Vocabulary
Learn vocabulary that actually sticks
Flashcards, the Leitner flashcard app, helps you learn vocabulary in any language with your own cards. Five boxes bring each word back after 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 days, just before you would forget it. Free, offline and without an account.
Free · Works offline · No account needed
Your words, not a fixed word list
Flashcards does not sell word packs. You write the words you actually need, from your textbook, your course, your favourite series or your partner’s family, for any language pair and in any script. Put the word on the front and the translation, an example sentence or a note on the back. For concrete words, add a photo instead of a translation: recognising a picture builds a direct link to the new word.
Ten minutes a day with five boxes
New words start in Box 1 and come back the next day. Each time you know a word it moves up one box and returns after 3, 7, 14 and finally 30 days. Words you forget go back to Box 1. After a few weeks most of your reviews are words you almost know, which are exactly the ones worth practising. Read how the Leitner system schedules every word.
Capture words on the go
Heard a new word in a conversation? With Flashcards Plus you can record a short voice memo, for example “el andén, the platform; la taquilla, the ticket office”, and let AI turn it into card suggestions. You check and edit every card before it is saved. Recording memos is free; the conversion is part of Plus. More about AI flashcards from voice memos.
Ready-made starter topics
Don’t want to start from zero? The topic library in Flashcards Plus includes “Spanish: 100 everyday phrases”: greetings, numbers, directions, restaurants, shopping and emergencies, with Spanish on the front and English or German on the back. An added topic becomes your own: edit cards, delete what you know, add more.
Learn with a partner
Learning your partner’s language, or practising with a tandem partner? Share a topic and both of you can add words. Each of you studies in your own boxes, so one person’s mistakes never reset the other’s progress. Sharing is part of Flashcards Plus.
Tips for better vocabulary cards
Good cards are short and test one thing. These habits make the biggest difference:
- One word or phrase per card.
- Add an example sentence on the back, not a list of meanings.
- Use a photo for concrete nouns instead of a translation.
- Write the article or gender with the noun (el/la, der/die/das).
- If you need to say a word, not just recognise it, add a second card in the other direction.
Questions about learning vocabulary
How many words a day should I learn?
10 to 20 new words a day is a good start for most learners. Each word comes back after 3, 7, 14 and 30 days as it climbs the boxes, so reviews add up. If your daily session takes longer than 15 minutes, pause new words for a day or two.
Can I add pictures to vocabulary cards?
Yes. Either side of a card can be an image from your camera or photo library. Pictures work well for concrete nouns like food, objects or places. Images are free and stay on your device.
Which languages can I learn?
Any language. Cards are free text, so Flashcards works for every language pair and script, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Russian. The app interface itself is available in nine languages.
Can I study vocabulary without internet?
Yes. Creating cards, studying, photos and reminders all work offline, and you need no account. Only the Plus features, which are sync, sharing, the topic library and AI, need a connection.
More answers in the Flashcards FAQ.
Start your first box today
Flashcards is free on iPhone, iPad and Android. No account, no ads, and it works offline.