Best way to memorize words fast and effectively

[Dieselfit]

Adding new words in your English vocabulary shouldn't be as hard as it might seem. Try these tips to absorb and obtain new information:

Assisocate:

When you learn a new word, find something to associate it with. For example if you're trying to memorize GARGANTUAN, which means very large, think of things that match the description. Think gorrilla, monster trucks, or even that zit on your friends nose. Attach the words to images and create emotion with it.

Search:

The internet is filled with tons of information and it's at your finger tips. If you don't know what a word means, search it. If you continuously learn new things, you will make it easier to absorb information while strengthening your brain.

Create a map:

I found this to make learning new words much easier. Get a paper and pencil. Choose a word that you would like to learn new words for. For example if you choose "search" then have that in the middle. Then connect it to new words like "find, explore, look, hunt, forage" etc. You can imagine how many words you'll learn by the end of the day!

Don't forget to practice, practice and practice! The more you use the new words you learn, the more it'll be buried in your brain.

[aditk8149]

Very useful tips!

I always implement the words when I talk, that make me remember them more. Sometimes the person in front is unable to get the word, so when I explain it to him/her, that again fits that word into my brain in a firm way!

[xxxxxx]

When I see and hear a new word I try to memorize and understand it by saying it many many times until it is stored already on my mind. Then I try to associate something to that word so that when I think of it I will remember and recognize the words easily.

[lovemwaf]

I think that the key to learning new words is understanding them fully and really getting to know what they mean. If you know what they mean, then you will know how to apply them and therefore would have memorized it without too much effort.

[Denis Hard]

The best way to familiarize and get comfortable with anything is: exposure. Learn the word and use it often. In different mediums. Use it when you speak. Use it in a sentence. Draw the word in 3-D and if you wish to, include the meaning in your graphic. Before you know that, and other words you're learning will be fixed in your mind.

[Baburra]

I use association a lot too. I'm not that good with memorization, so if I find a way to naturally incorporate a word into my memory via use of already familiar ones, I'll use it. I often find it helpful when a foreign word sounds anything like any word from my native language or English.

[lizbeth19hph]

When I was a student, I have this "photographic memory". I don't get to memorize line per line and word per word all the data/info in our lessons. What I did was jot down some notes on a separate paper like a list of important infos then read them repetitively until I get to "memorize" on my mind the picture of the whole paper with the list of info on it, in the order they were written. It is merely reading again and again not memorization. That helped a lot while I was studying. Now as I aged, that ability slowly depreciated too. LOL 

[Bob]

Create a map:

I found this to make learning new words much easier. Get a paper and pencil. Choose a word that you would like to learn new words for. For example if you choose "search" then have that in the middle. Then connect it to new words like "find, explore, look, hunt, forage" etc. You can imagine how many words you'll learn by the end of the day!

An easy place to "create a map" by connecting new words is the Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus: http://www.visualthesaurus.com/.

The great thing about the Visual Thesaurus is that you just have to type in a word that you want to find the synonyms of, and it will show up with synonyms of that word connected to the original word similar to a map. I believe that you can even go further with individual words to branch out. It is really cool, so you guys should check it out. Unfortunately, I think that you have the subscribe to it if you want to use it extensively. It give you a few trial searches, but after that, it is only available to subscribers.

The Visual Thesaurus is used by http://thesaurus.com when you type in a search entry. It appears if you scroll down a bit, so that can be used if necessary.

[ddrmario123]

I don't remember what this method was called but basically you put the words in a list and then you read word one, then read word one and two, then read word one and word two and word three, and so on. So it would be like this for a list of words from 1-5:

1

1 2

1 2 3

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 5

[Dieselfit]

An easy place to "create a map" by connecting new words is the Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus: http://www.visualthesaurus.com/.

The great thing about the Visual Thesaurus is that you just have to type in a word that you want to find the synonyms of, and it will show up with synonyms of that word connected to the original word similar to a map. I believe that you can even go further with individual words to branch out. It is really cool, so you guys should check it out. Unfortunately, I think that you have the subscribe to it if you want to use it extensively. It give you a few trial searches, but after that, it is only available to subscribers.

