Improve your vocabulary

Recommended software

• Ultimate Vocabulary — We've tried and tested Ultimate Vocabulary and we believe this software is the best value for money for improving your vocabulary. It's a product that works, and a product that you don't have to pay an exorbitant price for. And you don't have to take our word for it. Try it for yourself and if you don't agree it's the best value for money, then the makers of the software will refund your money. At only US $67, Ultimate Vocabulary is already worth the investment — especially considering the boost that an expanded vocabulary can give to your career, studies, and general success. As a special bonus, you can save a further 20% when you join Write Better English.

Other online resources

• AskOxford (includes free word of the day from the Oxford Dictionary of English; you can also receive the word of the day by email)
• Dictionary.com Word of the Day (free word of the day)
• Dictionarysquared.com (people learn words from encountering them in candid contexts. Each time we encounter a word, we incrementally build word knowledge. After many encounters, we find that we naturally understand the word. This site mimics the natural way the brain learns words)
  
• Kaplan, Word Source (600 "must-know" words; US $5.50 plus shipping; can ship internationally)
• Merriam-Webster Word of the Day (free word of the day)
• Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Day (free word of the day; online, by email, or RSS)
• Visual Thesaurus ("Words cannot do justice to this amazing reference tool. If you love language, visit this site, explore, and have fun" (reviewed by Phil Knight, "Website Reviewed" (2002) 48 Clarity 37))
• Vocabulary mail (free email of 1 to 3 words a day)
• VocabUsage (free website that helps you learn words by understanding usages and definitions)
  
• Wordsmith.org (free word of the day; includes archives and free and premium email services)
• Word Spy (free word of the day)
• World Wide Words (includes free online dictionary of weird words)
• Worthless Word of the Day (obscure, abstruse, and recondite words are posted daily. Some are far from worthless)
• Write Better English, Word of the day (through The Free Online Dictionary), Word of the day forum and recommended reading