Word games can serve not merely as a break from routine, but also as a means of improving vocabulary and comprehension. These games lend themselves well to modification to suit your requirement depending on the type of English class you teach. Simple games can help non native speakers of English to learn new words; the same game can often be altered to help native speakers expand their existing knowledge of English. Playing word games makes the entire learning process less stressful and more engaging for students.

Determine the skill you wish students to learn through the game. Games can be used to improve vocabulary and teach grammar. Select games that are appropriate for the group you are teaching. The games you use to teach non native speakers of English, for example, will have to be different from what you use with elementary school students.

Use word association games to help students pick up vocabulary. Begin with one word and get students to contribute one word each that they believe relates to the concept of this word. Encourage students to contribute and discuss about words that may not be directly relevant, but have some connection with the idea the word conveys. For example, if you say the word "fruit," you'll get answers of names of different fruits, but it isn't wrong for someone to say "vitamins," either. Use such answers to trigger understanding of new words.

Play a game in which you start with one word and the next person says another word that begins with the last letter of your word. Get students to follow one another saying words like this. Use your turn to introduce new words and explain their meaning. For older children who are native speakers of English, modify this game by asking that each word they contribute be a synonym or antonym of the preceding word, besides beginning with the ending letter.

Create lists of words where the letters are scrambled to make the word unintelligible. Get students to work on unscrambling these words to make sense. This game helps to improve spelling and vocabulary. Improve the effectiveness of this game by scrambling letters that can be arranged to give multiple words with the same alphabets. Begin with simple words and move on to more complex ones. Divide students into groups, allow each group to come up with their lists of scrambled words and exchange lists between groups to make learning more fun.

Teach about the roots of words and make students find words that derive from these roots. For example, tell students that the root "cred" means "to believe." Explain how words that contain this root are associated with the act of believing, giving examples such as creed, credibility, incredible, credential and credit.