DecksGuides
Word lists taken from the Decks library, how to study each language with flashcards, and how spaced repetition works.
Word lists
- 100 Beginner Spanish Sentences (Latin American Spanish)100 everyday beginner Spanish sentences with English translations, from greetings to simple questions, from the Beginner Spanish Sentences deck.
- 100 Essential French Words with Gender and IPA100 essential French words with English meanings, noun gender (m/f) and IPA pronunciation, from the Essential French deck.
- Hiragana Chart: All 46 Characters with RomajiAll 46 basic hiragana characters with their romaji readings, in gojūon order, and how to learn them with flashcards.
- HSK 1 Grammar: 100 Example Sentences with Pinyin100 example sentences for HSK 1 grammar points, each with English, pinyin and the pattern it shows, from the Chinese Grammar HSK 1 deck.
- HSK 2 Grammar: 100 Example Sentences with Pinyin100 example sentences for HSK 2 grammar points, each with English, pinyin and the pattern it shows, from the Chinese Grammar HSK 2 deck.
- HSK 3 Grammar: 100 Example Sentences with Pinyin100 example sentences for HSK 3 grammar points, each with English, pinyin and the pattern it shows, from the Chinese Grammar HSK 3 deck.
- Japanese Core 2000 Word List: The First 100 WordsThe first 100 words of the Japanese Core 2000, each with furigana, an example sentence and its English translation.
- Katakana Chart: All 104 Characters with Hiragana ReadingsThe full katakana chart, 104 cards including voiced sounds and combinations like キャ (kya), each paired with its hiragana reading.
- The 100 Most Common Chinese Words (Mandarin), with PinyinThe 100 most frequently used Mandarin Chinese words in order, with pinyin and English meanings, from the Chinese Frequency 5000 deck.
- The 100 Most Common French Words, with PronunciationThe 100 most frequent French words in order, with IPA pronunciation and part of speech, from the French Frequency 500 deck.
- The 100 Most Common Spanish Words, with Example SentencesThe 100 most frequent Spanish words in order, each with its part of speech, meaning and an example sentence, from the Spanish Frequency 5000 deck.
How to learn it
- How Many New Flashcards Should I Study per Day?How new cards per day turns into your daily review load with spaced repetition, and how to pick a number you can keep up.
- How to Learn French Noun Gender with FlashcardsThe patterns that predict French noun gender, their exceptions, and why learning each noun with un or une on the flashcard works best.
- How to Learn Hiragana with FlashcardsA practical way to learn all 46 hiragana with flashcards and spaced repetition, one row at a time, plus the readings that trip people up.
- How to Learn Japanese Vocabulary with FlashcardsHow to learn Japanese words with flashcards, from Core 2000 to Core 6000, using furigana, example sentences and cloze cards.
- How to Learn Katakana (After Hiragana)Learning katakana is mostly learning new shapes for sounds you know from hiragana. How to do it with flashcards, and the look-alike pairs to watch.
- How to Learn Spanish Verb Conjugation with FlashcardsWhy fill-in-the-blank (cloze) cards work better than conjugation tables for Spanish verbs, and how to study them with spaced repetition.
- How to Study for the HSK with Flashcards: Vocabulary and GrammarHow to prepare for HSK 1–6 with flashcards, studying vocabulary and grammar patterns as separate decks, with tones, pinyin and audio.
- Sentence Cards vs Word Cards for Language LearningWhen to study single words and when to study whole sentences with flashcards, and how to combine the two.
Spaced repetition and Anki
- Again, Hard, Good, Easy: What Each Flashcard Rating DoesWhat the four Anki-style ratings do to a card's next review and its ease, with worked numbers, and when to press each one.
- Cloze Deletion Flashcards: What They Are and When to Use ThemWhat cloze (fill-in-the-blank) flashcards are, why they work, how Anki writes them, and when to use them instead of front-and-back cards.
- How to Use Spaced Repetition Flashcards on iPhoneYour options for Anki-style spaced repetition on iPhone (AnkiMobile, AnkiWeb in Safari, and Decks), what each costs and what each can and can't do.
- SM-2 vs FSRS: Which Spaced Repetition Algorithm Is Better?How SM-2 and FSRS schedule flashcards, what FSRS improves, and when the difference matters for you.
- What Is Ease Hell in Anki (and How to Get Out of It)?Why SM-2's ease factor can sink and stay low, how to tell if your cards are stuck, and what actually fixes it.
- What to Do When Your Flashcard Reviews Pile UpHow to recover from a backlog of spaced repetition reviews after missing days, without giving up on the deck.
- Why Does the Same Flashcard Keep Coming Back?The reasons a spaced repetition card keeps reappearing — learning steps, lapses, low ease and bad cards — and what to do about each.
How studying works
- Active Recall vs Rereading: Why Testing Yourself Works BetterWhy retrieving an answer from memory beats rereading notes, with the Science study on foreign vocabulary and the 2013 review of study techniques.
- Do Flashcards Work for Language Learning?What flashcards are good at in language learning (vocabulary, scripts, set phrases), what they can't do, and how to combine them with listening and speaking.
- How to Write Good Flashcards: Rules That Make Cards Easier to RememberPractical rules for writing flashcards you'll actually remember, based on Piotr Woźniak's 20 rules of formulating knowledge, with language-learning examples.
- Spaced Repetition vs Cramming: What the Research ShowsWhy spreading study out beats cramming, from a 317-experiment review and a flashcard study where 90% of people did better with spacing.
- The Forgetting Curve: What Ebbinghaus Actually FoundEbbinghaus's 1885 forgetting curve with his real numbers, what "savings" means, and how spaced repetition is designed around it.
- Why Spaced Study Feels Harder When It Works BetterSpacing and self-testing feel less productive than cramming and rereading, even though they work better. What the research says and how to trust the process.