For example, each vocabulary word might merit one fact, and two cards-one for English->Japanese, and one for Japanese->English-and it would use my Japanese model. Cards are just one way of reviewing a fact, and using a card's model, Anki can create many different cards from one fact. Facts are built based on models, and cards are generated from facts. In my "Japanese" model, for example, I use three fields: Reading, Expression, and Meaning. (Hint: it'll be painful.)Įach deck of cards has one or more models, which are essentially a list of fields. Try studying hundreds of flashcards on a regular basis without some sort of interval system. Because older cards are shown less often, I can keep a larger database of words that I almost certainly know. The sum of this is that with Anki, I can have a flashcard deck with literally hundreds of flashcards, and it's still manageable to study. Anki describes this as guessing at what point you have to be shown a card again in order to not forget it. On the other hand, a new card might have delays of one, three, or five days. For example, with one of my older cards, if I answer that it was "Hard" I might see it in another month if it was "Medium" difficulty, two months and if it was "Easy," then three months. If you answer a card incorrectly you select Wrong however, answer correctly, and you have three options. By default there are four answer options: Wrong, Easy, Medium, or Hard. The key to Anki's effectiveness is its algorithm, which determines at what intervals to show each card. I'm going to start with a look at what makes Anki in general so powerful, and then move on to discuss the app itself. But this purchase decision is a little more complex than usual. But Anki for iOS is not only more error-prone and lacking in features compared to its desktop counterpart it's also rather expensive. There's even a free Android app, which I haven't used personally. (This review is based on the iPhone version, though the app is universal.) Anki is primarily a desktop program for PC, Mac, and Linux, where it's free. Anki for iOS is by no means a perfect app. ![]() The result is better, longer-lasting memorization.īut before I start singing Anki's praises, let me issue a warning. Anki employs "spaced-based repetition," so that older, better-memorized cards are introduced at longer intervals, while newer cards are shown more often, according to Anki's algorithm. I almost hesitate to call it a "flashcard app," because it's just so much more powerful than a deck of paper flashcards. But the program scores where it matters: the core technology is excellent, it's enormously configurable, and there are lots of shared decks and add-ons to explore.Anki is Japanese for "memorization," so it should be no surprise that Anki is an app for memorizing things. ![]() (Beware, though: the iPhone build is a commercial product and costs $24.99.)Īnki takes a while to learn, and the interface desperately needs a revamp. ![]() And there's even a free service to keep cards in sync across all your devices. You can freely download and try out anything of interest, a quick and easy way to learn the program basics.īetter still, there are Anki builds for Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Linux, so you can continue your studies just about anywhere. If you're unused to flashcards then this can seem complicated, and there are plenty of rules, options and settings to learn.įortunately many existing Anki users have created and shared decks covering everything from "Mandarin Chinese" to "IATA airport and city codes", "Actor and actress pictures" and "Applied anatomy and physiology" (explore the full list here). Cards you got right will be shown less frequently, and Anki will instead focus on anything you can't remember. Finally, you get to rate your own answer based on its accuracy, and how easy it was to remember. When you think you've remembered the answer, press the spacebar to check. When it's time to study, you're shown each card. This could be simple text - a deck on capital cities might use "France", "Paris" - but Anki also supports graphics, audio, video, even scientific markup (via LaTeX), so there's plenty of scope to be inventive. Each card has a question on one side, its answer on the other. The program allows you to create, download and edit flashcards. Anki is an open source study aid which can help you remember just about anything.
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