Language

Spanish Flashcard Maker

Master Spanish vocabulary with spaced repetition. Start with a pre-loaded deck of 15 essential Spanish terms, or build your own custom deck. Free, no account, study offline.

Spanish Starter Deck: 15 Essential Terms

Start your Spanish journey with these 15 foundational words. When you load the page for the first time with no saved deck, a button below will seed these term–definition pairs into the flashcard tool. Study them in both directions to build bidirectional fluency.

Spanish Pronunciation Guide English
Uno OO-noh One
Dos dohs Two
Tres trays Three
Cuatro KWAH-troh Four
Cinco SEEN-koh Five
Seis says Six
Siete see-EH-tay Seven
Ocho OH-choh Eight
Nueve noo-EH-bay Nine
Diez dee-es Ten
Hola OH-lah Hello
Gracias GRAH-see-ahs Thank you
Por favor por fah-VOR Please
Adiós ah-dee-OHS Goodbye
Buenos días BWEH-nos DEE-ahs Good morning
Tip: Practice both directions. Study "Spanish → English" to recognize words and "English → Spanish" to recall them under pressure. Many learners neglect the English → Spanish direction and later find they cannot speak what they only learned to understand. The asymmetry is real: comprehension and production are different cognitive skills.

Why Bidirectional Drilling Works

Learning is not symmetric. You may fluently read Spanish news, yet freeze when asked to recall the Spanish word for "table" in a conversation. Comprehension (recognizing a word you read or hear) activates different neural pathways than production (retrieving a word to speak or write). Research on retrieval practice confirms that the act of retrieving information—even when it's hard—strengthens memory far more than passive recognition. When you drill both directions, you force your brain to retrieve vocabulary under two different cues: the Spanish word and the English meaning. This asymmetry is why classroom instruction that only teaches "Spanish words → English meanings" falls short. A complete learner practices both directions equally.

How to Type Spanish Accented Characters

Spanish uses five accented vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú), the letter ñ, and inverted punctuation (¿, ¡). Here's how to type them on any device.

Windows (Alt Codes)

Hold the Alt key on your numeric keypad and type the code. Release Alt to produce the character. (These codes only work on the numeric keypad, not the number row.)

Alt + 0225
á (lowercase a acute)
Alt + 0233
é (lowercase e acute)
Alt + 0237
í (lowercase i acute)
Alt + 0243
ó (lowercase o acute)
Alt + 0250
ú (lowercase u acute)
Alt + 0241
ñ (lowercase n tilde)
Alt + 0191
¿ (inverted question mark)
Alt + 0161
¡ (inverted exclamation)

Mac (Option Key)

Press and hold Option, then press e and release both. Then type the vowel you want to accent. (Hold down letter keys to see alternate versions.)

Option + e, then a
á
Option + e, then e
é
Option + e, then i
í
Option + e, then o
ó
Option + e, then u
ú
Option + n, then n
ñ
Hold down ?
¿ (select from popup)
Hold down !
¡ (select from popup)

Mobile (iOS & Android)

On phones and tablets, hold down the letter key for 1–2 seconds. A menu will pop up showing accented variants. Slide your finger to the accented version and release.

Hold a, e, i, o, u
Shows á, é, í, ó, ú + other variants
Hold n
Shows ñ + other variants
Hold ? or !
Shows ¿ or ¡

Add cards

Press Ctrl/Cmd+Enter to add, or click the button. Drill both directions: add cards for Spanish→English and English→Spanish.

Your cards (0)

    Import & Export

    CSV format: First column is term, second is definition. Works with Anki, Quizlet, and other flashcard apps. Export your deck as a backup.

    Keyboard shortcuts

    Ctrl / Cmd + Enter
    Add card from editor
    Tab to focus
    Navigate with arrow keys and Enter

    Keyboard shortcuts

    Space / Enter
    Flip card
    1 / 2 / 3 / 4
    Again / Hard / Good / Easy
    Right arrow
    Next card
    S
    Star card

    How to write Spanish flashcards that work

    Good Spanish flashcards follow the same principles as any language drill, plus a few specific to vocabulary acquisition.

    One word per card, one idea per direction

    Instead of "Explain the subjunctive mood," create a card: "hablo (I speak)" ↔ "speak". Break phrases into smaller cards. Create separate cards for Spanish→English and English→Spanish—they are not the same skill.

    Use question or prompt format

    Use complete prompts: "What is the Spanish word for book?" or "Translate to Spanish: table". This mirrors real-world recall. Just "libro" → "book" is weaker because it lacks the cognitive cue that forces retrieval.

