- \n
- Divide the class into two teams<\/li>\n
- Give the drawer a vocabulary word from your current unit<\/li>\n
- Set a one-minute timer<\/li>\n
- Teams earn points for correct guesses<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This game helps students connect words to images, which makes them much easier to remember.<\/p>\n
2. Word Association Chain<\/h2>\n
This fast-paced game keeps everyone on their toes. Students sit in a circle and take turns saying words that connect to the previous word.<\/p>\n
Exempelkedja:<\/strong> School \u2192 Books \u2192 Library \u2192 Quiet \u2192 Sleep \u2192 Dreams<\/p>\n
If a student takes too long or cannot think of a word, they sit out for that round. The last person standing wins!<\/p>\n
3. Vocabulary Bingo<\/h2>\n
![\"Scrabble](\"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/vocabulary-word-games-scrabble.jpg\")
Word games like Scrabble help students learn vocabulary through play<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Bingo is simple to set up and students love it. Instead of numbers, use vocabulary words or definitions on the cards.<\/p>\n
Two ways to play:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Definition Bingo:<\/strong> Call out definitions, students find the matching word<\/li>\n
- Word Bingo:<\/strong> Call out words, students find the matching definition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For extra motivation, offer small prizes like stickers or homework passes to the winners.<\/p>\n
4. Hot Seat<\/h2>\n
This game is perfect for reviewing vocabulary before a test. One student sits in the “hot seat” facing away from the board. The teacher writes a vocabulary word behind them.<\/p>\n
The rest of the class gives clues to help the student guess the word. They can describe it, give examples, or use it in a sentence\u2014but they cannot say the word itself!<\/p>\n
5. Vocabulary Relay Race<\/h2>\n
Get students moving with this active game. Divide the class into teams and line them up at the back of the room. Place vocabulary cards at the front.<\/p>\n
How it works:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Call out a definition<\/li>\n
- The first person from each team runs to grab the correct word card<\/li>\n
- The fastest correct answer earns a point<\/li>\n
- That person goes to the back of their line<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This game is especially good for classes that have trouble sitting still for long periods.<\/p>\n
6. Twenty Questions<\/h2>\n
One student thinks of a vocabulary word. The class asks yes-or-no questions to figure out what it is. They only get twenty questions total!<\/p>\n
Good questions to ask:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Is it a noun\/verb\/adjective?<\/li>\n
- Is it something you can touch?<\/li>\n
- Do you use it at school?<\/li>\n
- Is it bigger than a car?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This game teaches students to think carefully about word meanings and categories.<\/p>\n
7. Word Scramble Competition<\/h2>\n
Write scrambled vocabulary words on the board. Students race to unscramble them correctly. For example: LOCSHO becomes SCHOOL.<\/p>\n
You can make this harder by:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Adding more letters<\/li>\n
- Using longer words<\/li>\n
- Setting shorter time limits<\/li>\n
- Having students write sentences with the unscrambled words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tips for Running Vocabulary Games<\/h2>\n
These games work best when you follow a few simple rules:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Keep it quick:<\/strong> Short games (5-10 minutes) work better than long ones<\/li>\n
- Review first:<\/strong> Make sure students know the words before playing<\/li>\n
- Mix up teams:<\/strong> Change groups regularly so students work with different classmates<\/li>\n
- Celebrate effort:<\/strong> Praise students who try, even if they make mistakes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Why Games Help Students Learn<\/h2>\n
Research shows that students remember vocabulary better when they learn it through activities instead of just reading and repeating. Games create emotional connections to words, and those feelings help lock the meanings into long-term memory.<\/p>\n
Plus, games take away the pressure that some students feel when learning a new language. When students are having fun, they are more willing to take risks and practice speaking.<\/p>\n
Try These Games This Week<\/h2>\n
Pick one or two games from this list and try them in your next class. Your students might be surprised\u2014and so might you! Vocabulary practice does not have to be boring. With the right games, it can be the highlight of the lesson.<\/p>\n
Photo credits: Max Fischer<\/a> och miniperde<\/a> via Pexels<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Uppt\u00e4ck 7 engagerande ordf\u00f6rr\u00e5dsspel f\u00f6r engelska som h\u00e5ller eleverna entusiastiska \u00f6ver att l\u00e4ra sig nya ord. Dessa klassrumstestade aktiviteter fungerar f\u00f6r mellanstadiet och alla niv\u00e5er.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[51,50,55,58,56,57,52,33,53,54],"class_list":["post-817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article-posts","tag-classroom-activities","tag-esl-games","tag-esl-teaching","tag-lesson-activities","tag-middle-school","tag-student-engagement","tag-teaching-english","tag-vocabulary","tag-vocabulary-building","tag-word-games"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=817"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2164,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817\/revisions\/2164"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Review first:<\/strong> Make sure students know the words before playing<\/li>\n
- Keep it quick:<\/strong> Short games (5-10 minutes) work better than long ones<\/li>\n
- Word Bingo:<\/strong> Call out words, students find the matching definition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Definition Bingo:<\/strong> Call out definitions, students find the matching word<\/li>\n