How To Memorize Vocabulary Fast: 7 Everyday Strategies
Here's the magic equation: if you learn how to memorize vocabulary quickly, your ability to learn a foreign language will automatically skyrocket. How does that work?
Because language learning is 80% of memorizing, forgetting and relearning vocabulary. I know, we both want the second word had never existed.
And yet, it’s there. And like a nasty little leprechaun it’s going to impede your learning from the day one.
The only way to diminish its significance is to take care of vocabulary everyday.
Therefore, if I'm here to offer just one piece of advice, it would be to learn your vocabulary every day.
Why do you want to build vocabulary every day?
Building a strong vocabulary consisting of thousands of words requires a significant effort, but only if you try to memorize them all at once. But I'm guessing that you won't be satisfied with just a couple of Spanish words learned on the first day, will you?
However, if you break this huge task into bite-sized daily pieces, it won't seem as intimidating anymore. Just learning 10 words a day is fairly achievable.
For most of us, memorizing vocabulary is a routine and, let's face it, a pretty boring one. Therefore, be prepared for your brain to get tired of it pretty quickly, especially if you try to learn new words with a conscious effort.
Fortunately, there is a shortcut that can save you the trouble of trying to find motivation. Developing a learning habit can help you progress more smoothly and consistently.
How do you do that?
All you need to do is find a cue - a certain action that you do every day without exception and, preferably, around the same time. It can be breakfast, morning meditation, lunch, evening tooth brushing, walking your dog, or anything else. Once you've found one, all you need to do is quickly complete your vocabulary review either before or right after that cue.
However, you have to be really careful with the choice of your cue. For instance, I used to memorize my French vocabulary while traveling. So every time I got on a bus or subway, I took out my phone and learned new words on Memrise. However, on Thursdays, I didn't have any classes in university and didn't travel anywhere. The result? I would systematically forget to review words every single Thursday.
So, the first key to memorizing vocabulary without having to find the motivation, is to find a daily routine and use it to develop a habit of learning new words.
How to memorize vocabulary fast and with no effort?
A picture is worth a thousand words. So here’s an illustration of what happens to your 10 new Spanish words within first few hours:
Does it look like you forget 6 of them just after one hour?
Well, that’s unfortunate. Our brains are wired to forget.
Once again, this process of forgetting is essential for memory formation. If we didn't forget things, our lives would be miserable, and we wouldn't have the motivation to learn new things, such as a new language.
Here's a glimmer of hope: your brain is just waiting for you to review that vocabulary, and the faster you do it, the better.
Now, let's see what happens if you systematically review those ten [not-so-new but still Spanish] words:
It looks better, doesn’t it?
It’s called spaced repetition technique. To master this technique you have to be super annoying with your own brain and ask at least 2-3 times a day if it still remembers those notorious 10 words.
The desired outcome is when the brain surrenders and waves the white flag, saying, "Okay, I remember them, leave me alone."
Repetion helps you consolindate the new information. Day after day, your brain will upload each of these words in the brain folder called “long term memory”.
Tools for building vocabulary
Let’s wrap up everything we’ve learned about how to
memorize vocabulary fast. In summary, you need a robust system that would consistently remind you to tend to your word garden over a specific period of time day after day.
You have two options: language learning apps or good old flash cards.
And, honestly, since I’m a spoiled child of XXI century, I have to admit that I have never ever used handmade flash cards to learn anything.
I think that modern vocabulary building apps are much more convenient in this way rather than a deck of cards you pull out during your bus trips to school.
Moreover, as far as I know, almost every language learning app nowadays utilises a spaced repetition system, which means they take care of half the work for you.
It's important to note that there are some downsides to using an app, such as having minimal control over the content, especially if you already have a basic vocabulary. In many cases, the app may try to teach you words you already know very well. However, if you're just beginning to learn a foreign language, using vocabulary builders on your phone may be your best option. For example, my favorite app, Memrise, focuses on core vocabulary, regardless of the language you're learning. Additionally, it provides context, so you not only learn the word itself but also how and in what situation to use it, which is a huge advantage.
For personalized vocabulary lists, I recommend using something like Anki, where you create flashcards on your own.
How many words a day to learn?
Well, if your question is how to memorize vocabulary fast, you probably want to maximize the daily portion of new words to see fast progress. And it's perfectly fine, as long as you don't overload your brain.
When I was learning French, my daily goal was to complete at least one level in Memrise. However, the amount of new words and phrases I learned varied greatly from level to level. Since I had a lot of downtime (at least 2-3 hours a day that would otherwise be completely lost on the Toronto subway), I was fairly successful in learning between 20 and 40 new words a day.
Thus, the number of new words you learn each day is really up to you. Just keep in mind that you will have to review the entire bunch from time to time.
Level-up: new vocabulary for independent speakers
Nothing is constant, and by using these vocabulary learning strategies, you will make significant progress. One day, you will reach a level of proficiency where you feel reasonably comfortable with your target language.
By "comfortable," I mean that you can read online articles without frequently relying on Google Translate.
At this point, it's wise to switch your approach. Instead of concentrating on how to memorize vocabulary quickly, you should shift your attention to maintaining your core vocabulary and immersing yourself in a new linguistic environment.But hey, it’s not that scary as it sounds!
Being an independent speaker, you will be able to use your new language as a source of information. From that moment on, you will be able to access everything you are interested in, in your target language. You will want to find books, podcasts, and YouTube channels, engage with this content 24/7, and soak up new vocabulary like a sponge.
And this is where the real fun begins.
Recap: How to memorize vocabulary fast
Learn new words every single day;
Make a habit out of vocabulary review;
Use spaced repetition to remember more words in less time;
Concentrate on core vocabulary first;
Learn between 10 and 50 new words a day
Use Memrize, Anki or other applications
Change your strategy as you become an independent speaker
I really hope that this article will bring you some real value in your language learning experience! If that’s the case, let me know in the comments below. Vale!
