Language learning: tracking vocabulary

A big part of learning a new language is gathering as many useful vocabulary words as possible, and somehow keeping track of them so you can review them later.  It’s useful to group them in sets so you can associate them with each other, but how can you do this when everyone has a different use for a different word?

I make a note of all my new words in a small vocabulary notebook that has columns for the word, part of speech, pronunciation, meaning, and memory level.  The downside is that I can’t easily group words or put them in any order besides the one I came across them in.

Bambooapps has come up with a great make-your-own-dictionary application called Keep Your Word*. With it, you can create your own word lists with translations, and group them in whatever way you like.  If you don’t want to start from scratch, you can import others’ word lists.  Other great features include flashcard and quiz creation, and even Twitter integration.

There’s a great review on DigMo! which I would recommend reading as well – it has great advice for learners, parents, and teachers.

*Keep Your Word is unfortunately only available for Mac and iPod.