SAYWORD! was born from a moment in my classroom. Every time my students ran into a tough or unfamiliar word, I’d call a “word break.” We’d stop the lesson and dig in—breaking the word down phonetically, morphologically, and etymologically. These quick dives into word roots and history lit my students up—they wanted more. That’s when I realized: this wasn’t just a lesson, it was a game waiting to happen. After play-testing with friends and family, I developed SAYWORD! as a fast-paced, flexible game built around those same word parts. Each card features a morpheme—like BIO (life), FORM (shape), or TRACT (pull)—that helps players unlock word meanings and strengthen vocabulary in a way that’s actually fun. From classrooms and game nights to coffee shops and breweries, SAYWORD! found its way into all kinds of communities. I made it available online, and now it’s being played in over 30 states and 8 countries. What started as a spontaneous classroom strategy has become a vocabulary-building powerhouse—designed to spark connection, curiosity, and a lifelong love of language.