    Add context for polysemous words

    The Spanish word "banco" means both "bank" and "bench". Clarify: "banco (financial institution)" vs. "banco (park bench)". Without context, you cannot distinguish which meaning you should recall.

    Include pronunciation if you are auditory

    Write pronunciation notes in your definition: "gato (GAH-toh, cat)". When you see "gato" on the card, sounding it out reinforces the auditory memory trace. Some learners benefit; others find it clutters the card.

    Test yourself before you flip

    Do not peek at the back immediately. Force yourself to retrieve the answer before flipping. Even getting it wrong and then checking strengthens memory more than reading the answer without effort. Honest self-rating (Again / Hard / Good / Easy) tells the algorithm which cards need more repetition.

    How to study Spanish with spaced repetition

    Spaced repetition—reviewing cards at expanding intervals—is the most efficient way to move Spanish vocabulary into long-term memory. This app implements the core algorithm.

    Drill both directions daily

    Spend 50% of your time on Spanish→English (recognition) and 50% on English→Spanish (recall). Many learners skip the English→Spanish direction because recognition feels like progress, but production (speaking) requires the reverse lookup. Set up two separate decks if you need visual structure.

    Study in short daily sessions

    Fifteen to twenty minutes daily beats an hour once a week. The spacing matters more than the duration. If you study every day, your brain revisits the words at optimal intervals. One intense cram session fades fast; daily drilling locks vocabulary in.

    Rate honestly

    Again: You forgot or guessed. Hard: You recalled but had to think hard. Good: Smooth recall, took a moment. Easy: Instant recall, zero effort. Honest ratings let the app prioritize weak cards. If you cheat by hitting "Easy" too often, weak cards vanish and you will forget them later.

    Use the star feature for problem cards

    Star cards that consistently appear as "Hard" or "Again". After a study session, toggle on "Study starred only" to drill your weakest vocabulary. Short focused sessions on tough words compound fast.

    Combine with immersion

    Flashcards are not enough to fluency. Use them to strengthen recognition and recall, then expose yourself to Spanish: news articles, podcasts, conversation. Flashcards build the foundation; real-world input builds fluency. When you encounter a word you drilled on the card, the memory feels reinforced.

    Questions

    How do I type Spanish accented characters on my keyboard?

    On Windows, use Alt codes with the numeric keypad: Alt+0225 for á, Alt+0233 for é, Alt+0237 for í, Alt+0243 for ó, Alt+0250 for ú, Alt+0241 for ñ, Alt+0191 for ¿, Alt+0161 for ¡. On Mac, press Option+e then a vowel for accents (Option+e then a = á), and Option+n then n for ñ. On mobile, hold down the letter key and select the accented version from the popup menu.

    Should I practice translation in both directions?

    Yes. Practicing Spanish→English and English→Spanish are not equivalent skills. You may understand Spanish words easily, but struggle to recall the Spanish word when given an English prompt. Studies show that drilling both directions strengthens bidirectional fluency and prevents one-way learning gaps. Create separate cards for each direction to build a complete vocabulary.

    Can I import my Spanish deck from Quizlet or Anki?

    Yes. Export your Spanish deck from Quizlet or Anki as CSV, then paste or upload it here. This app accepts comma-separated and tab-separated formats, so it works with most flashcard platforms. The Spanish starter deck is just a beginning—import your own decks to study specific vocabulary.

    What if I want to study Spanish faster by learning just English→Spanish?

    Single-direction drilling is faster but creates a gap: you may recognize Spanish words but cannot recall them. Passive recognition and active recall are different skills. If time is limited, study both directions but focus first on your weaker direction (usually native→target in early stages). As you progress, increase target→native drills to unlock fluency.

    How long should my Spanish vocabulary cards be?

    Keep definitions short: one word or a brief phrase is ideal. Examples: "hola" = "hello", "libro" = "book", "rápido" = "fast". If you need a longer definition, that's a sign to break it into smaller cards. Shorter cards are easier to recall and better for spaced repetition.

    Can I study multiple Spanish decks at once?

    This app studies one deck at a time. Create separate decks for different topics (Numbers, Greetings, Verbs, Food) and study them in order. If you want to merge decks, export each as CSV, combine them in a text editor, and import as a single deck.

    Learn more study techniques

    • Spaced repetition

      Why spacing out study sessions works better than cramming. Learn the science and the algorithms that power flashcard apps.

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    • Active recall

      The research-backed study technique that transforms learning. Why testing yourself is more powerful than passive review.

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    • Vocabulary list template

      A printable template for building vocabulary with context and examples. Works great with spaced repetition.

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    • Pomodoro timer

      Study in focused 25-minute intervals with built-in breaks. Pairs perfectly with daily flashcard sessions.

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