Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary
Written By Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)

Vocabulary.com was crafted by experts to transform vocabulary learning into an engaging, personalized experience. Utilizing a blend of sophisticated technology and educational insights, the platform caters to users aiming to master new words efficiently. The driving force behind Vocabulary.com was to create a resource that felt like learning from a favorite teacher, making vocabulary acquisition approachable and memorable.

Differentiation: What Makes It Special What sets Vocabulary.com apart is its unique combination of a smart dictionary and a learning game that adapts to individual progress. The platform boasts over 253,000 questions and utilizes big data to personalize learning paths, making it stand out in its ability to tailor educational content to each user's needs​ (Vocabulary.com)​.

How to Get Started Getting started with Vocabulary.com is straightforward. Users simply need to download the app or access the website, create an account, and they can immediately begin exploring and learning new vocabulary through interactive games and exercises.

How It Works Vocabulary.com is designed to be used flexibly according to each homeschooler’s schedule. A typical recommendation might include daily sessions ranging from 10 to 30 minutes. The platform is predominantly independent, allowing learners to progress at their own pace with minimal parental oversight. Activities include interactive quizzes and the use of contextual examples to reinforce word understanding.

What Educational Concepts It Teaches

  • Expansive vocabulary acquisition

  • Word comprehension and usage

  • Contextual understanding

  • Synonyms and antonyms

  • Proper word application in sentences

What’s Good About It Users appreciate the intuitive design of Vocabulary.com, which makes learning new words engaging and fun through gamification. The personalized approach ensures that learners are always challenged appropriately, boosting retention and practical application of vocabulary in real-world contexts​ (Vocabulary.com)​.

What Could Be Improved While Vocabulary.com is highly effective for vocabulary expansion, it could benefit from integrating more diverse linguistic elements such as grammar or writing skills to provide a more holistic language learning experience. Additionally, some users have suggested enhancing the visual interface to make the platform even more interactive and appealing to younger learners.

Advice from Parents Parents recommend integrating Vocabulary.com into daily learning routines to build consistency and improve word retention. They also suggest pairing vocabulary learning with reading activities to see words in various contexts, which can significantly enhance understanding and usage.

Who It’s an Ideal Fit For Vocabulary.com is perfect for students who are self-motivated and enjoy interactive, game-like learning experiences. It is suitable for those who thrive in a self-paced, technology-driven educational environment, making it ideal for many homeschoolers looking to enhance their vocabulary comprehensively.

Who It’s Probably Not a Fit For This platform may not be the best fit for students who require structured, traditional teaching methods or those who are less inclined towards digital learning. It might also be less suitable for learners who need a more integrated approach that includes grammar and writing skills alongside vocabulary.

Grades Vocabulary.com is appropriate for students of all levels, typically from middle school through high school and beyond.

Cost The program is free for learners, or available via a subscription model for teachers, with prices ranging typically from $30 to $50 annually, providing full access to all features.

Ways to Get It Vocabulary.com can be accessed directly through their website or by downloading their app available on both iOS and Android platforms.

Explore More Vocabulary Learning Resources

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Vocabulary Virtuoso

Discover how Vocabulary Virtuoso stands out as a critical thinking-enhanced vocabulary textbook in our detailed review. Ideal for homeschoolers preparing for higher academic challenges.

Vocab Cartoons
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Explore our comprehensive review of Vocabulary Cartoons, where visual learning meets fun vocabulary enhancement. Ideal for homeschoolers seeking an engaging, mnemonic-based educational tool

Vocab Workshop
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Explore our in-depth review of Vocabulary Workshop, a structured program designed to expand vocabulary and enhance language comprehension for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Discover how it uniquely supports critical thinking and comprehensive language use.

New York Times Word of the Day
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Dive into our comprehensive review of The New York Times Word of the Day, a unique tool blending daily vocabulary with current events to enrich teen learning

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Wordly Wise
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Explore our comprehensive review of Wordly Wise, a robust vocabulary program designed for K-12 homeschoolers, offering systematic learning and diverse activities to enhance reading comprehension and academic success

Vocabulary Cartoons
Vocabulary Cartoons

Vocabulary Cartoons is one of our top choices for Vocabulary. It was created by Bryan Burchers. For a self-directed and fun way to build vocabulary using cartoon pictures and mnemonic devices, we recommend both the elementary and SAT prep levels of Vocabulary Cartoons. Vocabulary Cartoons uses the mnemonic principle of association, to link an auditory word association and a visual association in the form of a silly cartoon.

