Login

u/vish_bavs

Image 1 — We hated GRE vocab lists so we built a game
Image 2 — We hated GRE vocab lists so we built a game
Image 3 — We hated GRE vocab lists so we built a game
Image 4 — We hated GRE vocab lists so we built a game
Image 5 — We hated GRE vocab lists so we built a game
▲ 80 r/GRE

We hated GRE vocab lists so we built a game

When I first started preparing, I found GRE vocab word lists painfully boring. I’d sit with lists or flashcards for maybe 20–30 minutes before my brain completely checked out.
I used to play apps like Elevate and realized I remembered things way better when I was actively interacting instead of just rereading definitions.

So my friend and I built a GRE vocab app around that idea. The app has different modes for things like:

  • matching meanings
  • antonyms
  • connotations
  • choosing between very similar words
  • visualization for visual learners

It also tracks the words you keep messing up and keeps bringing them back through spaced repetition, so revision happens automatically in the background instead of you manually maintaining lists.

It's completely free: https://verbalflo.com/

Feedback and suggestions appreciated :)

u/vish_bavs — 22 hours ago
▲ 4 r/French

Am I wrong for thinking vocabulary matters more than grammar early on?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how people actually learn vocabulary when learning a language, especially French.

One thing I’ve noticed (for myself and friends) is that a lot of apps seem very grammar-heavy early on, but the biggest barrier to understanding content often just feels like not knowing enough words.

So I’ve been experimenting with a small vocab-focused learning system based around:

  • high-frequency words
  • quick repetition
  • small games/memory challenges
  • learning words fast enough to start understanding real content earlier (videos, shows, YouTube, etc.)

But before I spend more time building this out, I wanted to ask people actually learning French:

  • What’s been the hardest part about vocabulary acquisition for you?
  • Have apps like Anki/Duolingo/Memrise worked for you long term? Why or why not?
  • Do you prefer immersion + picking things up naturally, or more structured vocab learning?
  • At what point did you start understanding real content comfortably?
  • Is vocab even the bottleneck, or is something else harder?

I’m genuinely trying to understand whether this is a real problem or just something I personally feel while learning languages.

Would love honest opinions, including negative ones.

reddit.com
u/vish_bavs — 3 days ago
▲ 10 r/Spanish

Am I wrong for thinking vocabulary matters more than grammar early on?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how people actually learn vocabulary when learning a language, especially Spanish.

One thing I’ve noticed (for myself and friends) is that a lot of apps seem very grammar-heavy early on, but the biggest barrier to understanding content often just feels like not knowing enough words.

So I’ve been experimenting with a small vocab-focused learning system based around:

  • high-frequency words
  • quick repetition
  • small games/memory challenges
  • learning words fast enough to start understanding real content earlier (videos, shows, YouTube, etc.)

But before I spend more time building this out, I wanted to ask people actually learning Spanish:

  • What’s been the hardest part about vocabulary acquisition for you?
  • Have apps like Anki/Duolingo/Memrise worked for you long term? Why or why not?
  • Do you prefer immersion + picking things up naturally, or more structured vocab learning?
  • At what point did you start understanding real content comfortably?
  • Is vocab even the bottleneck, or is something else harder?

I’m genuinely trying to understand whether this is a real problem or just something I personally feel while learning languages.

Would love honest opinions, including negative ones.

reddit.com
u/vish_bavs — 3 days ago
▲ 0 r/MBA

I hated GRE vocab lists so I built a game

I genuinely hated revising vocab for the GRE. Sitting with giant word lists every day felt painful and I could never stay consistent with it.

I used to play apps like Elevate sometimes and realized I remembered things way better through quick games/images than through flashcards. But none of those apps were actually useful for GRE vocab specifically.

So my friend and I started making a small game around actual GRE words for ourselves. Nothing revolutionary, it just made revision feel less miserable for me personally lol.

Leaving it here in case someone else struggles with vocab the same way I did:

https://verbalflo.com/

u/vish_bavs — 7 days ago
▲ 5 r/GREpreparation

We got so bored of revising GRE vocab that we turned it into a small game

I genuinely hated revising vocab for the GRE. Sitting with giant word lists every day felt painful and I could never stay consistent with it.

I used to play apps like Elevate sometimes and realized I remembered things way better through quick games/images than through flashcards. But none of those apps were actually useful for GRE vocab specifically.

So my friend and I started making a small game around actual GRE words for ourselves. Nothing revolutionary, it just made revision feel less miserable for me personally lol.

Leaving it here in case someone else struggles with vocab the same way I did:
https://verbalflo.com/

u/vish_bavs — 7 days ago
▲ 3 r/GREhelp+1 crossposts

We got so bored of revising GRE vocab that we turned it into a small game

I genuinely hated revising vocab for the GRE. Sitting with giant word lists every day felt painful and I could never stay consistent with it.

I used to play apps like Elevate sometimes and realized I remembered things way better through quick games/images than through flashcards. But none of those apps were actually useful for GRE vocab specifically.

So my friend and I started making a small game around actual GRE words for ourselves. Nothing revolutionary, it just made revision feel less miserable for me personally lol.

Leaving it here in case someone else struggles with vocab the same way I did:
https://verbalflo.com/

u/vish_bavs — 7 days ago
▲ 2 r/gradadmissions+1 crossposts

We got so bored of revising GRE vocab that we turned it into a small game

I genuinely hated revising vocab for the GRE. Sitting with giant word lists every day felt painful and I could never stay consistent with it.

I used to play apps like Elevate sometimes and realized I remembered things way better through quick games/images than through flashcards. But none of those apps were actually useful for GRE vocab specifically.

So my friend and I started making a small game around actual GRE words for ourselves. Nothing revolutionary, it just made revision feel less miserable for me personally lol.

Leaving it here in case someone else struggles with vocab the same way I did:
https://verbalflo.com/

u/vish_bavs — 7 days ago