How the list and board work

This page holds a set of vocabulary words chosen to fit middle school and junior high readers. Each word comes with four things: how to say it, its part of speech, a plain meaning, and a sentence that shows it in use. Read through the list at your own pace before you try to use the words yourself.

When you're ready to test what stuck, tap Play this list. It opens a board that only pulls words from this page, not the full daily word bank. Guess a word, then use the colors on each guess to narrow down your next try, the same way every Tile Streak board works.

A few words from the list

These four show the format. They are examples, not the words on today's board, so reading them here will not spoil anything you play later.

Meticulous (muh-TIK-yuh-lus), adjective: showing great care and attention to detail. "She was meticulous about checking every source before she turned in the report."

Ambiguous (am-BIG-yoo-us), adjective: open to more than one meaning, unclear. "The directions were ambiguous, so half the class started the assignment differently."

Resilient (rih-ZIL-yunt), adjective: able to recover quickly after something goes wrong. "A resilient teammate shakes off a bad inning and plays the next one just as hard."

Articulate (ar-TIK-yuh-lut), adjective: able to explain ideas clearly. "He gave an articulate answer when the teacher asked him to defend his opinion."

Study tips for junior high readers

A word sticks better when you do more than read it once.

• Say it out loud. Sounding out the pronunciation helps you remember how the word is

spoken, not just how it looks on the page.

• Write your own sentence. After you read the example, write a new one using the word

in your own life, not the textbook's.

• Sort words by feeling. Group words that describe a person, like meticulous or

resilient, apart from words that describe an idea. Small groups are easier to hold onto.

• Review the next day. One read rarely makes a word stick. Come back a day later, and

again after a few more days.

• Play the board after you study. Studying first, then playing, turns the list from

something to memorize into something you actually use.

For teachers and for self-study

This page works as a short warm-up at the start of class. Show two or three words, ask students to guess the meaning before you reveal it, then use the example sentence to check understanding.

Working alone is just as easy. Read a few words, write your own sentences, then come back in a day or two and see which ones you still remember without looking.

Because the list keeps growing, treat it as a resource you check back on rather than a fixed worksheet. The board always serves whatever is on the page that day, so a class or a solo learner is always practicing the current set.

More vocabulary practice

For grade-specific lists, try 6th grade vocabulary words or 7th grade vocabulary words. For games built around these words, see middle school vocabulary games. Teachers can also pair this page with 6th grade spelling practice for a fuller lesson.