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Best Board Games to Learn English

 

Best Board Games to Learn English

Would you rather play a game, or learn some English grammar? Okay, it’s a pretty obvious answer. But, wouldn’t it be cool if you could have fun and increase your intelligence at the same time? For sure! Here is a list of our favorite games, so you can have fun and give your brain a mental workout simultaneously.

 Our Top Picks for Best Board Games to Learn English

In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.

Best Art

Dixit
Dixit
Dixit is filled with gorgeous artwork. Each card is an impressive work of art that can be used to build English vocabulary during gameplay.

Best Classic

Bananagrams
Bananagrams
There’s a reason a banana sack can be found on the shelf in so many houses. Bananagrams is a classic game that’s fun for all ages and skill levels.

Best Overall

Once Upon A Time: The Storytelling Card Game
Once Upon A Time: The Storytelling Card Game
Once Upon a Time’s shared storytelling is perfect for beginners and language learners. The stories and fun world-building is wonderful fun for kids and adults alike.

Top 10 English Board Games

#1. Once Upon a Time

Once Upon A Time Family Board Game

Players: 26
Playing time: 30 minutes

Once upon a time … there was an award-winning story-telling card game, which used elements of fairy-tales and children’s stories to create exciting and entertaining narratives, allowing players to enjoy hours of fun.

The game could either be played individually or in a team, as the players took turns using their prompt cards to create tales that were magical and enthralling on each occasion the game was played.

The players could interrupt and take the stories in the direction that suited them best, as they tried to be the first to use all of their cards. And, in the end … they all lived happily ever after.

Once Upon A Time: The Storytelling Card Game
Once Upon A Time: The Storytelling Card Game
  • Tell a tale based on random topics in your hand and try to steer...
  • Appeals to players of all ages.
  • Once Upon a Time is a game in which the players work together to...

#2. Dixit

Dixit Board Game Box and Components

Players: 3-6
Playing time: 30 minutes

A creative guessing game, in which participants must creatively describe the images that are on their selected cards. The images on the cards depict fantastical scenes that have a dream-like quality (think Salvador Daliesque images), so players must think outside the box with the descriptions they offer.   

You choose one of your cards, describe it to the other players, then each opponent chooses one of their own cards which has similar qualities. The cards are merged together, shuffled, and each player tries to select the original card that was being described.

Easy to pick up, but almost limitless possible outcomes. Dixit is a game that will expand your imagination.

Dixit
Dixit
  • Storytelling Game: Dixit Is The Classic, Simple, Lighthearted...
  • Creative Guessing Game: Each Round, One Player Selects A Card And...
  • Engaging Dreamlike Illustrations: Dixit Features 84 Cards With...

#3. Funglish

Players: 3-99
Playing time: 15-90 minutes

Express it and guess it with piles of tiles — is the slogan on the box, and that is a great summary of the actions in Funglish. 

Imagine playing charades, but without being able to act or mime, and you are getting close to this game. Players first select a clue card (nouns – elephant) and then choose from a pile of descriptive (adjective) cards — gray, big, living — as the other players shout out their guesses.

It is a great way to encourage better communication and expand vocabulary, whilst having a delightful time gaming with your loved ones.

Funglish
Funglish
  • The word-guessing game that lets you express it and guess it with...
  • You can't talk or act but you can find, grab and play just the...
  • Keep playing tiles like furry, brown and bouncy - Once another...

#4. Stet! Dreyer’s English

Players: 1-12

Does,  this sentence; — bug you! It should do, the grammar is terrible. 

Stet! is a game in which players review the sentence cards, looking for grammatical errors. So, if you are looking to graduate your grammar or simply show off your superior syntactical sharpness, then this game will allow you to do just that.  

There are 100 cards for you to play through, so perhaps not huge replayability. However, as well as finding the erroneous grammar, you can work to improve the style and syntax which adds another dimension of play.

Stet! Dreyer's English
Stet! Dreyer's English
  • Dreyer, Benjamin (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 100 Pages - 07/07/2020 (Publication Date) - Clarkson Potter...

#5. Taboo

Taboo Board Game Box and Components

Players: 4-10
Playing time: 20 minutes 

An absolutely classic game, which continues to be played in millions of homes across the world.  For the uninitiated, the game is played in teams of two (or more), and the purpose is for team members to take turns being the clue-giver and describe the word on the game card, without using the most obvious clues.

