The 5 Fastest Ways to Increase Your Vocabulary

Educationalist Roger Bybee developed a model for building your vocabulary. This is the "5Es" model:

Engage - The material to be learned must be of interest to the student. You need to have your attention engaged on a personal level.


Explore - Interactivity is key. The more ways you have to explore a new idea or a new word, the easier it is to learn.


Explain - You must have a clear explanation (essential in vocabulary building) - and with the other elements of this model it is easy for you to remember the explanation.


Elaborate - In this step of the model, the student is now able to easily learn more, related facts or words or situations. This is a vital part of vocabulary learning as you elaborate from a simple definition to related words and meanings. Crucially, you also elaborate when you learn different situations it's appropriate to use the word in.


Evaluate - As you learn interactively, your brain naturally evaluates what you are taking in and assesses it, finding links to your own personal experience, which guarantees retention in your long-term memory.