---
key: mechanic/education--family-38
type: mechanic
id: education--family-38
lang: en
title: 'Vocabulary, meanings and semantic links'
summary: >-
  The learner links a word to a meaning, object or action and uses it in an
  appropriate context.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-38/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-38.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-38.md
aliases:
  - Vocabulary and meaning
tags:
  - Educational games
  - Language and subject applications
sourceIds:
  - source-872a30e434db6d16
sources:
  - id: source-872a30e434db6d16
    title: Duolingo
    url: >-
      https://blog.duolingo.com/duolingo-101-how-to-learn-a-language-on-duolingo/
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: education
    id: family-38
    title: Educational games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/education/#family-38'
    categoryIds:
      - language
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Vocabulary and meaning
    description: >-
      The learner links a word to a meaning, object or action and uses it in an
      appropriate context.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/learning-duo-101-4.webp
      width: 665
      height: 1440
      game: Duolingo
      sourceUrl: >-
        https://blog.duolingo.com/duolingo-101-how-to-learn-a-language-on-duolingo/
      originalUrl: >-
        https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/content.duolingo.com/Duolingo+101%3A+How+to+learn+a+language+on+Duolingo/6-exerciseTypes.png
      credit: Duolingo
      rights: © Duolingo. All rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: 'Duolingo: a picture and word in a translation task'
      alt: 'Duolingo: a picture and word in a translation task'
      markers:
        - x: 50
          'y': 42
          label: The fish picture links the word to its referent
    tips:
      - 'Test meaning in a new context, not only picture recognition.'
    examples:
      - title: Duolingo
        url: >-
          https://blog.duolingo.com/duolingo-101-how-to-learn-a-language-on-duolingo/
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the
  original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated
  2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire
  classification or its effectiveness.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/education
---
# Vocabulary, meanings and semantic links

id: education--family-38
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/education--family-38
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-38/

The learner links a word to a meaning, object or action and uses it in an appropriate context.

## At a glance

![Duolingo: a picture and word in a translation task](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/learning-duo-101-4.webp)

[Duolingo](https://blog.duolingo.com/duolingo-101-how-to-learn-a-language-on-duolingo/) · © Duolingo. All rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. The fish picture links the word to its referent

- Test meaning in a new context, not only picture recognition.

- [Duolingo](https://blog.duolingo.com/duolingo-101-how-to-learn-a-language-on-duolingo/)

## How it works

Name objects or actions

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-38-branch-1"></a>

- Name objects or actions <a id="family-38-variant-1"></a>
- Match words to definitions <a id="family-38-variant-2"></a>
- Explain words through properties <a id="family-38-variant-3"></a>
- Find synonyms <a id="family-38-variant-4"></a>
- Find antonyms <a id="family-38-variant-5"></a>
- Find shared concepts <a id="family-38-variant-6"></a>
- Distinguish multiple meanings <a id="family-38-variant-7"></a>
- Select words by context <a id="family-38-variant-8"></a>
- Build semantic networks <a id="family-38-variant-9"></a>
- Distinguish literal and figurative meaning <a id="family-38-variant-10"></a>
- Group words by topic <a id="family-38-variant-11"></a>
- Replace general words with precise ones <a id="family-38-variant-12"></a>

## Design example

Describe an object so another player recognizes it.

## Context and limits

A mechanic map for games with explicit learning goals, from first encounters with a topic to professional practice. It covers children, teenagers and adults; choose subject, difficulty, context and controls for the learner. Player actions, subject content, instructional support and assessment are distinct layers. Scores and game completion alone do not establish mastery or skill transfer.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire classification or its effectiveness.

- [Duolingo](https://blog.duolingo.com/duolingo-101-how-to-learn-a-language-on-duolingo/) (id: source-872a30e434db6d16)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors