Word games have been around for ages and today they continue to delight word buffs around the world. These puzzles are more than just a fun pastime, they also help improve your vocabulary, consequently improving your writing and conversational skills and the response time of your brain. Moreover, they enhance your focus, engage your brain, and improve your concentration time. Basically, word games are to the mind what exercise is to the body.

You might not be paying attention to all the benefits word games provide, and just want to play and win. We hear you! Whether you’re playing against yourself or others, we will let you in on some tips and hacks to improve your game.

Start Easy

Many games have an easy level and a difficult level. This is true of crossword games, games that require you to arrange letters on a grid to form words, or games that are untimed vs timed. Plunging into a difficult level right away can be discouraging and a lot tougher than you think. Start with an easy level first then work your way up to more advanced levels.

Recognize Letter Patterns

The English language is full of letter clusters and patterns. When you become familiar with them, it’s much easier to create words. Examples of these patterns are often found at the end of a word and also at the beginning or middle of words. Examples of letter patterns include ing, tion, ion, er, and many more. Native speakers of English might recognize them naturally, but for a person learning English, they might need to make a bit more effort to know what the patterns are.

These patterns help improve your spelling, which you absolutely need to become better at word games. If you have a word like “Nation” and spell it as you hear it, you might spell it “Naishun,” which isn’t even a word. So, knowing the letter clusters teaches you to spell correctly.

Unscramble Tools

Everyone needs some help, so using an unscramble tool can come in handy when playing word games. You simply enter the letters you have to work with and let the tool unscramble the letters to make new words. It’s great practice using a website that is free and extremely easy to use, with no registration or signup needed. You’ll be amazed by just how many words can come out of just seven Scrabble letters. For instance, you can make 163 words from the letters that spell out “Gardens.” Very few people, if any, can come up with all 163 anagrams of a single word on their own.

Many of these unscramble sites also have a linked dictionary to find out what a word means. Simply click on the word and that will lead you to its definition. The more you use such tools, the more you will be able to recognize letter patterns.

Learn New Words

Sticking to the same words you always use doesn’t help your vocabulary, and you need a strong vocabulary if you want to win your games. The more words you know, the more of them you can improve your writing and speaking skills. It’s a given that people who win at word puzzles have a strong vocabulary; you simply can’t win or rack up points if you don’t know enough words in the first place.

There are plenty of sites that will give you the word of the day with its definition and sample sentences on how to use it. You can easily subscribe to one of these sites and find a new word in your email every day. Another thing to do is to simply read. When you read anything, you will likely come across a word or two that is new to you. Jot down those words and make an effort to learn them.

Use New Words

Using a dictionary to identify and learn the meaning of a new word is just the first step. After you understand the meaning, this word must be put in context to understand it better and make it easier for you to remember. Though it sounds like a grade school practice, putting the word in different sentences is a powerful exercise to make that new word stick in your mind.

Regardless of what your favorite word game is, these tips will help you win more games and become a force to be reckoned with. No one ever becomes a master of word puzzles by reading a dictionary! There are other more fun ways to expand your vocabulary and defeat your opponent. With practice, you can be sure you will get better and be a substantial competitor.