Learning 1,900 words without forgetting them: spaced repetition that works
Vocabulary lists fail when you try to learn each word properly on the first pass. People who actually finish a 1,900-word list do one thing: they meet each word again just as they are about to forget it.
Don't try to learn it on pass one
Memory doesn't form in a single exposure. Trying to perfect each new word slows you to a crawl and you never reach the end of the list.
Go shallow and fast first. Get all 1,900 words to 'I've seen this' before you try to make any of them solid.
How spaced repetition works
Words you know come back less often; words you just failed come back soon. Your limited time gets spent on the shaky ones.
Doing this by hand is painful. An app schedules it: a word you got right returns after 10 minutes, then a day, three days, a week, and so on, while a word you missed returns almost immediately.
How many words a day
Work backwards from your exam date.
- Six months out: 20–30 new words a day, about 15–25 minutes including reviews.
- Three months out: around 40 a day, closer to 30 minutes as reviews pile up.
- One month out: cut the scope. Securing the high-frequency sections beats half-learning everything.
Split it into sections
A single block of 1,900 words has no visible end. Five sections of 380 do. Being able to say 'I'm on section 2' is a surprisingly large part of finishing.
Move on when a section is roughly 80% solid. You don't need to go back manually — spaced repetition mixes older words into your reviews automatically.
Learn the example, not just the gloss
A word plus a one-word translation often fails in real passages. Learning how a word is used is faster in the end.
Read a short example sentence aloud. Linking sound to meaning helps listening too.
FAQ
App or paper?
An app wins on scheduling reviews automatically; paper is better for seeing everything at once. Plenty of people use both.
Does exam vocabulary transfer to TOEIC or similar tests?
Core academic vocabulary overlaps heavily with general English proficiency tests.