A difficult-word list is most useful when it tells you what to fix. Repeating a confusing card more often can simply rehearse the confusion. WordPlus groups difficult vocabulary in My Angry Words, under Auto Sets, so you can return to it separately from your regular sets.
This guide describes a repair session. The example words below are practice material, not results from a user study.
Start with a few persistent mistakes
Open Sets, find Auto Sets, then open My Angry Words. Choose a handful of words you have missed repeatedly. Do not try to clear the whole collection in one sitting. For each word, ask what happened when you saw its prompt.
| What went wrong? | Example | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| You confused two meanings | Spanish “banco”: bank or bench | Add a sentence that identifies the intended meaning |
| You knew the meaning but missed spelling | “necessary” | Practise writing it without looking |
| You recognised the word but could not say it | You understand “receipt” when reading | Listen, repeat, then recall it from its meaning |
| The answer was too broad | A long list of unrelated translations | Keep the sense relevant to your source |
Repair one card before reviewing it
Suppose your card says banco → bank but the sentence in your book describes someone sitting in a park. More drilling will not fix the mismatch. Check the sentence, change the relevant meaning to “bench,” and keep that context with the word.
For comparison, a spelling error in necessary does not require a new definition. Cover the answer, write the word, compare carefully, then try it again later. Match the exercise to the mistake instead of always choosing the same study mode.
Use a three-pass routine
First pass: understand. Read the corrected meaning and example. If you cannot explain the card, it is not ready for a memory test.
Second pass: retrieve. Hide the answer and try to produce it. Use active recall rather than reading both sides repeatedly.
Third pass: transfer. Make a different sentence with the word. For “bench,” describe somewhere you actually sit. A successful card answer is useful feedback; using the word in a new context tests something more demanding.
Know when to stop adding words
If the same mistakes dominate several sessions, pause new vocabulary and repair the existing prompts. A growing difficult-word collection can reflect ambiguous cards, an unfamiliar topic, or a workload that does not fit your week. It does not by itself measure your ability.
After a repair session, return to your regular review schedule. You do not need to keep every word in an intensive drill forever. Keep collecting useful vocabulary, but let recurring mistakes influence how much you add. Our daily-word planning guide explains how to adjust that workload.
