# KYW – Keep Your Words

> A dictionary with a memory schedule on top of it, for the words you have already learned.

## What it is

KYW is a dictionary with a system of repetitions on top of it.

KYW does not position itself as a site or a course for learning a language. It fits into a learning process that already exists – next to lessons, a teacher, a textbook, books, series, work practice or any other source of the language.

Its job is a narrow one: to keep the vocabulary that has already been covered from being forgotten. A person can study a language in any way that suits them and still lose words they once learned. KYW takes that part of the work on itself: it accepts the vocabulary the main learning process produced, brings it back at the right moment and helps it stay in memory.

## Where it sits in the learning process

KYW is one component of a well-built language-learning system – the component responsible for holding on to vocabulary already covered.

The rest of that system gives the learner new language: it explains, teaches, supplies context, develops grammar, listening, reading and speech. KYW works with the result of that work – the vocabulary the learner has already met and must not lose.

This is why KYW fits almost any model of study. The words can come from lessons, a tutor, a university, private reading, series, podcasts, work or the learner’s own notes. The problem is the same in every case: words can be learned and then quietly lost a month later.

Vocabulary growth is not only addition. If fifteen old words are forgotten alongside twenty new ones, the real progress is far smaller than it looks. KYW is there to make the growth of a vocabulary cumulative rather than circular.

## Who it is for

The core audience is people who have been studying a language for a while, keep studying it, and notice that they lose vocabulary faster than they accumulate it.

KYW also suits teachers. A finished unit can be collected into a pack and handed to the class by a link; after that the app returns that vocabulary to each student on its own. The material stays alive without a separate revision lesson set aside for it.

For companies KYW can serve as the working dictionary of the organisation: the terminology of a product, an industry, its processes, supplies, contracts or onboarding can be collected into packs and handed to the people who need it.

## How a card works

KYW shows the definition and the learner types the word. That tests the ability to recall a word before the answer is shown, rather than to recognise a word that is already in front of you.

A slip of the finger is not counted as ignorance: the answer is analysed letter by letter, and a misspelling is told apart from a genuinely wrong answer.

## The method of repetition

KYW does not merely set the date of the next repetition. Inside a single session words go through several stages.

First come the words that already need attention. Then new words appear. After that you can go on working on the weak spots. That order keeps new material from being accumulated at the cost of the old: first hold on to what has been learned, then add to it.

Within each stage the order is decided by an engine that takes the results of previous attempts into account. The long-term intervals are calculated by FSRS-6.

## Weak spots

Mistakes should not simply disappear from the process. Words that keep causing trouble can be repeated and secured separately: KYW lets you come back to them after the main part of the session and give them extra attention.

## Dictionaries and packs

An account holds as many dictionaries as you like, named by you: “German”, “Latin”, “7A English”, “anatomy terms”. Words, tags, schedule and statistics are separate in each.

Build your own packs of words, share them with others, take ready-made ones from the shared library. Packs let you organise a dictionary the way that suits you, and a finished pack can be handed by a link to friends, to students, to anyone it might serve.

Packs from the shared library can be taken, edited and learned from. Once a word from a pack has been added it becomes part of your own dictionary and no longer depends on the author of the pack. A pack can carry not only a list of words but the text in which they occurred.

## Sync with AI

The whole dictionary exports into a single file – including the data that shows which words are giving trouble – and loads back in the same format.

That makes it possible to hand the dictionary to an AI for bulk changes: unify definitions, add examples, rename tags, fix wordings and do anything else across a large amount of data at once. Before the changes are applied, KYW shows exactly what will change.

The AI does not replace your dictionary and does not decide which words you need. It helps you manage the vocabulary you already have.

## Statistics

The statistics show how the dictionary changes over time: what has settled, what needs attention and how much reviewing lies ahead. The main figure is not how many words were once added, but how many words have actually stayed in memory and keep staying there.

## How KYW differs from Anki, Quizlet and Duolingo

Full comparison, in five languages: https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/compare (markdown: https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/compare.md).

### Anki

Anki is a general-purpose flashcard system: any subject, any card type, any scenario – but it asks the user to design that system themselves. KYW has already decided the unit of work: a word and its definition. The deeper difference is one of purpose. Anki helps you learn and repeat anything; KYW is about not forgetting words that were learned somewhere else, and new words come into it from lessons, books, series or work rather than from KYW itself.

### Quizlet

Quizlet is built around ready-made sets and modes of testing, and words there usually stay scattered across separate sets rather than joined into one dictionary. In KYW the main unit is your own dictionary: packs exist to hand vocabulary over and to organise it, and an added word becomes part of the dictionary as a whole. Quizlet sets are most often taken to learn material quickly before a lesson or an exam; KYW is there so that the same vocabulary is still with you six months later.

