Our 5 Favourite Vocabulary Games

Vocabulary makes the world go round, or so it may seem in the English as a foreign language world. Our learners need vocabulary to be able to communicate in English so we need to expose them to loads of vocabulary items. However, that’s not enough. We need to make sure they understand how the words look, sound and are used. Then, we need to make sure they remember all this information. How we do this is by using vocabulary games.

Any teacher worth their salt will have a truckload of vocabulary games up their sleeves. They will have their favourite vocabulary games which they use regularly, game ideas which they haven’t tried yet but are waiting for the right lesson, and some quick and easy no-prep vocabulary games for when they have a few extra minutes in the classroom.

Vocabulary games to add to your collection:

Vocabulary game 1: Strangers on a train

Each student is given a set of cards, each with a word or phrase on. The students are put in pairs or groups. Each pair or group must have a conversation about any topic they want – as if they are sitting next to each other on a train. During the conversation they must use the words on their cards as naturally as possible. They can use the cards in any order, but their usage must make sense. The conversation ends when a student has managed to use all of their words.

Read more: Accuracy versus Fluency: What’s the Big Deal?

Vocabulary game 2: Beginnings and endings

Students are put into groups. One student starts by saying a word. The next student must say another word which starts with the last sound of the previous word. For example, if the first student says fish then next student can say shower but not hotel. The game continues until someone cannot think of a word. To make it harder, you can stipulate that the word needs to belong to a certain category, such as adjectives or travel words.

Vocabulary game 3: Kim’s game

Write down a set of words on flashcards. You will need quite a few – at least ten or twelve. Stick the flashcards to the board. Give the students a few minutes to study the board. Ask the students to look away or close their eyes. Rearrange the words on the board and take one or two away. Students must try identify which word or words are missing. Once this has been done a few times take away all the cards and see how many of the words the students can remember.

Vocabulary game 4: Twenty questions

A student is given a word. Other students must guess the word by asking the student questions about it. The catch? The only answers the student can give are yes and no. In other words, the students can ask Are you a person? But not Are you a person or an animal? The students have twenty questions to ask to try to identify the word.

Read more: Vocabulary Boxes in the EFL Classroom

Vocabulary game 5: Hot potato

Arrange the students into groups, or one large group (depending on your class size). Each group must stand in a circle. One student has a ball. They call out a topic and throw the ball to another student. The student must catch the ball and call out a vocabulary word within that theme. For example, if the first student calls out something red, the next student can call out apple or strawberry. That student then chooses another topic and throws the ball to someone else. If a student cannot think of a relevant vocabulary word, they must step out of the circle and they are out of the game. The game continues until there is one student left.

So there you go: now you can have fun in the classroom and teach vocabulary at the same time! You’re welcome!

Note: This blog post was originally published in July 2018 but was updated in September 2022.