One great way to learn
new words without feeling
overwhelmed is to challenge
yourself with word games.
From the timeless favorite
Scrabble to the always
cool anagram, there
are all kinds of games
that we take on: for
fun, for learning. To
test your current vocabulary
IQ, here are five word
games you might consider.
1. Jumble. A
favorite word game that
relies on the rearrangement
of "jumbled" letters
into a word. Each puzzle
has a theme to provide
a bit of guidance. For
instance "mecerebd"
for a Christmas-themed
jumble would be "December."
The Jumble puzzles found
in your daily newspaper
are accompanied by a
humorous cartoon and
a pun. In order to get
the pun however, you
need to solve the final
jumble. It's a fun,
rewarding game that
does demand a lot of
your brain. To recognize
the right word among
the scramble of letters
can be quite difficult.
2. Crosswords. You can't go wrong with
crossword puzzles. Keep
a dictionary nearby
and use it when you
need to verify spelling
or definition. The fact
that you know where
to look among the lexicon's
multitude of words means
that you're on the right
track. Crosswords are
good challenges because
they come with built-in
context, from the clues
to the theme of the
puzzle (e.g. a crossword
about adjectives). Crosswords
are fun pastimes, available
in different skill levels,
which can be taken anywhere.
Play online or in print
and challenge yourself
to get to that next
level. For many, completing
The New York Times crosswords
in pen is a triumph.
3. Scrabble. Online versions of this
classic board game make
it easy to play anywhere,
anytime. The rules remain
the same, with each
player getting seven
letter tiles from which
they are to form new
words. Points rewarded
are based on the value
of the individual tile;
while the game's value
to the player is the
challenge inherent in
forming high-value words
and searching one's
vocabulary to find word
gems. It's an addictive
game that can be frustrating,
only because we all
want to impress our
opponents with we know.
4. Word Searches. In a word search, you're
presented with a block
of scrambled letters.
Within these letters,
words are hidden and
the object of the game
is to uncover them.
Each word search has
a theme, such as "government,"
which will be your clue
in knowing what to look
for. Success relies
on your own vocabulary
since your brain will
recognize the words
(it knows) when it comes
upon them. These games
all come with a key
as well, so in the end
you can check your score.
If you missed any of
the words, you may wish
to look them up and
add them to your vocabulary
list(s).
5. Hangman. A fill-in-the-black
game where you get a
certain number of chances
to guess the word before
a dire consequence happens
to the "hangman;" i.e.
his demise. Variations
of the game replace
the hangman with other
characters/situations,
but the basic rules
remain the same. It's
like Wheel of Fortune,
only without the fortune
and with a hangman.
As with crosswords,
Jumble, and word searches,
hangman games have themes
to help players get
started. It's said that
the game's history dates
back to Victorian times.
A player's success will
again rely on his/her
own vocabulary. If the
game is lost and the
word revealed in the
end is one new to you,
mark it as a word to
learn and remember from
then on.
What's great about
word games like the
ones above is that they
manage to help us expand
our vocabulary without
seeming like instruction.
Indeed, there's nothing
quite like wowing the
room with a 50-point
Scrabble bonus you didn't
even know you had. But
your brain did. It's
a proud moment! |