Opposing teams need to also pay attention, because if the rules are broken, then they get a point. Simple yet addictive, the game is a sure-fire way to get even the snooziest of relatives engaged and animated when a family gets together.

Taboo
Taboo
  • Classic game of unspeakable fun: want a great party game that...
  • Food and drink cards: This exclusive edition of the taboo board...
  • Taboo game with electronic buzzer: if a player says a Forbidden...

#6. Bananagrams

Bananagrams Travel Game Tiles and Banana Bag

Players: 1-8
Playint time: 15 minutes

Bananagrams is an easy-to-pick-up game that requires no pencil, paper, or board, and it all fits neatly into the iconic banana-shaped case. 

Each player begins with a selection of the letter tiles and must race to create a crossword-style grid, using all of their letters. Players take additional letter tiles from the ‘bunch’ and add them to their grid until all the letter tiles are used up.

A fast and dynamic way to expand your vocabulary and improve your spelling. Within a few rounds, you will be an expert and demand to play another round.

Bananagrams
Bananagrams
  • FUN FOR EVERYONE – Gather your family and friends and race...
  • ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL – While this game is easy to play,...
  • GREAT FOR TRAVEL – Bananagrams comes in a fun banana-shaped...

#7. Mojo English

Mojo Card Game Box and Cards

Players: 1-6
Playing time: 10-15 minutes

Mojo English is a family-friendly game that encourages people to think about sentence construction and syntax, without even coming close to feeling like a grammar lesson. The game has a genuine educational aspect that could be used in a classroom or homeschooling environment.

But, even for people with a native level of understanding, there is still huge fun to be had simply from the joy of the gameplay itself. Bright and attractive playing cards add to the polished style of the game, and it offers an entertaining way to educate and compete at the same time.


#8. Quiddler

Players: 1-8
Playing time: 30 minutes

This ‘short word’ card game is suitable for anyone due to the fast-paced format using quick rounds. Each player is dealt a number of letter cards per round  starting with 2 and rising to 10 cards  and they must then use the cards to spell words and score points.

There are similarities to Scrabble, but the accessibility means you don’t have to be a word-lover to enjoy. With bonus and double letter cards, there is a strategic element to the gameplay. It’s a great way to get younger players learning without them realizing it.

Quiddler
Quiddler
  • All ages can play this fast-paced game because even short words...
  • 1-10 players
  • Exercises both vocabulary and spelling skills

#9. Q&A Card Game

Players: 2-6
Playing time: 20 minutes 

card game that is primarily focused on helping non-native English speakers to gain confidence with asking and answering questions in English.

There are 3 sets of 54 cards with question-and-answer prompts and instructions that allow participants to engage in a fun game, whilst using productive elements of learning new vocabulary skills. The cards are well-designed and durable, and because the design includes instructions, the game can be led by the players themselves (change the color, change direction, etc).

Q&A Card Game (Level 3)
Q&A Card Game (Level 3)
  • 3x 54 CARDS IN A HIGH QUALITY MAGNETIC BOX – Each card game...
  • CLASSROOM AND HOME FRIENDLY DESIGN – With carefully graded,...
  • ENGAGING GAME PLAY – There are many ways to play AGO Q&A card...

#10. Last Word

Players: 2-8
Playing time: 30 minutes

A hugely popular game that is ideal for a party situation and will be sure to get players engaged and excited from the first time they play.

Each round there is a subject and a chosen letter (things that are carried — S), and competitors must shout out an associated word, trying to be the last person to speak, before the buzzer sounds. You can challenge and add extra rules to add different dimensions to each round. But, whatever the topic, everyone will want to get the last word, and score the points.

Last Word
Last Word
  • Each round players blurt out answers to "Subject" and "Letter"...
  • How many "Things That Are Carried" can you name that start with...
  • Recommended for 2 to 8 players, ages 14+.  It's a great family...

Wrap-Up

We hope you enjoyed our list of the best board games to learn English! Instead of using flashcards for rote memorization, you can play board games to have tons of fun while learning new words. Whether you’re learning English as a second (or third) language or just improving your vocabulary, there is a board game for everyone.

Have you tried any of the games on this list? Are there any others that we might have missed? Drop a comment below and let us know! We’d love to hear from you.

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