Best vocabulary books plays a very important role in our life and so an emphasis to enhance your vocabulary is always given since our schooling years. It has several benefits:-
Ease Reading – It is scientifically proven that kids tend to understand better if they know what they are reading.
Without knowing the meaning of the words they are reading they will not be able to comprehend anything and so for a better understanding of textbooks and novels, a good vocabulary is essential. This applies not only to kids but adults too.
- Communicate effectively – Right words at the right time can make situations change like magic sometimes. If you have a good vocabulary and know how to use it, you can communicate and present your ideas confidently and effectively.
- Express your feelings – With a strong vocabulary, expressing your thoughts and feelings to the other person becomes easy, be it verbally or in writing.
- Improves chances of success – In today’s era, communication skill is one of the core soft skills needed in every industry as it helps you to present yourself better, build good relations at work and reach heights of success.
There are several books which are designed and written in a way to help people improve their vocabulary. Here’s a list of some of the best books you can refer to if you are looking to elevate your vocabulary-
Best Vocabulary Books
1. 30 Days To More Books To Increase Vocabulary - Norman Lewis
Written by Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis, 30 days to more powerful vocabulary claims to improve your vocabulary in 30 days.
The book does not just introduce you to the new words daily but also tells you the way to memorize words so that you can use them in your daily life.
With just 15 minutes a day, this book has shown nearly 4,000,000 readers how to acquire a larger more effective vocabulary helping in their career growth.
It also helps in improving pronunciation and reducing the misuse of words
- The book is relatively easy to understand as it follows an easy-to-understand approach and is suitable for beginners.
- It has been published by the famous Goyal Publication House.
- Written in the English language it is a 288 pages book which costs only INR 175.
- It is easily available on Amazon and Flipkart.
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2. Word Power Made Easy - Norman Lewis
Word Power Made Easy is another book by Norman Lewis and is one of the most effective vocabulary builders
which will help the readers and learners to read more effectively and efficiently, speak and write with confidence.
It is very useful for enhancing your conversation
To develop social contacts and even for giving interviews with more confidence and getting advancement in your career.
This book is preferred by intermediate learners and is not suggested for beginners as it focuses on introducing new word vocabulary.
It is useful for intermediate learners.
This book published by Goyal Publication House is priced at 189 INR.
It can be ordered online from Amazon or Flipkart. You can also find it at your nearby bookstore.
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3. Oxford’s Learner’s Pocket Word skills
This amazing book is a great work of Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman which comprises 32 modules covering 180 topics within it.
It helps to enhance your vocabulary for Cambridge Exams and IELTS using interesting narrative and pictorial representations of topics to help better understand the usage of words which makes it a good choice for intermediate learners.
- It is pocket-friendly both in terms of size and price. With a small size, you can carry it around with you and learn at any time suitable for beginners as well as intermediate students.
- The book published by Oxford University Press is a 380 pages book
It costs 280 Indian Rupees.
It can be found at the nearby bookstore and online too at Amazon and Flipkart.
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4. The Vocabulary Builder Workbook By Chris Lee
Yet another amazing English word book which is a great choice to opt for learning new words and replacing phrases with single words.
The vocabulary builder by Chris Lee comprises 1400 essential words with modern-day techniques of learning and memorizing words for a long time so that you can use them in your daily life.
- This is a go-to book for those preparing for SAT, ACT or GRE or even if simply looking to improve their speaking and writing skills for beginners.
- 234 pages of fun-filled learning have been published by Zephyros.
- It can be ordered online on Amazon and Flipkart.
- The price of the book ranges between 846-1180 INR.
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5. The Black Books For Improving Vocabulary By Nikhil Gupta
With an over 6600-word list comprising both English and Hindi explanations of the words,
the black book of English vocabulary is written by Nikhil Gupta.
If you are preparing for any competitive exam this is the book you can choose to study what you need.
It is also time-saving as instead of reading everything you can only choose to read what you are looking for or what is needed for the exam.
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6. Shakespearean Plays – Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is regarded as one of the Best English Vocabulary Books in the English language.
He introduced hundreds of words and phrases that we use in our everyday lives through his great works Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar and Macbeth to name a few.
‘Come what may come’, ‘All that glitters is not gold, 'and ‘break the ice are some of the most common phrases introduced by him while the world invented by him are Bandit, Moonlight, Dwindle, Dauntless, Green-eyed etc.
