Make a Vocabulary Spreadsheet in 9 Simple Steps

You’ve decided it’s time to increase your Spanish vocabulary. But figuring out how to start learning new vocabulary is your next problem! You’ve jotted down some vocabulary words with paper and pencil and you have your vocabulary lists and dictionary.

Turning on your computer and getting a vocabulary spreadsheet started is your next step. You’ve never seen anyone do this before, and it will certainly be easier to make your vocabulary bank with step-by-step instructions.

Using Google Sheets to Make a Vocabulary Spreadsheet

Google Sheets is a spreadsheet found in Google Drive and offers awesome tools to help you make a vocabulary bank. As a web-based application, it works from any device no matter where you are.

If you’ve used Excel, Google Sheets has many of the same spreadsheet functions. You can download add-ons and even write custom code if you want. You can also use Google Docs to create and edit budget documents.

And the best news? It’s FREE.

Let’s Get Started on Your Vocabulary Spreadsheet

Before you can make a vocabulary bank, you’ll need to access Google Drive. If you haven’t used Google Drive before, you can access it through a Gmail account or by setting up a Google account. On the computer, go to drive.google.com or go to your apps and find Google Drive on a mobile device.

It would probably be easier for you to make a vocabulary bank on a laptop or desktop computer rather than a mobile device. When you are ready to start, go to sheets.google.com or open the Google Drive dashboard and choose Google Sheets. Then open the menu and select File > New > Spreadsheet.

You’ll now have a blank untitled spreadsheet that you can use to make a vocabulary bank.

Adding Information to Your Family Budget Spreadsheet

When looking at your new spreadsheet, you’ll see the columns across the top of the screen are labeled with letters and the rows down the left side of your screen are numbered. The rest of your screen is filled with rectangles called cells. The cell in the top-left corner is probably highlighted in blue. If you start typing, the information will go in the highlighted cell.

If you haven’t used Google Sheets or other spreadsheet programs like Excel, take some time to add information to different cells for practice. When you press enter, the data you enter will be saved and you will be moved to the beginning of the next row. If you want to move across the same row, just press the tab. You can click on any cell to move to it and use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move around the screen.

Rather than typing everything in, you can cut and paste information into cells on your spreadsheet too. Deleting information from a cell is as easy as backspacing within the cell or clicking on the cell and then touching the backspace to erase everything in the cell.

How to Make a Vocabulary Bank in Google Sheets

This process may look overwhelming but if you follow it step by step, you will have a basic vocabulary bank set up in no time! Then you can modify it as needed as you get used to using it.

To make a vocabulary bank, we’ll organize and track words and their details. 

1. Start in cell A1 and label the columns across the top row of the spreadsheet:

• Word
• Part of Speech
• Synonym
• Antonym
• Translation
• Definition
• Example
• Notes

2. Add new vocabulary words to Column A. Fill in the new vocabulary words you are currently learning. I have listed an example of common Spanish vocabulary words below.

3. On the same row, fill in the cell in Column B with one of the parts of speech:

• Noun
• Pronoun
• Verb
• Adverb
• Adjective
• Preposition
• Conjunction
• Interjection

4. In a thesaurus look up the word in Column A and fill in the synonym (similar word) in Column C of the same row.

5. In a thesaurus look up the word in Column A and fill in the antonym (opposite word) in Column D of the same row.

6. In a Spanish-English dictionary look up the word in Column A and fill in the translation in Column E of the same row.

7. In a Spanish dictionary look up the word in Column A and fill in the definition in Column F.

To widen the column, select the top edge of the column with your cursor and drag to the right to extend the width.

8. Fill in an example of the vocabulary word in use in Column G.

Some dictionaries give an example of the word in a sentence. Here’s one that does: Diccionario Básico de la lengua española

Again, drag the top edge of the column to widen the space.

9. On the last Column H, fill in any additional information about the word you want to remember. Such as grammar, sources, ideas, related words or concepts, rules or exceptions, spelling, pronunciation, and anything else important to you. Add any additional columns the same as above.

Done for You Spanish Vocabulary Spreadsheet

Would you rather use an existing Spanish vocabulary spreadsheet template? I’ve got you covered.

You can download the exact vocabulary spreadsheet I use to increase my vocabulary right now!

Download Easy Spanish Vocabulary Spreadsheet

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