Word NotebookVocabulary notebook template: a free printable page
In this post
This free vocabulary notebook template gives every new word four columns (word, meaning, note and three review boxes) plus a full-width line for your own example sentence. Print it in A4 or A5, fill in a few words a day, and tick a box each time you recall a word with its meaning covered.
What's on the template
The vocabulary notebook template has one block per word. Each block has four columns and a line underneath for an example sentence:
- Word: the dictionary form. Write nouns with their article (der Tisch, la mesa, la table) and phrases as one item.
- Meaning: a short meaning in English, or a simple definition in the language you're learning.
- Note: the one thing that stops a mistake: gender, plural, a preposition, an irregular form, a false friend.
- Reviews: three small boxes, one for each review.
- Example sentence: a full-width line for a short sentence of your own, with the new word in it.
At the top there are three short fields (language, week, and where the words came from) and the review steps in one line, so you don't need this post next to you. The second page is a mistakes page with three columns: word, correct meaning and what you got wrong. As a blank table, the word page looks like this; in the PDF, the example sentence runs underneath the word across the full width.
| Word | Meaning | Note | Reviews | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| … | … | … | ☐ ☐ ☐ | … |
| … | … | … | ☐ ☐ ☐ | … |
| … | … | … | ☐ ☐ ☐ | … |
| … | … | … | ☐ ☐ ☐ | … |
Download and print
Print at 100% (actual size), not "fit to page", or the boxes shrink. The A4 version suits a folder at home; the A5 version fits in a bag, and two A5 pages print on one sheet of A4 if your printer settings allow it.
A filled-in sample page
Here is a page from Tom's Spanish notebook after one week. He's preparing for a trip, so his words come from a phrasebook, a travel video and a menu. Each note records the trap he nearly fell into.
| Word | Meaning | Note | Reviews | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| la cuenta | the bill (restaurant) | Also means "account" (cuenta bancaria) | ✓ ✓ ✓ | ¿Nos trae la cuenta, por favor? (Could you bring us the bill, please?) |
| el billete | ticket (train, bus); banknote | Common in Spain; in much of Latin America a ticket is el boleto | ✓ ✓ ☐ | Compré el billete de tren por internet. (I bought the train ticket online.) |
| sacar | to take out; to get (money, a ticket, a photo) | sacar dinero = to take money out | ✓ ✗ ☐ | Tengo que sacar dinero del cajero. (I need to get some money out of the cash machine.) |
| la parada | stop (bus, tram) | Feminine; parar = to stop | ✓ ✓ ☐ | Me bajo en la próxima parada. (I'm getting off at the next stop.) |
| probar | to try, to taste | probarse = to try on (clothes) | ✗ ✓ ☐ | ¿Quieres probar la sopa? (Do you want to try the soup?) |
| tardar | to take (time) | tardar en + infinitive: tardó mucho en llegar (it took a long time to arrive) | ✓ ☐ ☐ | El tren tarda dos horas. (The train takes two hours.) |
La cuenta has three ticks and is done for now; sacar has a cross, so it's also on Tom's mistakes page.
How to use the review boxes
Each box stands for one review, and each review is a small test, not a reread.
- Add the word and its example sentence. Five or six words a day is plenty.
- First review, the same day or the next: cover the meaning column, look at the word, say the meaning. Right: tick the first box. Wrong: draw a cross.
- Second review, two or three days later: this time cover the word and find it from the meaning. That direction is harder, and it's the one you need for speaking.
- Third review, at the end of the week: write the word from memory, then check the spelling, the accent and the article.
- A cross means the word goes on the mistakes page, the second page of the PDF. Start your next session with that page.
- Three ticks mean the word is done for now. Look at it again at the end of the month; if you still know it, leave it.
The full method behind the layout is in our guide on how to make a vocabulary notebook.
Adapting it to your level
The same page works from A1 to C2 if you change what goes in each column.
| Level | Meaning column | Note column | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner (A1–A2) | A short English translation | Article and plural, gender, or a spelling warning | Very short: 4 to 8 words |
| Intermediate (B1–B2) | A simple definition in the target language | Prepositions, irregular forms, false friends | A sentence from your own week |
| Advanced (C1–C2) | A definition, plus a synonym | Register (formal, informal), typical word partners | A sentence that shows the nuance |
The same columns on a phone
The template works on paper, and the same columns work on a phone. Word Notebook (Dil Defteri) keeps a separate notebook for each language you learn (22 languages); each word takes several meanings and an optional example sentence, and you can add words one after another without closing the sheet. Copying the week's paper words to your phone on Sunday also counts as a review.
Frequently asked questions
Is the vocabulary notebook template free?
Yes. Both PDFs, A4 and A5, are free to print for personal and classroom use, as the footer on each page says. There's no sign-up and no email address to give. Print a few pages first, try the layout for a week, then print more.
A4 or A5: which size should I print?
Print A4 if you study at a desk and like room for longer sentences. Print A5 if you want to carry the pages every day: it fits in a small bag, so words you meet on the go get written down straight away.
Can I use the template for any language?
Yes. The columns work for any language you learn, and for English if you're learning English. Adapt the note column: article and plural for German (der Tisch, -e), gender for Spanish and French, the stressed syllable for English, a transliteration for other alphabets.
Sources
- Cambridge Dictionary, Spanish–English (cuenta, billete, boleto, sacar, parada, probar, tardar): dictionary.cambridge.org (checked 30 September 2026)
Every example sentence here is our own. See how we write and check our posts.
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.
