The word journal VocaNum
Explore the indexA little curiosity about language. A clearer understanding of your English.
41 articles to think with, and put into practice.A lasting place to start
Learn what vocabulary-size tests actually count, why different tests give different totals, and how to interpret an English vocabulary estimate without overclaiming.
Fresh from the journal
Questions, observations, and something to try.
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1,283,927 article views · Across the whole journal · all timeRead from 35 countries.
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New questions and lasting ideas. There is more than one way in.
13–24 of 41 articles
Newest firstA practical solo English speaking routine using timed talks, recording, task repetition, and feedback—no conversation partner required.
Ten encounters can build very different vocabulary knowledge. Learn how contextual diversity changes word learning, when repetition in one setting helps, and when varied contexts make a word more flexible.
Improve English pronunciation with a focused practice loop for sounds, stress, rhythm, recording, and real speech—without trying to erase your accent.
Your ears are not doing all the work in face-to-face listening. See how lip movements, facial information, gestures, noise, and language experience combine during English speech perception.
A research-backed way to improve English listening with short active practice, transcripts, repetition, vocabulary, and progressively harder audio.
Fluency is not the same as speaking fast or making no mistakes. Learn how flow, pausing, retrieval, repair, accuracy, and complexity fit together in real spoken English.
What actually happens when you stop using English for weeks, months, or years — and why feeling rusty is not the same as starting over.
A realistic English-learning timeline by CEFR level, with guided-hour benchmarks and a simple way to turn study hours into months.
Why an English text can feel easy at your own pace but fall apart when you speed up — and what reading research says about fluency, eye movements, lexical access, and comprehension.
Why a familiar English accent can feel effortless while another suddenly becomes difficult — and what perceptual adaptation research says about learning to hear across accents.
Handwriting can help with some parts of language learning, but the evidence is more specific than 'pen beats keyboard.'
Why some English words stick after a few encounters while others keep slipping away: concreteness, imagery, emotion, cognates, word form, and semantic richness.