26 Best Games to Learn English While Having Fun

One of the best ways for you to learn English is to play English games, which will make studying fun and exciting.

You won’t even notice all the learning you’re doing in the meantime!

In this post, we’ll get you started with 26 excellent games for learning English, so you can practice your language skills.

We have a variety of options that you can play online, in person and with your friends. 

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Online Word Games to Practice English 

Online English games can be hit or miss (either great or terrible). But no worries, we’ve found the best word games to practice your English vocabulary with. 

Level: All levels

 

Key question: Is there a word scramble game to improve my English vocabulary?

If you like action-packed ESL games that have you working against the clock, Wordshake is right for you.

This game gives you 16 random letters of the alphabet and three minutes. During that time, you have to come up with (think of) as many English words as you can using the letters you have, and every time you make a new word, you get points.

Since there aren’t any complicated rules with Wordshake, it’s a good vocabulary-building game for beginners and advanced students alike.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

 

Key question: Is there a game to practice English with vocabulary definitions?

Knoword has to be one of the most entertaining, enjoyable and fun games the whole internet has to offer. 

The rules are very simple: You have one minute to read as many definitions as you can and write the correct answer.

Every time you give a correct answer, you get one or two extra seconds, and every four correct answers give you a hint. You can skip as many words as you want, so make sure you press Esc or click on Skip whenever you don’t know a word.

Level: All levels

 

Key question: What’s the best game app to practice English vocabulary on my phone?

The rules of the game are super simple: you get four pictures that have something in common, and you have to guess what it is.

Sometimes the answer is very obvious, but other times you’ll have to think hard and use hints to get some help. Whether you’re a beginner learner of English or a fluent speaker, 4 Pics 1 Word will surely activate your brain and make you think in English.

Plus you can always create your own flashcards for the words you don’t know. Who said fun and learning can’t go together?

Level: Advanced

 

Key question: Is there a spelling game for advanced English learners?

Listen to a word and try to spell it correctly. No surprises here.

However, some of the words you’ll hear are so hard to spell that you’ll start to feel the bee is laughing at you and your misspellings.

The game comes with statistics, a free look at the visual thesaurus for the words you spell correctly and all the definitions of the words divided by part of speech.

Even though the Visual Thesaurus isn’t free, the game is, and it’s full of great features to help you learn English.

Level: All levels

Key question: What’s a cute game that allows me to practice my spelling skills?

Another word scramble game similar to Wordshake but cuter, Word Whomp lets you practice your English writing and spelling skills.

In this game, you’re given six letters and you need to determine how many words can be spelled with those letters.  You have two and a half minutes to come up with every word. But if you guess too many incorrect words, the game will end.

You’ll practice quickly thinking of English vocabulary words—a skill that’ll be very useful in real-life English conversations.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

 

Key question: Is there a game to practice English and help those in need at the same time?

Freerice is another quiz-style game that helps you improve your vocabulary skills.

Instead of answering word problems, you’re given a vocabulary word and then have to find its closest synonym out of four different words. The game starts out easy but, with 60 levels in total, it gets much harder as you go along.

What really makes Freerice different from other games is that the company will donate 10 grains of rice to hungry families for every question that you answer right.

So the more you play, the more you’re helping those in need.

Level: All levels

 

Key question: Is there a word association game to practice English for free?

Described as “a massively multiplayer word association game,” the Human Brain Cloud is as simple as it is complex.

You’re given random words, and your goal is to type in words, expressions or even sentences you associate with the words you get. There are no right or wrong answers and the program simply takes your answers and adds them to the association bank.

If you click on a word, you’ll see a “cloud” with your word in the middle connected to other words people associate it with. This is when the fun starts, because you can use this feature to learn vocabulary. 

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

 

Key question: Is there a board game to improve my English vocabulary that I can also play online?

Originally designed as a board game, you can now play Scrabble online with a friend, against another virtual player or against the computer. 

You choose seven letters in the form of tiles and use them to make words. Every square has a letter and number written on it that represents the points that you get for using that letter.

All tiles touching one another have to make a real English word, and you have to build words using the letters from other words that have already been laid down.

Level: All levels

 

Key question: How can I improve my English vocabulary with word games?

You came here looking for a word game. How about 135?

Learn English Today offers 135 free word games to help you improve your English vocabulary while having fun.

Divided into four levels (easy, medium, more difficult and challenging) and five categories (crossword puzzles, jumbled sentences, quizzes, missing words and matching exercises), each one of these games will help you get better at English no matter your level.

It’d be impossible to mention all the topics included in the games, but I can tell you my three favorite one ones to play: Phrasal Verbs, Sightseeing, Preposition Quiz 1.

Level: Advanced

Key question: What’s the most challenging word game for English students?

If I told you this simple name hides one of the most difficult but also entertaining and addictive games I’ve ever played in my life, I wouldn’t be lying.

