Vocabulary is important to language learning and teaching and is of supreme significance to language learners. This article explores how explicit instruction plays an important role in English as a second language learners’ vocabulary enhancement. Explicit vocabulary instruction can be provided and improved vocabulary items are compound words, pair words, word association, and affixes. Direct teaching shall increase the level of vocabulary for ESL learners. Learners are more involved and interested during group work activities and they learn more vocabulary through explicit instruction. The study concludes with explicit instruction is the most important instruction for vocabulary enriching and ESL instructors might consider when teaching and learning vocabulary in their ESL classrooms. © 2020 SERSC.