Learning one word is the toughest challenge for aspirants who are preparing for the competitive exam, let it be SSC, Railway, UPSC, or any state exam. All the time aspirants keep asking how to learn one word substitution easily. For all those aspirants, AspiraRank is here with the answer.
In this blog, not only will we know how to learn but also you are going to know how to remember one word substitution for a long time without revising again and again. So, if you are one of the students who is preparing for the competitive exam and struggling with One Word Substitutions and Vocab, this blogpost is a panacea for you.
| Panacea – a remedy for all ills or difficulties
Importance of One Words for Competitive Exams
English is one such section in competitive exams like SSC, Bank, Railway and UPSC where a little smart work can increase your score exponentially. One word substitution is one such topic in this section that is not only easy but also has the potential to fetch more marks in less time. Its biggest feature is that it develops the ability to replace long sentences or definitions with a single word, thereby strengthening your command over the language and also improving vocabulary. Apart from this, this topic also helps a lot in comprehension, sentence construction and writing skills.
One word substitution is not difficult to learn – the method just needs to be right. Techniques like root word method, daily 5-word revision, and visual memory make it easy to remember. Another great feature of this is that this One Word substitution is often repeated in exams like SSC, which saves you time and also gives you extra marks. This is why it is a high-return topic that every serious aspirant should definitely master. If you want to cross the cut-off or be in the toppers list, One Word Substitution should become an important part of your preparation.
How to Learn One Word Substitution Easily?
Most of the aspirants have a completely wrong approach to learn the one word substitution; they just get a PDF or a list of 500 or 1000 one words and start memorising them. This is wrong, please don’t do it.
There is no one who can memorise thousands of words and score in exams. You must change your approach to how you learn and remember one word substitutions.
Let’s talk about this approach;
1. Don’t Ever Try to Memorise All the One Word Substitutions”
If you are thinking that you will memorize 500 or 1000 One Word Substitutions at once, then you are making a big mistake. Trying to memorize all the words at once makes you get tired quickly and forget everything in a few days. This not only wastes your hard work, but also breaks your morale.
The right way to remember one words easily – little by little and daily. Read only 5-10 words a day, but with full focus and understanding. Understand the Hindi meaning of each word, make examples, and repeat it aloud. When you focus on limited words, not only does retention increase but they also sit in the mind with logic – due to which they are remembered for a long time.
📌 Remember: One word read with understanding is better than ten words memorized without understanding.
2. Start With Root Word, Suffix, and Prefix
Most of the One Words in English are made from Root Word, Prefix or suffix. And you can take advantage of it. You just have to identify the root word and Suffix or Prefix from the One Word Substitution and you are sorted. After dividing the word, you will be able to easily memorise and remember one word.
The best way to learn One Word Substitution is through Root Words, Prefix and Suffix. Root word means the basic form of a word from which many other words are formed. Once you understand the meaning of a root, many words related to it automatically seem easy.
For example, “Bene” is a root word, which means “Good”. Now look at the words formed from it:
- Beneficial = beneficial
- Benevolent = one who does good
- Benefactor = one who helps
Once you understand the meaning of “Bene”, you will see a common sense in all these words – related to “goodness”. Similarly, by understanding Prefix (eg. un, mis, pre, dis) and Suffix (eg. ful, less, tion, able), you can easily guess the meaning of any new word.
📌 This technique eliminates the need to memorize words — your mind automatically understands their meaning. This is the way to strengthen vocabulary and make One Word Substitution easier.
3. Set Your Daily Target to Learn One Word Substitution
Now see, when we see any big syllabus, we get scared – 500+ words, how did I remember all this? But if you read this scripture “Just 5 words every day” – then this thing seems easy and doable. You just set aside a small part of your day – just 15-20 minutes – ideal for vocabulary, in which you teach just 5 new words. Understand these words with their Hindi meaning, make a small example of them, and repeat them aloud twice. Not more, but in consistent ways.
Now this method has a powerful effect because most of the things in the brain do not stay together, but if the same thing gets fixed in small principles every day, then it comes into permanent memory. This is scientifically proven spaced repetition. You do not burden the brain, but give it a little new input every day. This not only increases retention, but also builds confidence – “Yes, I am doing it.” And the best part – when you accomplish a daily goal, you feel a small victory that motivates you to keep going. That’s why daily mini goals are the most effective way to memorize vocabulary – more efficiently in less time!
4. Learn One Words With Examples & Hindi Translation if Neede
To remember a One Word Substitution for a long time, it is not enough to know its meaning only — it is also very important to understand it with an example and translate it into Hindi if needed. When you see a word being used in a practical example, its context and meaning get more deeply embedded in your mind.
For example:
👉 Abscond = Chori karke bhaag jaana
If you just remember its meaning, you may forget it after a few days.
But if you think that “a thief is running away silently at night with a bag full of money”, then a visual image will be formed in your mind — and that image will make that word unforgettable.
Also, if you have trouble understanding the English definition, then understanding the meaning in Hindi increases clarity. Hindi is your native language, and when you understand a complex word in your language, that instant connection is formed. This connection keeps the words in mind.
📌 Remember one line:
- “Example + Emotion + Understanding of language = Strong memory”
- This is the smart way to remember One Word Substitution forever.
5. Doing Practise Daily is Must
If you really want to make One Word Substitution stick in your mind forever, just reading is not enough – you need to practice daily. The more you revise and apply, the deeper the words get embedded in your mind.
Suppose you learned 5 new words today, now the question is how will you retain them?
The simple way is – Daily Quiz or MCQs Practice.
When you solve questions based on those words, your mind remains active and memory gets reinforced. Even if you answer a question wrong, that mistake makes you learn that word forever.
Another beneficial way is – using flashcards or sticky notes. Looking at old words 2-3 times a day and repeating them aloud ensures learning.
And yes – make one day in the week a “Revision Day”, when you revise only those words that you learned throughout the week.
📌 Remember:
- “Revision is more important than learning.”
- Practice is the bridge that transforms studies into memory.
6. Start Making One Words on Your Own With the Help of Root Words
When you try to make vocabulary by yourself instead of just reading, your understanding becomes much stronger. This is the best way to take One Word Substitution to mastery level. And the root words help the most in this.
For example, if you know that “tele” means “far” or “distant”, then you can think yourself:
- Telepathy = understanding thoughts from a distance
- Telephone = distant sound
- Television = seeing a distant picture
Now you can also think yourself that if a new word is starting with “tele”, then perhaps its meaning can be related to “distance”.
When you start doing this process daily, then not only do you remember the old words, but the ability to understand new words also develops.
