Word games are always interesting, but sometimes they’re not really about words - or not only about words.
Click the banner to go the Free Rice site where you can play a vocabulary game and donate rice to the hungry at the same time.
How does it work?
For every word you get right, FreeRice donates 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger. Here are some facts from their FAQ.
FreeRice has a custom database containing thousands of words at varying degrees of difficulty. There are words appropriate for people just learning English and words that will challenge the most scholarly professors. In between are thousands of words for students, business people, homemakers, doctors, truck drivers, retired people… everyone!
FreeRice automatically adjusts to your level of vocabulary. It starts by giving you words at different levels of difficulty and then, based on how you do, assigns you an approximate starting level. You then determine a more exact level for yourself as you play. When you get a word wrong, you go to an easier level. When you get three words in a row right, you go to a harder level. This one-to-three ratio is best for keeping you at the “outer fringe” of your vocabulary, where learning can take place.
There are 55 levels in all, but it is rare for people to get much above level 48.
NOTE: I’ll say! I hovered for a few exciting minutes on the dizzying heights of 50 - and then I fell. Ker-lunk! On the other hand, I donated about 1500 grains of rice. 
The interesting bit was how useful I found the Latin and Greek roots I did at school a million years ago. No longer part of the curriculum here. *sigh* Though I admit, I did do a bit more Latin and Greek at university. I wasn’t bad at Latin, but Greek? Hah! I was hopeless, something to do with the Greek alphabet I think..
Who pays for the donated rice?
The rice is paid for by the advertisers whose names you see on the bottom of your vocabulary screen. This is regular advertising for these companies, but it is also something more. Through their advertising at FreeRice, these companies support both learning (free vocabulary for everyone) and reducing hunger (free rice for the hungry).
Who distributes the donated rice?
The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). The World Food Program is the world’s largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good. Wherever possible, the World Food Program buys food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. You can visit the United Nations World Food Program to learn more about their successful approach to ending hunger.
Will the rice I donate make a difference?
The rice you donate makes a huge difference to the person who receives it. According to the United Nations, about 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes, most of them children. To a mother or father watching a loved child die in their arms from hunger, the rice you donate is more precious than anything in the world.
Give it a go - you don’t have to tell us how you scored. Because it doesn’t matter really, does it? You’ve done something for world hunger and improved your vocabulary at the same time.
What was you favourite word? I became rather fond of azygous. Unfortunately, my brain is now so addled I can’t recall what it means. I’m sure you’ll do better. 
Don’t forget - every month there’s a chance to win everything droolworthy - Tim Tams and hunkalicious postcards - including Mr Gorgeous . Check the Current Contest page and keep the comments coming!
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I love the free Rice game - it is great fun and great practice as well.
This was a great game! I stayed around a level 35, but I donated 3020 grains of rice!
Oh Denise, thanks for reminding me about this again. It’s for a good cause, great fun and one gets to brush up on the skills. It’s been awhile since I have played though, so good prompting….
Hey there, Tracey! Isn’t it astonishing how many words there are in the English language? I can’t imagine slipping azygous into a hot fantasy romance, but I have high hopes of discombobulate!
I had played that before and, as you know, word games are my favourites. I hit fifty but didn’t get beyond, and donated 3000 grains of rice. I will be back. Great idea Denise. I grew up with the Vocabulary test in the Reader’s Digest and knowing Greek helps A LOT. I also found this when I took the GREs to go to grad school in the States: most of the difficult words, the ones they counted on to trouble people were Greek, so I could tell what they were. Also (a little trick for the rice game) look at the ending to see whether it is an adjective or an adverb and see what else is in the same category.
I also love Boggle, but hate Scrabble (probably because of the endless waiting for others to take their turn - also I have a super competitive brother who loves trouncing anybody else and goes ON about it all the time).
Good on ya, Dani! What I like is the win-win feeling, You never really know how many charity dollars get eaten up in administration and other costs, but I’m prepared to believe every little helps.
I’ve bookmarked it, Eleni, so whenever I feel particularly smug about being literate, I can pop over for a dose of reality.
But I love words anyway, I have to admit. I’m already on a couple of word-type lists. As if there weren’t enough words in my life!
Aha, Susan! I more or less assumed you’d do well. And yes, I remember the Reader’s Digest - was it Improve Your Word Power? Or something like that?
It’s funny about Boggle and Scrabble. I’m not crazy about Scrabble and Boggle actually drives me crazy. I keep trying at Boggle, but I don’t seem to get any better. I tell myself it’s about spatial intelligence as much as verbal and I’ve always been hopeless with spatial things. Material for another post, methinks…
Oooh this is fun. I’ll definitely be going back to this one. I only donated 1500 grains of rice and got to level 39 but as I said. I’ll be giving it another go when I have the time to focus
Lyn, I’d say that between us all, we might have donated enough rice for a decent meal. Pretty good going, huh?
I agree with you Denise that Boggle is spatial intelligence (and practice too). I’m just lucky that way
I think in three dimensions. Funny that, I think I’ll tell my sister (who always accuses me of being smug) she was never good at 3D geometry or in the chemistry bits that are three dimensional that just made absolute sense to me. 
There you go, Susan, I’m hopeless at that 3D stuff. My head just doesn’t work that way. Strategy games like chess and Go defeat me entirely. When Jan and Fort play Black and White I had to fudge it. But then, we’re not really in interested in the game as such, only the deeper game they’re playing with each other.
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