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What is the best way to learn Spanish vocabulary?

Evidence-based answer · Last updated · How it’s made

The short answer

The best-supported approach combines spaced, retrieval-based review (like flashcards with spaced repetition) for building a base vocabulary quickly, with lots of contextual exposure through reading, listening, or context-rich instruction to deepen and cement that knowledge. No single method wins outright — the research (including studies done specifically with Spanish learners) suggests explicit memorization and contextual/incidental learning work best combined rather than one replacing the other.

Asked as someone learning Spanish. Findings drawn from Spanish-specific research are framed for Spanish learners and may not hold for other languages; where the evidence is general second-language research, the report says so.

Spaced repetition flashcard apps help Spanish learners

A semester-long study of beginning university Spanish students found that the more days students used the spaced-repetition flashcard app Anki, the better their Spanish performance was at the end of the course, even after accounting for their starting ability and motivation.2

In plain terms

Spaced repetition is a study technique where you review the same word again and again but with increasing gaps of time between reviews, instead of repeating it many times in one sitting.

Example

Instead of drilling a new Spanish word 20 times in one evening, you'd see it that day, then two days later, then a week later, then a month later, each time you recall it correctly the gap grows.

Students dislike spaced repetition even though it works

In that same Spanish course, students reported low enjoyment and reluctance to use the spaced-repetition app, but by the end of the semester they also reported higher motivation and more belief that effort — not just natural talent — drives learning.2

Combining retrieval practice and spacing beats simple restudying

In a controlled classroom study, second-language learners who used an 'optimized' study routine — spaced retrieval practice with feedback and gradually expanding gaps between reviews — gained about 18 percentage points in vocabulary accuracy, roughly double the gain of learners who just restudied the words at the start and end of the training period (a typical cramming-style pattern).5

Wider spacing between reviews can boost long-term recall

A study using a structured notebook method for reviewing vocabulary found that spacing review sessions two weeks apart produced nearly twice the improvement of not reviewing at all, and outperformed shorter one-week spacing intervals.9

Context and pure memorization each have strengths

Presenting new words in bilingual word-pair lists (just a word and its translation) produces excellent short-term results and is faster, but words learned this way are often forgotten later; learning words in context tends to help them stick longer, so a combined approach is recommended.4

Explicit teaching helps beginners more than advanced learners

A study of Spanish-as-a-second-language classes found that explicitly teaching vocabulary (directly presenting words and definitions) worked better for students early in their learning, while an implicit approach (learning words through exposure and context, without direct explanation) became more effective once students already had a decent vocabulary base to infer new words from context.3

In plain terms

An 'implicit' approach means learning happens indirectly, through exposure and use, rather than through direct rules or explanations; 'explicit' means the opposite — vocabulary and rules are taught directly.

Reading a lot builds vocabulary, especially over shorter, sustained stretches

A meta-analysis pooling many studies found that extensive reading (reading a large volume of manageable, enjoyable texts) has a strong positive effect on vocabulary growth, with roughly one semester of consistent extensive reading being about as effective a length of exposure as longer stretches.7

Reading vocabulary grows best with a mix of direct study and reading

A review of research on foreign-language reading vocabulary concluded that the fastest, most durable vocabulary growth comes from combining direct vocabulary instruction and study strategies (like using flashcards, dictionaries, or memorization techniques) with lots of reading, rather than relying on just one or the other.1

Studying in multiple formats beats matching a single 'learning style'

A study of Spanish vocabulary learning by English-speaking students found that presenting words through mixed formats (for example, seeing, hearing, and physically interacting with a word) led to better learning and retention than only using the format that matched a student's individually preferred learning style (visual, auditory, or hands-on).6

Meaning-focused word study may edge out other explicit strategies

In one classroom study, students learning new vocabulary through direct explanations of meaning performed at least as well as, and slightly better than, those who learned the same words by studying word roots and prefixes or by absorbing them naturally while reading — though the differences between these groups were not statistically significant.8

