How to Memorize New Words

Learning a foreign language consists of studying three levels: grammar, phonetics, and vocabulary. Grammar is the foundation of a language—a certain set of formulas that allows you to express any idea. Phonetics is its sound: with correct phonetics we understand speech by ear and make our own speech understandable to others. And vocabulary is the words contained in the language. Each word has a specific meaning, and the meanings of words together create the meaning of the whole thought we want to convey to our conversation partner.

The larger our lexical (vocabulary) stock, the more words we recognize in a text—both visually and by ear. Accordingly, the more different thoughts we can express and the higher our level of language proficiency. But while progress in mastering grammar and phonetics of a foreign language is achieved easily and relatively quickly through practice—there aren’t that many rules for building sentences, and the rules of pronunciation and intonation can practically be counted on one hand—vocabulary presents the following difficulty: how can you remember several thousand words that have no connection at all to the words of your native language?

Naturally, practice is needed here too. But everyone’s memory works differently: for some, auditory memory dominates; for others, visual memory; for others, imagery-based memory. So you should try several different memorization methods on your own and determine which ones suit you best. Or you can invent your own.Here are a few tips for expanding your vocabulary:

1. Read, watch, listen. You don’t necessarily have to read books—you can read articles, article headlines, signs, advertisements, labels on shower gels. Watch films with subtitles in the language you’re learning, as well as news and videos online. In short, anything that genuinely interests you! The most fun and easiest way to listen is through songs: first read the lyrics with a translation, and later perceive the words by ear.
2. Write down words—better yet, whole expressions and sentences. When we write new words in a separate notebook, we remember them better than when we simply write the translation above the text. Minimal context is needed to learn in what situation the word or expression should be used. This is especially relevant for English phrasal verbs.
3. Play association games. Don’t be shy about funny or silly associations—they’re the most effective! For example: Work is not a wolf; work is “work,” and a wolf is “walk.” Word games in a foreign language are also very useful: Scrabble, Activity, “Guess what I mean,” crosswords.
4. Put new words and phrases in a visible place. Usually this is the wall in front of your workspace. For some, it’s the kitchen. Sticky notes on the computer monitor. The toilet door (which, by the way, also helps educate everyone who lives in your apartment).
5. Say them out loud. Every time you come across a new word, come up with a sentence or situation using it, and say it all out loud. This activates auditory memory. Be sure to check the pronunciation so you remember it correctly right away and recognize it in spoken language.
6. Draw or use illustrated dictionaries. Illustrations for words and texts engage visual, associative memory. Every situation you read or hear about in a foreign language can—and should—be imagined in detail, sketched, and acted out with friends.
7. Try to use as many new words as possible in your speech. Suppose on Monday you added 20 new words to your notebook. Throughout the week, deliberately use them in every sentence you say in the language you’re learning until they become familiar and “your own.”