Why Word Search Is A Great Tool For Non-Native English Speakers
Embarking on the journey of learning English as a non-native speaker, whether for international exchange students or those who moved in and want to feel more confident in their skills, can be daunting. But brace yourself for a surprising ally: word search games. Beyond the classic fun word search offers, these puzzles can act as language mentors, sneakily boosting your skills.
Imagine learning new words while on a gaming spree! This not only makes it a lot easier to become a confident speaker, but it also taps into one of the best learning methods known by experts: gamification!
Truth be told, the average US native speaker knows approximately 20,000 to 30,000 words, with those being more active in an environment with a lot of reading material reaching up to 42,000. When it comes to non-natives, this can be a lot less. Even those who are considered fluent in English often know no more than 10,000 words. So, let’s explore how playing word search can help change that!
Vocabulary Expansion
When you play online word search games, you can benefit from an interactive and dynamic avenue for vocabulary expansion, especially as a learner. Indeed, our digital games tend to incorporate diverse themes, which can introduce players to a broad spectrum of words within specific contexts.
Besides, unlike traditional word searches, an online platform such as https://247wordsearch.com/ can dynamically generate puzzles, which offer an ever-expanding pool of vocabulary. The interactive nature of games is more likely to encourage active participation, which prompts players to search for and understand the meanings of unfamiliar words, hence reinforcing retention.
Additionally, when you play online, it’s easy to go and look for the definitions of a word, which means you can play in one tap and perfect your understanding of a new word in the other. After all, the interactive nature of the game is designed to stimulate curiosity, so savvy players are prone to google new words and instantly explore related synonyms and phrases. This has become a natural way to expand your knowledge nowadays; we all google what we don’t know! So, of course, for international players, online gaming is the perfect platform to discover new vocabulary and make it memorable.
Contextual Learning
Playing word search online also provides an interesting way to learn contextually, which is a key element in language acquisition for international speakers. Have you tried our Christmas word search for example? Our seasonal games can immerse you in themed word clusters, which create a rich context for each word. The thematic coherence will enhance your understanding by placing words together. This allows you to not just grasp the individual meanings but also perceive a range of nuances in relationship with the theme. For instance, our word search centered around Christmas might introduce words like “myrrh”, which can prompt you to learn about its significance during the festive season.
As an online platform, we are keen to tailor word search themes to diverse subjects, and we invite you to explore further the puzzles we have. Contextual immersion makes it easier to understand and retain words and their meaning, as it also encourages you to recognize words as integral parts of broader linguistic scenarios. In many ways, this playful approach also mimics how language operates in real-life situations, which can make your learning experience more authentic, engaging, and also applicable to practical communication situations.
Unlocking Language Pattern Recognition
Word search games can be crucial in helping you exercise your pattern recognition skills, which can be an important aspect of learning a new language. Essentially, our word search games are designed with diverse layouts and word placements, which means that as a player, you need to identify and decipher patterns within a grid of letters, The process of scanning horizontally, vertically, and diagonally to locate words fosters a high sensitivity to visual patterns and structures, What does it mean in simple terms? It means that you truly cement your learning of words and their spelling.
Besides, word search doesn’t follow only one type of pattern. Our words can be written in any direction, which forces you to adapt and apply different recognition strategies, as for many players it can be easy to recognize a WORD written horizontally or vertically. But once you put it as DROW, things can get confusing at first and it is forcing your brain to create new learning paths to identify the pattern. The more you play, the more you increase your ability to recognize word shapes and letter combinations, which will translate to improved reading and comprehension skills.
Besides, the gamified nature of online word searches makes pattern recognition a fun challenge rather than a chore. We believe it is an effective and entertaining tool for al language learners who seek to enhance their knowledge!
Cognitive Engagement
Diving into online word search not only offers linguistic benefits but also provides a dynamic approach to cognitive engagement. Cognitive what, you ask. We hear you: Cognitive engagement. The interactive native of word search game actively stimulates the brain as you need to stay focused throughout each level to solve the puzzles and find the hidden words. Your brain is constantly processing visual information. Why is it a good thing? It’s simple: When your brain is stimulated, it helps maintain neuronal paths and create new ones. Those paths are part of the learning process, whether you are learning a new language or a new dance step. The more paths your brain creates, the better it can retain information and acquire new information.
