Memory Lab
The learning-science side of the arcade — why the games work, and how to make them work harder.
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OVERLEARNING FOR VOCABULARY
Why a few extra rounds after the first clean recall decide what is still there next week, three ways to add them, and when to stop.
Oct 11, 2026 · 9 min read
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SHADOWING FOR VOCABULARY
Three ways to shadow an audio clip, a ten-minute routine, how it fixes the sound of a word, and what it cannot do.
Oct 11, 2026 · 9 min read
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THE TESTING EFFECT AND VOCABULARY
Why pulling a word out beats reading it again, the five-step self-test routine, three quiz formats and the mistakes that waste the effort.
Oct 10, 2026 · 9 min read
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LEARNING VOCABULARY FROM TV SHOWS AND MOVIES
The five-step scene cycle, how to use subtitles without leaning on them, why phrases beat single words, and a weekly plan that fits a busy week.
Oct 9, 2026 · 10 min read
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INCIDENTAL VOCABULARY LEARNING
How words come in sideways from reading and watching, the three conditions that make it work, the five-step routine, and the habits that quietly block it.
Oct 11, 2026 · 9 min read
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THE GENERATION EFFECT AND VOCABULARY
Why you keep what you produce: guess before you check, four practice moves built on it, and how the answers feed spaced review.
Oct 7, 2026 · 9 min read
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THE FORGETTING CURVE AND VOCABULARY
Why a new word can vanish within days, what shapes the curve, and how a short spaced review calendar keeps the words in play.
Oct 6, 2026 · 8 min read
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DESIRABLE DIFFICULTIES: WHEN HARDER IS BETTER
Spacing, interleaving, retrieval and generation - why the practice that feels harder today is the practice you keep.
Oct 3, 2026 · 8 min read
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HOW MANY WORDS DO YOU ACTUALLY NEED?
Coverage beats counting: what 1,000, 2,000 and 5,000 word families really buy you, and how to turn the numbers into a weekly plan.
Oct 3, 2026 · 8 min read
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PRODUCTIVE VS RECEPTIVE VOCABULARY: WHY YOU RECOGNISE WORDS YOU CANNOT USE
The gap between words you understand and words you can produce, and four ways to move known words into active use.
Oct 4, 2026 · 8 min read
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MNEMONICS FOR VOCABULARY: KEYWORD, SOUND AND IMAGE LINKS
Three kinds of mnemonic hook for vocabulary, five worked examples, and when to use context instead.
Oct 4, 2026 · 8 min read
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HOW TO REVIEW VOCABULARY BEFORE AN EXAM
Test first, rank your words in four tiers, split the work into short spaced blocks and skip the cramming that does not stick.
Oct 6, 2026 · 8 min read
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LEARNING VOCABULARY FROM AUDIOBOOKS: WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS
A five-step routine built on shadowing, phrase notes and retelling, plus how to pick a book and the four traps to avoid.
Oct 7, 2026 · 11 min read
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SLEEP AND VOCABULARY LEARNING: WHAT THE RESEARCH SUGGESTS
Why consolidation happens overnight, what the ten minutes before bed are actually good for, and four claims that do not survive testing.
Oct 8, 2026 · 10 min read
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LEARNING BY TEACHING: THE PROTEGE EFFECT AND VOCABULARY
Why explaining a word to someone else beats reading it again, four ways to teach with no audience, and a twenty-minute weekly routine.
Oct 9, 2026 · 9 min read
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LEARNING VOCABULARY FROM PODCASTS: WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS
The five-step listen-read-note-recall loop, how to choose an episode at the right level, and the four claims that do not survive testing.
Oct 8, 2026 · 10 min read
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SENTENCE MINING FOR VOCABULARY: LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Why a whole sentence beats a word list, the five-step mining routine, i+1 material choice and four common mistakes.
Oct 5, 2026 · 8 min read
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DEPTH OF PROCESSING: IT IS HOW DEEP, NOT HOW OFTEN
Why writing a word ten times beats nothing but loses to writing one sentence of your own, and how to turn shallow practice into deep practice.
Oct 3, 2026 · 8 min read
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PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES: BUILD WORDS FROM PARTS
The affixes worth learning first, how a suffix tells you the part of speech, and a three-step way to guess a new word.
Oct 2, 2026 · 8 min read
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COGNATES: WORDS YOU ALREADY KNOW
True friends, false friends, and the spelling rules that let you turn words from your first language into English vocabulary.
Oct 2, 2026 · 8 min read
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COLLOCATIONS: LEARN WORDS IN CHUNKS
Why "make a decision" beats "do a decision", the four patterns worth collecting, and a four-step way to store them.
Oct 1, 2026 · 8 min read
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CONTEXT CLUES: GUESS WORDS FROM THE SENTENCE
Six kinds of clue hiding in the sentence around an unknown word, plus when guessing is not enough and you should just look it up.
Oct 1, 2026 · 8 min read
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ACTIVE RECALL: FIVE WAYS TO RETRIEVE WORDS
Cover the meaning, rebuild the word, use it in a sentence: five retrieval drills with a ten-second rule and a weekly routine.
Sep 30, 2026 · 8 min read
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INTERLEAVING: MIXING WORDS ON PURPOSE
Why blocking feels easier than it is - four ways to mix word families, topics, levels and task types, with a one-week schedule.
Sep 30, 2026 · 8 min read
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READING FOR VOCABULARY GROWTH
How to pick texts at the right level, spot the words worth keeping, and turn three short reads a week into a word list that holds.
