Vocabulary That Sticks: Learning Words in Context

A word is not a single fact to be memorised. It is a web of connections — how it sounds, what it means, the words it keeps company with, the situations it belongs to. Learning a word from a bare list gives you one thread of that web. Learning it in context gives you the whole cloth.

What "knowing a word" really means

To truly own a word you need more than its translation. You need its pronunciation, its part of speech, an example of it in use, the words it collocates with, and a sense of when it fits. That is why every vocabulary card in this portal carries context, not just a definition.

Practising well

• Meet each word in a sentence, not alone.
• Produce it — say it, write it, use it — do not just read it.
• Let spaced review bring it back before you forget.