Who says language learning has to be boring? Forget about those dull grammar drills and endless vocabulary lists! If you want to improve your language practice, it’s time to bring out the board games. Yes, you heard that right—board games! Combining the thrill of competition with the joy of learning, these games can turn any ordinary game night into an unforgettable educational experience.
Whether you’re learning Spanish, French, Mandarin, or any other language, board games offer a fantastic way to sharpen your skills. They’re perfect for improving your vocabulary, mastering tricky grammar rules, or simply boosting your confidence to speak out loud—all while having a blast with friends and family. Imagine laughing over a game of Scrabble where you’re desperately trying to remember that one word in Spanish, or getting creative with storytelling in Dixit and surprising everyone with your newfound French flair. Sound fun? It is!
So, if you’re ready to swap out your textbooks for something more interactive, grab some snacks, gather your friends, and get ready to roll the dice. Here are the best language-learning board games that will make your next game night both fun and productive!
1. Scrabble (in Your Target Language)
You might think of Scrabble as that classic word game your grandma always wins at family gatherings, but it’s time to give it a fresh twist—Scrabble in a new language! This timeless favorite is not just about flexing your vocabulary muscles; when played in a different language, it becomes a powerful tool for learning new words and improving your spelling and word-building skills.
How It Works
The rules of Scrabble are simple: players draw letter tiles and use them to form words on the board, earning points based on word length and placement. The twist? You’re playing in your target language, so it’s all about thinking on your feet (and maybe brushing up on that dictionary). It’s like a workout for your brain, pushing you to dig deep into your language knowledge and get creative with those high-scoring tiles!
Language Learning Benefits
Scrabble is fantastic for expanding your vocabulary and reinforcing your memory of new words. It also helps with spelling, which can be especially tricky in languages where pronunciation and spelling don’t always match up (looking at you, French!). Plus, the competitive element adds a layer of excitement—there’s nothing like the satisfaction of landing a long word on a triple-word score, especially when it’s a word you just learned last week!
Pro Tip: If you’re a beginner, don’t be afraid to use a bilingual dictionary to look up words. Make it a rule that every word played must be explained in the target language. This way, even if you’re losing, you’re still winning in terms of learning! And for a fun twist, try “themed rounds” where all words must be related to a specific topic—think food, travel, or emotions. It keeps the game fresh and helps you build vocabulary around themes.
2. Bananagrams: The Fast-Paced Word Building Game
If you love the idea of Scrabble but want something a bit more fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping, Bananagrams is the game for you. Think of it as Scrabble’s cooler, more spontaneous cousin—no board, no waiting for your turn, just a race against your friends to build your own crossword grid as quickly as possible. And when you add a new language into the mix? Well, that’s when things really get bananas!
How It Works
Each player grabs a set of letter tiles and races to build a crossword-style grid using only their tiles. There’s no board, and you don’t wait around for turns; it’s a free-for-all where the fastest player wins. The goal is to use up all your tiles before anyone else does, but here’s the kicker—you’re doing it all in your target language! Suddenly, scrambling for the perfect word becomes a creative challenge as you dig deep into your vocabulary.
Language Learning Benefits
Bananagrams is fantastic for expanding your vocabulary on the fly and sharpening your spelling skills. Because of its fast-paced nature, it pushes you to recall words quickly and think outside the box to build your word grid. It’s also great for enhancing fluency, as it forces you to come up with words rapidly, just like in real-life conversations.
Pro Tip: Make the game even more challenging (and educational) by introducing themed rounds! Maybe all the words have to be related to “foods” in Italian, or perhaps you’re only allowed to use adjectives in German. Themed rounds not only make the game more dynamic but also help reinforce vocabulary clusters, making it easier to remember and use those words later. And for beginners, feel free to use a cheat sheet or vocabulary list—it’s all part of the learning process!
3. Codenames: Pictures Edition
If you’re a fan of word association games and love a good brain teaser, then Codenames: Pictures Edition is the perfect addition to your language learning game night. This game isn’t just about guessing words—it’s about thinking outside the box, crafting clever clues, and making connections that might just stump your opponents. And when you play it in your target language, it takes language learning to a whole new level of fun and challenge!
How It Works
The game is played in teams, with a grid of cards featuring various images laid out on the table. One player on each team is the “spymaster” and gives a one-word clue that relates to several images on the board. The goal is to help their team guess the correct images without choosing the wrong ones. But here’s where it gets interesting—when playing in your target language, you have to think and give clues in that language, making you dig deeper into your vocabulary and creative thinking skills.
