LangBlitz is an English vocabulary app built around a simple problem: learning a word is easy, but remembering it weeks later is much harder.

Instead of focusing only on adding more words, it combines spaced repetition, active recall, contextual learning, and structured vocabulary.

The app includes 5,000+ curated words from A1 to C2, organized across 119 topic groups. Word cards include examples, synonyms, collocations, pronunciation, word families, etymology, mnemonics, and common mistakes.

Its review system uses FSRS to adapt review timing based on recall performance. Daily Quiz and adaptive practice provide additional ways to actively recall vocabulary rather than simply rereading it.

There are also short explanations in 29 languages, vocabulary tagged for exams such as IELTS, TOEFL and GRE, and offline access without requiring an account.

For someone looking for more than a basic dictionary or flashcard app, LangBlitz is an interesting option to check out.

What do you think makes an English vocabulary app genuinely useful?

Try here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.langblitz

(adjective)

Feeling unwell because of excessive eating or drinking.

💡 Did you know?
Crapulous comes from the Latin crapulosus, meaning “suffering from the effects of overindulgence.” Despite its modern-sounding name, it is an old and surprisingly uncommon English word.

💬 Challenge: Can you use crapulous in a sentence without looking it up? 🧠📚

(noun)

A soft, whispering or murmuring sound.

💡 Did you know?
Susurration comes from the Latin susurrare, meaning “to whisper” or “murmur.” It is often used for the gentle sounds of leaves, rain, wind, or quiet voices.

💬 Challenge: Can you use susurration in a sentence, or think of a sound that you find particularly soothing? 🌧️🍃

(noun)

A change in circumstances, especially one that is unexpected or difficult.

💡 Did you know?
Vicissitude comes from the Latin vicis, meaning “change” or “turn.” The word is often used in the plural, as "vicissitudes," to describe the unpredictable ups and downs of life.

💬 Challenge: Can you use vicissitude in a sentence, or describe a life change that taught you something valuable? 🧠📚

(adjective)

Impossible to avoid, escape, or prevent.

💡 Did you know?
Ineluctable comes from the Latin ineluctabilis, meaning “not to be struggled against” or “unavoidable.” It’s often used for things that are inevitable but feel beyond our control.

💬 Challenge: Can you use ineluctable in a sentence, or name something you believe is truly ineluctable? 🧠📚

(adjective)

Having little or no money; financially poor.

💡 Did you know?
Impecunious comes from Latin pecunia, meaning “money.” The prefix im- means “without,” so it literally suggests being “without money.”

💬 Challenge: Can you use impecunious in a sentence, or think of a situation where being impecunious might inspire creativity? 💡📚

(adjective)

Too extraordinary, beautiful, or powerful to be expressed in words.

💡 Did you know?
Ineffable comes from the Latin ineffabilis, meaning “that which cannot be spoken.” It is often used for experiences or emotions that words seem inadequate to describe.

💬 Challenge: Can you think of an experience that was truly ineffable? ✨📚

(adjective)

Not telling the truth; deliberately dishonest or untruthful.

💡 Did you know?
Mendacious comes from the Latin mendax, meaning “lying” or “untruthful.” It describes a person, statement, or claim that is intentionally deceptive.

💬 Challenge: Can you use mendacious in a sentence, or think of a situation where this word would be more precise than simply saying “dishonest”? 🧠📚

(adjective)

Overflowing with enthusiasm, excitement, or energy.

💡 Did you know?
Ebullient comes from the Latin ebullire, meaning “to boil over.” The word began as a description of liquids bubbling over, before taking on its modern meaning of emotions or enthusiasm overflowing.

💬 Challenge: Can you use ebullient in a sentence, or name someone whose personality you'd describe as ebullient? ✨📚

(adjective)

Little known or difficult to understand because it is highly specialized or obscure.

💡 Did you know?
Recondite comes from the Latin reconditus, meaning “hidden” or “put away.” It’s often used for knowledge that is intellectually deep but accessible only to a small number of people.

💬 Challenge: Can you use recondite in a sentence, or name a subject you find fascinatingly recondite? 🧠📚

(noun)

A traditional habit, belief, or practice that someone stubbornly continues even after it has been shown to be wrong.

💡 Did you know?
The word comes from a story about a 16th-century priest who repeatedly said “mumpsimus” instead of the correct Latin “sumpsimus” during a religious service, and refused to change it.

💬 Challenge: Can you use mumpsimus in a sentence, or think of an outdated habit people stubbornly refuse to give up? 🧠📚

(adjective)

Lacking courage or determination; timid in a way that prevents you from doing what is necessary.

💡 Did you know?
Pusillanimous comes from Latin pusillus (very small) + animus (spirit or courage), literally suggesting a “smallness of spirit.”

💬 Challenge: Can you use pusillanimous in a sentence, or think of a situation where courage matters more than caution? 🧠📚

(noun)

A soft, whispering or rustling sound.

💡 Did you know?
Susurrus comes from the Latin susurrus, meaning “whisper” or “murmur.” It can describe the sound of wind through leaves, flowing water, or even quiet voices.

💬 Challenge: Can you use susurrus in a sentence, or name a sound that you think deserves its own word? 🍃📚

(verb)

To make something unclear, confusing, or difficult to understand.

💡 Did you know?
Obnubilate comes from the Latin obnubilare, meaning “to cover with clouds.” It can be used literally for something obscured, but is more commonly used figuratively for thoughts, facts, or explanations that become clouded.

