By Kevin Z Last updated: May 22, 2023

How Strong Is Your French Vocabulary? The Best Online Exercises to Find Out (and Bulk Up!)

I was once at a restaurant with a friend, and he asked our waitress how the menu’s “sweet surprise ice cream” tasted.

Her response: “The sweet surprise ice cream is, uh… cold.”

Very helpful.

To be fair, I’ve also had moments where the right words have magically disappeared from my mind, leaving me like a deer in the headlights.

Anytime I’m asked to describe myself, it’s like my brain’s hard drive is wiped clean and I’m left sounding like a disastrous eharmony profile.

“I— well, I… like long walks on the beach, and um… yeah.”

This especially seems to happen when I’m speaking in French, and I always curse my 17-year-old self for not trying harder during those high school vocabulary exercises.

But there’s hope!

If you’re like me and you wish you always had the right words on hand, you don’t need to lug around a massive thesaurus or spend several merciless hours memorizing the dictionary. Thanks to online French vocabulary exercises, you’ll develop a colorful, nuanced and accurate vocabulary, all the while having fun.

I know “fun” and “learning” aren’t two words that usually go in the same sentence together, but the websites and apps below make it easy.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Perks of French Vocabulary Exercises

Instead of mindlessly agonizing over a lesson plan, vocabulary exercises offer a more engaging, interactive way of learning. With your phone and a Wi-Fi connection, you can even access them from anywhere.

Since vocabulary exercises also test your reading comprehension, you’ll become a more confident reader, too. Many exercises also have pronunciation and listening features, which will help you improve in those aspects.

They provide great brain/cognitive training, because it takes some mental power to memorize definitions.

As your vocabulary expands, you’ll start noticing word patterns, which will help you deduce the meanings of unfamiliar words in the future. For example, you’ll become more acquainted with various suffixes and prefixes, which will help you understand new words.

Remember This When Using Vocabulary Exercises

You probably won’t remember the definition of every word, and that’s okay. The goal is to enhance your vocabulary, not to be the next Sheldon Cooper.

It might be helpful to take a screenshot of correct exercises, that way you’ll passively see the photos as you scroll through your camera roll.

If you encounter a word you can’t pronounce and there’s no audio of how it sounds, go to YouTube and type “(Insert word) pronunciation” and you’ll probably find a brief video of someone saying it.

The Right Type of Workout: 7 Amazing French Vocabulary Exercises

Quiz-Tree

If you’re just starting out with French but still want to practice, I have one answer: Quiz-Tree.

You’ll be given a French word or phrase and you just have to pick the correct English translation from a list. The questions are handily pronounced, so you can imitate to practice your own pronunciation at the same time.

The range of topics is quite broad. You’ll find exercises related to entertainment, food, nature and describing people, which serves as a good foundation to advance.

FluentU

FluentU has hundreds of French-language videos that are made for native speakers but optimized for language learners. You’ll have your pick of movie trailers, TV show clips, news segments, vlogs, entertaining commercials, inspirational talks—basically, anything you’re interested in, you can probably find it in the FluentU media library.

Each video has interactive subtitles that pull up a flashcard at a click, that show you meanings, sample sentences, video clip examples and the option to save the flashcard to your own decks for further study later.

Where do the exercises come in? Well, each video is followed up with a quiz that introduces and then reinforces key words from the video and gives you some chances to try your hand at translating a moment from the clip.

Flashcard decks are also accompanied by exercises, but these are a more personalized to you: As you get to know words, you’ll see them less frequently (this is called SRS, Spaced Repetition System, and it’s an effective way to memorize new words).

Exercises include multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank and more. Plus, if you’re on the iOS or Android app, you’ll also see some speaking questions that let you speak your answers into your phone.

wordPROF

You’re still a beginner, but you know the difference between a and à (“has” and “to”), so what to do? Cue: wordPROF.

Even though this website is for beginners, its format will still challenge you because there aren’t any multiple choice questions. Instead, you’re given a French word or phrase and translate it yourself.

wordPROF’s categories are arranged by difficulty, not theme, but if you’re feeling extra zesty, why not try the “Whole Vocabulary” option? This one features every question on the website.

Bonjour de France

Some mornings, I wake up feeling like I could give a commencement speech in front of a massive crowd of Parisians… and then there are other times when my French feels more outdated than Blockbuster.

Bonjour de France is the perfect solution if you struggle with fluctuating proficiency levels: you can choose your appropriate level instead of being confined to one. For full interactivity, it features various types of exercises, such as “fill-in-the-blank” and picture associations.

Even better, it boasts several vocabulary categories, from shopping and anatomy to colors and vacations. So the next time your uvula is sore or you want to compliment your girlfriend’s magenta dress, why not say it in French?

If you’re on a runner’s high, the website also contains helpful links to online tests and music learning resources in the righthand sidebar.

ToLearnFrench

To Learn French is serious about you learning French. It contains the mother-load of themed vocabulary options, and there’s also no shortage of exercise types. Whether you’re looking for an interactive game or classic multiple choice, you’ll find any and every vocabulary exercise format you want.

You can choose between three levels from beginner to advanced. For full freedom, you can use the search bar at the top of the site to better suit your exercise preferences.

Quia

Hard-to-pronounce name, easy-to-use vocabulary tool.

Quia is a massive compendium of more than 7,500 (yes, 7,500!) games and exercises, all covering different topics. Don’t know the difference between the imparfait and passé composé French past tenses? Need to spice up your speech with some new adjectives? Not to worry. No matter the dilemma, I’m sure one of Quia’s many exercises has a solution.

You’ll find all sorts of activities, including the classics and more elaborate games, like Battleship and scavenger hunts.

Too much of something can sometimes create problems (or, as The Notorious B.I.G. put it, “Mo’ money mo’ problems”), but Quia has a useful “refine search” feature to filter your options based on your learning needs.

Vokabel

Intermediate or advanced learners, you won’t miss out on the fun. Vokabel follows a similar format to wordPROF but you might find it more complicated because there aren’t any beginner categories. You also have to translate English-to-French, which demands a larger mental bank of French vocabulary.

Vokabel lets you choose specific word categories, but the “general” option is available for days when you’re living on the edge. Plus, check out the verb tenses and conjugation exercises if you need a verb refresh.

I hate exercise. I’m not proud, but the last time I worked out was during my mandatory high school gym class, when I was wheezing my way around the track. So when I stumbled on these online vocabulary exercises, it was like an epiphany: I could diminish any shame at my inactivity by “exercising” while simultaneously improving my French. So the next time you need to work out or just have some time to spare and want to be productive, why not occupy your time with these fun vocabulary exercises?