This is the only way you'll be able to communicate and understand the foreign language in both written and spoken form. But how do you learn new vocabulary effectively and without frustration? Aimlessly memorizing new words can quickly become boring or frustrating. To make learning new vocabulary effective and ensure you integrate the new words into your long-term vocabulary, you should take a closer look at the spaced repetition method.
Spaced Repetition: The Most Effective Way to Learn and Retain Vocabulary
How Spaced Repetition Works for Vocabulary Learning
Spaced Repetition is a method for learning vocabulary in a foreign language that aims to quickly, effectively and, above all, sustainably incorporate new vocabulary into everyday language use by selectively repeating the vocabulary within a given time interval.
This learning method takes place over a longer period (for example, one month). You can choose the duration freely, but it is divided into fixed learning phases. Within each phase, you review the new vocabulary. The special feature of the spaced repetition learning method is that the time between each phase, in which you don't review the vocabulary, becomes longer. In this way, you build your vocabulary sustainably. The following phases can serve as a basic building block for learning with spaced repetition.
Phase 1: Learning New Vocabulary
In the first phase, you'll see the new vocabulary for the first time. You'll become familiar with words that are still unfamiliar to you. The goal of this first phase is to understand the meaning of the new words.
You'll familiarize yourself with your new vocabulary, form sentences with them, and build connections between the new words and vocabulary you already know. This will make it easier for you to recall the new vocabulary in the following phases.
Phase 2: The First Repetition
In the first phase, you've already learned your new vocabulary and can categorize and recall it relatively well. The second phase begins after just one day. You'll review the vocabulary you learned the previous day for the first time.
You'll quickly notice that you can already recall some words fairly well, but still have trouble with others. On this day, as on the first day, continue to study the translation and meaning of the words.
Phase 3: The Second Repetition
The time between the first and second methods is approximately three days . You'll notice that, despite the slightly longer interval between learning phases, you can already recall the vocabulary more effectively than during the second review.
In the third phase, you should continue to practice not just rote memorization of the words, but rather link them together in sentences. This will allow you to use the vocabulary sustainably in your active vocabulary.
Phase 4: The Third Repetition
This time, allow even more time between repetitions two and three. Leave approximately one week between phases three and four . Based on the previous phases, you will already be relatively confident in recalling the vocabulary.
Therefore, you can learn vocabulary more actively in this phase . You can begin to incorporate the previously unknown vocabulary into sentences you create yourself. This will help you not only to recognize the new vocabulary but also to actively integrate it into your language use .
Phase 5: Final Phase
The fifth and final phase of spaced repetition begins after one month. This means you've had a break of about two weeks between phase 4 and phase 5 , during which you haven't reviewed the new vocabulary. You can think of this final phase as a kind of test . If you still remember the meaning of the words after two weeks without reviewing them, you can be sure that you've successfully incorporated them into your vocabulary.
If you're still having trouble with some vocabulary, you should continue practicing them and incorporate them into a new learning phase. For example, you could include the words that still give you trouble after Phase 5 in the third phase of a new spaced repetition cycle. This way, you're guaranteed to permanently integrate even problematic words into your vocabulary .
Spaced repetition allows you to run several learning phases simultaneously. This way, you can learn a lot of new vocabulary in a very short time . The spaced repetition learning method is very flexible . You can create your own individual learning plan and determine the intervals between phases as well as the number of new words you integrate, according to your own preferences.
English Vocabulary
English vocabulary is a vast and constantly evolving collection of words used to communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions. It includes words from various sources such as Latin, Greek, French, and German, as well as words that have been adopted from other languages.
The English vocabulary can be divided into various categories such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Each of these categories has its own unique set of words and rules for usage.
English vocabulary is also often classified by levels of difficulty, such as basic, intermediate, and advanced. Basic vocabulary includes words that are commonly used in everyday conversation, while intermediate and advanced vocabulary includes more complex and specialized words used in academic and professional contexts.
Learning and expanding one's English vocabulary is an essential part of language acquisition and can be done through various methods such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It is important to note that vocabulary learning is an ongoing process and requires consistent effort and practice.