You get seven definitions and 18 tiles with letters, and your goal is to click on the tiles to create words that match the definitions.

Each definition is followed by a number of gray squares that correspond (match) to the number of tiles you need to use to form that word. Other than that and three hints, that’s all you have to complete the 777 puzzles included in the game.

When you guess one word, its definition gets crossed out and the corresponding tiles disappear.

Level: All levels

 

Key question: Where can I find the best ESL crossword puzzles?

Crossword puzzles a good way to test your reading comprehension and vocabulary skills.

However, the crossword puzzles that you find in the Sunday newspaper are often too hard for English learners to complete. 

Fortunately, with ESL Crossword Puzzles you can challenge yourself with word problems that were created especially for English language learners.

The website is comprehensive and has a variety of crossword puzzles, difficulties and themes to choose from, making it great for students of all skill levels. Just choose your level from the menu at the top of the homepage linked above.

Level: Beginner

 

Key question: Is there a game for learning vocabulary of everyday objects?

In this game, you explore a modern apartment where everything is clickable. You use a device to scan objects and it tells you the name of that object in English.

The game features native audio pronunciations and tests your memory using time-based quizzes. It also has a mini-game inside it where you fly an airplane and shoot down various things.

It helps you learn the names of objects used in daily life. Beginners can quickly pick up the essential words they’ll use in most contexts in a fun and effortless way.

Level: All levels

Key question: Can I have fun learning English without playing a game?

So let’s be clear. FluentU isn’t a game. It does, however, use fun and engaging videos to teach English—including some about gaming. 

The program has a large library of videos, each with a set of interactive captions. This means that you can look up unfamiliar words instantly, with just a click.

You also have the option of using it like a dictionary by typing a word into the FluentU search bar and seeing what it means, how it’s used in printed or video context examples, and a memorable photo definition as well.

The videos are sorted by difficulty level, topic and format. If you’re in the mood for breaking out in song, the music video category might work well, but if you want something more popcorn-friendly, there’s the trailers or movie clips section, as well. 

You also can try fun review quizzes to test your knowledge of the content. These include speaking, matching, multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank exercises.

The program is available online, or on iOS / Android.

Online Grammar and Trivia Games to Practice English

Besides word games, there are also several other types of games to practice your English with. A lot of these are trivia games, grammar games and others!

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

 

Key question: Is there a trivia game for advanced English students?

If you’re an expert in world facts, you’re going to love Lovatts Trivia, because let me tell you, some of the questions are only for trivia pros (professionals)!

This game is perfect to practice your English reading skills under pressure. You’re playing against the clock, and the more time you take to answer a question, the fewer points you get.

If you ever need some help, you can always ask the system to help you out. Click on the word “Hint” in the upper-right side of the gray line, and one of the incorrect answers will be discarded.

Level: Beginner/Intermediate

 

Key question: How can I practice English dictation in a fun way?

Imagine being able to do dictations online, but the site is absolutely cute and well-designed. The audio is crystal clear (very clear, easy to understand).

Each sentence gets checked and corrected immediately. You can click on any word to know more about it. The program takes your mistakes into account and gives you more and more difficult sentences as you advance and get better.

There’s also the possibility to check your word and mistake statistics. Register and have access to all this and many other tests, quizzes and much more for free.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

Key question: Is there any retro game to practice English for free?

The Grammar of Doom is an adventure-style grammar game where you explore secrets hidden within an old, magical temple.

To get an idea of the game, imagine if Indiana Jones taught your English class. There are a total of 10 rooms in the temple, and each room has its own series of puzzles that you have to solve using English.

In order to move to the next room and eventually beat the game, you have to use your grammar and vocabulary skills to create English sentences and solve these puzzles.

Level: All levels

 

Key question: Is it possible to learn English through only questions?

This is a digital spin on the classic 20 Questions game. First, think of an animal, vegetable, mineral, concept or unknown word.

Once you have chosen your word, the system will start asking questions that you’ll have to answer with words such as “yes,” “no,” “unknown,” “sometimes,” “maybe” and more.

Each question together with your answer will appear on your screen while you play. By the end of question number 20, the system will tell you what it believes you’re thinking about.

If it’s not able to guess your word, you win!

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

 

Key question: What’s the best game to practice English proofreading?

Do you think you have what it takes to be a proofreader? You’re given 10 sentences with one mistake each. Your mission is to find and correct all 10 mistakes.

I recommend this game for advanced students of English who are taking the final steps toward fluency or are getting ready for an exam.

The mistakes you can find in these sentences range from grammar (for example, do instead of does) and spelling errors (break instead of brake) to punctuation (a comma may be missing) and capitalization mistakes (alice instead of Alice).

Level: Beginner

 

Key question: Is there a game to improve sentence construction skills?

This is a simple online puzzle game where you need to make a sentence that describes a picture correctly within a time limit. 

