Vocabulary games for adults: five you can play now
These five vocabulary games ask you to choose a word in context, notice its tone and explain what it means. Play on your own or take turns with someone else, with no download or sign-up. Read each prompt before opening the answer.
The examples are written for this page, not taken from arcoco’s games. Say your answers aloud or jot them down.
1. Find the word that fits
Choose from tentative, candid and concise, then explain which part of the sentence helped you decide. With a partner, give your reason before checking.
“Friday is still our _____ moving date. We cannot confirm it until the keys arrive.”
Check the answer
“Tentative” fits because the date is not settled. “Candid” describes frankness or honesty, and “concise” something expressed briefly and clearly; neither says whether a date is confirmed.
For another round, write a sentence that needs one of the other words, with enough context to explain the choice. A blank that could take almost any adjective is hard for the wrong reason.
2. Change the tone
Two words can describe similar behaviour but leave different impressions. Which of these sounds more critical of Maya?
“Maya is frugal with money.”
“Maya is stingy with money.”
Compare the meanings
“Stingy” is more critical: it suggests an unwillingness to spend or give. “Frugal” describes care with resources or money. Neither sentence says what Maya actually did, so you cannot yet judge whether the description is fair.
With a partner, invent a situation that would justify each description. Would packing lunch to save for a trip justify calling someone stingy? What else would you need to know?
3. Repair the sentence
Find the word that does not match the description. Replace it or change the rest of the sentence, and explain your repair.
“Her answer was concise: she kept repeating the same point and added several details that had nothing to do with the question.”
See two possible repairs
Replace “concise” with “long-winded”, or keep it and change the description: “Her answer was concise: she explained the problem in two clear sentences.” Concise writing or speech uses few words to express the point clearly.
Writing out the corrected version makes you decide what you meant. For another round, ask your partner for a sentence that almost, but not quite, fits a word you both know.
4. Name it from the situation
This time there are no choices. Think of a word that describes the situation and use it in a sentence; more than one answer may work.
A friend tells you honestly what went wrong in your presentation, including the part you hoped nobody had noticed. What adjective could describe the feedback?
See a possible answer
“Candid” works: the feedback is open and honest about something difficult. “Frank” or “honest” could also fit. Candid does not, by itself, say whether the feedback was tactful or useful.
On your own, write a situation on one side of a card and a possible answer on the other. With a partner, swap situations and accept any answer whose meaning fits, not only the word you had in mind.
5. Remember the words after a break
Close the answer panels and look away from the page. Later, answer these without scrolling back:
- What word described the moving date that was not final?
- Which word for careful spending sounded less critical?
- What word described a brief, clear answer?
- What word could describe honest feedback on a difficult subject?
Check all four words
Tentative; frugal; concise; candid. If you chose a different word with the same relevant meaning, check it in a dictionary, but also try to retrieve the words used earlier.
If you missed one, go back to its example and write a fresh sentence. To recall the words again later, try our adjustable review routine.
Play: five more rounds of game 1
Same idea as the first game: pick the word that fits, then see why.
Word fit
1 / 5We’ll ____ the meeting until everyone is back from holiday.
Check the answer
Postpone. It means to move to a later time. Prolong means to make last longer, and expedite means to speed up.
The hike was ____: twelve miles, mostly uphill, in the rain.
Check the answer
Gruelling. It means extremely tiring. Leisurely means relaxed and unhurried, and brief means short.
He was ____ about the mistake and apologised to everyone involved.
Check the answer
Contrite. It means sorry for something you did. Smug means too pleased with yourself, and oblivious means not aware.
Their new neighbour is ____: she knew everyone on the street within a week.
Check the answer
Gregarious. It means sociable. Reclusive means avoiding other people, and aloof means distant and cool.
The rules were so ____ that even the referee couldn’t explain them.
Check the answer
Convoluted. It means so complicated it is hard to follow. Lenient means not strict, and explicit means stated clearly.
Your score
Check a meaning or try an app
The word distinctions above follow Cambridge Dictionary’s entries for tentative, candid, concise, frugal and stingy The example sentences are our own.
For vocabulary games on your phone, arcoco includes word meanings, sentence gaps and formats such as Pressure Test and River Runner. We make the app; the exercises here are not its actual questions. See how arcoco works, or compare it with other vocabulary tools if you want to study your own word list.