Read one short article you chose yourself today and underline unknown words. Self-selected, interest-based reading teaches new words in meaningful context.
Interest in the article keeps you reading, so the words you underline today come from something you genuinely enjoy. Tomorrow, open your practice loop and add three underlined words to cards.
Your practice loop
Open yesterday's words first. Say each word aloud, then cover the meaning and recall it from memory. This five minute review takes priority over adding new words, because reviewing at spaced intervals strengthens memory more than repeating words many times in one sitting.
Add three new words from the article you read today. For each one, write the sentence where you found it, plus one new sentence of your own. Context gives the word a place to live in your memory, and your own sentence forces an active choice about meaning.
Quiz yourself on all six to nine cards, old and new. Say the meaning aloud before flipping. Getting a word wrong is useful information, not failure; it simply tells you which card returns tomorrow.
Sort the cards into two piles, known and not yet. The not yet pile comes back tomorrow; the known pile returns in three days, then a week. You can use paper cards or a spaced repetition app, whichever you will actually open daily.
Finish by writing one sentence using today's hardest word. If you cannot, that word has not stuck yet, and that observation becomes your starting point tomorrow.
A worked session
Here is the story exercise in full. Take three words from today's article, such as reluctant, obstacle and rewarding, and write a short story that uses each one.
Maria was reluctant to start the course. The first obstacle was finding time, but finishing her first assignment felt rewarding.
Read your story aloud twice today, then read it again tomorrow. Reading a story that repeats your newly learned words supports retention over the following days better than reviewing the words alone.
Write the story before checking definitions again. Trying to infer each word's meaning from your own sentences gave better delayed recall than simply retrieving the definition in one study, though findings differ between studies, so treat both as useful options.
Close the session by rereading the story without your notes. If you can explain each word's meaning in your own words, the story has done its job; any word that still feels unclear goes back into tomorrow's practice loop.
Checking your retention
Give yourself a two part self check at the end of the week. First, cover the meanings of every card and recall each one aloud. Second, use three words from the week in fresh sentences you have never written before. Counting correct recalls gives you an observable score.
Expect some drift even with good habits. One small study found retention slid from about 79.57 percent at 18 days to about 75.27 percent after a 60 day lapse, so a missed week costs a little, not everything.
Use your score to set the next adjustment. If recall is high, stretch the known pile from three days to five. Spaced review improves retention even when immediate recall feels no easier, so trust the longer gap.
If several cards fail, shorten the gap instead. In research on spaced practice with factual material, retention followed an inverted U curve: gaps that were too short or too long weakened retention. This has not been tested directly for vocabulary, but it suggests a middle gap is safer than an extreme one. Try three days rather than a week and rescore next week.