This is what awaits you on this page
» Learn English Vocabulary by Topic
» Learn English with Sprachcaffe
» Improve your English online with Sprachcaffe
Learn English vocabulary by topic
In the process of learning a new language it is very important to learn new words at every stage and understand the meanings and the proper implementations of the words. While learning English if you know atleast 2700 words you can understand about 90% of the conversations, newspapers, article content which are in English. It is very important to focus on basic words to build a base of your vocabulary. The difficult words can be focused on later and can be learned out of context. The right vocabulary would help you to improve the understanding of the language and your vocabulary.
To improve your English language abilities, it's crucial to learn new vocabulary. Finding appropriate English vocabulary, though, is not always simple. We want to support you with our lists of English words because of this.
English vocabulary lists have been categorized by topic to make the process simpler and more understandable. Our lists cover a wide range of subjects, including Business, shopping, political and sports vocabularies. These lists will provide you with a strong foundation to build on, whether you are just starting out or have an intermediate level of English.
Learn English with Sprachcaffe
You no longer want to learn English vocabulary alone, but in a group and at the same time collect unique memories? Then travel with us and experience an unforgettable time on your language trip with Sprachcaffe!
Best Apps for Learning Vocabulary with Spaced Repetition
Learning vocabulary with flashcards is a particularly effective approach to quickly memorizing a large number of words. However, many find preparing flashcards too tedious and risk losing their motivation.
In this case, digital learning aids in the form of apps are the perfect alternative, avoiding the tiresome task of copying long vocabulary lists onto flashcards. Below, we'll show you some apps that allow you to easily use the spaced repetition learning method:
Quizlet
The Quizlet app is a free tool for learning foreign languages using flashcards. With pre-made flashcards, you can easily start learning vocabulary with spaced repetition. The flashcards, created by the Quizlet community, are sorted by topic.
Anki
Anki is perfectly designed for spaced repetition. With this app, you can learn flashcards quickly and effectively, without having to write your own vocabulary on flashcards. Anki can be used immediately and is also free, allowing you to expand your vocabulary in your target language quickly and easily.
Memrise
Similar to Anki, you can also use the spaced repetition method with Memrise to sustainably expand your vocabulary in your target language. Together with the Memrise community, you can either find flashcards created by other users or create your own flashcards and share them with the Memrise community.
Spaced Repetition Explained: Common Questions Answered
Implementing a new learning method raises a number of questions. To help you integrate spaced repetition into your daily learning routine as effectively as possible, we've compiled some of the most frequently asked questions about learning with spaced repetition.
At what time intervals should the vocabulary be reviewed?
To get the most out of your vocabulary training with spaced repetition, you should choose intervals that are neither too short nor too long. The length of your intervals between each repetition should also increase.
For effective and sustainable learning, you should start with intervals of 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks. However, since everyone learns at a different pace, you should find the optimal intervals for you in the long run. So be open to experimenting when learning vocabulary with spaced repetition.
How many new words should you include in a new learning phase?
This question also depends on your individual learning speed. If you're an advanced learner, you can easily integrate 100 new words into a spaced repetition learning session and retain them effectively within a month.
As a beginner, you should probably start with fewer words. If you feel unchallenged, you can gradually integrate more words into your spaced repetition learning sessions.
What are the advantages of spaced repetition?
With spaced repetition, you'll learn vocabulary sustainably, unlike with traditional vocabulary learning. The vocabulary you learn with spaced repetition will not only fill your passive vocabulary but also build your active vocabulary.
You need active vocabulary for actually using your target language. Another advantage of spaced repetition is that you can learn a large amount of vocabulary in a very short time. With spaced repetition, you can continuously integrate new vocabulary and progress through the learning phases.
Sustainable and Efficient Vocabulary Learning with Spaced Repetition
Spaced repetition is known for sustainably and quickly expanding your vocabulary in a foreign language. Furthermore, this learning method will allow you to increase your learning pace and thus learn new vocabulary efficiently. Because of the breaks between lessons, you won't overload yourself while studying. This helps you maintain your motivation to learn.
However, to ensure you can not only recognize your new vocabulary, you should definitely make sure you can also incorporate it into sentences. After all, you don't just want to passively recognize your new vocabulary when reading or listening, but also actively use it when writing and speaking.
Do you have the urge to use the vocabulary you've learned through spaced repetition in conversations with native speakers? Then a language immersion trip to the country where your target language is spoken is just what you need!
Related news
Get the latest on travel, languages and culture