Language Learning Benefits
Codenames: Pictures Edition is a fantastic way to practice descriptive language and learn new vocabulary related to everyday objects and actions. It pushes you to think in the target language and find clever ways to connect seemingly unrelated images using just one word. It also helps with listening comprehension and strategic thinking, as teammates discuss and debate their guesses in the target language.
Pro Tip: To make the game even more immersive, set a rule that all discussion and clue-giving must happen in the target language. After each round, have a mini “debrief” where players explain their clues and guesses, which can lead to deeper discussions about word meanings, synonyms, and even cultural references. This way, every round becomes a mini language lesson filled with fun and laughter!
4. Dixit: The Storytelling and Creative Expression Game
If you have a flair for storytelling or just love getting a little artsy with your language learning, Dixit is the perfect game to unleash your inner poet or novelist. With its beautiful, dreamlike illustrations and endless opportunities for creative expression, Dixit isn’t just a game—it’s an imaginative adventure that can transport you to new worlds. And when you’re playing in your target language, every round becomes an exercise in narrative skills and vocabulary expansion!
How It Works
In Dixit, players take turns being the storyteller, choosing a card from their hand and describing it with a word, phrase, or short story—without showing it to anyone else. The other players then select a card from their own hands that they think matches the storyteller’s description. All the cards are shuffled and revealed, and players must guess which card was the storyteller’s. The key? The description needs to be clever, subtle, and, in this case, in your target language!
Language Learning Benefits
Dixit is a fantastic way to practice descriptive language, expand vocabulary, and develop narrative skills in a new language. It encourages you to think creatively and use adjectives, verbs, and more complex sentence structures that go beyond basic language learning. Plus, it’s a fun way to engage with the language on a deeper level, as you try to convey abstract concepts or emotions through storytelling.
Pro Tip: Make it a rule that all storytelling and discussions are in the target language. Encourage players to ask each other questions about the stories and even challenge each other with follow-up descriptions. This can lead to deeper conversations, vocabulary expansion, and a lot of hilarious misinterpretations that make for a memorable game night! For added fun, try themed storytelling rounds—like “A Day in the Life of a Time Traveler” or “An Adventure in a Magical Forest”—to encourage creative language use.
5. Password: The Ultimate Guessing Game
Looking for a game that’s simple to set up, easy to play, and perfect for a language-learning boost? Password is your go-to game! This classic word-guessing game is all about quick thinking and clever clues, making it a fantastic way to practice vocabulary and synonyms in a new language. Plus, it brings out the competitive spirit, which is always a win at game night!
How It Works
In Password, players split into teams and take turns giving one-word clues to help their teammate guess a secret word. The catch? You need to guess the word with as few clues as possible. For example, if the secret word is “apple,” a clue might be “fruit.” If you’re playing in another language, it pushes you to think critically about word relationships, synonyms, and even cultural context.
Language Learning Benefits
Password is a great game for expanding your vocabulary and improving word recall speed. It also helps you understand word relationships, like synonyms, antonyms, and broader concepts. The game encourages concise communication and strategic thinking, which are essential skills for language learners trying to navigate conversations with limited vocabulary.
Pro Tip: Create a list of words in your target language before starting the game to keep things organized and ensure the vocabulary is at the right level for all players. After each round, take a moment to discuss why certain clues were chosen and explore alternative words that could have been used. This reinforces learning and sparks interesting conversations about word choices and meanings. And to really spice things up, try a “lightning round” where clues must be given within a five-second time limit!
6. Pictionary for Language Learning
While not a traditional board game, Pictionary is a physical game that brings creativity and a lot of laughter to any game night. It’s perfect for those who love a bit of artistic fun combined with a language-learning twist. Pictionary becomes a powerful tool for reinforcing vocabulary and improving word recall through visual association when played in a new language. Plus, it’s an excellent way to engage both sides of the brain—mixing creativity with language skills!
How It Works
Players take turns drawing a word or phrase from a card (or a custom list) while their teammates try to guess what it is. The twist? No words, no gestures—just your drawing skills to communicate! When played in your target language, Pictionary challenges learners to think quickly and find visual ways to express words and concepts, making it a fun and engaging language-learning activity.
Language Learning Benefits
Pictionary is especially beneficial for visual learners looking to expand their vocabulary in an interactive way. The act of drawing helps reinforce memory, as learners are more likely to remember words they have visualized. It also encourages thinking in the target language, as players must quickly recall vocabulary and connect words to images.
