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Zach
How many new words can you learn in a day?

We've all heard that a learner needs to be exposed to a new word around 7 times in order to remember it. Unless, that word is learned in an extraordinary situation. With that said, I've read articles that state it's possible to learn between 5-20 words in a single day. What have you found to be your max? What do you do to make sure those words "stick"?


I've been teaching English the last 3 years in China, Vietnam, and Colombia (I speak Spanish) but I'm a new teacher here on italki. I'm currently looking for new students and I'd love to help you test your memory and improve your English! 



Comments · 5

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I have never thought about it in that manner. I go by what I understand. Currently, I need to strengthen what I already know, so 3 to 4 is o good goal. When I get comfortable using them, I will probably try to up it to 5 to 6 a day and build from there. By comfortable, I mean being able to figure out what was said and being able to answer in a way that the other speaker can understand enough of what I say to effectively communicate.

Also, since I am currently learning three languages (Spanish, French, and Romanian) my ability to learn as many words as possible in one language is limited. I am dropping French for the rest of the year, at least, when my current lesson package runs out. The Spanish, I am far enough along with that I should be comfortable with in two or three months. The Romanian, I am learning from scratch, so I have no idea how long it would take to get comfortable with that.

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Personally, remembering words that I learn each day is a difficult  process but by writing those words in a notebook and practcing them before sleeping for example, it helps to be stuck in our minds. Also, from 3 to 4 words a day is completely enough and easy to remember.

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For me, the question is not so relevant how many new words I can learn, but how many words remain in my head ... It only makes sense for me to learn as many words as I have the time and desire to repeat them often enough and to use them additionally by writing my own texts and (!) by speaking.

Für mich ist die Frage nicht so relevant, wie viele neue Wörter ich lernen kann, sondern, wie viele Wörter in meinem Kopf drin bleiben ... Für mich ist nur sinnvoll, so viele Wörter zu lernen, wie ich auch Zeit und Lust habe, sie oft genug zu wiederholen und sie zusätzlich durch das Schreiben eigener Texte und (!) durch das Sprechen anzuwenden .

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I totally agree.  Learning a new word from a list is one thing. Being able to pull this word out of your brain in a conversation is totally something else. I strive for 25 words a day. I start in the a.m and try to use them throughout the day. I also find it helpful if they are random words and not part of groups but that is my preference. 
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Learning new words and encountering them in the context is just one part of learning process. Being able to recall them when I need them use actively and correctly in speaking or writing is more important. According to my application Anki I learn approximately  9 new french words/expressions a day. As for my English it Is worse now, because I am losing my passion/motivation for making progress in it. 

In general, I think that 5 words a day should be enough to learn effectively, because our brain needs to process new stuff. 

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