Do Flashcards Help You Learn English Vocabulary Faster?
No. The research does not show that memorizing words using flashcards or similar methods will improve your ability to understand another language (Hudson, 1982; Johnson, 1982; Taglieber, Johnson and Yarbrough, 1988; Jahangard, Moinzadeh and Karimi, 2011). In fact, the only thing memorizing vocabulary words is really good for is passing tests on vocabulary words!
The most effective way to improve your English is to get what is called "comprehensible input," reading and listening to things you can mostly understand (Krashen, 1982).
What is rote vocabulary memorization?
Trying to remember words one by one using flashcards or lists is sometimes called "rote vocabulary memorization" (researchers call it “paired associate learning”). Basically, it means looking at a word in a foreign language and its translation or definition (for example, "dog/perro" for English/Spanish).
Rote memorization is used by language teaching programs such as Anki, Duolingo, and Rosetta Stone. People who think this is a good idea for language learning assume that memorized words will later help you understand and speak a language (Laufer, 2005; Nation, 2011; Schmitt, 2008; Webb, 2009). But the studies on rote memorization suggest this is not the case.
Can memorizing words by rote help me understand English better?
None of the studies on rote vocabulary memorization in a second language, such as using flashcards, has found that it helps you improve your reading or listening. One study (Hudson, 1982), for example, looked at how well three groups of English students were able to understand a story that had words they didn't know. One group of students memorized words that were in the story. A second group simply read the story twice, but didn't memorize anything. A third group was given some general information about the story before reading it, but again, did not memorize any words. The students who memorized the words did not do any better than those who did not memorize words.
In a similar study, Johnson (1982) asked students to memorize vocabulary words before reading something. Again, the group that memorized words did no better than the group that didn't. Other studies report the same disappointing results for rote memorization. In these studies, the students who memorized words worked harder than those students who didn't, but that hard work did not result in any new language improvement.
We find the same thing when we look at studies of native English-speaking students memorizing vocabulary. Studies have found that kids who are taught vocabulary words using rote memorization before reading something usually do not understand it any better than those who are not taught the words (for example, Pany, Jenkins, and Schreck, 1982).
Why aren't flashcards a shortcut to improving my English?
Linguist Stephen Krashen says that we can know a language two ways: consciously and unconsciously. He argues that these two kinds of knowledge are separate (Krashen, 1982). Conscious knowledge, like the language you get from rote memorization from flashcards, is less useful for understanding and speaking, and is forgotten more easily (Krashen, 2003; McQuillan, 2016).
The other way of knowing a language, unconscious knowledge, is what we actually need to communicate. It helps us to understand and to speak. Words we learn through what Krashen calls "comprehensible input" (reading and listening to language you can understand) will more likely be unconscious knowledge. It's this knowledge that is most important.
Why do memorized words help with single sentences but not general comprehension?
There is some evidence that rote memorization can help you understand single sentences that contain the words you memorize (Webb, 2009). But research also shows that memorizing words does not help you understand paragraphs or stories (for a review of this research, see Jenkins and Dixon, 1983). Improving your overall comprehension appears to require a deeper knowledge of the words you read or hear. Fast, "shallow" methods of memorization do not give you that knowledge.
It is also important to remember that when studies do show students are able to understand single sentences after memorizing words, they are usually tested immediately after they studied. This is completely unlike real life, where it may be days, weeks, or even months before you see those words in your reading. Memorized words also are forgotten much more quickly than those learned more naturally through reading and listening (McQuillan, 2016).
What can you do today?
The best way to improve your vocabulary is to get a lot of what linguists call "comprehensible input." Comprehensible input is English reading and listening you can mostly understand. This will build your vocabulary more efficiently than any vocabulary teaching program (McQuillan, 2016, 2019a, 2019b, 2020; Mason, 2007). Reading and listening also improve your grammar, general comprehension, and knowledge of all aspects of language. Reading and listening to real English is also much more interesting and enjoyable.
Take the time you spend on flashcards or word lists and use it to listen to or read English you mostly understand. Choose topics you enjoy. You'll read and listen to more English if the topic is something you are interested in.
Dr. Lucy Tse and I designed Unlimited English to give you this kind of input instead of more word lists, memorization exercises, and other language tasks that don't work. You get more than 1,800 audio lessons of clear English you can understand, with new vocabulary explained in context, plus a complete Learning Guide for every lesson. The full explanation of the science behind this approach is on our research page.
