How To Use Spaced Repetition For Vocabulary and Language Learning
Plus, how spaced repetition is built into Babbel's structure.
There’s more than one way to learn a language. While it's tempting to try to find the one hack or resource that is perfect for everyone, the reality is that language learning requires a bit of variety and experimentation to reach fluency. However, one tool has been found again and again to improve vocabulary memorization: spaced repetition language learning.
Spaced repetition is a memory technique that involves periodically reviewing material you’ve already learned to stop yourself from forgetting. It is also sometimes known as distributed practice or the spacing effect. The method can apply to studying any subject, but is particularly useful for learning languages. We’ll break down the science behind the approach, tips for using it successfully, how spaced repetition is baked into Babbel’s curriculum, and more.
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The Science Behind Spaced Repetition in Language Learning
Truly grasping a new language takes more time than rote memorization of facts alone. If you've ever been certain you knew the word for something in Spanish but couldn't get it off the tip of your tongue, you know that learning something once is not enough to ensure remember it forever. The moment after you take in a new piece of vocab, a forgetting curve kicks in. If you never go back to it, chances are you won't remember it a week later, or even a day.
Spaced repetition has been found to effectively fight that curve. The idea is that every time you review something, the more likely you are to remember it (and for longer!). In research going back to 1965, students who reviewed a text twice were more likely to retain the information than those who only reviewed it once. A more recent study found that students who used flashcards had better long-term retention than students who didn’t. Spaced repetition language learning methods can be tedious, but the results are worth the effort of finding an ideal schedule that works for you.
Tips For Using Spaced Repetition To Learn A New Language
“Review periodically” is an easy enough concept to understand, but how do you put it into practice? Let’s get into the specifics.
Tip 1
Keep Track Of What You've Learned
You can’t review old material if you don’t keep track of that material in the first place. Using Babbel and other apps makes it easy to keep track of the lessons you’ve completed and pull them up for later. Many learners benefit from supplementing the apps with other tracking methods. Making your own physical or digital (sometimes called anki cards) flashcard decks is always a good idea, especially if you’re picking up words outside of the app. For the creative types, a language learning journal is a great way to track your learning and make visual connections. If you have a study buddy, try using the words you’ve learned in real-life conversations.
Tip 2
Make language learning part of your routine
To get good at anything, especially a language, there’s no way around needing to put in the time. Making it part of your daily (or daily-ish) routine will make it easier to stick to. Designate a time of day to study your language, preferably one when you’re alert and can be free of distractions. Whether that’s first thing in the morning, between classes, on your lunch break, or on the bus home from work, a learning routine is only as good as you can stick to it. If you’re not a morning person, forcing yourself to wake up early to study your target language isn’t going to last. The same goes if you’re always tired after work. One advantage of using digital methods for learning languages is that you can easily take your lessons with you.
Tip 3
Give yourself plenty of time
On a similar note, language learning isn’t a subject you can cram for before the test, literally or figuratively. Memorizing basic French words and phrases on the plane may give you enough to navigate on your trip, but it’s unlikely to stick that way and could throw you for a loop if you’re in a situation you didn’t script for. Learning a language well enough to use it in everyday situations is a marathon, not a sprint.
Tip 4
Go back to what you think you know periodically
The “repetition” part of “spaced repetition” is central to the method, and often what learners find tedious about it. When you’re excited about learning a language, it can be tempting to keep learning more to quench your curiosity. Enthusiasm and curiosity are good things, but it’s also important to schedule in review time. You can’t keep building on a crumbling foundation. Again, Babbel can schedule this review time for you.
Tip 5
Plan your distributed practice schedule
Now for the “spaced” part of “spaced repetition.” Over time, extend your intervals between reviews by longer to exercise your memory better. Experts have created and tested algorithms for the ideal schedule, but you’ll save time and effort by letting a language learning app automate it with its own spaced repetition algorithm. That way you can spend more time actually learning than managing your schedule and flashcards.
Tip 6
Don’t review words in the same order every time
Make sure to shuffle your literal or figurative deck before every review session. If you review terms in the same order every time, you could unwittingly use the pattern as a shortcut to actually remembering the material. That can cause problems when you try to use the language in context in the real world later on.
How Babbel Integrates A Spaced Repetition System Into Lessons And Reviews
Babbel’s lessons focus on preparing you for real conversations. Lessons are short, focused, and use audio recorded by native speakers. Users speak in every lesson and learn vocabulary and grammar in context. Vocab workouts use spaced repetition principles to commit what you’ve learned in context to memory.
Every time you finish a lesson, new phrases are added to your vocabulary. Then, the app schedules when to review them based on how well you’ve answered them in the past. If you get a word right the first time, it's scheduled for review the next day. If you continue to answer correctly, the review intervals increase to four days, seven days, 14 days, 60 days, and then six months. That way, you're only reviewing the words you need to.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Spaced Repetition Language Learning
Even the most effective spaced repetition usage has limits. Spaced repetition is a memorization tool, not a teaching tool. You still need to go out and find vocabulary, and understand the grammar that makes the language work. (Spaced repetition is also relevant for grammar, but there is a bit more at play.) It also takes time to see results, and it’s not the best on its own for deep knowledge. It can also get boring on its own, and incorporating joy and curiosity can make the difference between sticking with a language and abandoning it.
The 2-3-5-7 rule is a common schedule of increasing intervals that is easy to follow. When you first learn a new word, review it every 2 days. When you’re getting it more consistently, review it every 3 days. Then, every 5 days, and every 7 days to cement it as a long-term memory. There are now many tools, like Babbel's review, that can do this automatically for you.
Also known as the world-readiness standards for language learning, the five C’s are five goals that prepare learners to use the language skills they develop in the real world:
Communication: Communicate effectively in more than one language in order to function in a variety of situations and for multiple purposes
Cultures: Interact with cultural competence and understanding
Connections: Connect with other disciplines and acquire information and diverse perspectives in order to use the language to function in academic and campus settings
Comparisons: Develop insight into the nature of language and culture in order to interact with cultural competence
Communities: Communicate and interact with cultural competence in order to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world
Spaced repetition to learn vocabulary and grammar rules is very useful for the communication goal. Using it to learn the vocabulary you need for other subjects or interests can go a long way toward establishing connections with your other knowledge.
The short answer is unfortunately: no. Spaced repetition is not enough on its own to start communicating effectively, even if its principle does underpin many facets of study. Learning a language is about so much more than memorizing words and their meanings. You’ll also need to practice conversation, listening, pronunciation, and reading skills. That’s why Babbel incorporates spaced repetition in its curriculum, but it isn’t just a spaced repetition app.
One example of a common way of learning with spaced repetition is the Leitner System. To use it, separate your flashcards into four boxes, corresponding to how often you review the card. When you get one right, move it up a box for less frequent review. When you get one wrong, move it back down to the first box for frequent review. This classic system is a favorite for language learners who prefer analog methods.
Spaced repetition is a tried and true study method for language learning. When you use it as one of many tools in your box, you’ll be surprised how much you can learn and remember. That’s why spaced repetition, real-life dialogue, and speaking in every lesson combine to make Babbel unique. Start learning a language with a science-backed method today!
