DefinioSaved words

Word of the Day

Today’s word

Pick a word of the day for your level

Word of the Day for KidsExpressive, learnable words for ages 7–11, with definitions written for young readers.40 wordsWord of the Day for StudentsAcademic and literary words that turn up in essays, textbooks and novels in grades 6–12.40 wordsSAT & GRE Vocabulary WordsThe kind of precise, compact words test-writers love and good essays use sparingly.40 wordsRare WordsUncommon words with surprising histories. Some are dictionary regulars, a few are modern coinages, and we say which.30 wordsPositive WordsUplifting words for praise, encouragement and writing about good things, each with a precise meaning.30 wordsHard Words to Spell, Say and DefineDifficult words that catch out even confident readers, with a note on exactly what makes each one hard.26 wordsBeautiful WordsWords admired for how they sound as much as what they mean, with the stories behind them.28 wordsBig Words That Make You Sound SmartImpressive words worth knowing, with notes on when they help and when they just sound showy.30 words

How to actually remember a new word

Reading a definition once rarely makes a word yours. Research on vocabulary learning, summarised in Paul Nation’s Learning Vocabulary in Another Language, keeps finding the same three ingredients: meeting a word several times, in real contexts, spaced out over days.

Each Definio entry is built around that. Start with the meaning, then read the example sentences and notice the words that usually sit next to it. Step through the word’s history: knowing that meticulous comes from Latin metus, “fear”, makes it easier to recall than a bare definition. Then write your own sentence. Finally, save the word and let the vocabulary quiz bring it back in a few days.

If you meet a word elsewhere, look it up in the dictionary, find a better-fitting alternative with the synonym finder, or break it into parts with the Greek and Latin roots guide.

Questions people ask

How is the Definio word of the day chosen?

Every word comes from our own list of 264 entries across eight collections: kids, students, SAT & GRE, big, rare, positive, hard and beautiful words. A fixed shuffle picks one per day, so everyone sees the same word on the same date and a word does not repeat until the whole list has been shown.

What time does the word of the day change?

At midnight in your own time zone. The page works out today’s date in your browser, so the word changes when your calendar does.

Why learn one word a day instead of a long list?

Vocabulary sticks through spaced, repeated encounters in context, not one-off memorising. One word with its story, a couple of sentences and a try-it-yourself sentence is small enough to do every day, and the quiz brings words back just as you are about to forget them.

Is there a word of the day for kids or students?

Yes. The kids and students pages each have their own daily word drawn from a list written for that age group, with definitions pitched at the right level.

Can I see past words of the day?

Yes. The last seven days are listed below today’s word, and the Word of the Day archive goes back 60 days. Every word has its own permanent page, and you can save any word to review it later in the quiz.

What are 10 powerful words?

Words that pack a whole idea into one: resilient, meticulous, pragmatic, eloquent, tenacious, candid, ubiquitous, quintessential, ephemeral and serendipity. Power comes from precision, so each is worth using only when it is exactly the right fit.

What is a fun word of the day?

Try the rare-words list: defenestration (throwing someone out of a window), borborygmus (a rumbling stomach), snollygoster (a shrewd, unprincipled person) and petrichor (the smell of rain on dry earth) are all real.