Conflict of Interest Statement: The author has a direct interest in the product mentioned in the article (developer, own product, etc.)

Why Can’t We Remember Vocabulary?

Have you ever had this experience: while browsing an English webpage or watching an American TV show, you stumble upon an unfamiliar word. You casually add it to a translation app’s favorites list, thinking, “I’ll review it later.” But in reality, that list keeps getting longer, and you almost never open it again. And when you finally remember to study, you only recall the Chinese meaning—completely forgetting the sentence where you first saw it, or even why you saved the word in the first place.

There are countless apps today that promise to help you memorize English vocabulary. Yet very few pay attention to the struggles of learners studying other languages. Many small-language learners still rely on pen and paper to record and review words. I know many hardworking students who not only study English for school, but also learn Japanese because they love anime, or Korean to follow their favorite idols more closely.

For multilingual learners like these, a simple English wordbook is far from enough.

At the same time, most vocabulary apps on the market are nothing more than “book carriers.” They hand you a preset vocabulary list—older ones might even make you start practicing from abandon—but they can’t help you manage the words you actually encounter in real life. So here’s my bold claim: if you cannot apply what you’ve learned, then every word you’ve ever copied down is destined to fade away without leaving the slightest trace in your memory.

So I created a tool: one as elegant and intuitive as a native iOS app, yet powered by a hardcore memory algorithm. I named it NewWords.

NewWords is not just a word notebook. It is an intelligent personal vocabulary library that integrates AI-assisted expansion with the cutting-edge FSRS memory algorithm. Next, I’ll introduce what NewWords does across the three essential steps of vocabulary learning: collecting, organizing, and studying.

Collection: Not Just “Recording” — but “Linking”

The unfamiliar words we encounter while reading almost always come with a strong sense of context. They might appear in a news report or on a traffic sign. If we simply match a word with its Chinese definition in a rigid, isolated way, the effectiveness of memorization drops significantly.

The biggest improvement NewWords makes on the input side is leveraging iOS’s ubiquitous Share Sheet to preserve contextual information. When you highlight text and share it to NewWords, you can save the original sentence as an example while highlighting the specific word. I use this feature all the time when browsing Hacker News or reading English books.

You can also extract vocabulary from photos or images in your gallery, and even choose to keep the original picture — a single image is worth a thousand words. When traveling, I frequently use this feature to learn vocabulary from traffic signs.

Organization: An Online Dictionary Isn’t Enough

Traditional dictionary apps often present a long list of definitions and leave you to figure out which one applies. For learners of smaller or less common languages, dictionaries usually offer detailed explanations for English only, leaving other languages underserved.

NewWords uses AI to solve three major pain points:

• Word Expansion:
  With AI assistance, NewWords can automatically provide pronunciation, definitions, and example sentences — even for small-language vocabulary.

• Smart Highlighting:
  Within example sentences, AI automatically identifies and highlights key words. It may sound minor, but it significantly enhances visual memory.
• Multilingual Translation:
  NewWords supports translating each saved word into two different languages at the same time. For example, if you’re learning both English and Japanese, adding the word notebook will give you both a Chinese and Japanese translation instantly.

In addition, NewWords allows you to create multiple “notebooks.” This helps categorize and organize collected vocabulary — by language, difficulty level, or learning scenario — making your study system neat and structured.

Learning: Introducing the FSRS Algorithm to Make Review More Efficient

If AI has already solved the problems of “storing” and “organizing,” then the newly added review system powered by the FSRS (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) algorithm completely solves the problem of “memorizing.” This is also why I not only recommend this app, but have chosen it as my main learning tool.

What is FSRS?

Simply put, it is a more advanced, machine-learning–based spaced repetition algorithm compared to the traditional Anki (SM-2) method. Conventional algorithms assume that your forgetting curve is relatively fixed, but FSRS introduces a more complex three-variable model:

• Memory Stability: How firmly have you memorized this word?
• Memory Difficulty: How difficult is this word for you?
• Retrievability: What is the probability you can recall it right now?

What does this mean for everyday users?

First, FSRS eliminates ineffective reviews and boosts efficiency by 20%–30%. We’ve all experienced this: a word you already know by heart still shows up every single day in your review queue. The strength of FSRS is its ability to predict precisely when you’re about to forget. For easier words, it boldly extends the review interval; for harder ones, it increases frequency.

This means you spend less time while achieving the same or better memory outcomes.

Second: no more “review backlog anxiety.” This is the biggest pain point for Anki users. Miss a few days, and a mountain of due cards collapses onto you. FSRS handles overdue reviews intelligently: even if you skip several days, the algorithm will smooth out the schedule based on your real memory state—rather than punishing you by dumping everything at once.

It behaves more like a supportive personal coach, not a cold, unforgiving examiner.

Finally, flexibility matters far more in the long run. Anyone who works out knows that progress doesn’t come from brute force, but from consistent, steady effort. FSRS’s scheduling is dynamically adaptive, and unlike many overly pushy learning tools, NewWords won’t pressure you every single day—or send a cartoon bird to guilt-trip you if you take a week off (yes, that’s you, Duolingo).

FSRS + Flashcards = A Perfect Combination

Just like Anki or Quizlet, NewWords builds its review system on flashcards—a method proven to be extremely effective. By selecting one of four response options, you help the FSRS algorithm gauge your mastery of the word, enabling it to schedule future reviews more efficiently.

• Design and Other Thoughtful Details

Design Style

NewWords is currently exclusive to Apple platforms. I didn’t attempt any “revolutionary design,” but instead followed iOS / iPadOS design conventions (definitely not because I couldn’t afford a designer!). Coincidentally, this minimalism paid off: NewWords is already fully adapted to iOS 26’s liquid-glass aesthetic and feels just like a native app.

Widgets

NewWords supports adding multiple word widgets to your Home Screen. Each widget can rotate through words from a chosen notebook, and is highly customizable—you can select which notebook to display, adjust rotation speed, change backgrounds, and even enable “study mode,” which blurs definitions so you can quiz yourself directly from your Home Screen.

iOS Default Translation

Yes, NewWords can also function as a translation tool. If your system is on iOS 18.4 or above, you can set NewWords as your default translator in system settings. The benefit is that after translating something, you can immediately highlight a word and add it straight into your vocabulary list.

Data and Security

Thanks to being Apple-exclusive, NewWords uses Apple’s official CloudKit for data storage and sync. This brings three major advantages:

• Maximum privacy: no one but you can access your data.
• Fast and stable sync: your vocabulary stays updated across devices.
• Long-term reliability: as long as Apple exists, your data is safe.

In addition, NewWords supports exporting your data in Excel or JSON formats. So if you ever switch to another vocabulary tool, migration is simple.

Pricing Model

As someone who despises ads, clutter, and intrusive social features, I’ve never added ads, social feeds, or gimmicky streak-sharing buttons to my apps. I want the app to remain clean and functional—and then charge users openly and fairly.

NewWords uses a subscription + lifetime unlock model to activate advanced features, with trial periods for all subscription tiers so you can test before paying. If the app fits your needs, you can purchase the one-time buyout, which includes all future feature updates and system-level adaptations.

Finally: Spend Your Time on What Truly Matters

In this age of information overload, we have far too much to remember and far too little time.
NewWords isn’t here to help you memorize the entire Oxford Dictionary.
It’s here to capture the unfamiliar words you encounter in everyday life—and help you turn them into long-term memories with the scientific power of FSRS.

If you’re a learner who values efficiency, real-world context, and thoughtful design over brute-force memorization, give it a try.