Pro Tip: Create custom word lists tailored to your language level or focus on specific categories like “household items,” “emotions,” or “nature” to keep the game varied and challenging. To make it even more educational, introduce a rule where the person guessing must use the guessed word in a sentence, further practicing grammar and sentence structure. You’ll get both a language workout and some hilarious drawing attempts that are sure to bring lots of laughs!
7. Boggle: The Fast and Fun Word Search Game
If you love a good word hunt and thrive on quick thinking, Boggle is the perfect game to add to your language-learning arsenal. While it might not have a traditional game board, Boggle is all about finding words in a grid of lettered dice. It’s fast-paced, fun, and a fantastic way to boost your vocabulary and spelling skills in a new language.
How It Works: Players shake a set of lettered dice that settle into a grid. Once the timer starts, it’s a race against the clock to find as many words as possible by connecting adjacent letters in any direction—up, down, sideways, or diagonally. The catch? You can only use each letter once per word, and the longer the word, the more points you score. Playing in your target language turns this simple word game into an exciting linguistic challenge!
Language Learning Benefits: Boggle is great for reinforcing vocabulary, improving spelling, and enhancing word recall speed in a new language. The game pushes players to think on their feet and remember words quickly, much like they would need to do in real-life conversations. It’s also fantastic for recognizing letter patterns and common word endings, which can be incredibly helpful when learning a new language.
Pro Tip: To tailor Boggle for language learning, set specific themes for each round, such as “verbs,” “foods,” or “travel-related words,” to focus on particular vocabulary groups. You can also allow players to use a dictionary after the round to look up words they didn’t know, turning it into a learning opportunity. And for an added challenge, try “silent rounds” where players can only write down words without saying them aloud until the end—great for memory and spelling practice!
8. Scattergories: The Creative Thinking and Word Game
For those who enjoy a little creativity under pressure, Scattergories is the perfect game to sharpen your language skills. This game is all about coming up with words that fit a specific category, all starting with the same letter. When played in a new language, Scattergories tests your vocabulary and pushes you to think quickly and creatively, making it an excellent tool for language learners!
How It Works: Players roll a die to determine the starting letter and then have a set amount of time to come up with words that fit various categories on a list (e.g., “fruits,” “things that are cold,” “countries”) that all start with that letter. Points are scored for unique answers that no other player has thought of. When you play Scattergories in your target language, it adds an exciting twist that challenges you to dig deeper into your vocabulary and think on your feet.
Language Learning Benefits: Scattergories is fantastic for expanding vocabulary, especially for thematic word groups. It encourages learners to recall and use words quickly, which is a critical skill in fluent conversation. The game also helps with spelling and broadens cultural knowledge as players think of words relevant to different categories in their target language.
Pro Tip: To make Scattergories even more effective for language learning, tailor your category lists to specific themes like “household items,” “professions,” or “foods” that are common in the language you’re studying. If you’re playing with advanced learners, add a rule where each word has to be used in a sentence to get full points—this helps practice grammar and sentence structure, turning the game into a comprehensive language lesson. For an extra challenge, play rounds with a shorter time limit to simulate the pressure of real-life conversations!
9. Taboo: The Ultimate Wordplay Challenge
If you love games that test your ability to describe, think fast, and avoid the obvious, then Taboo is the perfect addition to your language-learning toolkit! This word-guessing game challenges players to describe a word without using a list of “taboo” words, making it a great way to expand vocabulary, practice synonyms, and improve spontaneous speaking skills in your target language.
How It Works: Players take turns trying to get their teammates to guess a word on a card without using the word itself or any of the “taboo” words listed on the card. For example, if the word is “apple,” you might have to describe it without saying “fruit,” “red,” “pie,” or “tree.” The challenge is to think of creative ways to convey the meaning without the obvious go-tos. When played in your target language, it forces you to dig deep into your vocabulary and use descriptive language creatively.
Language Learning Benefits: Taboo is fantastic for improving vocabulary, honing description skills, and thinking quickly in the target language. It’s especially useful for practicing synonyms, antonyms, and paraphrasing, which are crucial for fluent and flexible language use. Plus, it encourages players to speak out loud, boosting confidence and fluency in a supportive, game-based setting.
Pro Tip: Create your own custom set of Taboo cards with relevant words to your current study level for a language-learning twist. You can also add a rule where, after the round, players must explain their thought process for the clues they gave, further reinforcing the learning. To add more excitement, introduce a time limit for each round, pushing players to think and speak quickly—just like in real-life conversations!
Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.