Vocabulary: not cramming, but remembering
Every language learner has been there: ten words memorized yesterday, half of them gone today. The problem isn't you — it's the method. Mechanical repetition writes to short-term memory, not long-term. Tildosh builds word learning differently: on the science of forgetting (spaced repetition) and the lexical-unit approach, where every unit is a living piece of language.
This page explains in detail how the Tildosh vocabulary system works: where words come from, how they are stored, why reminders arrive exactly on the edge of forgetting, and how this method differs from traditional 'word memorization'.
Not a word — a lexical unit
In traditional dictionaries the unit is a 'word'. In Tildosh the unit is a lexical unit: it can be a word form, a collocation, even a whole sentence pattern. The reason is simple: people speak in ready-made chunks, not isolated words. Memorizing 'make' alone is almost useless — but knowing 'make a decision', 'make sure', 'make friends' sharply speeds up your speech.
Every lexical unit in Tildosh has its own 'passport' — the Word Passport: meaning, pronunciation, example sentences, the topics where it appears, and most importantly the Memory Trail, the history of all your encounters with this unit. Where you first saw it, when you made a mistake, when you used it correctly — everything is recorded. This history personalizes the repetition schedule.
Lexeme and sense
Each meaning of a word is a separate unit. 'Run' is to move fast, to manage, and 'run out of' means to finish. Each meaning is taught with its own examples — no confusion.
Word forms
Forms like go–went–gone are not memorized separately — they are absorbed as a natural part of the unit, inside examples.
Collocations
Natural combinations ('strong tea' but 'powerful engine') — exactly this knowledge makes speech sound 'alive' rather than 'textbook'.
Memory Trail
The history of your encounters with each unit: when you saw it, made a mistake, used it correctly. The repetition schedule is personalized from this history.
The science of forgetting: SRS
In 1885 the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered the forgetting curve: new information is forgotten fastest in the first hour, then forgetting slows down. But every repetition 'flattens' the curve — next time forgetting is slower. This is the foundation of spaced repetition science.
Tildosh uses the SM-2 algorithm — a classic proven since 1987. For each flashcard the algorithm computes the next review time: a unit recalled easily will be reminded later, a difficult one sooner. The result — maximum retention in minimum time. The scheduler interface is built pluggable: in the future it can switch to more precise algorithms like FSRS without data loss, because the complete repetition history is preserved.
Exactly on time
A card is reminded on the edge of forgetting — not a day early, not a week late. Your time is saved.
Personal schedule
A separate schedule for each unit, computed from its Memory Trail history.
Complete history
All repetitions are saved — groundwork for future, more precise algorithms.
Where words come from
The dictionary is built not from an artificial list but from your life. A word you didn't know in conversation gets into the dictionary with one tap. A new phrase from a micro-lesson is saved automatically. A word you tapped via Tap-to-Meaning in a text becomes a flashcard. Each unit is stored together with where it came from (its context) — so it's easy to recall: the word doesn't come alone, it comes with a story.
From conversation
The 'Save' button — save a phrase with one tap while chatting.
From lessons
Key units from micro-lessons are added to the dictionary automatically.
From texts
Words tapped via Tap-to-Meaning become flashcards.
Not recognizing — using
Most apps only test 'recognition': they show a word and ask for the translation. But speaking requires 'using' — employing the word correctly in your own sentence. Tildosh uses a four-stage mastery model: recognition → production (using it yourself) → transfer (applying it in another context) → delayed retention (remembering after time passes). A card is not marked 'mastered' until all four stages are passed.
Vocabulary questions
Quality matters more than quantity. Tildosh recommends 5–10 new lexical units a day — but each deeply: examples, pronunciation, context. Seven solid units are more useful than fifty shallow ones. The schedule adapts to your pace: struggling means fewer new units.
Vocabulary is the foundation of language learning. But a foundation must be built correctly: science instead of mechanical cramming, system instead of haste, living units instead of lonely words.
The Tildosh dictionary system is built on this philosophy. Join the waitlist — and be the first to try it after launch.