Preview mode (deck browsing)
You simply browse through the deck and look at both sides of the cards. Nothing is rated and progress doesn’t change.
When to use: getting to know a new deck, a quick review before a session.
How to study effectively
Whalik offers three different modes for working with the same deck. They complement each other: to lock in new material, it’s useful to alternate between them. Below is a breakdown of when each mode works best.
The three modes
Audio playback
Cards are read aloud. You can lock the screen or put the phone in your pocket.
When to use: passive review on the go, while walking, or doing chores.
Study mode (memorization)
Cards appear one at a time; you try to recall the translation, then rate how easily you recalled it.
When to use: the main mode for locking material in. Cards come back at intervals calculated by the algorithm.
Practice in small sessions
Regular short sessions work better than infrequent long ones. 10–15 minutes in the morning and in the evening bring more benefit than an hour once a week. For words to really stick, it’s important to come back to them several times — try not to skip sessions for several days in a row.
Combine the modes
A typical scenario that works well:
- Generate a deck on the topic you need.
- Browse it in preview mode (deck browsing) to see all the words and examples. That way the vocabulary won’t be completely new during practice.
- Turn on audio playback on the go or during routine tasks — you’ll hear the words and examples and get used to their sound.
- Start study mode. Go through the deck, rating the cards honestly.
- Come back to study mode the next day. Whalik will tell you which cards are due for review.
What to do when a deck is learned
If you went through a deck recently and its cards are well memorized, the next time you start study mode there may be only a few cards due for review in it — or none at all. That’s normal — it means it’s simply too early to come back to them. In that case you can generate a new deck on a related topic and keep expanding your vocabulary.
Start with your first deck
Pick a topic, generate the cards and start a practice session — the whole thing takes just a couple of minutes.