📚 Part of our guide: Free online games for homeschoolers

4 free online vocabulary games your homeschoolers will actually play

Host: Meryl van der Merwe
Podcast: Homeschooling with Technology

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Welcome to Homeschooling with Technology! I’m Meryl van der Merwe, a graduated homeschool mom, tech enthusiast, and teacher at Fundafunda Academy. In this episode, we explore free online vocabulary games to supplement your homeschool curriculum.

These Vocabulary Games Are Great For:

• homeschool elementary students
• middle school word practice
• high school vocabulary review
• ACT/SAT prep support
• fun learning days and co-ops

Why Vocabulary is Important

Building a strong vocabulary helps students excel in reading, writing, public speaking, and standardized tests, like the ACT. While non-digital methods work well, today we’ll focus on four online tools that make vocabulary practice fun.

Free vocabulary games you can play online

1. Vocabulary Spelling City

URL: spelling.com

• Ideal for younger children (elementary level).
• Features vocabulary and spelling games with animations and quizzes.
• Includes a game called Little Penguin, which uses multiple-choice questions, and a Hangman version with definitions as clues.
• Custom word lists can be created, or you can use built-in lists.

2. Knoword

URL: playknoword.com

• Best for older children and adults.
• Fast-paced word game where only the first letter is provided.
• Multiple definitions may appear for a single word. You have 90 seconds to answer as many as possible.
• Tracks stats such as accuracy and words guessed.
• Free to use with optional logins to save progress.

3. Vocabulary.com

URL: vocabulary.com

• Great for middle to high school students.
• Offers gamified learning with points, badges, and rewards.
• A $2.99 mobile app version is available, making it easy to practice on the go.
• Can be used by teachers to assign specific word packs, track performance, and test progress.
• My daughter used this throughout high school, which greatly improved her ACT reading scores.

4. FreeRice

URL: freerice.com

• A vocabulary game that also helps fight global hunger—each correct answer donates rice through the World Food Programme.
• Features multiple subjects, including vocabulary, chemistry, and geography.
• Offers group play, ideal for families or co-op classes to compete.
• Badges and levels keep students engaged. Ads on the site fund the donations, ensuring the service remains free.

Join the Conversation

If you use other vocabulary apps, share your recommendations in our Facebook group: Homeschooling with Technology Community. The link is available in the show notes.

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If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the podcast on your preferred platform. Your feedback helps others find the show and keeps me motivated to bring new content each week.

Thanks for listening, and see you next time! Visit us at fundafundaacademy.com and homeschoolingwithtechnology.com.

70: Free Online Vocabulary Games

Here are the free online vocabulary games mentioned in this episode. Listen to the episode to learn about each one.

1. Vocabulary Spelling City

Vocabulary Spelling City is for students up to middle school and includes games like Hangmouse, a version of Hangman.

2. Knoword

Knoword is for teens and older and even the ‘easy’ level is challenging as you don’t get choices but must give the term with only the first letter as a hint. Stats and gamification make this fun.

3. Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary.com is available as a website or an app (the app does have a small cost). Students can either just play on their own, or you can create a teacher account and assign specific packs of word.

4. Freerice

Freerice is also available as a website or an app, and this app is free too. You can choose from 5 levels and you earn rice that is sent to countries where there is extreme hunger. You can also earn badges.

Show sponsor FundaFunda Academy incorporates some of these games in their Writing Mechanics online class.

Be sure to join our Facebook group where we can talk about this together.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review!

Contact Meryl via email on meryl@mediaangels.com or connect with her on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook

Additional Online Games Resources:

• Bring Fun into Homeschooling High School with Online Vocabulary Games
• Teaching Economics Through Online Games
• Online games that promote thinking and build math skills
• More Online Geography Games