Frequently asked questions
Do flashcards help you learn English vocabulary?
Flashcards can help you pass a vocabulary test, but they do not improve your understanding of real English in your reading or listening. Studies have found that memorizing vocabulary before reading a story or article does not improve your understanding very much, if at all (for example, Hudson, 1982; Johnson, 1982). It is better to simply read and listen to a lot of English you can mostly understand.
How many English words should I memorize a day?
Zero. You do not need to memorize vocabulary words at all, at least not consciously using flashcards. Studies of second language learners have found that memorizing vocabulary before reading does not improve understanding of stories or articles (for example, Hudson, 1982; Johnson, 1982). Memorized words are also forgotten more quickly than words learned through reading and listening (McQuillan, 2016). Spend that time reading and listening to English you can mostly understand instead.
Does "pre-teaching" vocabulary improve reading comprehension?
No study shows that teaching vocabulary words through rote memorization before you read ("pre-teaching") makes a significant difference in how well you understand what you read. For example, in Jahangard, Moinzadeh and Karimi (2011), 90 Iranian students received vocabulary instruction, grammar instruction, or no instruction before reading. The three groups showed no significant differences in comprehension on a reading test.
Is Anki a good way to learn English words?
Anki uses a kind of rote memorization or "paired associate learning," which connects a word to its translation. The research on rote memorization applies to Anki, Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and paper flashcards in the same way. That research finds no clear impact of rote memorization on comprehension of reading stories and articles.
Why do I understand a memorized word in a sentence but not in a story?
Memorized words can sometimes help you understand single, isolated sentences that contain them (Webb, 2009). Understanding paragraphs and stories appears to require a deeper knowledge of the words, which rote memorization does not provide.
What is the best way to learn English vocabulary?
The best way to learn English vocabulary is to read and listen to a lot of English you can mostly understand. This comprehensible input builds your vocabulary more efficiently than any vocabulary teaching program (McQuillan, 2019b).
Selected research
- Hudson, T. (1982). The effects of induced schemata on the "short circuit" in L2 reading: Non-decoding factors in L2 reading performance. Language Learning, 32(1), 1–31.
- Jahangard, A., Moinzadeh, A., & Karimi, A. (2011). The effect of grammar vs. vocabulary pre-teaching on EFL learners' reading comprehension: A schema-theoretic view of reading. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 3(8), 91–113.
- Jenkins, J. R., & Dixon, R. (1983). Vocabulary learning. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8(3), 237–260.
- Johnson, P. (1982). Effects on reading comprehension of building background knowledge. TESOL Quarterly, 16(4), 503–516.
- Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon.
- Krashen, S. D. (2003). Explorations in language acquisition and use. Heinemann.
- Laufer, B. (2005). Focus on form in second language vocabulary learning. EUROSLA Yearbook, 5, 223–250.
- Mason, B. (2007). The efficiency of self-selected reading and hearing stories on adult second language acquisition. In Selected papers from the sixteenth International Symposium on English Teaching (pp. 630–633). Crane Publishing.
- McQuillan, J. (2016). Time, texts, and teaching in vocabulary acquisition: A rebuttal to Cobb (2016). Reading in a Foreign Language, 28(2), 307–318.
- McQuillan, J. (2019a). Where do we get our academic vocabulary? Comparing the efficiency of direct instruction and free voluntary reading. The Reading Matrix, 19(1), 129–138.
- McQuillan, J. (2019b). The inefficiency of vocabulary instruction. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 11(4), 309–318.
- McQuillan, J. (2020). Harry Potter and the prisoners of vocabulary instruction: Acquiring academic language at Hogwarts. Reading in a Foreign Language, 32(2), 122–142.
- Nation, P. (2011). Research into practice: Vocabulary. Language Teaching, 44(4), 529–539.
- Pany, D., Jenkins, J. R., & Schreck, J. (1982). Vocabulary instruction: Effects on word knowledge and reading comprehension. Learning Disability Quarterly, 5(3), 202–215.
- Schmitt, N. (2008). Instructed second language vocabulary learning. Language Teaching Research, 12(3), 329–363.
- Taglieber, L. K., Johnson, L. L., & Yarbrough, D. B. (1988). Effects of prereading activities on EFL reading by Brazilian college students. TESOL Quarterly, 22(3), 455–472.
- Webb, S. (2009). The effects of pre-learning vocabulary on reading comprehension and writing. Canadian Modern Language Review, 65(3), 441–470.