How to Visualize Words

Write the word or phrase on a sheet of scrap paper. Close your eyes and picture the word or phrase. Image the object, concept or place the word represents. For example, write down the word "apple." Close your eyes and picture a shiny red apple.

Draw a picture of the word or words on a sheet of paper. If possible, use colored pens or pencils to represent the words. If the words represent amorphous concepts, such as truth or love, draw a symbol or representation of the word. For example, draw a heart or two stick figures holding hands to represent "love."

Create a word tree. Draw a simple tree with a trunk and several branches. Write a word or phrase beneath the tree. On each branch of the tree, write a word that relates to the word under the tree. For example, write the word "truth" under the tree. On the branches write "honesty," "morality" and "meaning." At the end of the branch, expand each word into new words or phrases. For example, expand "meaning" into "purpose of life" and "nature of the universe."

Turn several words into a word cloud. Word clouds use different fonts, colors and angles to highlight words. Visit a free word cloud website (see Resources) and type the words into the "Text" or "Words" field. Press the "Go" button to create the cloud. In the next window, view the word cloud and alter its font and color using the toolbox. Many word cloud websites allow you to turn the text of a webpage into a word cloud.