Word Games for Seniors

Best word games for seniors, the games that help you stay sharp while gaving fun!

As we get older, we may find we have more time on our hands to enjoy games, and wouldn't it be excellent if those games provided us a trio of enjoyment, educational value, and social time with friends and family. Word games can be played on your own, with friends, and even with strangers across the internet and are a fitting choice for seniors who want to keep their mental state sharp and have fun with their free time. This page lists word games for seniors just like we have another article here listing word games for kids.

Word-related Game Show Games

Game shows are a global past-time and provide a pleasurable viewing experience when watching them on TV, but there are plenty of word-based game shows that you can play right from the comfort of your own mobile device. Let's take a look at some great games for seniors that are simple to play yet interesting enough to provide a creative spark.

Wheel of Fortune

Predominantly based on the word-game hangman, Wheel of Fortune has taken the United States by storm since its debut in 1975, airing over 7,000 episodes. This easy-to-play game has players guessing what letters could be in a blank word, with a category and necessary punctuation as hints towards what the word could be. As simple as it sounds, this game can help seniors stay sharp by activating parts of the brain responsible for recall and can allow them to get creative with guessing words they may not know.

Playable on many devices, including mobiles and tablets, users should head to their respective AppStore to download Wheel of Fortune.

Catch Phrase

Another game show with a pretty basic concept, Catch Phrase, shows players short clips of an animated character doing various activities, and players will have to guess what phrase corresponds to the clip.

For example, the clip might show a man being caught by police with a red hand, and the phrase would be 'Caught red-handed.'

Catch Phrase gets players thinking about different words, phrases, meanings and gets us thinking about all the phrases we have heard over the years. There are some truly unique phrases within the game, so you might learn a thing or two while also kicking yourself for not getting the ones you knew from time to time!

Catch Phrase is easy to follow along when it's airing on the TV or through episodes uploaded to YouTube. That said, again, the best way to play along is to head to your device's Appstore and download it to play yourself!

Imagination-based games

Sometimes we get bored and want to play a game with our friends and may not have any board games, apps, or other necessary tools to play the games above. Luckily, the games below only require the use of our imagination and are fun for all ages.

Word association

Word association is a game where participants take turns in saying words that are related. A random player says a word out loud, and the next player has to say a word that is somehow connected. A word relation can be many things. If a player doesn't believe the word is related, they can challenge it, and all the players take a vote. The word is allowed if there are at least 50% of the votes agreeing that it is a word.

Word association has strong links to memory improvement, with association being one of the basic functions of memory. Linking in the mind words with similarities and contrasts allows us to think of the word and explore its meaning in our minds in a short amount of time.

Rhyming games

A simple rhyming game is an excellent way to kick your vocabulary into gear and even get a little bit creative with similar mental benefits to word association.

To play a rhyming game, a player will start by choosing a word, and the following players will make a rhyme out of it. When a player can't think of a rhyme to follow, they're out. The last player left is the winner. Players should again challenge words that they don't think rhyme, and others can vote.

There are many types of rhymes, and getting to know them could change the rules, but generally speaking, the majority of players will be most comfortable using 'perfect rhymes' for this game. A perfect rhyme is the most common form of rhyming and comes in three flavors:

Single: When the rhyme is based on stressing the final syllable of the word. (time, grime)

Double: When the rhyme is based on stressing the second from the last syllable of the word. (gritty, pity)

Dactylic: When the rhyme is based on stressing the third from the last syllable of the word. (amorous, glamorous)

Double and dactylic rhymes can be used in a compound manner too. (lucid dream, pot of cream)

If you have any doubt regarding the number of syllables, use this syllable counting website for any help.

Crosswords

Crosswords have been around for a long time, and almost all of us have completed one at some point in our lives, but did you know regularly completing crosswords sharpens one's mental state and helps with word recall and association, making them an excellent choice for seniors who want to keep their minds active.

You can find crosswords in newspapers, puzzle books or fill them out digitally on various free and paid apps on the Apple AppStore, Google Play, or the Amazon Appstore.