App for expanding vocab?

[candlelightees]

Can anyone recommend an app for increasing English vocabulary? My teen and I were watching the news this morning. They used the word delphi.

She says she would like to use a wider context of words. Are there any apps that would help with this?

It isn't like learning a new language which a search seems to pop up but expanding her own.

Can anyone recommend any good ones?

I've only come across Delphi as a place in Greece.

Good question. Usually people increase their vocabulary by reading a lot from a wide variety of styles. Eg, older books generally use a greater/different range of words than we typically use these days. That's why people often recommend classic children's books to clever young readers, as the challenge is in the language rather than the subject matter.

If you're not a big reader, that's obviously harder to do.

She needs to read more novels! In English, from all around the world.

The best way to find recommendations is to read the literary previews and reviews in newspapers like The Times, The Guardian, The New York Times, etc. In reviewing any new book they generally refer to earlier works - which are worth seeking out.

Seriously - no app can possibly be as satisfying and enlightening as seeing words used in context as part of an enthralling narrative.

(I assumed you meant ‘Delphic’ - as in obscure or ambiguous, like the Oracle?)

I’m here to second reading old books. I am talking 100 years old or so. Those authors had been educated in grammar and vocabulary and so they didn’t use anything different.

Old stories are amazing.

Sorry the typo! Delphic!

In a similar vein to pp's, the perfect app is Kindle, because then she will never be without a book to read.

I'd recommend this wonderful book. It's a murder-mystery and a coming-of-age story, and the protagonist teaches herself a new word every day: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-gathering-light/jennifer-donnelly/9780747570639

Presumably she knows how to Google a word to find its definition? The internet's various dictionary sites would give examples of usage.

She could also ask ChatGPT e.g. "Please give me 5 different sentences that use the word X in different contexts" (it's always best to say please, because when AI takes over the world you'll want to be on good terms with it 🙃).