Four Stars from Common Sense Media!

Common Sense Media, the well-regarded independent site that reviews media for children, recently dubbed Vocabulary.com "a great learning resource" that's "fun," "easy to use," and "well designed." The review focused primarily on Vocabulary.com's appropriateness for children, concluding that it works best for kids ages 13 and up. Read the full rating here. 

What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Vocabulary.com is a place where kids can go to learn new words and play word games and that those over 13 can do some vocab-building social networking with friends. Kids under 13 are asked to submit a parent's email address during registration. You'll receive your child's password, and you'll have to activate their registration. Even with permission to use the site, kids 12 and under get limited access: Their profiles aren't public, and they can't post comments. As with any dictionary-based site, kids can get silly and look up swear words and anatomy, but the definitions are standard and harmless.

What kids can learn
Vocabulary.com is a great learning resource. Kids will learn words used in the academic and business worlds. Questions provide a thorough look at how each word is used, with example sentences and audio recordings of pronunciations. Kids also can look up words and learn about language topics including slang. Each question lists a source, providing context, and users get supportive feedback such as, "We knew you'd figure it out!" The point system encourages goal-setting, and while kids feel like they're playing a fun game, they're also expanding their vocabularies.

What's it about?
A word appears on the screen. From four definitions, choose the one you think is correct. The site then tailors future questions based on strengths and weaknesses. Many terms are commonly used in academic and business environments, but the site also works to identify terms you may not be familiar with. If kids answer a question incorrectly, Vocabulary.com schedules extra exercises to help them learn it. Users get points for each correct answer and earn badges as they reach different goals; charts track their progress on the site.

Is it any good?
Vocabulary.com provides a uniquely customized experience. According to the site, which landed a spot on Time magazine's 2012 list of best websites, the more you play, the more the site can adapt its questions (currently, the site has more than 100,000). The site is well designed, easy to figure out, and fun. The 10-word quizzes are just long enough to remain interesting, and users earn points and badges for completing tasks, which encourages them to continue. Your progress -- learning individual words or earning activity points -- is carefully documented in charts, and the system goes above and beyond to ensure words are committed to memory. If you miss a word, it'll appear again; ones you've mastered also occasionally are cycled back into the mix. Vocabulary.com's SAT word lists and social-networking component make it a particularly good fit for high school-age students. Still, theoretically, the site challenges could work for nearly any age level.