Getting Started with WordByWord.io
WordByWord.io helps you build and retain vocabulary in any language through structured collections and effective training modes. This guide walks you through the essential steps to go from sign-up to your first learning session.
Step 1: Create Your Account
Visit wordbyword.io and click the Start free button. You can register using your email address or sign in with your Google account for faster setup. If you register with email, you will receive a confirmation message — click the link in the email to verify your account. After confirmation, you will be taken to the main dashboard where all of your collections and learning progress will live.
Step 2: Create Your First Collection
Collections are the core organizational unit in WordByWord.io. Each collection holds a set of vocabulary terms grouped around a theme, topic, or lesson.
How to create a collection
- From the dashboard, click the Add Collection button.
- Give your collection a descriptive name, such as "Spanish Travel Phrases" or "German A1 Basics."
- Select the language of the collection (the language you are learning).
- Optionally add a description and choose whether to make the collection public.
- Click Create to save the collection.
Your new collection will appear on the dashboard, ready for you to add terms.
Step 3: Add Terms to Your Collection
Open the collection you just created and click Add Term. For each entry, provide the word or phrase in your target language along with its translation. You can also add an example sentence to reinforce meaning. The app can automatically suggest translations as you type.
Ways to add vocabulary
- Manual entry — Type in terms and translations one at a time for full control.
- AI generation — Click Generate to automatically create words for a given topic. Enter a topic (or let the system pick one), select the difficulty level (A1 to C2), and specify how many terms you need. Review the suggestions before adding them.
- CSV import — Import terms in bulk from a CSV file.
- Chrome extension — If you install the WordByWord.io browser extension, you can highlight words on any webpage and save them directly to a collection. See the Chrome Extension Setup guide for details.
Try adding at least five to ten terms to give yourself enough material for a meaningful training session.
Step 4: Start Your First Training Session
With terms in your collection, navigate to the Trainings section in the sidebar. WordByWord.io offers seven training modes designed to reinforce different aspects of recall:
- Word → Translation — See a word and choose the correct translation from four options.
- Word ← Translation — See a translation and choose the correct word from four options.
- 60s Sprint — A timed 60-second challenge where you quickly judge whether a word-translation pair is correct or not.
- Typing — Type the word from memory based on its meaning.
- Sentence builder — Rebuild a phrase by reordering shuffled words.
- Letter builder — Spell out a word by clicking letters in the correct order.
- Listening — Listen to a word's pronunciation and choose the correct translation.
Select a mode that suits your current comfort level. Word → Translation is a great starting point for new vocabulary, while Typing mode provides a stronger test of retention.
Tracking your progress
Every term in your collection has one of five statuses reflecting your mastery level: New, Recognized, Familiar, Learned, and Know. After each training session, WordByWord.io updates these statuses automatically based on your answers. The system uses spaced repetition to schedule reviews — terms you struggle with appear more frequently, while well-known terms are reviewed less often.
Next Steps
Now that you have completed your first session, explore additional features such as creating multiple collections for different topics, pinning your favorite collections, cloning public collections from other users, and installing the Chrome extension to capture new vocabulary while browsing. Consistent short sessions are more effective than occasional long ones, so aim to train a little every day.