Wordly Wise 3000
Wordly Wise 3000

Wordly Wise 3000 is one of our top choices for Vocabulary. It was created by Michael Buenzow. Parents and students highly recommend the online version of Wordly Wise 3000 for its ease of use, independent learning and customization and ease of grading and assessment. This program is based on the idea that effective vocabulary instruction should include definitional and contextual information of the word, multiple exposure to the word in different places, and active participation by the student.

Vocabulary.com
Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary.com is one of our top choices for Vocabulary. It was created by Michael Freedman. For systematic and fun way to independently learn vocabulary in-depth at a self-directed pace, we recommend Vocabulary.com Vocabulary.com is based on Visual Thesaurus, the interactive thesaurus and dictionary developed by the team at Thinkmap.

New York Times Word of the Day
New York Times Word of the Day

New York Times Word of the Day is one of our top choices for Vocabulary. It was created by . NYT Word of the Day provides a word and its definition along with the word's usage in a current NYT article, followed by a test question. This is a free learning activity based on the Times journalism.

Wordsmith
Wordsmith

Wordsmith is one of our top choices for Vocabulary. It was created by Anu Garg. This is a fun way to learn a new word a day and is a good vocabulary supplement.

Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)

For the last 20 years, I’ve taught over 2000 children in 3 countries (of all socio-economic backgrounds). I pioneered an English language program in a conflict region in the Middle East. I’ve worked as a bilingual public school teacher at some of the highest and lowest performing public schools and in all five boroughs of NYC. I’ve tutored 18 subjects in three languages to some of the wealthiest families in NYC, San Francisco and Paris to make up for shortcomings in private schools they were paying up to $60,000 a year to attend.

Since 2015, I’ve helped hundreds of parents start microschools (way before this was a household buzzword). I founded CottageClass, the first marketplace for microschools and learning pods that was part of the Techstars 2018 class. In 2019, I created a virtual learning program to help families through the pandemic, a free online math tutoring program (masteryhour.org), and schoolclosures.org, a hotline developed in collaboration with Twilio and 80 other partners including Khan Academy, Revolution Foods and the Crisis Text Line, that served 100,000 families impacted by school closures.

I’ve climbed trees with children in forest schools in San Francisco, and tested new digital apps with kids in seven countries.

I’ve also coached dozens of families at different stages in their homeschooling journey. Most recently, I founded Modulo with homeschooling dad, best-selling author and tech entrepreneur Eric Ries, to help families curate their children’s education, social and childcare experiences drawing from a diverse array of in-person and online resources.


During the last three years, I’ve devoted much of my time to reviewing and testing secular homeschooling curriculum and other resource. I’ve spent the last three years talking to thousands of secular homeschooling families, and poring over tens of thousands of secular curriculum reviews and testing physical curriculum and digital apps for with hundreds of students to find the highest quality, most engaging, personalized learning materials for every type of learner.

I’ve spoken about homeschooling and modular learning at multiple venues including SXSW EDU, NY Tech Meetup, and on the LiberatedEd podcast.

In 2022, Modulo was one of 8 organizations who were awarded the Bridge Grant from the Vela Education Fund to expand access to homeschooling and modular learning to under-resourced communities.

My experience in education and homeschooling has led me to believe that there is no perfect education for every child, but families have an extraordinary amount of wisdom they can apply to building the perfect education for their individual child.

My goal with Modulo is to make it possible for any family to easily build a customized education that their child will love, and that will empower the whole family to thrive, taking into account, social, emotional and academic needs.

I love to answer questions from parents and receive feedback on how we can improve Modulo, so feel free to reach out anytime! I personally answer all the questions and comments readers leave on my blogs.

In my free time, I like hiking, traveling the world, tasting ceremonial grade matcha, enjoying dark chocolate.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University with highest honors, with a double degree in French Literature and American Studies and minors in Environmental Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies.

And I love to learn!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-snoyer-5042298/
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