The Visual Thesaurus is used by http://thesaurus.com when you type in a search entry. It appears if you scroll down a bit, so that can be used if necessary.

Awesome website! Thank you for throwing that in there, I will be sure to check out later today when I'm at my PC. I'll subscribe and use the trial searches but I am sure there are other alternatives that are similar but free. Thank you!

[TheStoryteller1]

You could also try posting notes with lists of words at home - foods on the fridge, bath products in your bathroom and so on - so that you can see them each time you go to that place.

Or you can put them in study cards, put them in 1 pocket, and as you travel (if you are traveling with bus/train/metro) read them, and try to think of something connected to them. Put each study card you go through in another pocket, until you go through all of them.

[xbrix]

What I do to memorize words the fastest way is just to read them and their definition, along with saying them out loud. That helps me the best.

[katara]

Really nice tips, but the only method that seems to be working with me is repeating and writting the word over and over again.

[pandandesign]

I would say keep practicing by writing the words. This is how I learn when I learn new words. First, I would find the meaning of the words by looking them up in the dictionary. Next, I would write the words and the meanings down, as well as how to pronounce them. There are online dictionary that offers pronunciation, which you can listen to how to say the words. I would write the words a few times until I am able to memorize, as well as the meaning themselves. 

[Rosa]

When I come upon a new word, the first thing that I try to do is to familiarize myself with its meaning. Then practice it in writing and oral communication .

[Antiquarian]

For me it is by associating the words with pictures, objects, events or even with food or certain people.

Other ways include mnemonics or by listening and singing to a favourite song, then replacing the lyrics with the words that are currently being learnt.

Association, Mnemonics and Singing are also fun for me to better understand words.

Cheers,

The Antiquarian.

[devilishomar]

The best way in my experience of getting used to a language's vocabulary (especially the big complicated words) is to use it practically in your daily life. For example, if you write a blog you could try to use new words you use in your sentences (like learn one hard word and use it in a sentence every day until you get used to it).

[lovemwaf]

I have always found music as a really nice way to learn anything really quickly.....so i just hum little tubes in my head on words I want to learn and I find it hard to forget after

[kilat]

For each person there is a particular way of learning that works best. Personally, I tend to remember words and phrases more easily if I write them down, and then go over the list again the next day. I do also find that using new words within a few days of learning them helps me to remember them, so if I don't have the opportunity to use them in conversation I'll make a point of writing sentences that incorporate my new vocabulary. I now have notebooks full of random sentences in various languages, each one with a word or phrase underlined. I must say I do have a decent vocabulary in several different languages, though!

[pahagwl]

If you want to learn new words fast and effectively, I would recommend you to start learning meaning of new words that you might come across. And you should try to use these new words in the various mediums of communication you might use in your daily life. The sooner you start familiarizing yourself with these new words, you will start noticing a increase in the depth of your vocabulary.

[Cookiesandcream]

Hey, thanks for the useful tips! I do use association a lot. Sometimes i also make up a song or a code to make things easier. Wonderful post!

[kate23]

I practice saying them out loud until I'm able to get the pronunciation right, then I write them down and I find that if I say the words to another person and explain the meaning that that helps as well.

[diprod]

I learn fast when with music. But I read a lot and each time I encounter a new one, I look it up and then use it as frequent as possible. That's how I manage this.

[xbrix]

How I memorize my words is by repeating it tons of times. After about 5 minutes, the word, definition, and spelling will all be stuck in my head.

[karean]

I actively engage with a new word I encounter by repeating it in as many different ways as I can. I start by writing it down on paper as normally as I would, then I stylize it in as creative a manner as I can. Then I listen to the correct pronunciation on the internet, I record myself multiple times and I compare my pronunciation to the recommended one. Finally, I find a rhyme for the new word and try to make a poem as I relate the two with each other (the farther they mean to each other the more fun I have).