Learn about five websites for teaching vocabulary and engage your intermediate and middle school students as they build their word knowledge.
Having a robust vocabulary is essential to being a good reader and writer. Three important aspects of word knowledge are having linguistic knowledge of words, knowing the meanings of words, and understanding the relationships between words.
However, teaching all three aspects effectively can be challenging. Preparing effective vocabulary instruction that is relevant and embedded in reading and writing can be time-consuming. Differentiating for students with diverse needs makes this task even more complex.
The good news is that there are websites for teaching vocabulary that can help.
Where can I find helpful websites for teaching vocabulary?
I’ve selected five websites that can help save time and improve vocabulary instruction. Each website offers unique features, so make sure to check out each one to see what they offer.
1. WordSift.org
Pricing: free
This web tool helps teachers and students quickly analyze words in texts. Paste any text into the tool and receive the following information: word count, character count, syllable count, sentence count, reading levels, and more. It will also automatically create word clouds with the most frequently used words, which can be helpful when introducing vocabulary. Teachers and students can choose word cloud styles, sort words in various ways, as well as have it highlight words in the text that are on several academic word lists.
2. Mini Matrix-Maker
https://www.neilramsden.co.uk/spelling/matrix/index.html
Pricing: free
This web tool will automatically build word matrices to help students see how prefixes and suffixes influence base words. To create a word matrix, simply choose a base and add several affixes. The tool will generate a chart that students can use to form and analyze multiple words from the chosen base and affixes. The matrices can be printed directly from the webpage or saved for future use. This is one of my favorite websites for teaching vocabulary.
3. Simple Word Cloud Generator
https://www.simplewordcloud.com
Pricing: free
Teachers and students can paste any text into the tool to create a word cloud. Users can choose from pre-made color schemes or create a custom scheme. Other options include choosing the size of the word cloud, the font, and the amount of space between words. Word clouds can be downloaded for use in slideshows and documents. Some uses for word clouds include introducing vocabulary in a text, identifying key ideas in a text, and using it to summarize large amounts of text.
4. Wordsmyth
Pricing: free (registered or unregistered), paid individual subscription, paid educational group subscription
Wordsmyth provides teachers and students in grades 1-12 with various resources for understanding words. Some learning tools include dictionaries, search tools, word list makers, puzzle solvers, and vocabulary activities. The site requires a subscription to remove the ads and gain access to all the features, but the cost is very low. Teachers can also track student progress with a group subscription. This is another one of my favorite websites for teaching vocabulary.
5. Vocabulary.com
Pricing: free basic learner account, paid subscription plans for teachers, schools, and districts
Teachers and students in grades 5-12 can sign up for free by creating basic learner accounts. Signing up without a subscription allows access to free features, such as an ad-free dictionary, VocabTrainer (answer up to 3 questions per day), list library, vocabulary lists (create your own), and vocabulary jams. However, teachers must purchase a subscription to create classes, assign work, and access student data. Teachers can also get a free 10-day trial of all the website features.
Having a strong vocabulary is critical for intermediate and middle school students if they are to become independent readers and independent writers. I hope these websites for teaching vocabulary save you time and provide some helpful tools to improve your word knowledge instruction.
Consider reading How to Build a Word Knowledge Toolbox to learn about six areas of word knowledge and explore resources to help in each area.
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