What to do with this

  • Based on the evidence, the most effective way to build Spanish vocabulary is to combine two things rather than picking just one.
  • First, use a spaced-repetition flashcard system (such as Anki) to actively test yourself on words at gradually increasing intervals — this is one of the best-documented ways to make new words stick, even though studies note learners often find it tedious at first.
  • Second, pair that memorization work with substantial reading or listening in Spanish, since encountering words in real context helps you retain and actually use them, not just recognize them on a flashcard.
  • If you're just starting out, leaning more on direct, explicit vocabulary teaching (word lists, translations, explanations) makes sense, since beginners don't yet have enough vocabulary to guess new words from context; as your vocabulary grows, shift more of your time toward reading and listening to sharpen and deepen what you already know.
  • Finally, don't worry about matching materials to a supposed 'learning style' — using a mix of visual, audio, and hands-on formats for the same words appears to help more than sticking to one format.

Now pick something to do it with

Each of these opens an overview of the apps, courses and immersion material worth a look for that — filtered to exactly what the advice above points you at:

Spaced repetition (SRS)FlashcardsReading practiceResource selection
Or see the full resource list

Worth knowing

  • Some of the strongest evidence on spaced repetition and study methods comes from general second-language vocabulary research (including English-as-a-foreign-language learners) rather than from Spanish learners specifically, though a few of the key studies — the Anki flashcard study, the explicit-vs-implicit instruction study, and the learning-style study — were conducted specifically with Spanish learners, so where noted the findings do reflect Spanish learners directly.
  • Several studies had modest sample sizes (dozens to low hundreds of students) or were single classroom/dissertation studies, so results should be read as suggestive patterns rather than definitive rules.
  • The extensive-reading meta-analysis and several incidental-vocabulary studies focused on English learners rather than Spanish, so those conclusions are offered as general second-language findings likely to apply, not confirmed Spanish-specific results.

Want a deeper literature dive?

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See plans

  1. [1]Alan Hunt, David Beglar. A framework for developing EFL reading vocabulary. Reading in a Foreign Language 2005. doi.org/10.64152/10125/66601
  2. [2]Aroline E. Seibert Hanson, Christina M. Brown. Enhancing L2 learning through a mobile assisted spaced-repetition tool: an effective but bitter pill?. Computer Assisted Language Learning 2019. doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1552975
  3. [3]Hervas, David. Effects of Learning Strategies and Motivation on Implicit vs. Explicit Instructional Approaches for Spanish L2 Vocabulary. ProQuest LLC 2010. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3424432
  4. [4]Peter J. M. Groot. Computer assisted second language vocabulary acquisition. Language learning & technology 2000. doi.org/10.64152/10125/25087
  5. [5]N. Karatas, Oya Özemir, Jarrett Lovelett, Bora Demi̇r, Kemal Erkol, J. Veríssimo, G. Erçetin, M. Ullman. Improving second language vocabulary learning and retention by leveraging memory enhancement techniques: A multidomain pedagogical approach. Language Teaching Research 2021. doi.org/10.1177/13621688211053525
  6. [6]Tight, Daniel G.. Perceptual Learning Style Matching and L2 Vocabulary Acquisition. Language Learning 2010. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2010.00572.x
  7. [7]Jiren Liu, Jianying Zhang. The Effects of Extensive Reading on English Vocabulary Learning: A Meta-analysis. English Language Teaching 2018. doi.org/10.5539/elt.v11n6p1
  8. [8]Minoo Alemi, Alireza Tayebi. The Influence of Incidental and Intentional Vocabulary Acquisition and Vocabulary Strategy Use on Learning L2 Vocabularies. Journal of Language Teaching and Research 2011. doi.org/10.4304/jltr.2.1.81-98
  9. [9]Duplice, John. The GoldList Notebook Method: A Study on L2 Vocabulary Learning. IAFOR Journal of Education 2022. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1345758