Skip to main content

​
Tutorial Overview

This tutorial teaches you how to systematically build vocabulary using MyLang Reader’s powerful tracking and management features. You’ll learn to organize words effectively, track progress, and develop strategies for long-term retention.

​
Prerequisites

  • Completed Using Reader Features Tutorial
  • Have read at least one piece of content and clicked several words
  • Basic understanding of vocabulary categorization (Learning, Known, Difficult)

​
What You’ll Learn

Strategic Word Selection

Choose which words to learn for maximum impact

Effective Categorization

Organize vocabulary for optimal learning progression

Progress Tracking

Monitor your vocabulary growth and identify patterns

Retention Strategies

Techniques for long-term vocabulary retention

​
Tutorial 1: Smart Word Selection

Not all words are worth learning immediately. Learn to prioritize effectively.

​
Understanding Word Frequency

1

Recognize High-Frequency Words

Focus on common words first:
  • Words that appear multiple times in your reading
  • Basic vocabulary that appears across different topics
  • Words you encounter in multiple sources
  • Essential words for your learning goals
2

Identify Personal Priority Words

Choose words relevant to you:
  • Vocabulary related to your interests or profession
  • Words from topics you read about frequently
  • Terms that appear in your target communication scenarios
  • Words that unlock understanding of longer passages
3

Skip Low-Priority Words

Don’t learn everything:
  • Extremely rare or technical terms (unless you need them)
  • Words you can easily guess from context
  • Proper nouns and place names
  • Words that appear only once in very specific contexts

​
Strategic Word Selection Exercise

Focus on high-impact vocabulary:
  • 20% of words appear 80% of the time
  • Learn the most frequent 1,000-2,000 words first
  • These provide maximum comprehension improvement
  • Build foundation before adding specialized vocabulary
Choose words that enhance comprehension:
  • Words that help you understand paragraph themes
  • Connecting words that show relationships between ideas
  • Keywords that appear in headings and important sentences
  • Words that help you infer meaning of other unknown words
Prioritize personally useful vocabulary:
  • Words related to your hobbies and interests
  • Professional or academic terminology you need
  • Words for situations you’ll encounter
  • Vocabulary that connects to your existing knowledge
Practice Exercise: Read an article and click 15-20 words. Now categorize them as “High Priority” (learn immediately), “Medium Priority” (learn later), or “Low Priority” (skip for now). Focus your energy on the high-priority words.

​
Tutorial 2: Effective Categorization System

Master MyLang Reader’s categorization system for optimal learning.

​
Understanding the Four Categories

  • New (Blue)
  • Learning (Yellow)
  • Known (Green)
  • Difficult (Red)
First encounter with a word:
  • Just clicked for the first time
  • Awaiting your categorization decision
  • Temporary state - should be processed regularly
  • Action needed: Decide where this word belongs

​
Categorization Best Practices

1

Be Honest About Your Knowledge

Accurate assessment is crucial:
  • Don’t mark words as “Known” just to feel good
  • Be realistic about partial understanding
  • Consider if you could use the word in conversation
  • Test yourself: can you recall the word without seeing it?
2

Regular Categorization Sessions

Process new words frequently:
  • Review “New” words weekly (don’t let them accumulate)
  • Spend 5-10 minutes categorizing after reading sessions
  • Update categories as your knowledge changes
  • Move words between categories as you progress
3

Use the Difficult Category Strategically

For words that need extra attention:
  • Words you keep forgetting despite practice
  • Complex words with multiple meanings
  • Abstract concepts that don’t stick easily
  • Words that confuse you with similar-looking words

​
Category Management Workflow

  1. During reading: Click words naturally, don’t stop to categorize
  2. After reading: Quick categorization of 5-10 most important words
  3. End of session: Mark obvious “Known” words to clean up interface
  4. Weekly review: Process accumulated “New” words thoughtfully
  • New → Learning: When you decide to actively study a word
  • Learning → Known: When you’ve truly mastered the word
  • Learning → Difficult: When a word proves challenging
  • Difficult → Learning: When you’ve made progress on difficult words
  • Known → Learning: If you realize you don’t know a word as well as thought

​
Tutorial 3: Vocabulary List Management

Organize and track your growing vocabulary database.

​
Accessing Your Vocabulary Lists

1

Navigate to Vocabulary Section

Find your vocabulary database:
  • Click “Vocabulary” or “Vocab” in main navigation
  • See all your tracked words organized by category
  • Access search and filtering options
2

Explore Different Views

Understand the interface:
  • All Words: Complete vocabulary database
  • Learning Words: Currently studying
  • Difficult Words: Needing extra attention
  • Recent Words: Recently encountered vocabulary
3

Use Search and Filters

Find specific vocabulary:
  • Search by word spelling or translation
  • Filter by source content or date added
  • Sort by frequency, alphabetical order, or date
  • Combine filters for precise searches

​
Vocabulary Information and Context

Word Details

Translation, definition, part of speech, pronunciation

Learning Context

Where you encountered the word, example sentences

Usage Statistics

How often you’ve seen it, practice performance

Progress Tracking

When you learned it, category changes over time

​
Advanced Organization Features

  • Bulk Operations
  • Custom Organization
  • Export and Backup
Manage multiple words efficiently:
  • Select multiple words with checkboxes
  • Change categories for several words at once
  • Export selected words to study materials
  • Delete unwanted entries in bulk

​
Tutorial 4: Strategic Learning Approaches

Develop effective strategies for different learning goals and levels.

