NGSL English Words Flashcards

How many English words do you actually need? One answer is the NGSL (New General Service List). Just 2,809 words cover about 92% of the words you meet in everyday English text. This app helps you learn exactly those 2,809 words — 10 at a time, with flashcards. ■ How much do they cover? Coverage published by the NGSL project varies by what you read: • General English text … about 92% • TOEIC … about 94% • Many TV shows (such as Friends) … about 95% English has more than 600,000 words, but master these 2,809 and most of what you see becomes a word you already know. ■ Ten words per session. That's it. Tap "start session" and the app picks 10 words you haven't mastered yet — fewest correct answers first, then most frequent first. You never have to decide what to study. ■ Words you know stop coming back • Correct on the very first try → mastered immediately • Missed at least once → mastered after 5 correct answers Mastered words leave the rotation, so you are never drilled on words you already know. A wrong answer never reduces your count, so you can grade yourself honestly. ■ A free AI chat, with no limits (supported devices only) Sometimes memorizing isn't enough to make a word click. Tap "ask" on the answer side and put your question to an AI directly: • "How is this different from 'problem'?" • "Show me more example sentences." • "Would this sound natural in a business email?" • "What's the etymology?" Ask anything, in your own words, and keep digging in a back-and-forth conversation. And: • It's free • There is no limit on how many questions you ask • No account and no API key • It works offline That's possible because everything runs on the AI inside your own phone (Gemini Nano). Your questions never reach a server, and no network request is made — which is why it can be free and unlimited. * Shown only on devices with on-device AI, such as Pixel 9 series or later and Galaxy S25 series or later. On other devices the button simply doesn't appear. ■ What you get for every word • Japanese meaning (1–3 core senses) • IPA pronunciation and part of speech • An example sentence in English with a Japanese translation, headword highlighted • Phrases, synonyms and antonyms where they apply • Text-to-speech for the word and the sentence, offline ■ Built to keep you going A GitHub-style contribution graph turns your daily study into colored squares. One session (10 answers) darkens the square by one step, so today's work always shows up. Streaks and a daily reminder at a time you choose are included. ■ Fully offline, no account All 2,809 words ship inside the app. Studying needs no network at all, and there is no sign-up or login. Your learning data stays on your device and is never sent anywhere. Moving to a new phone? Export your history to a JSON file and import it. ■ A screen that gets out of the way A terminal-inspired interface: dark by default, grayscale, monospaced. Nothing decorative competes with the words themselves. A banner ad sits at the top of the screen, and a single one-time purchase removes it for good — it is not a subscription. ■ Who it's for • Adults picking English back up • Anyone building the vocabulary base for reading and conversation • Learners who want the foundation before TOEIC prep, where these words are about 94% of what appears • People who want to understand nuance and usage, not just memorize • Anyone looking for a simple vocabulary app without ad clutter The NGSL was published by Browne, Culligan & Phillips. This is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NGSL project.