of conversations.
Talking to people gives you an opportunity to practice using your new words. You can plan in advance to find a way to drop specific words into a conversation (where appropriate). Observe how (if) your audience reacts to your enhanced words – our verbal lexicon is often less formal than our written style which means that sometimes more sophisticated language feels, and sounds, a bit awkward when spoken aloud. Journal about the experience afterward and really cement the new connections in your brain 🙂
Cultivating an enhanced enriched vocabulary is a valuable and satisfying undertaking that will boost your ability to create and communicate. I’d love to hear about your favourite words and other techniques you use to learn new words. Keep an eye out for #wordupwednesday where I will be sharing a new word every week for you to shift into your active vocabulary.
Word up baby!
