English is the most widely spoken language in the world making it an essential tool for communication, education, entertainment and even career growth.

Fortunately, there are fun and effective ways to learn English that can make the process enjoyable and engaging. One such method is through the use of games! Games can make learning English more enjoyable, increasing motivation and engagement.

What are the best games to learn English in 2023? 

There are a number of fun and interactive games that can help people of all abilities learn English. We will break the best games to learn English into three categories; traditional, digital, and interactive.

Learning English with traditional games

These traditional games are classic ways people can learn English in a fun and low-pressure environment.

1. Learning English with Hangman

• Level: Beginner
• Number of players: 2+

Hangman is a word-guessing game where players suggest letters to guess a hidden word that they’ve chosen.

One player picks a word and draws the corresponding number of dashes on a piece of paper. The other player suggests letters to be able to spell the word out. For each incorrect guess, a part of a stick figure hangman is drawn until completion. The objective is to guess the word before the hangman is fully drawn. Hangman is a fun way to improve spelling and vocabulary and expand your knowledge of different words in the English language.

2. Learning English with Scrabble

• Level: Beginner / intermediate / advanced
• Number of players: 2+

The game of Scrabble involves creating words from letter tiles and strategically placing them on the game board for maximum points. It’s a fun and challenging game because it relies on your creativity to make and sound out words using the letter tiles you have. This is a great way to improve your English. It’s, enjoyed by people of all ages and English-speaking abilities to speak English. In new versions of the board game, it comes with a downloadable app that helps to tally scores and confirms if the word a player has spelled is correct!

3. Learning English with Boggle 

• Level: Beginner
• Players: 2-4

Boggle is a word game played on a grid of lettered dice. The grid consists of 16 dice, each with six letters on them. Players must be quick and alert to find as many words as possible within the set time limit.

The dice are arranged in a 4×4 grid, and players must find as many words as possible by connecting adjacent letters. Words can be formed in any direction, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, allowing you to practice your spelling and assisting you in building up your vocabulary by discovering new words.

Learning English with digital games 

Digital games can be a great way for people to learn English and can often be set to easy, medium, and hard to cater for all ages and abilities:

1. Learning English with Kahoot!

• Level: Beginner
• Players: Best played in groups

Kahoot is an online game-based learning platform. It allows players to set up fun web-based multi-choice trivia and quizzes. A quiz master can set the game up and ask questions on any subject they can think of.

This game is best played in groups and the difficulty level is as easy or hard as the quiz master makes it! Be aware though, that Kahoot is a user-led quiz so if you are playing with friends you will need to set the questions. Otherwise, there are public quizzes available that you can play with people all over the world.

2. Learning English with Heads Up

• Level: Intermediate
• Players: 2+

Heads Up is a fun spin on the traditional game of Charades and can be played on your mobile device! All players have to do is guess the word that’s on their head as the other players give you clues and hints for you to solve the word in 60 seconds!

You can choose categories such as celebrities, animals, and much more! It’s a fun way to learn English with topics that interest you.

Learning English with interactive games

These interactive games are fantastic ways to learn English and some only require a little imagination to play.!

1. Learning English with Charades

• Level: Intermediate
• Players: 4+

Charades is a game in which teams of players try to guess a word or phrase from the actions of another teammate who isn’t allowed to speak. Before a game starts, a general topic should be selected such as “titles” which can be books, movies, or television shows.

The performing player must communicate the word or phrase to their players by performing actions, such as “how many words” are in the phrase, and what each word in the phrase may ‘sound’ with specific gestures.

The aim of the game is to guess the phrase before the time runs out!

2. Learning English with Eye Spy

• Level: Beginner
• Players: 2+

Eye Spy is a basic game for people of all ages. All you have to do is say the phrase “eye spy with my little eye, something beginning with…” and you must choose an item for the other player to guess by saying the first letter of the thing that you have selected.

For example, If you want to select a tree, you would say “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with ‘T’”. The other player wins if they guess your item within the time limit that you set or a number of guesses.

Make learning English fun!

Regardless of whether you are a novice or a proficient learner, there are games available that cater to all skill levels and interests. We encourage you to try out some of the games discussed in this blog post and experience first hand how they can enhance your English learning journey.
If you’re looking to take a more structured approach to improving or learning English, check out our Skills for Education and Employment program today.