Would you like to be able to speak English as fluently as a native English speaker? Some of you may feel that it would be nice to be able to speak English at a pretty decent level, if not as good as a native person. Everyone's goals are different, but today I would like to explain how many English words a native English speaker knows in order to help those of you who are working toward your own goals. This will give you a better idea of how many words you need to know to reach your ideal level of fluency. I would like to explain how many English words a native English speaker knows.

　　It is said that the average American knows about 50,000 words by the time they graduate from high school at approximately age 18. For children who are fast learners, it is estimated to be 80,000 words. Whilst it is true that some babies can be taught to read using flash cards, if we start learning at age three, then there are fifteen years in which to learn. That's an average of between 3,333 and 5,333 words per year. To achieve these goals, students need to learn the meanings and pronunciations of between nine and fourteen new words every day, or between 63 and 98 words every week.

　　A large percentage of this vocabulary is learnt outside of school in English-speaking families at home, by watching TV, movies, listening to music, talking to parents and siblings, as well as talking to people outside the family.

　After age 18, the learning of new words continues on a lifelong basis. There is no end to learning because the English language is dynamic, and new words are being added all the time as well as some words falling out of fashion. There could be up to one million English words, although the average person certainly does not need to memorise that many words. Some words have multiple meanings and nuances. Similarly, Japanese children learn thousands of words before they even go to elementary school.

https://sci-hub.se/10.1038/scientificamerican0987-94 Scientific Ameican
https://patternbasedwriting.com/elementary_writing_success/how-many-words-do-students-need-to-learn/

　　Please understand that I am not saying this to discourage you from ever reaching this level! I am writing to help you understand how important it is to learn vocabulary if you want to be able to speak English as fluently as a native.
　　

　　If your environment does not allow you to speak English every day at home, then you need some supplementation to make up for your low level of vocabulary. I recommend you to take a few minutes each day to look up the meanings of some new words and write down the words and their meanings in a notebook. The act of writing down strengthens the neural pathways in the brain that aid memory.

　Millions of students in American schools take the MAP assessment test several times a year, and a simple question on spelling a word often takes 15 times longer than some other questions. The spelling of words is not retained in memory. Could it be because we have gone digital and the act of writing is decreasing? Writing words in a notebook allows you to review them later. You can go from “this looks familiar” to “I know what this means” as you review the word over and over again, and make progress.　Once you have a grasp of the meaning of a word, try to make a small sentence using that word. When I was attending an international school, we were required to memorise words in this manner in English classes.

　Nowadays, there are many useful English vocabulary apps that make it easier than ever before to practice memorising vocabulary. You will be able to look back later and say, “I'm glad I tried so hard! As you can see from my profile, at an early age, I received lots of training, which I am very grateful for because it has helped me receive many opportunities, such as working in the U.S. and in the U.K. How about setting a goal for this year to learn the meanings and pronunciation of nine new English words every single day?