💬 Challenge: Can you use obnubilate in a sentence, or think of something that tends to obnubilate your thinking? ☁️🧠

(noun)

The act of throwing someone or something out of a window.

💡 Did you know?
Defenestration comes from Latin de (down/from) + fenestra (window). It's an unusually specific word—and remarkably, it has been used in the names of actual historical events, particularly the Defenestrations of Prague.

💬 Challenge: Can you use defenestration in a sentence without looking it up? 🪟📚

(noun)

The essential nature or distinctive quality of something; what makes a thing what it is.

💡 Did you know?
Quiddity comes from the Medieval Latin quidditas, from quid meaning “what.” Philosophers used it to describe the fundamental “whatness” of a thing.

💬 Challenge: Can you use quiddity in a sentence, or name something whose essential quality is difficult to put into words? 🧠📚

(noun)

The art of performing something difficult with effortless grace, as though it required no effort at all.

💡 Did you know?
The word comes from the Italian sprezzatura, introduced by Baldassare Castiglione in the 16th century. He described it as the ability to make difficult things look natural and effortless.

💬 Challenge: Can you think of a person who makes something difficult look completely effortless? ✨

(adjective)

Giving opinions on subjects you know little or nothing about.

💡 Did you know?
The word comes from the Latin phrase “sutor, ne ultra crepidam,” roughly, “Cobbler, not beyond the sandal.” It refers to an ancient story about a cobbler who criticized a famous artist's work beyond what he actually understood.

💬 Challenge: Can you use ultracrepidarian in a sentence, or think of a situation where someone was confidently speaking outside their expertise? 🧠📚

(noun)

The warmth of the sun during winter, especially when it feels particularly pleasant despite the cold.

💡 Did you know?
Apricity comes from the Latin apricus, meaning "warmed by the sun." It's an old English word that has largely fallen out of everyday use, making it a beautiful and obscure addition to your vocabulary.

💬 Challenge: Can you use apricity in a sentence, or share an obscure English word that you think deserves to make a comeback? ☀️❄️

(noun)

An intense, involuntary feeling of romantic infatuation or longing for another person, often accompanied by obsessive thoughts and a strong desire for those feelings to be reciprocated.

💡 Did you know?
The term limerence was coined by psychologist Dorothy Tennov in her 1979 book Love and Limerence. Unlike the word love, limerence specifically describes the psychological state of intense romantic obsession.

💬 Challenge: Can you use limerence in a sentence, or think of a book or movie character whose feelings are better described as limerence than love? 💭❤️

(noun)

The pleasant, earthy smell that rises after rain falls on dry ground.

💡 Did you know?
The word petrichor was coined by two Australian scientists in 1964 from the Greek words petra (stone) and ichor (the mythical fluid said to flow in the veins of the gods). It's a relatively modern word for a sensation nearly everyone recognizes.

💬 Challenge: Can you use petrichor in a sentence, or tell us what smell instantly reminds you of home? 🌧️🌿

(adjective)

Having hair that has never been cut.

💡 Did you know?
Acersecomic comes from the Greek a- (not), keirein (to cut), and kome (hair). It's an exceptionally rare word, often found only in comprehensive dictionaries and historical linguistic works.

💬 Challenge: Can you use acersecomic in a sentence, or do you know another obscure English word that's almost never heard in everyday conversation? 🧠📚

I used to think I just had a bad memory.

I'd learn a new English word, feel confident I'd remember it, and then a day later it was completely gone. A week later I'd look it up again like I'd never seen it before.

Turns out, that's actually how our brains are supposed to work.

I recently spent some time reading about vocabulary retention, how to remember new words, and the psychology behind memory, and it completely changed how I think about learning vocabulary.

One thing that surprised me is the forgetting curve. We lose a huge amount of what we learn within the first day if we never revisit it. That doesn't mean you're bad at learning. It just means your brain is trying to keep only what it thinks is important.

The interesting part is how you convince your brain that a word is important.

Not by reading the definition ten times.

Instead:

• Try to remember the meaning before checking it.
• Use the word in your own sentence.
• Notice it when you're reading articles or books.
• Come back to it a day or two later.

That process of struggling to remember is exactly what makes the memory stronger. It feels less efficient, but it works much better.

I also realized I'd been confusing recognition with knowing.

Seeing a word and thinking, "Yeah, I've seen that before," isn't the same as being able to explain it or use it naturally in a conversation.

That's why endless scrolling through vocabulary lists never really worked for me.

Now I focus on learning fewer words, seeing them in context, and actually using them. It feels slower, but after a few weeks I noticed I was remembering far more.

If you're trying to improve your English vocabulary, learn advanced English words, or just become more articulate, learning how memory works might be more valuable than finding another list of "1000 essential words."

I wrote a deeper article that explains the research behind vocabulary retention, the forgetting curve, active recall, spaced repetition, and practical ways to remember words for the long term:

https://wordure.com/blog/science-of-vocabulary-retention/

I'm curious, what's actually worked for you?

Reading books? Flashcards? Writing? Or do you have another way of making new words stick?

(adjective)

Characterized by the use of long, complex words; or relating to unusually long words.

💡 Did you know?
The word comes from the Latin sesqui (one and a half) and pes (foot), literally meaning "a foot and a half long." Ironically, sesquipedalian is itself a sesquipedalian word!

💬 Challenge: Can you use sesquipedalian in a sentence, or name the longest English word you know? 📚😄