Why most vocabulary study doesn't work
Flashcards and word lists have one thing in common: they ask you to recognise words. Recognition is easy. Recall — producing a word from memory — is hard, and it's what actually matters in conversation.
The retrieval effect
Cognitive science research consistently shows that actively retrieving information from memory strengthens it far more than passively reviewing it. This is called the testing effect or retrieval practice.
When you find a word in a Passage grid, you're not just reading it — you're locating it, tracing it, hearing it, and then seeing its translation. That multi-step engagement creates stronger memory traces than reading a list ever would.
Spaced repetition built in
Passage's matching rounds at puzzles 2, 4, and 5 introduce a simple form of spaced repetition. You encounter the same words multiple times across a session, with increasing gaps between exposures. This is the same principle used by apps like Anki and Duolingo — but embedded naturally in the gameplay.
What to do after a session
After finishing a session, open the Glossary and browse the words you found. Reading the definitions in the language you're learning — not just the translation — reinforces the meaning at a deeper level.