Vocabulary Builder: Daily Word

What is Vocabulary Builder: Daily Word app?

Vocabulary Builder: Daily Word's developer has chosen an aptly descriptive title for the app. The app helps its users to grow their vocabulary using its built-in dictionary and any custom words they decide to add. Words and their definitions are stored within the app, and it can help with pronunciation by reading the words aloud.

There are various options in the app to learn and revise words. The app's developer highlights that its dictionary is high-quality because it has been hand curated rather than generated from generally available word lists. 

What we love about Vocabulary Builder app.

The hand-curation of the word list has paid off. You wouldn't expect every word in a vocabulary builder to be one you'd need in every conversation, but nor do you expect archaic or highly obscure terms. 

Vocabulary Builder gets the balance right.

Learners will undoubtedly learn new words from the app's dictionary, and they will be words that they will be able to slip into conversations to demonstrate their language capability. The growth in their lexicon will add variety to their spoken and written communication.

Vocabulary Builder has an option to include custom words. This is an excellent feature for students working with jargon or terms from a specific industry or subject. Once the words have been added, the user can also export them to a CSV file to use them in other ways or pass them on to colleagues and classmates, who could also import them into their Vocabulary Builder app if they have it.

A handy bookmark feature lets students build up a list of words, both built-in and custom, that they wish to be able to access quickly. Each student might have a different purpose for including words, such as ones they find difficult or because they are especially relevant, but all will find it a useful feature. It is easily activated by tapping a heart icon next to the word.

What skills does it teach?

Vocabulary Builder helps its users expand their vocabulary. This could be a user's goal for personal development, English language learners, or for those due to sit tests such as the GRE.

What age is it appropriate for?

There is nothing in Vocabulary Builder that is inappropriate for kids, but as it is designed to extend a vocabulary, the words it includes can require a higher literacy level than younger kids typically possess.

Is Vocabulary Builder app easy to use?

Vocabulary builder has a self-explanatory user interface. It uses text-based buttons to enter options and navigate. 

How will students benefit?

Vocabulary Builder has enough options to let learners use it in a way that suits how they learn.

 The word of the day makes it easier to achieve at least some progress daily as it prompts the user with a notification. As it is shown on a home-screen widget, reading the word and its definition will only take moments and will be one more word that the student has learned. A useful setting lets users choose when the daily word updates so that it fits in with their routine.

The Random option is an easy way to fit in an extra bit of learning whenever the student has time. After opening the app, they are only a single screen tap from learning a random word and another tap from the next.

The quizzes give students quick-to-access activities to learn new words and refresh their existing vocabulary.

How will teachers benefit?

Vocabulary Builder's import/export options are helpful for teachers who recommend that their students adopt this app. Teachers can add words that they think are important for their pupils to learn and be sure that each student has access to the word and a suitable definition.

What can Vocabulary Builder app improve on?

The premium version of this app still had an in-app notification to view third-party advertisements to earn "feel good tokens". These videos only started at the user's request, but it does not feel correct for a premium app to show its users advertising. We prefer educational apps, especially those students pay for, to have no distractions from the learning content.

We'd like to see some additional modes for the quiz. At the moment, the quiz presents the word and players must choose one of four definitions that match it. This could be reversed to where the user selects a word to fit the definition.

Good to know

Vocabulary Builder has an option to give feedback to its developer for each word. The app suggests users do this for incorrect pronunciation or usage. Some people might see this as indicating a lack of confidence in the app's dictionary, while others might think it is an extra level of crowd-sourced quality assurance. During this review of Vocabulary Builder, no errors were noticed, so we're happy to consider it the latter.

How much does Vocabulary Builder app cost?

Vocabulary Builder is free to download as an ad-supported app.

What is included with the free version vs. paid?

A single in-app purchase removes the advertisements. 

Is Vocabulary Builder app safe to use?

Vovabulary Builder includes third-party advertisements in its free and premium versions, although they have to be user-initiated in the premium version. Students don't have to enter any personal details into the app.

Users can choose to share words with other app users using the Nearby Share feature of the Android platform. What is allowed by this depends on how each user sets this feature and whether they grant the app the appropriate permission.

At the time of this review of Vocabulary Builder, any words you add to the app are only stored locally or in your exported CSV files. This might change in the future as the app's developer has indicated an intention to add a cloud storage feature.

Overall rating of the app.

While many Vocabulary Builder apps are generally available, most are not of a quality that the Educational App Store could accept into its app libraries. Vocabulary Builder earns its place.

An app of this type needs to have a high-quality dictionary of relevant words accompanied by brief but accurate definitions. It must also be easy to use and let learners access the content with minimal fuss. Vocabulary Builder succeeds on both counts. 

If you feel your kid's vocabulary, or your own, could do with expanding, Vocabulary Builder is an excellent choice of app.

You can download Vocabulary Builder: Daily Word on your Android devices from the Google Play Store.