Sep 29, 2026 · 8 min read
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A FOUR-COLUMN VOCABULARY NOTEBOOK
Word, meaning, example, my note - why copying dictionary definitions wastes time, and eight worked lines you can copy.
Sep 29, 2026 · 7 min read
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SEMANTIC MAPPING: WORD WEBS THAT STICK
Centre word, branches, collocations, example sentences: five worked maps and a one-page note format you can reuse for any topic.
Sep 30, 2026 · 8 min read
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ELABORATIVE INTERROGATION: ASK WHY
Why one good question beats a neat definition, the five-step routine, and the questions that work for abstract words.
Oct 2, 2026 · 8 min read
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DUAL CODING: PAIR WORDS WITH IMAGES
Why a quick sketch beats a neat definition, a five-step routine, and what to do with abstract words that refuse to be drawn.
Oct 1, 2026 · 8 min read
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WORD FAMILIES: BUILD VOCABULARY FASTER
One root, four or five relatives: act, action, active, actively. Five word families, the suffix patterns behind them and a one-page note format.
Sep 29, 2026 · 8 min read
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GAMIFICATION IN LANGUAGE LEARNING
Which game elements actually help vocabulary stick, which ones just add points, and how to combine them with spaced repetition.
Sep 16, 2026 · 8 min read
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WORD FREQUENCY AND LEARNING
Why the first 2,000 words do most of the work, how graded lists are built, and which words to study first.
Sep 16, 2026 · 8 min read
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ACADEMIC WORD LIST SUBLIST 1
The 60 headwords of AWL sublist 1 in six sets of ten, each with word class, a plain meaning and an example sentence.
Sep 16, 2026 · 9 min read
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C2 WORD LIST: THE NEXT 50 WORDS
Fifty more C2 words grouped by theme, with word class, meaning and an example sentence for each set.
Sep 15, 2026 · 8 min read
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CHUNKING: HOW TO LEARN VOCABULARY IN GROUPS
Why chunks beat single words: collocations, fixed phrases and a four-step routine for storing them in sets.
Sep 15, 2026 · 8 min read
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HOW TO USE WORD LISTS EFFECTIVELY FOR VOCABULARY
Word lists work when they are a starting point, not the lesson: choosing and cutting a list, adding context, testing recall, and reviewing on a schedule.
Sep 14, 2026 · 8 min read
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HOW TO USE A MEMORY PALACE FOR VOCABULARY
How to use a memory palace for vocabulary: choosing a familiar route, placing words at clear stops, walking it aloud, and reviewing it on a schedule.
Sep 14, 2026 · 8 min read
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C1 WORD LIST: THE NEXT 50 WORDS
Fifty more advanced words grouped by theme, with example sentences and a review gap for each set.
Sep 14, 2026 · 8 min read
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WORD ASSOCIATION GAMES
How a word association round runs, three variations for pairs or groups, and why the words come back later.
Sep 13, 2026 · 8 min read
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HOW SPACED REPETITION WORKS FOR VOCABULARY
Why retrieval beats rereading, what a review gap looks like for a word list, and how game misses feed tomorrow's queue.
Sep 13, 2026 · 8 min read
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HOW TO LEARN PHRASAL VERBS
Group by particle, test separability with a pronoun, note the formal partner, then review the phrases on a schedule.
Sep 13, 2026 · 8 min read
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C2 WORD LIST: THE FIRST 50 WORDS
The first 50 C2 words in five sets of ten, each with word class and an example sentence, plus a two-pass way to test production.
Sep 13, 2026 · 9 min read
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THE KEYWORD MNEMONIC METHOD
Link a new word to a word you already own, build one vivid picture, then test yourself through it. Four steps and worked examples.
Sep 11, 2026 · 7 min read
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B2 WORD LIST: THE NEXT 50 WORDS
Fifty more upper-intermediate words grouped into themes, each with part of speech, a plain definition and an example sentence.
Sep 15, 2026 · 9 min read
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B1 WORD LIST: THE NEXT 50 WORDS
The second fifty B1 words in five themes, each with part of speech, a plain definition and an example sentence.
Sep 11, 2026 · 9 min read
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C1 WORD LIST: THE FIRST 50 WORDS
Fifty abstract and formal C1 words in five sets, each with part of speech and an example sentence.
Sep 12, 2026 · 9 min read
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HOW TO USE FLASHCARDS EFFECTIVELY
One item per card, growing review intervals and a four-week routine that makes words stick.
Sep 12, 2026 · 8 min read
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B2 WORD LIST: THE FIRST 50 WORDS
Fifty high-frequency B2 words in five themes, each with part of speech, a plain definition and a natural example sentence.
Sep 11, 2026 · 9 min read
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SPACED REPETITION IN PLAIN ENGLISH
Why cramming evaporates, why 1-3-7-14 day gaps are magic, and how a deck of your own mistakes does the scheduling for you.
Sep 2, 2026 · 6 min read
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LEARN 20 WORDS A WEEK: A SIMPLE PLAN
Five words a day, one sentence each, a quick game, and a deck that schedules the reviews. The whole vocabulary routine, step by step.
Sep 6, 2026 · 7 min read
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WHY YOU REMEMBER GAMES, NOT LISTS
Re-reading feels productive and teaches almost nothing. Games force retrieval, and retrieval is what builds memory.
Sep 4, 2026 · 5 min read
What you'll find here
Every article on this blog is written for busy learners and teachers: no dense theory, just the mechanism and how to use it today. Topics rotate through spaced repetition, retrieval practice, game design for classrooms, and the small habits that separate words you know from words you almost know.