### Duolingo

Duolingo is a course: it decides what to learn and in what order. KYW is not a course, sets no syllabus and does not decide which words you need – it accepts the vocabulary another process of study has already produced and helps you keep it. The two are not alternatives: a course can be worked through while the words it covered are kept in KYW.

### The main difference

The difference is not in the number of features. Most learning services count, naturally enough, what you have added, passed or unlocked. KYW is built around the other side of the process – what you stand to lose.

Learned words do not stay in memory by themselves. So KYW arranges the work around a simple idea: before you go on growing your vocabulary, make sure the vocabulary you already have is still with you.

## What KYW does not do

- It is not a course for learning a language.
- It does not replace a teacher, a textbook, reading, listening or speaking practice.
- It does not set a syllabus and does not decide what you need to learn.
- It is not a universal flashcard builder: the format of a card is fixed in advance.
- It does not invent a dictionary for the user. You decide which words go into it; an AI can help with processing and formatting.
- It does not rely on gamification: no leagues, no lives, no mascot, no competitive mechanics. The measure is how much of the learned vocabulary is still there.
- It does not work offline: a session talks to the server.
- It shows no ads and does not sell data.

## Price and data

Free. No ads, no selling of data. Deleting the account removes the words, the answers, the statistics and the packs at once.

Site: https://keepyourwords.org
Interface languages: en, ru, de, fr, es.

## Sections

- [Algorithm](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/algorithm.md): The algorithm combines FSRS-6 for the long-term schedule with our own in-session drilling engine. The first makes sure you return to a word right before you forget it. The second governs card order and repetition dynamics during the session itself.
- [How KYW compares to Anki, Quizlet and Duolingo](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/compare.md): KYW is one component of a language-learning system: a dictionary with a repetition schedule that holds on to the vocabulary you have already covered. How it differs from Anki, Quizlet and Duolingo.
- [Support KYW](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/support.md): How you can help the project.
- [How to start](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/howto.md): How-to: everything you need to know to start.
- [Your words stay yours](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/privacy.md): Privacy policy in plain language.
- [FAQ](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/faq.md): Short answers to the questions people ask most.
- [Hotkeys](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/hotkeys.md): The keyboard cheat sheet – ⏎ · 1–4 · Tab · ⌘Z · Esc.
- [Tips](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/lifehacks.md): Nine small habits that make memory stick.
- [Acknowledgements](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/credits.md): FSRS and open-source, credited honestly.
- [Story](https://keepyourwords.org/en/about/history.md): KYW grew out of a personal problem.

## For teachers and for teams

- https://keepyourwords.org/en/for/teachers: handing a class the vocabulary of a finished unit by a link.
- https://keepyourwords.org/en/for/teams: collecting the working vocabulary of a company and giving it to new people.

## Pack library

- https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs – open pages, one per pack: the words with their definitions, examples and the text they occur in, readable without an account.

Published right now – 36 packs:

