Playing word games makes vocabulary stick because they use active recall, which...

https://milasultimatejournal.theglensecret.com/why-i-can-understand-english-but-can-t-find-the-words

Playing word games makes vocabulary stick because they use active recall, which helps you remember words better than just reading. For example, when you guess the word “respawn” in a game, you’re recalling it from memory and seeing it in context