Vocalarm - Vocabulary Flashcards with Mastery Tracking
Vocalarm is a personal wordbook with a flashcard review screen. You type in the words you want to learn, add a meaning and a category, and then review them one card at a time. Each time you answer, the word's mastery score goes up or down, and the app keeps showing the words you know least.
It suits anyone collecting vocabulary from their own sources: a student preparing for an exam, someone studying for a certification, a professional learning the jargon of a new field, or a language learner who wants a list built from real reading rather than a fixed textbook.
Because you can see a mastery percentage for every word and a summary by category, it is easy to tell which part of your list is solid and which still needs work. A statistics screen charts how many reviews you did each day, so you can see whether your practice is regular.
The app runs entirely in your browser. What you enter is saved only on this device.
How to use Vocalarm
- Open the word list. Tap the list icon at the bottom of the main screen. This is where all of your words live.
- Add a word. Tap the + button, enter the word and its meaning, choose a category (General, Business, Academic, Technology or Other) and tap Add.
- Review the card. Go back to the main screen. The card shows the word, its meaning, its category, its mastery bar and how many times you have reviewed it.
- Answer honestly. Tap Got it! if you already knew the meaning, or Review again if you did not. Mastery rises or falls and the next card appears.
- Edit or delete. In the word list, use the pencil icon to fix a word, meaning or category, or the trash icon to remove it after confirming.
- Check your progress. The chart icon opens Learning Progress with your average mastery, the total number of words and the count per category.
- Look at statistics. The analytics icon opens Learning Statistics: a line chart of reviews per day and a Mastery Distribution bar for each category.
Features
- Add, edit and delete your own words with meanings
- Five categories: General, Business, Academic, Technology and Other
- Flashcard review with Got it! and Review again buttons
- Mastery score per word that rises faster with a streak of correct answers
- Next card chosen by priority: low mastery, long gaps and few reviews come first
- Learning Progress screen with average mastery and words per category
- Statistics with a daily review chart and mastery by category
- Interface in many languages; use ?lang=ja and similar to pick one
- Saved in this browser with no account
How to build and review a vocabulary list that sticks
Collect words from what you actually read
Words you meet in your own reading, work or classes are easier to remember than words from a random list, because you already have a context for them. When an unfamiliar word comes up, note it straight away and add it later with a short meaning in your own words.
Keep each meaning brief. A few words or a translation is usually enough on a card; long definitions turn a quick check into reading practice. If a word has several senses, start with the one you actually met.
Test yourself before you look
Recognising a word is not the same as recalling it. The most useful habit with any flashcard is to read the word, try to say the meaning to yourself, and only then check. Psychologists call this retrieval practice, and it consistently produces better long-term memory than simply rereading a list.
In Vocalarm the meaning is printed on the card, so cover it with your hand or look away for a moment before you decide whether to tap Got it! or Review again. Being strict with yourself keeps the mastery numbers meaningful.
Space your reviews out
Memory fades over time, and a review just as a word is starting to slip does more good than several reviews in one sitting. This is the spacing effect. Short daily sessions of ten to fifteen minutes usually beat one long session a week.
Vocalarm's ordering follows the same idea in a simple way. Each word gets a priority based on how low its mastery is, how many days have passed since you last reviewed it and how few times you have seen it. The card on screen is always the one with the highest priority.
Read the mastery numbers sensibly
A correct answer adds about ten percent to a word's mastery, and a little more for each correct answer in a row. A wrong answer removes fifteen percent and resets the streak. So a word near one hundred percent is one you have answered correctly several times in a row, while a word that keeps dropping is a sign to change approach: write an example sentence, split it into parts, or link it to a word you already know.
Category averages help you balance your study. If Business words sit far below General ones, spend a few sessions focusing there.
Keep the list manageable
A list that grows faster than you can review it becomes discouraging. Adding five to ten new words a day is plenty for most people. Delete words you no longer need, and fix meanings that turned out to be wrong, so that the list always reflects what you really want to learn.
Frequently asked questions
Where are my words stored?
Only in this browser on this device, using its local storage. There is no account and nothing is sent to a server. Clearing your browser's site data, or using a private window, removes the list, and it does not sync to other browsers or devices.
How is the next card chosen?
Each word gets a priority from its mastery, the number of days since its last review and how many times it has been reviewed. The card with the highest priority is shown. The shuffle button picks again using the same rule.
Do the category chips at the top filter the cards?
No. They show which category the current card belongs to. All words are reviewed together in priority order.
Does the web version send reminders or alarms?
No. The web version has no notifications or alarms. Open the page when you want to study; a bookmark or a daily calendar reminder works well.
How is it different from the phone app?
The iPhone and Android app has the same wordbook, review, progress and statistics screens, and offers an ad-free upgrade. The web version shows no ads and has no purchase options, and its data is kept separately from the phone app.
Can I share my progress?
Share the app in the menu tries to share an image of the current screen with your browser's share feature. If your browser cannot share, the page address is copied to the clipboard instead.
Limitations of the web version
- No reminders, alarms or notifications on the web
- Words are saved only in this browser and are not synced or backed up
- No import or export of word lists
- Premium (ad-free upgrade) is only available in the phone app
Phone app
Vocalarm is also available as an app for phones and tablets: