Building Your Vocabulary

Building Vocabulary

A strong vocabulary is the foundation of language proficiency. SubLearn's intelligent vocabulary system helps you learn, review, and retain words efficiently using proven techniques like spaced repetition and contextual learning.

Adding Words to Your Vocabulary

From Videos

The most effective way to learn vocabulary is in context:

1. While watching a video, click any word in the subtitles
2. Review the translation and example sentences
3. Click "Save to Vocabulary" or press the star icon
4. The word is added with the video sentence as context

From Pre-Made Decks

Browse curated vocabulary collections:

• Core Vocabulary: Most common 1,000/2,000/5,000 words
• Thematic Lists: Food, travel, business, medical, etc.
• CEFR Level Decks: Organized by proficiency level
• Learning Path Vocabulary: Words from your current course

Manual Entry

Add custom words and phrases:

1. Go to Learn → Vocabulary → Add Word
2. Enter the word in your target language
3. Add translation, notes, and example sentences
4. Optionally add an image or mnemonic

Vocabulary Review with Flashcards

SubLearn uses spaced repetition to optimize your review schedule. See the flashcard review guide for detailed instructions.

Review Types

Recognition (Target → Native)

• See the word in your target language
• Recall its meaning
• Best for reading comprehension

Recall (Native → Target)

• See the meaning in your native language
• Remember the word in the target language
• Best for active use and speaking

Listening

• Hear the word pronounced
• Identify its meaning
• Improves listening comprehension

Spelling

• Hear or see the word
• Type it correctly
• Reinforces spelling and writing

Vocabulary Organization

Automatic Lists

Words are automatically organized into:

• Learning: Words you're currently studying
• Review: Words due for spaced repetition review
• Mastered: Words you consistently get correct
• Difficult: Words you frequently get wrong (for focused practice)

Custom Lists

Create your own vocabulary collections:

1. Go to Learn → Vocabulary → My Lists
2. Click "Create New List"
3. Name your list (e.g., "Restaurant Vocabulary", "Job Interview Words")
4. Add words by searching or selecting from your saved vocabulary
5. Practice lists individually or combined

Tags

Tag words for flexible organization:

• Add multiple tags to each word (e.g., "noun", "food", "A2-level")
• Filter and search by tags
• Create practice sessions from specific tags

Word Information

Click any word in your vocabulary to view:

• Translations: Multiple meanings and contexts
• Part of Speech: Noun, verb, adjective, etc.
• Example Sentences: From videos and native content
• Audio Pronunciation: Native speaker recordings
• Word Forms: Conjugations, plural forms, gender (if applicable)
• Frequency: How common the word is in everyday language
• Related Words: Synonyms, antonyms, word family
• Your Context: The sentence where you first encountered it

Vocabulary Statistics

Track your vocabulary growth in Progress → Vocabulary:

• Total Words: All words you've encountered
• Active Vocabulary: Words you're learning or reviewing
• Mastered Words: Words you know well
• Words Learned This Week/Month: Recent progress
• Review Accuracy: Percentage of correct answers
• Longest Streak: Consecutive days of vocabulary review

Advanced Vocabulary Features

Word Difficulty

Each word has a difficulty rating based on:

• Your personal accuracy with that word
• Number of review sessions
• Time since last review
• General word frequency and complexity

Focus practice sessions on difficult words to improve retention.

Context Sentences

Every word saved from a video includes the original sentence. This contextual learning is more effective than isolated word memorization because:

• You learn how words are actually used
• Grammar patterns become clear
• Memory is triggered by multiple cues
• You understand connotation and register

Images & Mnemonics

Add visual aids to boost memory:

• Upload custom images for words
• Use auto-suggested images from our database
• Create mnemonic devices or memory tricks
• Draw connections to your native language

Vocabulary Goals

Set specific vocabulary targets:

• Daily New Words: How many new words to learn per day
• Review Target: Number of flashcard reviews daily
• Milestone Goals: Aim for vocabulary size milestones (500, 1000, 2000+ words)

Configure in goal settings.

Related Guides

• Flashcard Review
• Spaced Repetition
• Using Subtitles