Show HN: GrokVocab – I Built a Vocabulary App Without Flashcards or Memorization
by ilamparithi | 2025-07-12 16:16:50+00:00
Hi HN,

As a non-native speaker, I improved my vocabulary by reading English novels. At the time, it felt like a clever hack. It was hard and sometimes took me hours to read a single page(because I had to constantly look up words), but I pushed through because I enjoyed reading, especially fiction. I would never have put in the same effort to create flashcards or word lists and then memorize words. Learning works for me when it becomes a side effect of something engaging. Even now, if I want to learn a new programming language or framework, I skim the basics, pick a small project, and learn while building it rather than going through elaborate tutorials.

Coming back to vocabulary, while reading books worked well for me, I realize it doesn't work for everyone. Many people don’t enjoy reading even in their native language. When they see a wall of text, they instantly switch to TLDR mode. I've always been interested in novel ways of learning instead of rote memorization. I especially wanted to help vocabulary learners because the method I used truly worked for me. Also, the ability to read English effortlessly opened many doors for me.

My idea was to help users learn words in real context, focusing on the context first rather than on individual words like flashcards do. But instead of longer texts or books, the context should be bite-sized and engaging. I had tried to build small apps and prototypes around this idea in the past, but they didn’t work well enough. The arrival of LLMs changed everything. If they are good at one thing, it’s generating text. I experimented a bit, the results were promising, and I finally developed this app.

The idea is simple. Users read a short passage and try to understand it. When they encounter unfamiliar words, they can guess their meanings. Below the passage, users can check whether their guesses were right. Irrespective of whether they get it right or not, they get a memorable context that makes the word stick far better than flashcard-based memorization. As they read more passages, the same words show up in different contexts, which helps the words stick without the need for forced spaced repetition.

There is an option to pick specific categories and learn words related to topics like Architecture, Legal Terminology, Test Prep (GRE,TOEFL,GMAT,IELTS,SAT) and many others. There is also an advanced mode for slightly more complex passages. By default, the content is beginner-friendly.

Use cases:

Language learners who want to improve their vocabulary, Hobbyists who enjoy learning new words, Students preparing for exams like GRE/GMAT/IELTS, Writers looking to build topic-specific vocabulary, Anyone wanting to improve reading skills through regular practice

Flashcards seem to work for a lot of people(at least in the short term), which is why those apps are so popular. But if you haven’t had much success with traditional methods, you might find this app useful. Just reading a few passages every day could make a difference. There’s a nice side effect too: if you’re into trivia, you’ll pick up lots of interesting facts along the way.

I also came across this recently (after building the app): https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fc.... It felt like validation for the method I discovered on my own.

Quick Note: I understand that requiring an account to try the app is a bit of a hurdle. Since LLM credits are involved and I’m running this on a tight budget, I couldn’t provide a public demo. You can use any non-existent email address to register and try it out if you're concerned about privacy.

Would love to hear your thoughts if you give it a try.

- Ilamparithi