​
Learning Strategies by Proficiency Level

Foundation building approach:
  • Target: 20-50 learning words at a time
  • Focus: High-frequency, everyday vocabulary
  • Method: Learn words in thematic groups (family, food, work)
  • Goal: Build basic communication vocabulary
  • Practice: Heavy repetition and simple context
Expansion and specialization:
  • Target: 50-100 learning words at a time
  • Focus: Specialized vocabulary for your interests
  • Method: Learn from authentic materials you enjoy
  • Goal: Express complex ideas and opinions
  • Practice: Context-rich examples and varied usage
Precision and nuance:
  • Target: 100+ learning words at a time
  • Focus: Nuanced meanings, idiomatic expressions
  • Method: Academic, professional, or literary texts
  • Goal: Native-like precision and cultural fluency
  • Practice: Subtle distinctions and advanced usage

​
Thematic Learning Approaches

1

Choose Learning Themes

Organize vocabulary by topics:
  • Professional vocabulary for work contexts
  • Hobby-related terms for personal interests
  • Academic vocabulary for educational goals
  • Cultural vocabulary for social understanding
2

Build Word Networks

Learn related words together:
  • Synonyms and antonyms
  • Word families (root words, prefixes, suffixes)
  • Collocations (words that go together)
  • Semantic fields (words in the same topic area)
3

Create Learning Progressions

Plan vocabulary development:
  • Start with basic terms in each theme
  • Add intermediate complexity gradually
  • Include advanced and nuanced vocabulary
  • Connect themes for comprehensive coverage

​
Retention and Memory Techniques

Spaced Repetition

Use MyLang Reader’s built-in practice system for optimal timing

Contextual Learning

See words in multiple contexts from your reading

Active Usage

Try using new words in writing or speaking practice

Visual Associations

Connect words to images or mental pictures

​
Tutorial 5: Progress Tracking and Analytics

Monitor your vocabulary development effectively.

​
Understanding Vocabulary Statistics

  • Growth Metrics
  • Learning Efficiency
  • Pattern Analysis
Track vocabulary expansion:
  • Total words in database
  • Words added this week/month
  • Learning velocity (words per day)
  • Category distribution changes over time

​
Using Analytics for Improvement

1

Weekly Vocabulary Review

Regular assessment:
  • How many new words did you encounter?
  • What percentage are you actively learning?
  • Which words moved from “Learning” to “Known”?
  • Are you maintaining a good learning pace?
2

Monthly Progress Analysis

Deeper evaluation:
  • Overall vocabulary growth trends
  • Success rate in moving words to “Known”
  • Areas where you need more practice
  • Adjustment needed in learning strategies
3

Goal Setting and Adjustment

Optimize your approach:
  • Set realistic vocabulary learning goals
  • Adjust daily/weekly targets based on performance
  • Focus on weak areas identified in analytics
  • Celebrate achievements and milestones

​
Vocabulary Milestones

  • Master 20-50 high-frequency words
  • Complete vocabulary from one piece of content
  • Move 10-20 words from “Learning” to “Known”
  • Establish consistent vocabulary review routine
  • Build 200-500 word active vocabulary
  • Cover complete thematic vocabulary areas
  • Achieve 80% comprehension in target content
  • Develop efficient categorization habits
  • Accumulate 1,000-3,000 words in target language
  • Read authentic content with minimal dictionary use
  • Express complex ideas with learned vocabulary
  • Develop instinctive vocabulary acquisition habits

​
Practice Exercises

​
Exercise 1: Priority Word Selection

  1. Read a new article and click 25 words
  2. Categorize them by priority (High/Medium/Low)
  3. Only mark high-priority words as “Learning”
  4. Notice how this focuses your learning effort

​
Exercise 2: Category Management

  1. Review your “New” words from past week
  2. Categorize each one thoughtfully
  3. Update any words that have changed categories
  4. Clean up your vocabulary lists

​
Exercise 3: Thematic Learning

  1. Choose a topic (e.g., “food,” “work,” “travel”)
  2. Find content on this topic and read it
  3. Collect all related vocabulary
  4. Learn words as a thematic group

​
Exercise 4: Progress Analysis

  1. Check your vocabulary statistics
  2. Identify your fastest and slowest learning words
  3. Look for patterns in what you learn easily vs. with difficulty
  4. Adjust your strategy based on insights

​
Common Vocabulary Challenges

​
Troubleshooting Learning Issues

  • Too Many Learning Words
  • Words Not Sticking
  • Inconsistent Categorization
When you feel overwhelmed:
  • Reduce daily new word intake
  • Focus on high-frequency vocabulary only
  • Move some “Learning” words to “Difficult” temporarily
  • Practice existing vocabulary before adding new

​
Optimization Strategies

1

Quality over Quantity

Better to deeply learn fewer words than superficially know many
2

Regular Maintenance

Weekly vocabulary review prevents accumulation and confusion
3

Context Integration

Connect vocabulary learning with regular reading practice
4

Realistic Expectations

Vocabulary acquisition is gradual - be patient with the process

​
Best Practices Summary

​
Daily Vocabulary Habits

​
Long-term Vocabulary Development

Consistent Input

Regular reading provides steady vocabulary exposure

Strategic Selection

Focus on high-impact vocabulary for your goals

Systematic Practice

Use spaced repetition for long-term retention

Progress Monitoring

Track growth and adjust strategies accordingly

​
Next Steps

Practice Sessions

Learn to use spaced repetition effectively for vocabulary retention

Advanced Features

Explore advanced vocabulary management features
Vocabulary building is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on consistency and strategic selection rather than trying to learn everything at once.