You can get the âdependâ card right every time and then write It is depend from the price. You remember the translation, but you havenât learned to use the verb yet. Anki doesnât read what you write, so it wonât explain why you need depends and on here. In LetsWords, you recall the word, use it in a sentence and get feedback in your native language: what to fix and why. You still get spaced repetition, but now it trains more than memory: it trains you to write without mistakes like this one. Below, youâll see a LetsWords session with depend on, followed by four more Anki alternatives and what each one is missing.
Why people look for an Anki alternative
Most people leave Anki for one of three reasons.
- You have to build the decks yourself. The Anki manual openly recommends creating your own decks. For English, that means finding the word, a translation, an example and audio, then formatting the card. Shared decks exist, but the manual warns that their authors often leave out explanations, which can make them very hard to learn from.
- Thereâs a lot to learn before you start. Before Anki works the way you want, you have to get to grips with note types, card templates and deck options, and all that time goes on setting up the app rather than on English.
- Thereâs no feedback on how you use a word. Once the answer is shown, you rate how easily you remembered it yourself (Anki manual). But even matching the answer on the card doesnât prove you can use the word. Anki doesnât check a new sentence or explain mistakes with a preposition, a collocation or a structure. In LetsWords, thatâs part of every session: you write, see the mistake and understand the correction.
Another flashcard app may fix the first two problems, but not the third. LetsWords solves all three: the sets are ready, the interface is simple and in English, and every review ends with a sentence and feedback on it. For a detailed look at how recognising a word on a card differs from being able to use it, see our comparison of Anki, Quizlet and LetsWords.
LetsWords: review that puts the word back to work
LetsWords links remembering a word to using it: you recall the word, write a sentence with it and get an explanation of any mistake. Ready-made sets, spaced repetition and IELTS Writing are all in one service. It runs in your browser, with nothing to install; the interface is in English, and feedback on your mistakes comes in your native language: Russian, Korean or Vietnamese. Words come back in later sessions based on your review history.
- You recall the word from its meaning. In review, you see the meaning in your native language and pull the English word from memory yourself. Retrieving what youâve learned again and again helps you keep it for the long term (Karpicke & Roediger, 2008).
- You use it straight away. Next, you write a sentence with the word. If you donât know what to write about, the generator suggests an idea in your native language at the right difficulty, and you put it into English.
- You see what to fix and why. LetsWords points out usage and grammar mistakes, suggests a correction and a better way to phrase it, and explains them in your native language, briefly or in detail. The feedback takes your goal into account: an exam or general English.
There are no decks to build. You get ready-made sets: words by level, exam and academic vocabulary and expressions, collocations, phrasal verbs and idioms. Add words from Anki, work or TV shows yourself: type in the word, and LetsWords fills in the card with a definition, examples and a translation. You can edit cards and sort words into collections. While you study, you can choose English definitions and reveal the translation only when you need it.
For IELTS, Writing is in the same service: hundreds of Task 1 and Task 2 prompts, practice on individual criteria and full answers with feedback on all four criteria. You can take a word from review all the way to an essay without switching apps.
Example session: depend on
In Anki, you have a âdependâ card, and youâve been pressing âGoodâ on it for years. In LetsWords review, you see the meaning âto be decided by somethingâ, recall depend on and write a sentence about work. The generator suggests an idea in your native language: the final price is decided by the delivery time. Your attempt:
The final price is depend from the delivery time.
What the feedback shows.
- is depend â depends. Depend is the verb here and does the whole job on its own. Is isnât needed, and in the third person singular the verb takes -s.
- from â on. In many languages the equivalent verb is followed by a word meaning âfromâ or âofâ, which pulls learners towards from. In this meaning, depend goes with on (or upon in formal writing).
The corrected version:
The final price depends on the delivery time.
How to say it more precisely. Depend on can be followed by a whole clause with how, whether or what, not just a noun. If what matters is speed rather than the date, say so directly:
The final price depends on how quickly you need the delivery.
Use it in a new situation. The next time the word comes back, you recall it from its meaning again and write a new sentence, for example in a work email:
Whether we launch in March depends on the test results.
or in an IELTS essay:
A countryâs economic growth often depends on how much it invests in education.
