Word NotebookHow to choose a vocabulary app: 8 things to check
In this post
The best vocabulary app is the one that fits how you learn: it lets you add the words you actually meet, makes you recall them rather than just recognise them, keeps your mistakes, and is clear about ads, free limits and price. Lists of the best vocabulary apps rarely check these things, so here is an 8-point checklist you can run on any app in ten minutes.
The short answer
Before you commit to a vocabulary app, add three of your own words, do one short practice session and read the price page. In those ten minutes you'll find out most of what matters: whether you can save your own words, whether practice makes you type or just tap, where the ads appear, and what happens when the free version runs out.
This guide compares types of app rather than brands. It is written by the team behind one of these apps, Word Notebook, so the last section says plainly where it fits and what it doesn't do.
Three kinds of vocabulary apps
Most vocabulary apps fall into one of three types, and knowing which type you're looking at tells you a lot before you install anything.
| Type | What you get | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course app | Lessons in a fixed order, with words chosen for you | Complete beginners who want a path to follow | You usually can't add the words you meet outside the course |
| Flashcard app | Empty decks you fill yourself; some schedule your reviews with an algorithm | Learners who want full control, or automatic review scheduling | You build everything, and a blank app gives no idea where to start |
| Vocabulary notebook | Your own word list with meanings and example sentences, practice modes, sometimes ready-made lists | Learners who collect words from class, reading and shows | Less structure than a course; you decide what and when to review |
None of these is better in general. A beginner in a new language often wants a course; a learner reading novels in that language needs somewhere to put the words the novel throws at them.
The 8-point checklist
| # | What to check | Why it matters | How to check in ten minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | You can add your own words | The words you meet yourself are the ones you need | Add a word with two meanings and an example sentence. How long did it take? |
| 2 | Practice makes you recall | Choosing from options is recognition; typing the answer is recall | Look for a mode where you type the word, in both directions |
| 3 | Mistakes are kept | Missed words are exactly the ones to practise next | Get two answers wrong on purpose. Can you find them afterwards? |
| 4 | Ready-made lists at your level | A starting point when you don't know what to learn | Look for word lists sorted by level, e.g. A1 to C2 |
| 5 | Ads: where and when | An ad while you're typing a word breaks your concentration | Add words and finish a session on the free version; note when ads appear |
| 6 | Free limits are clear | You should know the limit before you hit it | Find the limit in the store description or the app, not after a week |
| 7 | The price model | A subscription and a one-time payment are different commitments | Read the price page: monthly, yearly, one-time? Does a trial renew? |
| 8 | Devices and your account | Your words should survive a new phone | Check whether words are saved to an account and which platforms it runs on |
A few notes on the points that are easy to misread:
- Recall (2). Picking the right meaning from four options is useful, but it's easier than producing the word yourself. Testing yourself on words is one of the methods that make vocabulary stick, and typing the answer is the harder, more useful version of it.
- Level lists (4). The CEFR, the Council of Europe's framework, describes six levels from A1 to C2. A list labelled by CEFR level is easier to match to your course or exam than one labelled "easy" or "advanced". The levels describe what you can do with words, from a basic repertoire for concrete situations at A1 to idioms and fine shades of meaning at C2, not a number of words, so two "B1" lists can differ. Treat any level list as a starting point and add the words from your own life.
- Pronunciation. If an app reads words aloud, check whether it's a recording or your phone's text-to-speech voice. Both are useful; they're not the same.
Reading the free tier honestly
A free tier is only useful if you know where it ends. Before you start filling an app with words, look for answers to these five questions:
- How many words or lists can I have for free? A number is a good sign. "Free with limits" without a number is not.
- Is any practice mode locked? Some apps limit the modes rather than the number of words.
- What happens to my words when I reach the limit? Can you still see and practise them, or only if you pay?
- Where do ads appear? A banner at the bottom is different from a full-screen ad after every answer.
- Does a free trial turn into a subscription? If it does, note the date and how to cancel it in your phone's store settings.
