You look up a new English word, understand it, maybe even use it in a sentence — and two days later it is gone. Sound familiar? You are not alone. Research shows that without reinforcement, we forget up to 80% of new information within 48 hours. This is known as the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, and it is the single biggest obstacle in vocabulary learning.

The good news? There is a well-studied technique that fights this curve head-on: spaced repetition.

What Is Spaced Repetition?

Spaced repetition is a learning method where you review information at increasing intervals over time. Instead of cramming 50 words in one evening, you see each word again right before your brain is about to forget it. The result is dramatically better long-term retention with less total study time.

The concept is backed by over 250 published studies. Learners who use spaced repetition consistently retain 80-90% of new vocabulary after weeks and months — compared to under 20% for those who study once and move on.

How It Works in Practice

Imagine you add the word "resilient" today. With spaced repetition, here is what happens:

  • Day 1: You review the word for the first time.
  • Day 3: It appears again. You remember it — great. The interval grows.
  • Day 7: Another review. Still solid. Next review in two weeks.
  • Day 21: You recall it easily. The word is now in your long-term memory.

If you struggle at any point, the interval resets to a shorter gap. The system adapts to you, not the other way around.

Why Most Vocabulary Apps Get This Wrong

Many apps throw word lists at you and call it learning. But without smart review scheduling, those words fade quickly. The key difference is active recall — being asked to produce the answer from memory rather than passively re-reading it. Combined with optimized timing, this is what makes spaced repetition so effective.

How LexiMory Uses Spaced Repetition

LexiMory builds spaced repetition directly into your daily study flow. Every word you save is automatically scheduled for review at the optimal moment. You do not need to plan anything — just open the app and study the words it surfaces for you. Each word also comes with an image, audio pronunciation, and example sentences, which strengthens the memory trace through multiple senses.

Whether you are learning five words a week or fifty, the system adjusts. Your vocabulary grows steadily, and the words you learn actually stay with you.