There was no mistake on the card: you knew the translation. The extra is and the wrong preposition only showed up when you needed the word in a sentence. You can work through this structure without signing up in the free depend on exercise.
See what this kind of feedback finds in the words youâre learning right now.
When you sign up, you choose your goal and level, write a sentence and get feedback before you pay.
Other Anki alternatives: what theyâre missing
Mochi is the same kind of flashcards with spaced repetition. You still build and check the decks yourself, and review still ends with the answer on the back of the card.
Brainscape doesnât check the sentences you write or explain mistakes in how you use a word. In review, you flip the card, look at the answer and rate yourself from 1 to 5: thatâs how Brainscapeâs study mode works. If youâre confident about the wrong preposition, the app wonât spot the mistake. LetsWords checks what you write and explains the correction in your native language; rating yourself is no substitute for that.
Quizlet checks a written answer against the text on the card. That tests whether you remember the answer, not how you use the word in a new context. A mistake that isnât on the card is one the exercise canât explain. More in our article on Quizlet alternatives.
Memrise tests whether you remember words from a list in its vocabulary review. A correct answer there doesnât mean youâll be able to use the word in an essay. In LetsWords, recall leads straight into writing practice and feedback on how you used the word, tailored to your exam goal.
Side-by-side comparison
Weâre comparing vocabulary review specifically: what happens when you come back to a word youâve learned.
| App | What you do in review | Are mistakes in a sentence you wrote explained? |
|---|---|---|
| LetsWords | recall the word and use it in a new sentence | yes: corrections to usage and grammar, explained in your native language |
| Anki | compare your answer with the card and rate yourself | no, it doesnât review mistakes in a sentence |
| Mochi | compare your answer with the back of the card | no, checking is up to you |
| Brainscape | look at the answer and rate yourself from 1 to 5 | no check of what you wrote, no explanation of the mistake |
| Quizlet | answer the cardâs question | no, your answer is checked against the card |
| Memrise | review words from a list | no feedback on a new sentence in vocabulary review |
Whatâs free in LetsWords
Remembering a translation isnât enough to use a word correctly. In LetsWords, you can try the usage check for free.
- Open exercises. The Exercises section covers more than 1,500 expressions with examples, a common mistake and an explanation. In each one, you can write a sentence and get it checked, with no sign-up needed.
- A trial feedback session when you sign up. Answer a few questions about your goal and level, try a writing exercise and get an explanation of your mistakes. If youâre preparing for IELTS, you can do a Writing criterion exercise or get feedback on an answer instead.
You can try the feedback before you pay. Regular vocabulary and IELTS Writing practice is by subscription; the plan and terms are shown before payment.
Which one to choose for your goal
You recognise words but canât write a sentence with them. Thatâs exactly what LetsWords is for. Review stays, but each time you recall the word yourself and write a new sentence with it, and feedback in your native language shows what to fix and why. Add the words youâve âknownâ for ages from your Anki cards to LetsWords and find out whether you can actually use them.
Youâre preparing for IELTS. Start with exam and academic vocabulary: the feedback will take your exam goal into account. Youâll find topic lists in our article on IELTS vocabulary by topic. The words from review come in handy straight away in IELTS Writing in LetsWords: practice on individual criteria and full answers with feedback.
You donât want to build decks or dig through settings. In LetsWords, the sets are ready. Add the word you need, and the card fills itself in with a translation, a definition and examples. Feedback comes in your native language, and thereâs nothing to install.
Youâre starting with basic words. For beginners, thereâs the Oxford 3000 set. You use every word from it in a sentence straight away, so your core vocabulary works in speaking and writing from the very first sessions.
If youâre looking for more than a flashcard replacement, take a look at our roundup of apps for learning English words.
Turn the words youâve been reviewing on flashcards for years into words you write without mistakes: you recall a word, use it in a sentence, and LetsWords shows you the mistake and explains it in your native language. Start practising in LetsWords. When you sign up, you answer a few questions about your goal and level, and LetsWords sets up practice that fits you; you can try the feedback before you pay.