Recording new vocabulary

You will meet new vocabulary all the time as you learn English. You might learn new
words and phrases in class, or in a song, film, or book. It's important to write down these
new words and phrases in a way that helps you remember them.

Where to record vocabulary

There are several different ways of recording vocabulary.

• Notebook: Write new words in lists in a notebook. You could order the lists by
where you first heard them (e.g. which lesson, which book), by topic (e.g.
environment, education, literature), or type of language (e.g. phrasal verbs,
countable nouns)—whichever works best for you!
• Flash cards: You can write words on one side of a card. On the other side of the
card you can put information about the word (such as definitions). You can then
use the cards to test yourself.
• Apps: You can use vocabulary apps to record new words and test yourself using
the apps (for example, you can try EF Mentor: Words).

What information to record

There are many different pieces of information you can note down about new words.
Choose the information that is most useful to you.

• The word or phrase, e.g. learn

• A definition in English, e.g. get knowledge or a skill
• Synonyms (words with the same meaning), e.g. study, master, pick up
• Antonyms (words with an opposite meaning), e.g. forget, unlearn
• Other connected words, e.g. teach
• A translation of the word in your language
• A picture or diagram that shows the meaning
• A memory aid such as a similar sounding word or phrase in your language
• An example sentence using the word (your own, or from a dictionary), e.g. I want
to learn Spanish.
• Notes on pronunciation (which syllable is stressed, similar sounding words)
• A recording of the word being spoken (if you are recording words digitally)
• Part of speech (e.g. noun, adjective, idiom)
• Other forms of the word (e.g. past tense, plural, comparative),
e.g. learned/learnt, learning
• Other words from the same word family, e.g. learner, unlearn
• Collocations (words and phrases that often go together with the word or phrase),
e.g. have a lot to learn, learn about, learn by heart

Remember, the most important thing to do is to write the information that will help you
remember the word, its meaning, pronunciation, and grammar.