Playing vocabulary games can be a great way to improve your vocabulary and become a better speaker and writer. They can also be a lot of fun too. At your next gathering, think about playing some of these great vocabulary games. Some of them require the purchase of a game, but others simply require a love of words and a passion for fun.
Fun Vocabulary Games for Groups
If you have the time or inclination to go to the toy store, there are several great games you can play that will improve your vocabulary and liven up your next party:
Boggle
Boggle is a game in which there are a series of dice with letters on the sides. You mix up the dice in their grid, and the letters appear. Make as many words as you can with those letters before the timer runs out. The person with the most words wins the game. This is a form of word jumble or text twist that can be played over and over again. Since you shake up the letters each time, no two games are the same and you will constantly be striving to find new words to make from the letters.
Scattegories
Scattegories is another game with a dice containing letters. This time, however, you get a sheet with a list of 12 categories. You roll the letter dice and then have to come up with a word that starts with that letter for each category. For example, the category may be "Things you Find at a Football game" and the letter might be "S." You then have to try to come up with words - such as "seating" or "soda" that you would find at a football game that start with the letter "S." If you can come up with a two-word answer (such as "stadium seating," you get double the points for the question.
This is another game that is different every time, as you get to role a new letter for each game. The more people you have, the more fun this game is, as you have to try to come up with creative answers so no one duplicates yours.
Scrabble
Scrabble may be perhaps the most famous vocabulary game of all time. The premise is to arrange seven tiles that you have on a board with existing letters. This game truly challenges you to stretch your vocabulary, as you have to make something out of what you have in order to get points to win the game.
Other Games
If you don’t have a board game available or simply want to play an impromptu vocabulary game, there are plenty of fun things to do as well. Some common vocabulary games you can play in groups that require only your imagination and creativity include:
- Taboo
- Random word game
Taboo
Taboo can be played with a board game, in an electronic version called Catch Phrase or just your creativity and a slip of paper. The premise is that you have to get your teammates to say the word that you are thinking of. You can write down a word - perhaps within a certain category, or a word that the other team gives you. You then need to get your teammates to say that word by using clues only, and not saying certain words that are too related to the word.
For example, if the word was "television" you could give clues such as "a thing that you watch shows on, something you watch NBC on" or other related clues. The harder the word you choose, the more difficult it is to find the appropriate clues and get your teammates to guess.
Random Word
Random word game involves sitting in a circle. One person starts with a word - maybe within a certain category or simply just any word, depending on how you want to structure the game. The next person in the circle has to come up with a new word that begins with the last letter of the previous word said.
So, for example, if your category was sports and the person said "Baseball," the next person would have to come up with a sports word that started with "L." Lacrosse might be a good answer. The more broad the category, the longer you can go around the circle.
Each of these vocabulary games can be played in groups to improve your vocabulary and help yourself to learn new words.