How to Finally Start Using New Vocabulary

Have you ever felt like a “language imposter?” It’s that frustrating feeling that something is going wrong with your vocabulary. You watch dozens of English TV shows, read books, listen to podcasts, and do everything possible to pick up new words – and you do! The only problem is that when it comes to speaking, your mind goes completely blank.

And you know what? It’s completely normal. You’re definitely not the only English learner who feels this way. 

The Brain’s Comfort Zone

When you first start learning a language, you feel incredibly motivated. Your mind is wide open, and your brain absorbs information like a sponge because, without it, you wouldn’t be able to express even the simplest ideas. You keep repeating the same core words and phrases to tell people about your life, family, and preferences.

But as you climb the CEFR stairs and improve your English, this feeling starts to fade. Why? Because your brain no longer feels the necessity to look for new words. You already have a solid basis to communicate your basic needs. Your brain thinks: “What for? We can already survive with what we have!” This is exactly where you get stuck – and where the most interesting part begins. 

To move forward, you need to delude your brain. You need to create special contexts that will stick to your memory and build strong neural pathways. How can you do it? Let’s find out.

Context is Key

First of all, context matters. If you just open a dictionary or ask an AI to generate a list of the “most effective English words,” it simply won’t work. We need context everywhere to memorise vocabulary effectively.

Imagine you want to learn a new lexical unit, let’s say, bubble gum. You need to build a situation around it. It’s easy if you chew bubble gum every day or always forget to buy it at the supermarket. 

“But what if I never chew bubble gum?” – you might wonder.

Don’t worry! In this case, you can create negative sentences or state your opinion: “I don’t chew bubble gum because I think it’s bad for my teeth.” 

You can also stack words together to build stronger connections. Let’s add the word “braces”: “I don’t chew bubble gum because I wear braces, and bubble gum can get stuck in my braces.” Even if you have zero personal experience with a word, you can always imagine a scenario or talk about someone else: “I don’t know much about braces, but my friend got braces a few years ago, and those braces made his teeth look much better.”

The golden rule: Use the target word as many times as possible in your sentences, and always say them out loud. It really helps!

Building Your Memory Palace

“But what if I have a terrible memory? I don’t even remember what I had for breakfast today!” 

Don’t panic. The solution to this problem was suggested way back in 477 BC. The Greek poet Simonides of Ceos created a magical memorisation technique that works wonders to this day: The Memory Palace (also known as the Method of Loci).

The idea is simple. Imagine a place you know inside out, like your home. You know exactly where every piece of furniture is, right? Close your eyes and take a mental walk through it.

Let’s bring back our bubble gum and braces. Imagine walking into your bathroom and it smells heavily of bubble gum. The water in your bathtub is bright pink, and you have bubble gum squeezing out of the bottle instead of liquid soap. The crazier and more vivid the association, the better it works. Our brain loves unusual things because everyday life is pretty predictable. When something weird happens, it immediately ingrains itself in our memory.

Two More Tricks: Letters and Sounds

Here is my personal mnemonic tweak that I used back in school when I had to pass dozens of exams: Letter Associations.

If I continue my journey through the Memory Palace and walk into my bedroom, I can imagine a pair of braces lying on the floor right next to a ball. Why a ball? Because both words start with the letter “B”. Since your connection with the familiar word “ball” is already rock-solid, it will easily trigger the new word “braces”.

Sound associations can be just as powerful, especially across languages. Take the English word “puddle”. To a Slavic speaker, it sounds a lot like the Slovak words “padol” or “spadol” (fell down). You can easily picture someone stepping into a puddle and immediately falling down. The sound similarity creates an instant mental link. 

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

As you can see, memorising can be both fun and effective. Now, you might be sitting there thinking about how much time and effort this takes. Yes, I admit it requires some imagination and patience. But this is the most reliable way to turn passive vocabulary into active speech. So, hang in there! Sleep on it, and start introducing these techniques into your routine gradually.

If you’ve been using old methods for a long time without seeing results, try this approach instead. Don’t try to learn an enormous number of words a week just to impress your teacher or colleagues. It’s much better to take it step by step, set small milestones, and reach your goals properly.  You can do it. Just don’t give up! After all, practice makes perfect (or at least, much better!).

Written by: Anna Sikorina