Students in grades 7 through 12 in particular have a great deal of vocabulary they are required to memorize for English classes. But how does one memorize vocabulary in such a way that that knowledge is actually retained? Here are some ways that you can better memorize vocabulary words so that they become a part of your everyday parlance.

Make Word Associations

When learning a new piece of vocabulary, it helps to associate it with as many words that you already know as possible. Learning the word reticent? Think shy, reserved, and withdrawn. Can’t seem to remember what condone means? Think accept, allow, and overlook. Training your brain to associate a new word with its familiar synonyms will make it much easier to remember its meaning, not to mention come in handy in writing when trying to choose the best word for expressing something.

Learn in Sentences

This is a trick that also comes in handy in foreign language study. Try to remember a word you are learning within the context of a sentence. This sentence will both hint at the word’s meaning and help you to understand how that word is used properly.

For example, it is easy to remember that the words aspire and desire have similar meanings and can both be used to express wanting to do something, but placing them in sentences can better teach you how they differ. “He aspires to be an astronaut” and “She desires to be a doctor” present these two words where they are similar in meaning; but the sentence “He aspires to a career in aeronautics” demonstrates that the word aspire can be used in such a way that desire cannot.

Create Visuals around Words

It’s true – people remember images much better than they do sequences of words, letters, and numbers. So when pairing a word with its definition, instead of trying to memorize a definition word for word in your head, try visualizing what the word means.

For example, if pristine is a new word for you, try imagining a freshly made bed complete with brand new white sheets every time you hear the word pristine. That way you will immediately be prompted with the word’s definition, and your brain will not be as crammed with meaningless strings of words.

Practice What You Learn

Remember: the purpose of vocabulary study in English classes is to broaden student vocabularies, giving students larger inventories of words to choose from in writing and in speech. So be sure to start using the words you are learning as you learn them. You never know; slapdash might just become a go-to adjective for you.