vocab is a command line utility for learning new words and expanding your vocabulary.

Introduction

The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.

• Ludwig Wittgenstein

This quote has several interpretations but my personal interpretation (taken out of context from Wittgenstein's philosophy) is this:

We use language to express ideas and reason about the world. Knowing and using more words can improve the clarity and precision of those thoughts and ideas, thus improving our clarity and precision when reasoning about the world.

Conveying your thoughts clearly and precisely to others is an excellent skill to have; one everyone can improve on. Doesn't it suck when you stumble in the middle of a conversation because the word you're looking for is on the tip of your tongue?

Installation Guide

Available on Linux and macOS. Requires sbt, python, and java.

git clone https://github.com/daltyboy11/vocab.git
cd vocab/vocab/
chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh
# uncomment to optionally seed vocab with some start words
# python3 seed_words.py

Usage

Use vocab to manage a list of words you'd like to become familiar with. Practice your words by running a practice session. Vocab presents words to you like flashcards, utilizing the principle of spaced repetition to decide what words to show you.

Adding words to your vocabulary list

You add a word by providing its name, definition, and optionally what part of speech it belongs to.

vocab add peregrination "a long and meandering journey" noun

Deleting words

Delete words you don't need to practice anymore.

vocab delete recrudescence

Practicing

vocab practice launches an interactive practice session in your console. See vocab help for flags to configure the number of words in a practice session.

You will see a word in the console without its definition. This is when you should try to recall its definition. To maximize learning we recommend you also try to come up with a sentence using the word. Once you are satisfied with your attempt you can move on to the next word.

Your console after starting a practice session

---------------------------------------------------------------------
| word       | definition                          | part of speech |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| paroxysm   |                                     | noun           |
|            |                                     |                |
|            |                                     |                |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
input:

If you can't remember what the word means despite your best effort, or you made a guess but aren't entirely sure, input s (for show) to display the definition:

Your console after using the show command

---------------------------------------------------------------------
| word       | definition                          | part of speech |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| paroxysm   | a sudden attack or violent          | noun           |
|            | expression of a particular emotion  |                |
|            | or activity                         |                |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
input:

Input r (for recalled, a successful attempt) or f (for forgot, a failed attempt at remembering) to move onto the next word:

Your console after "recalling" the word

---------------------------------------------------------------------
| word       | definition                          | part of speech |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| surfeit    | an excessive amount of something    | noun           |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
input: r
Recalled!

Your console after "forgetting" the word

---------------------------------------------------------------------
| word       | definition                          | part of speech |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| surfeit    | an excessive amount of something    | noun           |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
input: f
Not Recalled!

The practice session ends when you've successfully recalled each word three times.

Modifying words

Go back and modify a word's definition if you make a mistake.

vocab add affect "a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause"

Confusing affect with effect... whoops!

vocab modify affect "have an effect on; make a difference to."

Getting help

For a full list of flags and features, run

vocab help

Some starter words

Here is a list of words I was able to remember by practicing with vocab. This is just a recommendation based on my personal readings! After setup, go ahead and run seed_words.py to add these words to your practice.

• clerisy
• convoke
• deracinate
• deviltry
• effete
• fecund
• harried
• irredentist
• lugubrious
• munificent
• parlous
• paroxysm
• patina
• penury
• perquisite
• philippic
• phillistine
• recondite
• recrudescence
• saccharine
• senescence
• surfeit
• sybaritic
• vertiginous

Why?

Unlike the plethora of generic flashcard/memorization software available, vocab is lightweight, designed for a very specific purpose, and intended to be used by those who already spend a lot of their computer time in the console.