You’re shown a bunch of word-bubbles and you have to link them to create a sentence. As you keep making the right sentences in each level, the number of word-bubbles keeps on decreasing.

The game offers different speed options and also lets you decide the vocabulary category. For instance, you can play the game with personal objects, food, animals, sports, jobs, nature, colors, letters or body parts.

Level: All levels

 

Key question: Is there a game to practice English writing without having to write?

Originally an actual magnet set, Magnetic Poetry offers five complete kits for free online. Use the words you’re given to create poems, stories, jokes or anything that comes to your mind.

Challenge your friends to a race to see who’s the first to use 50 or 100 tiles and create a coherent (logical) story. Or try to journal your day by only using the set of words you get. Or write a geeky poem for your online crush.

You can actually create anything and everything with Magnetic Poetry, and since the free kits are in English, you’ll also practice your vocabulary and writing skills.

Board Games to Learn English

Board games give you the chance to play with other English learners. This can make learning more motivating and also lets you practice your English conversation skills. Here are the best board games for ESL learners!

Level: All levels

Key question: Is there a word scramble game to play in person?

Boggle is a fun game to play alone or with a group of friends. The goal is to create words by connecting letters on the Boggle board.

First, shake the board and display the mixed up letters. Set the timer and then start writing down all of the English words you can create from the letters on the board.

In the traditional game, words can only be formed by connecting letters that are next to one another. But, to practice even further, you could bend the rules and use any letters on the board to make your English words.

Level: All levels

Key question: Is there a group in person game similar to a crossword puzzle?

Similar to a crossword puzzle, Bananagrams is another game that lets you practice spelling English words. 

This game is played with multiple people. Each player takes a certain number of letter tiles. Start using these letters to build connecting words. Once you use all of your letters, shout “peel!” Every player must now take another tile from the pile.

To learn a specific type of vocabulary, you could also consider setting a theme, such as food or animals, and only building words that fit in that theme.

Level: All levels

Key question: Is there a card game to improve spelling?

Rewordable is a card game that helps you learn to recognize and spell English words.

There are 120 cards in the deck that each contain a letter or letter combination. You use the cards in your hand to spell words. During the game, you can steal or build off of other players’ words.

This game might seem challenging, but after playing a few rounds you’ll start to understand how to play. This can be a fast-paced way to improve your fluency and expand your English vocabulary.

ESL Interactive Games for Group Learning

In-person group games, like party games in English, are another opportunity to play with other people. It gives you yet another chance to improve your English conversation skills!

24. 20 Questions (Classic Version)

Level: All levels

Key question: Is there a group game to practice asking questions in English?

This is a classic game for any skill level and the original in-person version of the digital game 20 Questions. 

To play this game, one player thinks of a word. Then, the other players take turns asking “yes” or “no” questions to determine what word they’re thinking about.

To make this simpler, you can limit the words to specific categories, such as colors or countries. This is a fun party game that helps you practice English vocabulary as well as forming questions in English.

Level: All levels

Key question: Is there an entertaining group game that combines several games in one?

This game lets you practice your writing, reading and spoken English skills. You need a large group to play this game. To start, everyone writes down three simple English words. Next, throw each word in a bowl.

The game consists of three rounds. During the first round, players take turns pulling a word out of the bowl and describing the word to their teammates who must guess the word. After one minute, the round ends. 

For the next round, use charades (silent gestures) to get your teammates to guess the words. For the final round, you can use just one word to help your teammates guess the word.

26. Telephone

Level: Beginner

Key question: Is there a fun group game to practice vocabulary listening comprehension? 

To play telephone, gather a group of eager language learners. Everyone sits quietly in a line. The first person thinks of an English word or phrase and whispers it to the person sitting next to them.

Then, that person whispers the word to the next person. This continues until the word reaches the last person. The last person repeats the word and everyone determines how much it changed from the front of the line.

This game lets you practice listening and speaking in English. It’s another fun game to play at a language-learning party.

Why Learn English from Games?

Having fun while learning English is a tried and true method that actually works. Here’s why:

• Games aren’t just for kids. Research shows that adults are actually more likely to remember information that they learned through an entertaining process.

• Games teach you a range of language skills. As you’ve seen through our list, you can use games to practice writing, speaking and listening to English.

• Games let you learn outside of a traditional classroom setting. Learning isn’t restricted to the classroom. If you can’t sign up for a formal English class, try using games to improve your fluency at home.

• Group games encourage conversations and boost confidence. If you can, try playing games in a group. This will give you the chance to practice your English conversation skills in a fun and low-stress environment.

• You can play English games anywhere. Language-learning games can be played online, at home, at coffee shops or at a party. The opportunities for English learning are endless.

 

Even if you’re already taking an English class, games are a fun, effective supplement to your lessons.

Next time you want to sit down and play a game, try turning it into an English-speaking activity. That way, you’ll be practicing English without it even feeling like work.

Stay curious, my friends, and as always, happy learning (and playing)!