How many English words should you learn a day?
Short answer: 10 to 20 new words a day is a realistic goal for most learners, as long as you review the ones you miss. Short, repeated looks spread through the day work better than one long session, and learning each word with its part of speech and one simple example helps it stick.
1. Pick a number you can keep
The best daily goal is one you can hit on a busy day. Start at 10. Raise it only when your reviews stay small.
2. Space out your reviews
Spaced repetition means seeing a word again right before you would forget it. A simple version uses three boxes: don't know, unsure, know. Missed words go back to the first box and come up again soon; known words come up less often.
3. Use small moments
You check your phone dozens of times a day. One word on each glance adds up to many short, spaced exposures without sitting down to study.
4. Learn the part of speech
"Record" as a noun and as a verb are used differently. Seeing noun, verb or adjective with the word, plus one everyday example, tells you how to use it.
5. Test yourself
Cover the meaning and guess before you check. A short quiz shows which words you only thought you knew.
Doing it with Glimword
Glimword lets you set a daily goal of 10, 20, 30 or 50 words and sends 1 to 5 word cards a day as notifications. Every card shows the part of speech and a short example. A 10-question quiz sends missed words to your Review box, where they move through three boxes until you know them.
FAQ
Is 50 words a day too many?
For most learners, yes, unless you have a lot of time to review. New words pile up and reviews become impossible to keep up with. Start at 10 to 20.
What is spaced repetition?
Reviewing a word just before you would forget it, with longer gaps each time you get it right. Words you miss come back sooner.
Should I learn the part of speech too?
Yes. Knowing whether a word is a noun, verb or adjective tells you how to use it in a sentence and makes it easier to recall.
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← How Glimword teaches words with notification cards, a widget, parts of speech and a review box