- [Deutsch A1](https://keepyourwords.org/de/packs/de-a1) – Deutsch – the first words – things, people, everyday actions (de; 42 words; A1, core)
- [Deutsch A2](https://keepyourwords.org/de/packs/de-a2) – Deutsch – everyday life: home, work, travel, feelings (de; 42 words; A2, core)
- [Deutsch B1](https://keepyourwords.org/de/packs/de-b1) – Deutsch – abstract and connecting words, the ones that carry an argument (de; 42 words; B1, core)
- [Deutsch B2](https://keepyourwords.org/de/packs/de-b2) – Deutsch – precise words where a simpler one would have been vague (de; 42 words; B2, core)
- [Deutsch C1](https://keepyourwords.org/de/packs/de-c1) – Deutsch – shades of meaning, register, words that place a sentence (de; 42 words; C1, core)
- [Deutsch C2](https://keepyourwords.org/de/packs/de-c2) – Deutsch – rare and exact – the words a native speaker reaches for last (de; 44 words; C2, core)
- [Airport and station](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-travel) – Ten words for getting through a terminal without guessing. Signs, queues, and the bag that did not arrive. (en; 10 words; A2, mini, travel)
- [Body and health](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-body) – Ten words for describing what hurts and how badly. The minimum for a pharmacy, a doctor, or an honest answer to “how are you?”. (en; 10 words; A2, body, health, mini)
- [English A1](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-a1) – English – the first words – things, people, everyday actions (en; 51 words; A1, core)
- [English A2](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-a2) – English – everyday life: home, work, travel, feelings (en; 51 words; A2, core)
- [English B1](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-b1) – English – abstract and connecting words, the ones that carry an argument (en; 51 words; B1, core, story; with a text)
- [English B2](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-b2) – English – precise words where a simpler one would have been vague (en; 51 words; B2, core)
- [English C1](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-c1) – English – shades of meaning, register, words that place a sentence (en; 51 words; C1, core)
- [English C2](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-c2) – English – rare and exact – the words a native speaker reaches for last (en; 52 words; C2, core)
- [Everyday phrasal verbs](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-phrasal) – Ten phrasal verbs that natives use hourly and textbooks bury on page 300. Each one replaces a stiffer word you already know. (en; 10 words; B1, mini, phrasal verbs, verbs)
- [Feelings, precisely](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-feelings) – Ten words for states that “happy” and “sad” cannot reach. If your English feelings all come out as “fine”, start here. (en; 10 words; B1, feelings, mini, people)
- [Kitchen basics](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-kitchen) – Ten things you touch every time you cook: the pans, the sink, the lid you cannot find. Enough to describe a kitchen without pointing at it. (en; 10 words; A2, home, kitchen, mini; with a text)
- [Money talk](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-money) – Ten words for bills, wages and the gap between them. The vocabulary of renting a flat and reading a payslip. (en; 10 words; B1, life, mini, money)
- [Saying you disagree](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-disagree) – Ten words for pushing back in English without sounding rude – the hedges, the concessions, and the polite knife. (en; 10 words; B2, arguing, mini, speaking)
- [Small talk at work](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-office) – Ten words that carry a working day: the meeting that could have been an email, the deadline, the colleague covering for you. (en; 10 words; B1, mini, office, work; with a text)
- [Time and habits](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-time) – Ten words for saying how often, how soon, and how late. Adverbs of frequency that do more than “sometimes”. (en; 10 words; A2, adverbs, mini, time)
- [Weather and sky](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-mini-weather) – Ten words for what is happening outside the window – beyond “nice” and “horrible”. Half of them are what English people actually say every morning. (en; 10 words; A2, mini, nature, weather; with a text)
- [Work and career](https://keepyourwords.org/en/packs/en-work-b1) – Twenty words you meet in your first month at any job – in a short story where all of them actually appear. (en; 22 words; B1, story, work; with a text)
- [Working Parents: Family, Money and Time](https://keepyourwords.org/ru/packs/working-parents-family-money-and-time) – Набор академической лексики для темы «оба родителя работают»: причины (деньги, карьера женщин), последствия для детей и возможные решения. Уровень B2–C1, 19… (en; 19 words; B2, life, money, people; with a text)
- [Español A1](https://keepyourwords.org/es/packs/es-a1) – Español – the first words – things, people, everyday actions (es; 42 words; A1, core)
- [Español A2](https://keepyourwords.org/es/packs/es-a2) – Español – everyday life: home, work, travel, feelings (es; 42 words; A2, core)
- [Español B1](https://keepyourwords.org/es/packs/es-b1) – Español – abstract and connecting words, the ones that carry an argument (es; 42 words; B1, core)
- [Español B2](https://keepyourwords.org/es/packs/es-b2) – Español – precise words where a simpler one would have been vague (es; 42 words; B2, core)
- [Español C1](https://keepyourwords.org/es/packs/es-c1) – Español – shades of meaning, register, words that place a sentence (es; 42 words; C1, core)
- [Español C2](https://keepyourwords.org/es/packs/es-c2) – Español – rare and exact – the words a native speaker reaches for last (es; 45 words; C2, core)
- [Français A1](https://keepyourwords.org/fr/packs/fr-a1) – Français – the first words – things, people, everyday actions (fr; 42 words; A1, core)
- [Français A2](https://keepyourwords.org/fr/packs/fr-a2) – Français – everyday life: home, work, travel, feelings (fr; 42 words; A2, core)
- [Français B1](https://keepyourwords.org/fr/packs/fr-b1) – Français – abstract and connecting words, the ones that carry an argument (fr; 42 words; B1, core)
- [Français B2](https://keepyourwords.org/fr/packs/fr-b2) – Français – precise words where a simpler one would have been vague (fr; 42 words; B2, core)
- [Français C1](https://keepyourwords.org/fr/packs/fr-c1) – Français – shades of meaning, register, words that place a sentence (fr; 42 words; C1, core)
- [Français C2](https://keepyourwords.org/fr/packs/fr-c2) – Français – rare and exact – the words a native speaker reaches for last (fr; 45 words; C2, core)

## Language versions

- English: https://keepyourwords.org/en
- Русский: https://keepyourwords.org/ru
- Deutsch: https://keepyourwords.org/de
- Français: https://keepyourwords.org/fr
- Español: https://keepyourwords.org/es

## Notes

- Every article is available as markdown: add `.md` to its address.
- The full list of addresses is https://keepyourwords.org/sitemap.xml
- This file was last updated on 2026-09-05.