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vocabulary-game-generator

Generate vocabulary games for language classes from a word list: printable word searches (easy, medium and hard directions, solution grid and positions), unique bingo cards with free squares and a shuffled caller list, and 20 classroom games (back to the board, taboo, pelmanism, dominoes, word-formation races, sentence auction, running dictation of definitions, info-gap crosswords and more) with the language each practises. Covers making games learning-rich (recall over recognition, production, recycling), spacing encounters across lessons, and choosing and grouping words. Use when a teacher wants a vocabulary game, review activity, bingo, word search or fun way to recycle a word list.

Languages, Linguistics & Translation / Language Teachingv1.0.0Updated OCT 25 20261 reference2 scripts

Games pay off when learners retrieve and use words, and when the same words come back across lessons. scripts/wordsearch.py builds a word search with a solution; scripts/bingo_cards.py builds unique bingo cards and a caller list. game-bank.md has 20 games and a recycling plan.

Trigger Conditions

Activate this skill when the user:

  • Wants a vocabulary game, bingo, word search or review activity
  • Has a word list from a unit and wants ways to recycle it
  • Needs a fast-finisher or end-of-lesson activity
  • Asks how to make vocabulary stick

Speaking activities: communicative-activity-generator. Warmers: warm-up-icebreaker-generator. Young learners: young-learner-esl-activity-generator.

Workflow

text
1. WORDS    -> the list (8-12 new items at lower levels), grouped by topic or word family
2. CHOOSE   -> recognition game or recall game (references/game-bank.md); mix both across the week
3. BUILD    -> python scripts/bingo_cards.py --file words.txt --cards 24 --size 4
               python scripts/wordsearch.py --file words.txt --level medium
4. CALLER   -> write definitions, gapped sentences or picture prompts for each word (not just the word)
5. PRODUCE  -> add a production step: sentence, collocation, spelling
6. RECYCLE  -> schedule the words again next lesson, next week, next month

Output

Give the game materials ready to print, teacher instructions (3-5 steps), the caller prompts written out for bingo, the production follow-up and a note on when to recycle the words. For bingo, prefer more words than squares so that cards differ and winners come one at a time.

Scripts

bash
python scripts/wordsearch.py --file words.txt [--words ...] [--size 12] [--level easy|medium|hard] [--seed 1]

Exit codes: 0 printed, 1 a word could not be placed, 2 no words or a word longer than the grid.

bash
python scripts/bingo_cards.py --file words.txt [--words ...] [--cards 20] [--size 3|4|5] [--free] [--seed 1]

Exit codes: 0 printed, 2 too few words or read error.

Additional Resources

FileContent
game-bank.md20 vocabulary games with what they practise, levels, grouping and procedure; learning-rich games; encounters and recycling; choosing words
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