Word-up

Summer is almost halfway done, and I’m sure no one wants to think about returning to the grind of classes, homework, etc. But there is a way to keep your brain powered up and your memory rockin’ during the summer months: learn a word a day!

Not only will learning a word a day help your memory, it can also come in handy in the future when writing papers, or taking tests like the GRE, where vocabulary knowledge makes up a considerable portion of your overall score! Plus, you can wow your friends with fun facts- for example, did you know that Chandler is not just a character on Friends, but is also a…

“noun:
1. One who makes or sells candles.
2. A dealer or supplier in other goods, for example, a ship chandler.”

Booya.

So take time to learn a word a day this summer!

Here are a few websites I found:

http://wordsmith.org/words/chandler.html– This is where I got the fun fact above. Each week has a new theme of words.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/ (also available as an app) – You can also play word games and view new words/slang that are added to the dictionary.

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/word-of-the-day/ – Gives a word, the definition and how it has been used in New York Times articles.

And here are a few phone apps:

For iPhone users:

GRE Vocab Visuals and Audio: Great to get you prepared for taking the GRE, or just learning new words.

Vocabology: Also includes word a days in other languages!