Understand everyday conversations in a new language — starting this week
The words people use most come first, taught in real sentences, in about 10 minutes a day. Smart spaced repetition schedules each review at the optimal moment, so words stick long-term.
Free right now: no daily limit on new words, and unlimited reviews.
Not ready? Try the account-free demo below ↓ or How many words do you know? 2-minute test
See Your Progress in Everyday Speech
Every milestone covers more of the words you actually hear and read.
- 500 words≈ 68% of everyday text
- 1,000 words≈ 79% of everyday text
- 2,000 words≈ 87% of everyday text
- 5,000 words≈ 94% of everyday text
- 10,000 words≈ 97% of everyday text
Coverage figures come from English frequency research and vary by language. They describe how many words in everyday text you recognise, not how well you understand them.
How It Works
MassVocabulary combines frequency-ordered vocabulary with contextual learning and spaced repetition for maximum retention.
Learn the Sounds
Languages with a script course let you start with the letters and sounds before any words.
Learn Words in Context
Each word is presented within a real example sentence, showing you how it's actually used in natural speech.
Recall from Context
During review, the target word is hidden. You recall it from the sentence context, training natural usage.
Smart Scheduling
FSRS calculates the optimal review time for each word. Difficult words appear more often, easy ones less frequently.
What You Get
Each feature answers a reason learners stall, so you keep going until the words stick.
“I don't know which words to learn”
The words you'll actually hear
Courses of 10,000 words ordered by how often people use them, so every session pays off.
“Flashcards don't stick”
Recall from real sentences
The word is hidden in a real sentence, with native audio. You recall it the way you'll need it.
“I forget everything”
Reviews right before you forget
FSRS plans each review for the moment you would otherwise forget it.
“I can't read the alphabet”
Start with the sounds
A short script course teaches letters and sounds before words.
“I don't get why it's said that way”
Notes and grammar on every card
Tap a card for word notes, sentence notes and the grammar behind it, where a course has them.
“I quit after a week”
Streaks, XP and freezes
Daily streaks, XP and levels. A streak freeze saves your streak on a missed day.
“Is this even working?”
See how much you understand
Your mastered words, plus an estimate of how much everyday text your words cover.
“I want it my way”
Study your way
Answer by self check, multiple choice, letter groups or writing. Choose reviews first, mixed or new words first.
Built on What Research Shows
Vocabulary size sets the ceiling on understanding, and review timing decides what you keep. Here is the evidence behind the method.
80%+
of everyday speech
A small core carries most communication
A few thousand of the most frequent words account for the overwhelming majority of what people actually say and write. Learn that core first and you understand most of what you hear.
98%
of words known
Where comprehension stops needing help
Research on English finds unassisted listening takes about 6,000-7,000 word families and unassisted reading 8,000-9,000. 10,000 words is the milestone designed to clear both thresholds.
75%
forgotten in 6 days
Without review, memory fades fast
Ebbinghaus found people forget 56% after 1 hour and 75% after 6 days. MassVocabulary schedules each review for just before you would forget.
Read the research behind spaced repetition
Coverage research counts word families — a headword plus its inflections and derivations — so treat these as calibrated targets rather than exact counts.
Research & Citations
- Nation, I. S. P. (2006) — How Large a Vocabulary Is Needed for Reading and Listening?
- Hsueh-chao, M. H. & Nation, P. (2000) — Unknown Vocabulary Density and Reading Comprehension
- Kremmel, B. et al. (2023) — Unknown Vocabulary Density and Reading Comprehension: Replicating Hu and Nation (2000)
- Schmitt, N. (2008) — Instructed Second Language Vocabulary Learning
- Ebbinghaus, H. (1885) — Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology
- Ye, J. (2024) — FSRS: A Modern Spaced Repetition Algorithm
- Pimsleur, P. (1967) — A Memory Schedule
Languages and platforms
Start learning today, with more languages on the way.
New to a language?
Start fresh with curated courses. Learn the most common words first with frequency-ordered vocabulary — the fastest path to real conversations.
Stuck at the intermediate plateau?
Focus on the vocabulary that's actually holding you back. Spaced repetition surfaces the words you keep forgetting and keeps them in front of you until they stick.
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Web
Available
iOS
Coming soon
Android
Coming soon
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers before you start.
Is it free?
Yes. MassVocabulary is free right now, with no daily limit on new words, and every due review is unlimited. Your reviews are never locked.
What is FSRS spaced repetition?
FSRS (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) is a state-of-the-art algorithm backed by peer-reviewed research. It calculates the optimal review time for each word based on your performance, scheduling difficult words more frequently and easy ones less often to maximize long-term retention.
How does MassVocabulary teach vocabulary?
Each word is presented within a real example sentence. During review, the target word is hidden and you recall it from context, training your brain to use words naturally. This contextual approach combined with FSRS spaced repetition ensures lasting retention.
Why are words ordered by frequency?
Courses contain 10,000 words sorted by how often they appear in real usage. Learning the most common words first means you can start having real conversations faster and understand more of what you read and hear.
Why do you need 10,000 words?
Research on lexical coverage puts unassisted comprehension at the point where you know about 98% of the words in a text. Nation (2006) found that takes roughly 6,000-7,000 word families for spoken English and 8,000-9,000 for written English; 3,000-4,000 only gets you to 95% coverage, or about one unknown word in twenty. 10,000 words is the first round number that clears the 98% threshold for both reading and listening, with headroom left for your own interests.
Why focus on vocabulary instead of grammar?
A few thousand of the most frequent words account for the majority of everyday speech and reading, and vocabulary size is the strongest single predictor of comprehension. Grammar is best acquired by seeing words used in real sentences rather than drilled in isolation, so MassVocabulary teaches every word in context — you internalize structure naturally as your vocabulary grows.
What happens without spaced repetition?
Research by Hermann Ebbinghaus showed that without review, you forget 56% after 1 hour, 66% after 1 day, and 75% after 6 days. MassVocabulary schedules reviews at the exact moment before you forget, turning short-term memorization into lasting knowledge.
Start free: no daily limit on new words
Learn the words people use most, in real sentences, with every review scheduled for you. MassVocabulary is free right now.
Your reviews are never locked.
Free right now: no daily limit on new words, and unlimited reviews.
Not ready? Try the account-free demo above ↑ or How many words do you know? 2-minute test