You can either choose to watch Shakespeare's plays or read his great works, but irrespective of what you choose you will be amazed to find tons of new words and phrases to incorporate into your life.
You can search for books written by Shakespeare on Amazon or Flipkart or even look at crosswords which is one of the best book stores having a wide variety of collections of books.
Shakespeare plays are generally not recommended for beginners as they might find them tough or tricky to understand.
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7. Gulliver’s Travels - Jonathan Swift
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift is generally recommended in school for kids to enhance their vocabulary and has been even a part of their curriculum too.
This timeless classic is easy to read for kids above 10 years of age.
The main idea of the book revolves around not judging people on their appearance as appearances are deceptive.
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8. Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
It is an American classic and one of the world’s great anti-war books. It centres around the World War II firebombing of Dresden.
Unlike its name and the centre theme, the narrative is humorous, keeping it light-hearted and revealing some deep meanings of life in an easy to read and understandable manner.
- The story written in 224 pages has been published by Dell Publishing.
- It is a great option for newer readers.
- It is priced at 499 Rupees.
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9. Malgudi Days - RK Narayan
R.K. Narayan is one of the renowned names in Indian literature.
A collection of short stories, Malgudi days was published by Indian through various publications in India and by Penguin classics outside India.
Every chapter of the book is a new story showing a different aspect of life.
The book is written in an easy language and the stories are from the lives of a small town in India, known as Malgudi.
The book got a lot of appreciation and as R.K. Narayan is known for his spectacular vocabulary, Malgudi Days is no exception.
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10. The Shadow Lines – Amitav Ghosh
The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh is considered to be his best work by far.
The book distinctively makes the reader recall the trauma of the partition of Bengal in 1947 during India’s freedom.
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Final Overview
While there are best vocabulary books to improve your vocabulary, which one is the best fit for you depends if you are a beginner, intermediate or an advanced language speaker.
There is a scope for improvement and learning at all levels. For beginners, it is highly recommended to start with books which are specifically written to enhance your vocabulary.
You can also keep a pocket dictionary with you all the time to look for the meaning of new words you come across in your day-to-day life.
If not, then technology has made it easier for us as you can always take out your phone, google the meaning of the word and even get to know its right pronunciation.
For intermediate learners whose basic vocabulary is strong enough, they can go for learning phrases or smart words or sentences to say something really simple.
Sometimes it tends to leave a good impression on the other person with whom you are having a conversation.
You can also choose to read novels and you are most likely to find something new in each book for sure, it could be a new word or maybe a new phrase. Reading stories is a great way of learning vocabulary.
People who are very well-versed with the language and can nail any conversation can still choose to watch English language shows, Hollywood movies, web series and listen to podcasts as irrespective of the level of proficiency you have in the language, there is always room for improvement for everyone throughout the life.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1 Which are the free online books to improve vocabulary?
There are many sites and apps, including Google Play Books and Kindle where you can find a lot of free resources and free online books to improve your vocabulary. You can find a dictionary and many storybooks too which are available for free online.
Q2 Which are the best English vocabulary books for beginners?
For books like 30 days to more powerful vocabulary, the Vocabulary Builder, the black book of Indian Vocabulary which is specifically written to help the readers and learners in improving their vocabulary is a good option to start with for beginners.
Apart from these books, some easy level storybooks, like fantastic Mr.Fox by Roald Dahl, the post office by Rabindranath Tagore, a wrinkle in time by Madeleine L’Engle, peter pan by J.M.Barrie, the happy prince & other stories by Oscar Wilde etc.
are also a good option for the beginners looking to improve their vocabulary.
Q3 Which are some of the classic novels to improve vocabulary?
- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
- Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
- The happy prince and the other stories by Oscar Wilde
- The picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Emma by Jane Austen
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- 1984 by George Orwell
And the list is endless. You can choose any of the above-mentioned books to improve your vocabulary.
Q4 Which are some of the non-fiction books to improve vocabulary?
- Three Thousand Stitches by Sudha Murty
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
- The Last Lecture by Randy Paunch
- The Argumentative Indian by Dr.Amartya Sen
These are some of the famous non-fiction books which you can read to improve your vocabulary and add new words and phrases to your daily life.
