The Easiest Way To Learn Vocabulary
Level: All Levels Reading Time: 8 minutes Category: Study Tips
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Do you ever feel like you learn a new word, remember it for 3 weeks and then it is gone forever?
Learning vocabulary is a really important part of learning a new language. It is also a really difficult thing to do that takes a lot of effort and a long time.
If you don’t know how to study vocabulary, you can waste a lot of time and effort – which means you won’t make much progress. I know this, because this happened to me.
Luckily for you, I will show you what I think is the best tool for learning vocabulary that will help you learn and remember vocabulary in the most effective way possible.
What Is Anki?
Anki is a digital flashcard system. It is an application that you can download for PC, Mac, Android and iOS. It is connected so you can use the same system on multiple devices and it will synchronise automatically.
It is an SRS (spaced repetition system) which is designed to help you remember new words for a long as possible. It will show you words that you don’t remember a lot and words that you can remember, you will see less often. This means you will spend your time learning the words you need to study.
It automatically learns how well you know words and knows when the best time to show the words again is, so that you don’t forget them. This is proven to help you remember words for longer periods of time.
Why is AnKi Good?
Anki has a lot of benefits compared to other vocabulary learning methods.
The flashcards are digital and that means that you don’t need to carry around 100’s of small bits of paper every time you want to learn some new words.
Digital flashcards also have the benefit of being able to include audio and images that can help you also learn pronunciations and practice listening at the same time as learning the meanings.
Because Anki uses an SRS system, it is proven to help you remember new words for longer. This means you can spend less time trying to remember words and spend more time learning new ones.
Anki is great for learning anything, not just new words. Why not try it for sentences and grammar?
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How to get started with Anki?
The first step is that you need to download and install Anki. All the information you need is here: https://apps.ankiweb.net/
Once you have installed it, you need to start adding some words to study. This means you need to create a new deck.
Step 1: Click the “Create a Deck” button.
Step 2: Give your new deck a name. Click OK.
That’s it. You have created a new deck.
Next, it’s time to add some flashcards for the words you want to study. It’s pretty easy to do this.
Step 3: Click add at the top of the screen
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Step 4: Add the details of the word you want to learn. You can also add images and audio using the icons at the top. Click add when you have finished. Repeat this step for each word you want to learn.
Step 5: It’s time to study. Click the name of the deck you want to study. Then click the study now button.
Step 6: Anki will then show you cards from that deck. At the bottom, you need to click the buttons to grade the card.
Step 7: Repeat this until you see this screen.
That’s it. Now all you need to do is regularly add new words you want to study. You also need to learn new words and review old words every day!
Tips for using Anki.
Anki is great, but here are some tips that you can use to really get the best results.
Don’t Lie to Anki:
Anki asks you to grade how well you know each word at the bottom when you are doing your reviews. It can be very easy to think “Oh I knew that one” even when you couldn’t remember the word well.
For Anki to work, you need to be honest and always click the the correct button. Lying to Anki might make you feel better but it won’t improve your English.
Make your own cards:
On the Anki website, you can download decks that have been made by other people. There are 1000s of decks available for free. However, it is better to make your own cards. This is because you get extra practice by making your own cards. You can also be sure they are perfect for you.
Be consistent.
If you want to use Anki, you need to be consistent. This means that you need to do your reviews every day. If you miss a day, then you have double the words to review the next day. If you do this too much, you will have too many words to review and you will become demotivated and give up.
Go slowly at the beginning.
At first, Anki can seem pretty slow but after a couple of months, you will find that new words and all your reviews can be pretty hectic. If you decide to do more at the beginning, you will make it much worse for yourself after a couple of months. Be patient and try to learn a maximum of 10 new words a day.
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