This is called brain neuroplasticity, which basically means that the brain is constantly reshaping and rewiring itself the more you learn. Fast learners have enhanced brain neuroplasticity. This is frequently seen among young people, such as toddlers and children, who are faster at learning new skills. Yet, the more you train your brain, the more advanced and the faster it becomes.
Here’s a fun fact for you: Learning a new language can enhance neuroplasticity. Playing games that require visual recognition and reaction time, such as our timed word search, can also achieve a similar result. Now, imagine the benefits of combining both! This could make you a much better learner.
Native-Like Reading Comprehension
What does reading feel so difficult for international students and learners? Reading in your mother tongue may be fast, but as soon as you read in English, your pace slows down dramatically. Well, if you remember what we’ve said about pattern recognition, this is precisely the issue here. You have a better and more developed pattern recognition process for your native language than you do with any foreign languages. Yet, this can be trained, and nothing works better than practice.
The good news is that practicing your reading comprehension doesn’t need to involve borrowing piles of books from your local library every week. While there is nothing wrong with that, this can be a time-demanding process. Instead, you can add word search to your learning toolbox and notice significant improvements in no time.
The game requires you to scan and process information within a grid of letters, so you can swiftly recognize and comprehend words not only in one orientation but in a variety of them. So, this will help you not only read faster but also scan texts more easily, especially when there is only one orientation to worry about!
Additionally, our word search is timed, which means that you can also gradually challenge yourself to spot words faster and beat your time. This is real-time language processing and word recognition in the disguise of a fun game. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should ditch reading altogether. But, word search can definitely bring your reading skills much closer to native skills and this is why it belongs in every learner’s tools.
Spelling English like a Native
Let’s be honest: While English may be a relatively easy language to learn, it doesn’t mean it is easy to spell for non-native. Do you remember the Christmas word “myrrh”? French speakers spell it myrrhe. Spanish speakers spell it mirra. Finnish speakers spell it mirha. Estonian speakers spell it mürr. And the list can carry on forever. While many non-native speakers may instinctively guess what the English equivalent would be, they may spell it closer to their native word.
French speakers may retain an E at the end. Spanish speakers may replace the Y with an I and drop the H. Finnish speakers may use only one R. Estonian speakers may consider using U instead of the Y. While many words share a common root, they have all evolved differently in each own language. As such, non-native speakers are often at risk of misspelling words they already know and understand because of this.
This is where word search can become an effective tool in not only helping you identify the right spelling but also making you spell the word. This can gradually help linguists develop a better understanding of the way English spelling works as opposed to their native spelling. It’s not just a case of finding words, but it is about gaining a deeper exposure to the way spelling behaves in English so that they can gradually build an internal intuition on how to write similar words in English.
Alphabet Familiarity
ABC may not be your native alphabet. Korean speakers, for instance, are familiar with Hangul, which has only 24 letters. Japanese speakers have three different alphabets, Including Katakana and Hiragana. Slavic speakers use Cyrillic. Greek speakers have the Greek alphabet. Thai speakers use the Thai alphabet which contains 44 consonant symbols and 16 vowel symbols. The bottom line: As a non-native English learner, you may have to learn the letters before you can even start learning the language. As such, international learners who use the same alphabet have an unfair advantage.
Developing a sense of letters is not easy. It is truly like going back to your childhood when you were learning to write and read. It can feel frustrating, and it also feels like you are a very slow learner as you need to first identify individual letters before you can even approach a new word. Playing word search games can be a game-changer as you get to form a different bond with letters. You’re not just trying to find words, you are also getting better and faster at identifying the letters.
Imagine a simple scenario. In the vertical, reading up to down, CHEESE. In Hangul, it is spelt 치즈. Japanese people spell it チーズ. Yet, surprisingly, both languages are literally spelling the same sounding word. So, it makes sense to use word search as a way of getting used to the letters behind known and unknown sounds.
