What is it?
The Vocabulary Trainer builds your core vocabulary — for the long term, not just for a day. Instead of one long list you cram through once, you learn in short rounds with changing game modes, and a box system makes sure you see again exactly the words you’re about to forget.
What do you practise here?
Vocabulary — matched to your level. There are ready-made lists you can subscribe to straight away:
- Study year 1 to 4 — the vocabulary, ordered by year of study.
- DCC — the frequency-based core vocabulary (the most common Latin words).
- Basic — the foundational vocabulary.
- Reading-matched lists — exactly the vocabulary for the texts you’re currently reading.
On top of that you can create your own lists — by typing them in, by CSV import, or with the vocabulary scanner (photograph a textbook page → matched against the Lapicida vocabulary database).
How do you practise here?
In 10 query modes that switch automatically with your box level — from flipping cards through building syllables and multiple choice to fast-paced games like Snake or Circus Maximus. The variety keeps learning cognitively active and prevents habituation. If you’re revising for a specific exam, the Exam mode bundles all your shaky cards (box ≤ 2) into one focused session.
The box system — and why it beats cramming
Every word travels through a 7-box system based on the Leitner principle: answered correctly → next box (and you see it less often), wrong → it comes back sooner. That way you invest your time where it’s really needed. The box system applies across all lists — if you subscribe to a new list containing a word you already know, you don’t start it over; its box level is kept.
The difference from cramming before an exam: massed learning the night before lasts until the test — and is gone afterwards. Spaced repetition at the right moment anchors words for good (Cepeda et al., 2006). That’s why it pays to keep your lists active: this keeps vocabulary from earlier lessons fresh instead of letting it fade. More on this in our learning method.
What does the support look like?
You correct your own mistakes: only once you’ve entered the right answer do you move on — no clicking past a mistake. And a careless slip doesn’t set you back straight away: on the first mistake only your streak resets, the card stays in its box (soft reset). Only the second genuine error demotes it.
How does the dyslexia support work here?
Each part of speech has its own colour and its own label (e.g. “adj.” for adjectives) — a visual anchor that helps especially with dyslexia. On top of that: the OpenDyslexic font, wider letter spacing, dark mode and audio if you like. If certain game modes are too much for you, you can switch them off in the Settings (not directly in the trainer) — without losing your box progress.
How do you learn here? And how does it all connect?
Words never stand alone in Lapicida: the same sentences come up again across the trainers (marked with 🧠). What you learn here as vocabulary, you meet again in the Forms Trainer, the Sentence Quiz, Sensus and the Reading section. That’s how connections build up — and a sentence you first parsed only in parts, you can later handle whole. Scientifically, this reflects the testing effect (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006): active recall anchors more strongly than mere re-reading.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the box system better than cramming for the exam?
Cramming lasts until the test and is gone afterwards. The box system repeats each word just when you’re about to forget it — so it stays for the long term. For the last week before an exam there’s also the Exam mode.
Do I have to relearn old vocabulary from scratch when it appears in a new list?
No. The box system applies across lists — a word you already know keeps its box level, even if it appears again in a newly subscribed list.
Can I skip a card?
Yes — but it’s then counted as a mistake and comes back sooner.
Try it now
The Vocabulary Trainer is ready to go in the free area — no account, no credit card. Start for free →
← Back to overview · on to the Forms Trainer · more on the learning method