Vocabulary.com Blog
Articles from 2013
Dept. of Word Lists
"Caustic" "Repartee": Vocabulary from Lou Reed
A new list honors the life of a remarkable rock musician
In tribute to rock musician Lou Reed, who died this weekend, we offer a list of words pulled from his songs.
Continue reading...
Under the HoodThe science of vocabulary building
Unpacking Vocabulary-in-Context Questions for the SAT
And how we can help you learn to get them right
Tricky as they may be, vocabulary-in-context questions are important. They're one of the hallmarks of the Common Core, play an important role in the SAT, and more to the point, more accurately reflect the kind of nuanced mastery of language you need to do well in school. Here's how we help you get them right.
Continue reading...
Tasty MorselsGood stuff from Vocabulary.com
Four Stars from Common Sense Media!
Praises "uniquely customized experience"
Common Sense Media, the well-regarded independent site that reviews media for children, recently evaluated Vocabulary.com, and determined that the site's "a great learning resource" that's "fun," "easy to use," and "well designed." The review focused primarily on Vocabulary.com's appropriateness for children, concluding that it works best for kids age 13 and up. Read the full rating here.
Continue reading...
In a story about the opening of an online archive of Emily Dickinson manuscripts taken from the Amherst College and Harvard University archives, the New York Times quotes an Amherst archivist as saying of the Harvard-Amherst relationship, "They have the furniture, we have the daguerreotype; they have the herbarium, we have the hair." Harvard vs. Amherst aside, we had to wonder what a herbarium actually is.
Continue reading...
Dept. of Word Lists
A Hero "Intervenes": Ten Words in the News You Need to Know
Following the story of insurance exchanges roll out, the economic response to the shutdown, and the tragic school shooting in Sparks, NV
Intervene might seem like a mild word to describe an act of heroism by Sparks Middle School teacher Michael Landsberry, who was shot Monday while attempting to talk down a student with a gun, but in fact, it gets to the heart of what heroic bravery means. Learn intervene and ten more words from this week's news.
Continue reading...
One of the most persistent myths about word acquisition is that students don't need to be taught words; they just need to read more and their vocabularies will magically expand. This theory — which I like to call "learning words by osmosis" — doesn't hold much promise for your average or struggling reader. While it may hold true for a select group of students who are strong, avid readers possessing a curiosity about words, most students don't learn words by simply encountering them in reading.
Continue reading...
Dept. of Word Lists
Coleridge Vocab: Ever Wonder What "Albatross" Means?
Coleridge's great poem is easier to read when you pre-learn some vocab.
Ever wonder where the expression "an albatross around one's neck" comes from? Or even what the word albatross means? Look no further than Samuel Taylor Coleridge's oft-quoted ballad "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" to find out.
Continue reading...
Sign up now (it’s free!)
Whether you’re a teacher or a learner,
Vocabulary.com can put you or your class
on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.