So, you’re not just playing a game. You’re building a new connection with a different alphabet!
Cultural Exposure
Contrary to common belief, cultural exposure doesn’t stop at visiting the best tourist attractions in a new city. Granted, as a foreign visiting New York City, you certainly want to spend some time seeing Lady Liberty (which is a French construction, by the way, despite it being a US symbol), and trying a NYC pizza. But, while those may tell you a lot about the local history, they do not convey a sense of the American culture.
On the other hand, if you tried one of our themed word search puzzles, you’ll get a sense of what Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving mean in the US. Behind the playful nature of the game, we believe international speakers can suddenly get a sneak peek into the vibrant tapestry of American culture. It may not be textbook-style, but it is certainly interactive and dynamic. More importantly, it is also an accurate representation of what the average American would think. This can give you valuable context on how to read your American friends and perhaps even on how to make new friends once you get to understand how they think!
Did you know that cultural differences and lack of understanding are one of the most common causes of conflict? So, it can pay off to explore some of our selected themes and gain a new appreciation for what they mean in the American psyche.
Naturally, we don’t think that playing word search is the same as visiting a new country and making new friends. But it can certainly help you avoid some unintentional cultural faux pas and make a good first impression!
Passive Language Learning
While learning is an active process, there are many ways to make it feel more relaxing than sitting at a desk and forcibly feeding your memory a ton of new words and grammar rules. There are many ways to learn a language, and typically, experts would recommend mixing methods for the best results. However, you’d be surprised to know that one of the preferred passive and relaxing methods is through immersion. What does this mean to get yourself immersed in a new language? Well, in simple terms, go and live where the language is spoken.
Learning a language by moving abroad is, of course, possible, but it can be confusing and slow because it is terrifying to find yourself in an environment where you don’t understand a single word. Is it effective? Opinions vary but there is no denying that immersion does play a significant role in your progress. But rather than opting for full immersion with no safety net, you can find something a little safer and just as effective. English word search can be a relaxing and immersive way to experience language in its pure and unfiltered form without any of the drawbacks of moving abroad as a novice.
Think of it as a language retreat, a stress-free place, away from the grammar books where you can explore language in the same way as natives do. We have a lot of people from different backgrounds playing our word search games, and you could be one of them competing on the same level as American speakers.
Boost Your Confidence
There is one thing about learning a foreign language: It can be intimidating to speak with native speakers. Even when your interlocutors mean well, sometimes their curiosity can feel aggressive. Someone may try to show genuine interest when they ask where you come from, but as a non-native English speaker, it can feel as if they are judging your accent or your wording. And, of course, it can make you feel self-conscious and awkward. You may worry that you are not good at this language thing, after all.
But don’t let it discourage you. The linguistic adventure is a tricky game of confidence balancing, depending on how people choose to talk to you. So, it can be a good thing to find some escapism with a word search game that lets you improve your language skills without putting you down. You might find yourself scanning words and finishing levels in no time, which is a massive confidence boost, a reminder that you’ve got this language thing much better than you allow yourself to think. Confidence is the key to having positive interactions and convincing people that you can speak and understand English just as well as a native speaker.
Every learner needs a confidence-boosting tool in their language toolbox!
If you are passionate about learning English and improving your skills as a non-native speaker, you want to make sure you’ve got all the tools you need, ranging from access to grammar lessons to a dictionary. But one new element for your English-learning toolbox is word search. Whether you use it as a confidence-boosting mechanism or to get familiar with a new alphabet, we’re convinced this belongs next to language apps and online tutors!
Sources:
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/how-many-words-do-i-need-to-know/
https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/5-benefits-gamification
https://www.healthline.com/health/left-brain-vs-right-brain
https://www.healthline.com/health/rewiring-your-brain
http://wizzyschool.com/language/alphabets%20of%20the%20world.php
https://ijol.cikd.ca/article_60478_2a963d8f2a9974d187a230a395c68150.pdf
https://www.migratingmiss.com/can-really-learn-language-moving-abroad/
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