Turbidity.

We’ll keep doing case study vocabulary words to develop a small vocab list. This way, you’ll learn a new word, learn how I think about words, and develop some good habits for understanding how to use the word in your repertoire.

Step #1. Finding a New Word.

Now, unless you have stumbled upon a new word during conversation with a colleague or friend, check Dictionary.com. You can also keep a running list of words from books, TV, news, or any other source for inspiration.

Usually, I’ll look on Dictionary.com for inspiration. Dictionary.com has a Word of the Day that makes it easy to regularly build your vocabulary. Some words are more obscure than others but the main point I want you to make is to pick or identify words you would actually use.

Step #2. You’ve Found a Word. Now What?

Let’s take the word: Turbidity. Let’s break down what you should consider.

Step #3. How Functional Is This Word?

Ask yourself whether you will ever actually use the word. It’s fun to learn words that are big, complex, or intimidating, but the goal isn’t to have the most obscure language. That would make you stand out like a sore thumb even more. Instead, you want to grow your English communication skills to use words effectively and just like a native English speaker. What that means is you should aim for words you hear others use regularly but you do not use.

Sometimes those words are very specific to a field of interest or study. Let’s say you are a researcher or scientist. You may not uuse the word TURBIDITY when talking to a friend, but maybe you would with a coworker or research assistant.

In the case of the word TURBIDITY, it is a word to describe the state of being clouded or opaque - a perfect word for describing a fluid in a vial or test tube.

Other considerations besides functionality include considerations on how fun the word is and whether you like the word.

Although it’s weird to think about fun and preference of words, these subtle things can have immeasurable impact on your desire to learn and enjoy the language. And the more you can have fun on your language learning journey, the less it feels like a struggle.

Step #3. Figure Out How Many Syllables Long The Word Is.

For tur-bid-i-ty, it is 4 syllables long. Furthermore, the second syllable is bolded, identifying it as the primary stress.

Step #4. Considering the IPA For Pronunciation

The second syllable has the ‘, which signifies that the primary stress appears on the second syllable, confirming the bolded syllable. If you haven’t learned it before, look back on my IPA posts to figure out the symbols and respective pronunciations for [ɜ], [ɪ], and [i].

Step #5. Considering the Word Type And Use Cases.

Make sure you know what kind of word it is (in this case, a noun) as well as find some use cases. You want to build multiple associations to your word map so you can understand similarities, differences and nuances between words.

In the case of turbidity, some synonyms include: haziness and opaqueness

Village cites high levels of turbidity in the reservoir -CBC News (link)

Naches River Water Treatment Plant's high turbidity caused by thunderstorms -NBCRightnNow (link)

Step #6. Add It To a List For Review.

Now, you should create a word list for review. I’ve talked about Anki and Notion as options but regular review of your word list can help create better recall and use of the words.