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What it means to learn a word

What it means to learn a word

Learning a word means understanding its meaning, recognising it by ear, spelling it correctly, using it and retrieving it from memory in the right context. In memory, a word is connected to its meaning, sound, spelling and patterns of use. In WordsTool, you complete different tasks that help build and strengthen these connections.
I understand
I know by ear
I spell
I use
I recall
02 — 05

Why you need different tasks

Recognising departure among four options does not mean you can recall it when you need it. Recalling a word does not yet mean you can spell it correctly. Each connection needs its own practice. That is why some tasks ask you to identify the meaning, while others ask you to listen, write or find the right word for a sentence.
I understand
This is the connection between a word and its meaning.
A correct answer means
that you know what the word means
And it does not mean
that you will recall it when you need it
I recall
This is the connection between a meaning and its word.
A correct answer means
that you recall the word from its meaning
And it does not mean
that you can spell it correctly
I spell
This is the connection between a word and its spelling.
A correct answer means
that you spell the word correctly
And it does not mean
that you recognise it by ear
I know by ear
This is the connection between a word and its sound.
A correct answer means
that you recognise the word when you hear it
And it does not mean
that you will understand it in a text
I use
This is the connection between a word and the context in which it is used.
A correct answer means
that you use the right word in a particular context
And it does not mean
that you know all its meanings
03 — 05

How tasks help you remember words

Which helps you remember more: reading a word with its translation, or trying to recall the word when you see the translation? The answer is clear. When you complete tasks, you do more than look through words: you try to find an answer in memory. This attempt helps you both test yourself and strengthen what you are learning. Hints help you recall words at first. As you learn, you move on to tasks that require more independent recall.
≈ 80%
remembered a week later among those who kept being asked
36%
remembered among those who kept being shown
and 33% among those only shown, without a single test
Participants learned 40 words with translations. After the first correct answer, one group kept being asked to recall the translation, while the other simply reread the word and translation. A week later, the first group recalled about 80% of the words, and the second only 36%. Repeated attempts to recall helped keep the words in memory. (Karpicke & Roediger, 2008)
04 — 05

How spaced repetition works

Immediately after practice, a word is still in memory. To check whether you can recall it later, you need repetitions with breaks in between. WordsTool schedules the next repetition based on progress in each connection. The stronger the connection, the longer the interval can be. Sometimes WordsTool asks you to repeat something you already know. This helps keep the word accessible in memory. That is why you sometimes see things you already know.
Practising the same word
One week later
With intervals
75%
recalled
RECALL 1
departure
RECALL 2
departure
RECALL 3
departure
Other activities between repetitions
In a row
26%
recalled
RECALL 1
departure
RECALL 2
departure
RECALL 3
departure
Repetitions follow one another
Research shows that repeated attempts to recall material with intervals help preserve it in memory better than repetitions in a row. In Karpicke & Bauernschmidt's experiment (2011), those who repeated words with intervals recalled about 75% of translations a week later, compared with 26% among those who repeated them in a row.
05 — 05

How you see progress

Each word has two indicators: the result you have achieved and the need for repetition. Mastered 3 of 5 means that three connections have reached the required level of practice. Two others still need work. The date shows when to return to this word.
today
departure
1 of 5 mastered
review today
two weeks later
departure
3 of 5 mastered
review tomorrow
a month later
departure
3 of 5 mastered
review today
Mistakes and a break do not erase the result you have achieved. A mastered word can still be due for repetition. If you change your learning goal, the number of mastered connections may change and you may need additional practice.
Start with one set
Complete tasks, follow your progress and return to words when they are due for repetition.