Note: If you are really serious about improving your vocabulary, we highly recommend you check out the popular Ultimate Vocabulary Builder

Vocabulary Learning Software: Does it Work?

Parents and students often wonder about vocabulary learning software. Some programs are incredibly expensive, and even the cheap ones are an investment for a poor student or a struggling family. Vocabulary is so important, as a person with an excellent vocabulary will also have superior reading comprehension skills and very high quality writing. A good working vocabulary allows a person to know which word to use in which situation, and to speak using advanced words without sounding stilted or scripted. A good vocabulary can mean good grades, good applications, good jobs and good promotions. A lot of people want to improve their vocabularies, but can’t think of any way to do it aside from the ever-popular flashcards.

Technically, the very best way to improve your vocabulary is to read. You don’t need to look up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary, but it may help you learn words faster. You can highlight new words, keep track of them in a journal, even keep a spreadsheet on the computer to help you learn words faster. One great way to learn a new word is to look it up on the internet. By plugging that word into a search engine, you can see how many other people have used it. This is a bit faster than just reading and hoping to encounter the word enough times to make it stick. By reading how other people have used that word, you can develop a distinct sense of where and when to use it.

As for the question at hand, does vocabulary learning software work, the answer really depends on the program. Many vocabulary programs are designed to work just like flashcards. You practice matching definitions to words. This is a great way to improve your skill at matching definitions to words, but not so helpful with adding words to your active vocabulary. Remember, you need to see other people use the word, and you need to see it a lot. Some programs actually have a whole collection of sentences for each word. Programs like Ultimate Vocabulary have dozens of sentences for every word in the program. You can read the target word in many different contexts, just like you would while reading books or looking up the word on the internet.

Vocabulary learning software can be a big help when you need to study for a major standardized test like the LSAT, GRE, SAT, or ACT. A good program should already have a word list for each test. This allows you to focus on the words you need to learn, but still helps you learn them in the most natural and comprehensive way possible.