If an app doesn't answer these in its store description or on its website, ask its support before you invest a month of words in it.
Subscription or one-time payment?
A subscription means paying every month or year for as long as you use the app. A one-time payment means paying once for what that version of the app offers. Neither is automatically the better deal.
- A subscription makes sense when the app keeps adding content you use, such as new lessons, audio or a tutor. It also means paying during the months you barely open it.
- A one-time payment suits tools you use in the same way for years, like a notebook or a dictionary. Check what it covers: limits removed, ads removed, or both.
- Either way, the purchase is tied to your app store account. Check that the app has a way to restore it on a new phone.
- Check that "one-time" really is. Search the store listing for "subscription", "per month" and "trial". A "lifetime" option next to monthly and yearly plans is a one-time payment; a free trial usually turns into a subscription.
- Check that the app is maintained. A developer paid once has to keep finding new users to fund updates, so look at the "last updated" date in the store and whether there's a support email someone answers.
Before you pay, work out what a year of the subscription would cost you and compare it with the one-time price. If you learn in bursts, with a few busy months and then a break, count the months you would pay for but barely use.
Where Word Notebook fits, and what it doesn't do
Word Notebook (Dil Defteri) is a vocabulary notebook, the third type in the table above. You keep a separate notebook for each language you learn (22 languages), add words with several meanings and an optional example sentence, and practise with Flashcards, Quiz and Write. Words you get wrong or skip go to My mistakes. There are ready-made A1–C2 word lists for German, French and Spanish, and for English if your own language isn't English: 1,535 words across the four, each with an example sentence.
Word Notebook is free to start, for up to 2 notebooks and 200 words in total, with ads. There are no banners; full-screen ads appear when you finish a practice session or close the add-word sheet after adding 5 or more words (on iPhone, sometimes also when you open the app), never while you type words or practise. Word Notebook Pro is a one-time payment, with no subscription: $9.99 in the US and €9.99 in the euro area; elsewhere the store shows your local price. Pro adds unlimited notebooks and words and removes ads. Details are on the Pro page.
What Word Notebook doesn't do. It has no spaced-repetition algorithm: you choose what to review and when. It has no lessons: no grammar, listening or speaking; its courses are word lists. And it makes no exam promises: you can collect words for an exam in it, but it won't tell you it will raise your score. If you want reviews scheduled for you automatically, a flashcard app with spaced repetition is the better choice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free vocabulary app?
The best free vocabulary app is the one whose free limits fit how much you study. Check how many words the free version holds, whether any practice mode is locked, and where ads appear. A generous word limit with a banner can be more useful than an unlimited app that interrupts every answer.
Should I use a course app or a flashcard app?
Use a course app if you're a complete beginner and want someone else to decide what comes next. Use a flashcard app or a vocabulary notebook once you meet words outside the course, in class, books or shows, and want to keep them. Many learners use a course for structure and a notebook for their own words.
Do I need spaced repetition?
Not necessarily. Spaced repetition apps work out when to show you each word again, which suits learners with large decks who want the schedule handled for them. You can also review on a simple plan of your own: the same day, a few days later and at the end of the week, starting with your mistakes.
Does a "lifetime" purchase last forever?
It stays unlocked for as long as the app is available and you use the same store account; on a new phone, sign in with that account and use the app's "Restore purchases" option if needed. No developer can promise an app will exist forever, so treat "lifetime" as "no more payments" rather than a guarantee, and check how often the app is updated.
Sources
- Council of Europe, The CEFR Levels: coe.int (checked 30 September 2026)
- Council of Europe (2020), CEFR Companion volume, "Vocabulary range" scale (pp. 130–131): rm.coe.int (checked 30 September 2026)
- Google Play Help, Reinstall and re-enable apps: support.google.com (checked 30 September 2026)
Word Notebook facts in this post come from the app's store listing; see the facts page.
Written by the small team behind Word Notebook (Dil Defteri). How we write these posts and where to report a mistake is on the About page.
