How to Actually Remember French Vocabulary Long-Term (Spaced Repetition)
Learning 50 new words in one evening, then forgetting most of them a week later, is a familiar experience for most language learners. The problem isn't poor memory — it's reviewing at the wrong time. The brain needs to be reminded right before it's about to forget, not crammed once and left alone.
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What spaced repetition actually is
Instead of reviewing a new word repeatedly within the same session (then never touching it again), spaced repetition stretches out review intervals further and further apart — review after 1 day, then 3 days, then 1 week, then 2 weeks. Reviewing right before you're about to forget builds a much deeper memory than cramming the same material repeatedly in a short window.
10-15 new words a day, reviewed consistently, works far better than 50 words crammed in one sitting and then forgotten — a smaller amount retained long-term beats a larger amount forgotten quickly.
Trying to recall the meaning before flipping to the answer creates active recall — far more effective than just skimming a word list repeatedly.
Apps like Anki calculate the right review timing for each word based on how quickly or slowly you recall it — no need to manually plan a review schedule yourself.
A word on its own is easier to forget than a word embedded in a sentence with real context — the brain remembers through association, not isolated lists.
Vocabulary retention works best alongside topic-based practice
Spaced repetition helps retention, but learning words grouped by related topics is still more effective than learning at random. See TCF Canada vocabulary by topic to combine both approaches.
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