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Built on best practices.
Backed by research.
We believe in the role of research to achieve better outcomes in education. This belief is why our approach to teaching is both informed by science and validated by research.
If you’re considering conducting your own research, we’d love to hear from you.
Below is a closer look at the latest studies that inform our work and that test its efficacy.
A peek behind the science of Vocabulary.com
We’ve developed sophisticated algorithms to give each learner the right words and the right questions at the right time.
Let's take a closer look at how we use data to teach raise, one of over 18000 words we teach.
Read more.
Wisconsin Forward Exam
Expected score improvement in the Wisconsin Forward Exam with additional Vocabulary.com
words mastered.
The Impact of Vocabulary.com Usage on the Wisconsin Forward Exam in ELA
This study examines the effect of increased Vocabulary.com usage on reading achievement
among 7th- and 8th-graders in a Wisconsin middle school, as measured by the Wisconsin
Forward Exam in ELA. How did the amount of Vocabulary.com usage relate to students'
performance?
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Star Reading
Expected score improvement in Star Reading assessments with additional
Vocabulary.com words mastered.
The Impact of Vocabulary.com Usage on Star Reading
This study examining the effect of increased Vocabulary.com usage on reading
and writing achievement shows that higher Vocabulary.com usage is associated
with better Star assessment scores. Students performed better on Star Reading
when they mastered more words on Vocabulary.com.
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The impact of Vocabulary.com usage on PSAT/SAT reading and writing
Expected score improvement in PSAT/SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
with additional Vocabulary.com words mastered.
This study examining the effect of increased Vocabulary.com usage on reading
and writing achievement shows that higher Vocabulary.com usage is associated
with better PSAT/SAT performance. Students performed better on PSAT/SAT
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing when they mastered more words on
Vocabulary.com.
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Vocabulary.com usage helps boost Missouri standard proficiency rates among high school students
This study’s findings provide support for Vocabulary.com’s efficacy in boosting students’ vocabulary and reading exam performance. Consistent usage of Vocabulary.com resulted in larger gains among students relative to their peers. Additionally, these findings speak to the cumulative effect of Vocabulary.com usage—the longer students practice with words on Vocabulary.com, the greater their learning gains.
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Third-party research links increased Vocabulary.com use to substantial gains
Students in regular reading classes that consistently used Vocabulary.com experienced significantly more growth than their peers in classes that did not use the platform.
A landmark study completed by Project Tomorrow, the internationally recognized education nonprofit organization, found that students whose teachers used
Vocabulary.com in the classroom had significantly higher achievement scores and experienced substantially more growth on state standardized ELA tests than students whose teachers did not use the platform.
Researchers examined achievement score data from four middle schools in Broward County Public Schools, one of the nation's largest school districts. The research established these key findings:
Across grades 7 and 8, students whose teachers used Vocabulary.com with fidelity showed almost double the year-over-year increase in ELA test scores as compared to those who did not use the platform.
Additionally, students whose teachers regularly used Vocubulary.com achieved higher mean scaled FSA ELA test scores than their peers who did not regularly use the platform.
This pattern was consistent when the student data was disaggregated for African-American and Hispanic/Latinx students.
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Case study shows vocabulary instruction across content areas amplifies positive outcomes
Grade 7 Students' Change in Scaled Scores on FSA ELA by Teacher Usage of Vocabulary.com
Project Tomorrow also conducted a more in-depth case study on Broward County's Margate Middle School, which shows how Vocabulary.com usage across different content areas can have even more of an effect. In those classrooms where Vocabulary.com has become deeply embedded in instructional practices and the culture of learning, students who used the platform saw twice the improvement on FSA ELA scores as those that did not.
Read the case study
Academic journal publishes report on efficacy of Vocabulary.com’s “gamified” approach
According to a study published in the International Reading Association's Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (JAAL), Vocabulary.com "offered an effective hybrid teaching tool that honored independent and flexible learning opportunities." The authors investigate how Vocabulary.com’s adaptivity helped to support differentiated learning and improved understanding of vocabulary in context among eleventh-graders.
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Evidence connects increased use of Vocabulary.com with increased student achievement
Researchers at Florida-based education services group Progressive Bridges examined state standardized ELA test scores at an urban middle school. Student data for both seventh and eighth graders showed that those who consistently used Vocabulary.com scored well over the district average, while students who used the platform infrequently or not at all scored significantly below the school average.
Read the study
How we apply the science of learning
The Vocabulary.com white paper lays out how Vocabulary.com harnesses big data to bring insights from the science of learning into practical use for teachers and students.
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For educators
For schools and districts
How it works
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Research
Professional development
Contact sales
Resources
Help articles/FAQ
Teaching resources
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ESL/ELL resources
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IPA Pronunciation
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Comprehensive K-12 personalized learning
Immersive learning for 25 languages
Trusted tutors ready to help in 300+ subjects
35,000 worksheets, games, and lesson plans
Marketplace for millions of educator-created resources
Fun educational games for kids
Spanish-English dictionary, translator, and learning
Diccionario inglés-español, traductor y sitio de aprendizaje
Fast and accurate language certification
French-English dictionary, translator, and learning
Copyright © 2026
Vocabulary.com, Inc.
A division of IXL Learning •
All Rights Reserved.