App for expanding vocabulary?

Dave!

Hey guys,

I often encounter words that I like and want to use again, or words that I don't understand and have to look up, and I'd like to be able to keep track of these somehow.

Ideally I'd like to have some basic web application which allows me to enter words (and maybe definitions), and then an Android app which allows me to do the same (accessing the same list), so that it's easy to update depending on what I'm reading.

Does this exist? Or do I have to build it myself?

Cheers

Tin Foil Hat

In my day we called it a memory. Alas, it fell out of fashion.

Dave!

Good contribution

old gregg

It's a tiny bit cumbersome but you could use google docs and create a document for storing words. That way you can access it via android or any computer that has 'net access.

That or Evernote which will operate on both computer and Android and sync automatically and is free.

HeadPig

I'm surprised somebody hasn't developed one already.

It's a sad testament to modern society if this app doesn't exist considering the rubbish that's available. But yes, I'd be interested in such an app.

Dave!

old gregg wrote: »

It's a tiny bit cumbersome but you could use google docs and create a document for storing words. That way you can access it via android or any computer that has 'net access.

That or Evernote which will operate on both computer and Android and sync automatically and is free.

Yeah there are a few options like that. Google Keep is good for quickly taking notes too. But the interface isn't great for when you want to see your list of words again.

I'd be surprised if there isn't such an app already tbh... There must be!

Turtwig

mnemosyne
It's a free tool that you have to copy and paste the words and definitions into but it will ask you them periodically throughout the day, week, month and year.

Other folks mention anki.
Personally, I think you're best to be keep reading and eventually after several occasions looking up the same word the meaning will stick and sometimes you'll find yourself putting a word in a sentence that you didn't even know you picked up.
Only drag out the aids and stuff if you're really serious or in an emergency situation. (I mostly use them for remembering stats.)

echo beach

Dave! wrote: »

I often encounter words that I like and want to use again, or words that I don't understand and have to look up, and I'd like to be able to keep track of these somehow.

You could buy a notebook and a pen and WRITE them down. If you want to really splash out and spend more than a euro you could try looking for the type of notebook that has the letters of the alphabet down the side in a sort of index and then you could put all the words starting with A on one page, those starting with B on the next and so on.

Dave!

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

In my day we called it a memory. Alas, it fell out of fashion.

echo beach wrote: »

You could buy a notebook and a pen and WRITE them down. If you want to really splash out and spend more than a euro you could try looking for the type of notebook that has the letters of the alphabet down the side in a sort of index and then you could put all the words starting with A on one page, those starting with B on the next and so on.

What is this, a race to see who's more hipster? Is technology uncool in this forum or something?

I'm looking for a solution that is very fast, and convenient for the different environments in which I might encounter new or interesting words. Carrying a notepad around everywhere with me, and taking it out in work, on the bus, etc., several times a day is considerably more cumbersome than the solution I describe in my OP. If I had a good memory then I wouldn't have started the thread.

Thanks for your input anyway

MagicMarker

The dictionary.com app allows you to 'favourite' words, which is something I guess.

Mardy Bum

Looking at that picture above in another the light the guy make be forced to use a typewriter because of extreme procrastination tendencies.

I use a little moleskine notebook. An app that would periodically quiz me would be much better as I'm liable to forget the words fairly quickly.

mathepac

Here's half of the answer for use on the go.I take no credit for this because the solution is smarter that I could have made it. I offer it in the spirit of the web-o-sphere and all credit is due to Mac OS X Daily and Macgasm. I like it, very much.

"Using a neat trick, you can turn any web browser window or tab into an instant notepad that you can write in, copy and paste out of, and even adjust the font sizes within. There really isn’t much to this trick, and it works in just about any web browser on just about every platform, whether you’re currently in OS X, Windows, Linux, or whatever else.

All you need to do is copy and paste this into the URL bar, the hit Return:

data:text/html, <html contenteditable>

After you hit return the page will clear and you’ll be able to start typing away. Paste into it to your hearts delight, anything that is text based will go in, but images won’t. The little scratch pad is completely ephemeral however, so don’t expect to save anything from it directly and if you quit and relaunch the browser, your text will no longer be there (though the editable notepad will remain, just blank).

That little code-snippet can be bookmarked or saved as HTML, making it instantly accessible, and if you use Safari’s Reading List you can make it sync over to another Mac, iPad, or iPhone if you want to use this on the go. That means the little instant browser notepad also works in iOS in both Safari and Chrome, though admittedly it may be less useful on the mobile side of things, and because it won’t save data, don’t expect it to replace the actual Notes app in iOS and OS X as a super syncing clipboard anytime soon."

I think MacHeads are the greatest.

[-0-]

I use Kindle notes for this.

ThirdMan

Dave! wrote: »

Good contribution

You may be a moderator, but you're unaware of the latest Boards.ie etiquette. It's now customary for the first reply to be either a smart-arse comment or something totally unrelated. You've experienced the former. An example of the latter would be:

"Hi. I'm looking for a recommended reading list of classic sci-fi novels."

"Hey. I don't read fantasy, but there's a great Western series on TV called Deadwood. It's brilliant."

HeadPig

ThirdMan wrote: »

You may be a moderator, but you're unaware of the latest Boards.ie etiquette. It's now customary for the first reply to be either a smart-arse comment or something totally unrelated. You've experienced the former. An example of the latter would be:

"Hi. I'm looking for a recommended reading list of classic sci-fi novels."

"Hey. I don't read fantasy, but there's a great Western series on TV called Deadwood. It's brilliant."

A symptom of the thanks-whoring epidemic I'm afraid.

Back on topic, Google Drive is still the best I can do. Either enter directly through my phone/tablet or type into a notes app when offline and transfer later.

Dave!

HeadPig wrote: »

A symptom of the thanks-whoring epidemic I'm afraid.

Back on topic, Google Drive is still the best I can do. Either enter directly through my phone/tablet or type into a notes app when offline and transfer later.

If you're already using Google Drive then Id suggest you look into Google Keep - it syncs with Drive.

endacl

Why want big word dave? Big word hurt head. New word bad.

HeadPig

Dave! wrote: »

If you're already using Google Drive then Id suggest you look into Google Keep - it syncs with Drive.

Not sure if I like Keep. Have you tried Evernote?

Dave!

Yeah it's a bit heavy for my purposes though. I like Keep for note-taking in general - it's pretty minimalist, has nice widgets which allow notes to be taken quite quickly, and some basic sorting (colours). I'd like some more features, but it's still in its early stages, so I'm gonna stick with it.

It's still not really what I'm looking for in the OP though!

aliceayres

Jernal wrote: »

mnemosyne
It's a free tool that you have to copy and paste the words and definitions into but it will ask you them periodically throughout the day, week, month and year.

Other folks mention anki.
Personally, I think you're best to be keep reading and eventually after several occasions looking up the same word the meaning will stick and sometimes you'll find yourself putting a word in a sentence that you didn't even know you picked up.
Only drag out the aids and stuff if you're really serious or in an emergency situation. (I mostly use them for remembering stats.)

Used this for foreign languages and liked it, I'd also second reading. Unless you're encountering it from time to time you will eventually forget it. I also think relying too much on a dictionary and memorisation results in using the word in unnatural contexts (sorry, I'm straying OT a bit).

mathepac

You could also sign up by emailing join-wordoftheday@lists.lexico.com which is the www.dictionary.com Word of the Day list. Some mundane words appear but every now and then I get a gem (for me) e.g. edacity, coaptation