Mobile games are not just all fun. Many phone apps are enjoyable and educational, such as trivia games, puzzle games, and word games. So while you are entertaining yourself or bonding with friends and family, you stimulate your brain and grow your knowledge. There are several mobile games designed especially to help people improve their English skills and vocabulary. Here are seven apps that you can download and play to help improve your English!
4 Pics 1 Word
4 Pics 1 Word is a popular word association game. The game shows you four photos that have one thing in common. You must find out what that is using a random set of letters given to you. For example, you have the letters GINSER and four photos: a musical note, a microphone, a performer, and a stage. Based on the photos and the letters, you can guess that the word is “singer.”
Dingbats
In Dingbats, answers are sneakily disguised in words and phrases backward, sideways, upside down, or jumbled. The game is a great way to learn and familiarize oneself with idioms and figures of speech. Plus, it stimulates players to think creatively to figure out the word being described.
For example, the term “green thumb” (a person who is good at taking care of plants) can be illustrated as the word “thumb” colored in green. The phrase “broken promise” can be shown as the word “promise” broken into two parts: “pro” and “mise.”
Heads Up!
Heads Up! is a paid multiplayer word-guessing game created by American daytime show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres. The game is similar to charades but in reverse. One player guesses the given word, while the rest of the players act out or give clues to the person guessing. Unlike charades, there are multiple words to be guessed. You have to figure out as many words as you can before the timer runs out to win!
There are many categories in Heads Up!, from simple words to topics on popular culture. It is a fun game to expand your vocabulary and practice your ability to identify context clues; plus, it is a good way to know more about popular American culture.
Word Search Pro
Word Search Pro is a mobile app that resembles traditional word search games. Players are given a set of words that they must find in the given puzzle. They can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, and backward. You can choose from three difficulty levels and either classic, timed (you need to find the words within a time limit), or sequential mode (you are given a sequence to follow when looking for the words). Word Search Pro also lets you choose from different categories such as astronomy and business.
Games like Word Search Pro can help you improve your spelling, as well as expand your vocabulary. Have a handy dictionary near you while playing—or better yet, download a dictionary app—so you can look up new words that you might discover while playing.
Word Stacks
Word Stacks is a fun and challenging word game where words are stacked onto each other through blocks of letters. At each level, there is a theme. And you need to find words that relate to the theme in the jumble of words. For example, the theme can be “blue,” so you must think of words that might be related to it, such as “ocean” and “sky.” The words can be found either vertically or horizontally, and they can be written backward.
In the beginning, the words are fairly obvious. But once you advance to higher levels, the words are more mixed up. To form some words, you will need to clear out some of the other blocks so that the letters fall in the stacks’ right position to form the rest of the words.
Words with Friends
Words with Friends is an interactive multiplayer word game. Players take turns building words in a crossword-style way (meaning it connects by letters) using a set of random letters they draw. It is very similar to Scrabble (there are even word and letter score bonuses), although the game is not associated with the official brand. You can play up to 40 games simultaneously, either with friends, a computer-operated opponent, or strangers. Every time it is your turn to play a round, you will get notified by the mobile app.
Words with Friends is a great game to expand your vocabulary and help you think of words given a set of letters. It is also a good way to practice strategy since your placement of words can give you more points.
Wordscapes
Wordscapes is a free word hunt/word puzzle game that has been consistently highly ranked since its release in 2018. It is like a mix of Boggle—a game where you have a box of random letters, and you form as many words as you can in a minute—and crossword puzzles.
In Wordscapes, you are given a set of three to seven letters (it increases as you go up higher levels). You must then form words given those letters, forming anywhere from three-letter words to words using up all the letters. By forming these words, you fill-up the crossword puzzle on the screen; this also serves as a hint. Once you complete the puzzle, you advance to the next level. You can also form words that are not in the puzzle. These become bonus words and are awarded coins which you can use to buy hints. That said, there is no time limit nor cap on the number of tries you make, so you will not feel compelled to use them—unless you are stuck on one level.
There are over 1,000 Wordscapes levels, so you can go on and on playing!
These mobile games are fun and stimulating and can definitely help you practice your English. But you will still need proper English lessons to truly hone your English speaking, reading, and comprehension skills. LingualBox’s professional tutor’s team can help you with that—book a class today to start learning!
